Safe & sound? Perceptions of campus safety for Black college students

First semester college experiences: Associations with substance use and mental health

“…Consistent with other studies, BIPOC status and identifying as female were associated with feeling less safe on campus ( Kelly and Torres, 2006 , Maffini and Dillard, 2022 ) and feeling less safety was associated with more mental health symptoms. Culturally affirming counseling services, representative faculty and staff, and clear policies to protect the safety of students from minoritized racial/ethnic backgrounds is paramount to increase belonging and safety ( Garvey et al, 2018 , Quaye et al, 2014 , Stewart and Bridges, 2011 ).…”

“…Those feeling less belonging or more homesickness are less likely to finish college ( O’Keeffe, 2013 , Thurber and Walton, 2012 ). Feeling a sense of belonging is lower among those identifying as a racial/ethnic minority ( Strayhorn, 2018 ), while racial/ethnic minority status and identifying as female are associated with feeling unsafe on campus ( Kelly and Torres, 2006 , Maffini and Dillard, 2022 ). Social support may mitigate these risks by helping students cope with academic stress ( Dwyer & Cummings, 2001 ).…”

Rage In (and Out) the Cage: Black Students’ Negotiation of Safety

“…This study demonstrates that Black students were not situating their experiences within a desire for inclusion and belonging, which are often the constructs colleges and universities use to describe initiatives to improve the experiences of racially marginalized students (Faircloth & Hamm, 2005; Strayhorn, 2019). Instead, the Black students in our study used a very different baseline of need—they wanted physical, mental, and emotional protection within their educational spaces and experiences (MacIsaac & MacKay, 2018; Maffini & Dillard, 2022). Participants described strategies for avoiding anti-Black violence on their campuses or being perceived as a threat due to their race, such as wearing attire with their university logo or not driving/driving only at certain times.…”

“…More racially diverse campuses have a higher potential for ethnoviolence (Fenske & Gordon, 1998). Ethnoviolence describes an act or attempted act motivated by group prejudice and intended to cause physical or psychological injury (Maffini & Dillard, 2022). Retaliatory hate crimes occur when white people defend “white spaces” in an attempt to preserve their “territory” (Stotzer & Hossellman, 2012, p. 28)—which is also known as white rage.…”

Victimization, Disability Status, and Fear Among U.S. College Students

“…Fox et al (2009) found that factors associated with elevated fearfulness varied across temporal contexts, and that fear was more pervasive at night. More recently, Maffini and Dillard (2022) examined correlates of fear during the day and night among a nationally representative collegiate sample. Findings indicated that Black students were more fearful both on campus and in their surrounding communities during both the day and night relative to White students.…”