Supporting Black Students

A studies-based approach

Supporting Black students in higher education requires that I apply the research skills that I have used in the MSHE program to discover apply the best methods to support the Black community.

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Term: Fall 2021

Learning Domains:

• Leadership

• Social Justice and Advocacy

• Education

• Personal and Professional Development

Learning Outcomes:

SWiBAT identify three research initiatives to support Black students

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Evidence

1. Dr. Kathy Obear (2020) developed training material to help higher education institutions transform their hiring practices. She developed extensive worksheets so that hiring managers may actively counter the current practices that are historically based on white racist, inequitable ideologies (Obear, 2020). Among the many forms that are provided in her document, she provides reflective exercises for employers to re-evaluate the fairness of their current hiring guidelines and the possibility of benefiting Whiteness. As part of the recommendations for creating a campus that is better aligned with Multicultural Organization Development (MCOD) goals, she identifies changes in hiring practices that more inclusive to diverse cultures and employees that are equipped to support a multi-cultural student body.

2. Dr. J. Luke Wood and Dr. Frank Harris III (2015) provided a model of categorizing campus personnel depending on their ability and willingness to help students of color. There are five groups that the authors identified: the Choir, the Allies, the Passive Resistors, the Defiant, and the Oblivious. Each group has varying degrees of knowing how to help students of color and willingness to help those students. The authors continue to describe the three Es (empower, educate, encourage) to support the professional development of campus professionals. The group best equipped to help the students is the Choir and the authors argue that institutions must be willing to “Empower” the Choir to create start the process of creating a supportive campus environment for students of color (Wood & Harris, 2015, p. 2).

3. Dr. Samuel Museus’ Culturally Engaging Campus Environments (CECE) model was proposed by a classmate in a class discussion. This model is not based on any specific race or culture but rather is derived from “interviews with 150 diverse undergraduate students” (Museus & Smith, 2016, p. 1). The advantage of this model is that is a universal framework that can be applied to a truly diverse student population. The model emphasizes the necessary institutional changes that must occur to increase the success of the diverse student population.

The model requires that institutions undergo a large-scale transformation that includes updates to their policies, programs, Practices, pedagogy, curricula, and all activities. The CECE model includes a tool kit that is available to all campus professionals so they may develop and maintain a culturally engaging campus environment.

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Reflection

Above I have met the learning outcome by identifying three methods of creating an environment that supports our Black students. There are many more articles out there that I should read and analyze if I am to become truly committed to helping all our students. I realize that while I have become acquainted with these articles, it will take much more of my time and energy to effectively implement these practices.

Increasing the presence of Black higher education professionals has shown to have a direct increase in student success across various metrics of student success (Stanley, 2006). Therefore, I believe that one of the most effective forms of support for Black students is to develop more equitable hiring practices that promote the hiring of Black personnel. In the institution that I currently work in, I have noticed that there are very few, if any, Black employees. I think about how notable the inadequate amount of Black people is to me and I realize that the deficit of inclusivity is even more noticeable to our Black students. I think about how I would feel if I were in a college, and I noticed that there was not a single Latinx employee around. I would feel that I didn’t belong there and that I wasn’t welcome in the school.

It’s important that I support Black students, but it’s also important that I hire personnel that represents our students. Although I have not had the opportunity to hire anyone myself, I know the importance of implementing hiring practices that will allow Black students to be successful.

I have only just begun to learn how to support Black students and personnel on campus. But I am committing myself to continually researching and advancing my understanding of how I can support the Black community wherever I work.

References

Museus, S. D., & Smith, E. J. (2016). The culturally engaging campus environments model and survey: A report on new tools for assessing campus environments and diverse college student outcomes. National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA).

Obear, K. (2020). Leading White/Whiteness Accountability Spaces in Your Organization. Dr. Kathy Obear. https://drkathyobear.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Word-manual-

WAS-Mini-course-Whites-spring-2020-v2.pdf.

Stanley, C. A. (2006). Coloring the Academic Landscape: Faculty of Color Breaking the Silence in Predominantly White Colleges and Universities. American Educational Research Journal, 43(4), 701–736. https://doi.org/http://www.jstor.org/stable/4121775

Wood, J.L., & Harris III, F. (2015). Large scale faculty development: A taxonomy of faculty

perspectives on teaching men of color. NISOD Innovation Abstracts, 37(23)