Being a minority student in college can be challenging. Add campus protests, controversial federal policies and violence against black, brown, Muslim and LGBT students and safety and poor emotional health also become issues families worry about.
While physical safety may be a concern for some students in these groups, being in a university environment that supports them socially and academically is also important.
“For lots of students, that element of safety and feeling culturally supported and being in a climate that is conducive to faith is equally if not more important than what I major in or what my ultimate professional goal is, because I can’t reach those things if I don’t feel safe,” says Katrina Caldwell, vice president for diversity and community engagement at the University of Mississippi.
Parents and prospective students can look at how colleges handle discrimination and the relationships between faculty and students to find supportive campus environments.
[Learn how to research campus safety.]
To start, Caldwell encourages parents to ask teens which aspects of their identity — such as race or sexuality — are important to them. Ask teens to share examples of high school experiences that have shaped how they feel about those issues to get them thinking about the type of environment they need to be in to succeed in college, she says.
“You may have students whose identity is very strong in terms of their race and going to a school that recognizes that, celebrates that, has programs around that is important. Or, you may have a student who says that’s not an important component of my identity, maybe sexuality is, or my religion or my political point of view.”
Families can then narrow their college application lists to schools that have resources, like LGBT centers or active ethnic students groups, that can support their teen and also meets their financial, academic and social needs.
[Consider a college with a focus on minority students.]
As families research school culture it’s important to remember that colleges are trying to expose students to multiple perspectives, experts say. Some institutions — like religious colleges — follow set ideologies. But families shouldn’t discount a school because it provides space for different viewpoints to exist on campus. For example, a controversial speaker at events or commencements isn’t necessarily a sign of an unsupportive or hate-filled environment, experts say.
Instead, look closely at the resources available to underrepresented minorities to make sure there is support for students if discrimination happens. Most schools have counseling, multicultural clubs and departments, but families who are looking for racially inclusive environments at diverse institutions can also look at the campus ethnicity breakdown, retention and graduation rates to see how ethnic minority students perform at a college.
“Obviously no underrepresented group is going to be completely homogeneous, but at least you can get an idea of ‘Do other underrepresented students feel comfortable here? Are they enrolling here?'” says Aviva Legatt, a college and graduate admissions coach and owner of an education consulting company in Pennsylvania. “If the data says yes, then that is likely to be a more favorable climate.”
Read news reports, student newspapers, blogs, testimonials and climate surveys to get an unfiltered view of how the university operates and how students feel about their experience on campus. Prospective students can use social media to connect with alumni and current students with similar backgrounds to ask about extracurricular activities and where they turn for support.
If possible, attend overnight or bridge programs for an in-depth look at the campus and surrounding community. While on campus, look at bulletin boards to see the types of activities promoted and talk to students in common areas to learn how underrepresented minorities and students with unpopular ideologies are treated.
For example, students concerned about religious persecution can ask if there is an interfaith chapel and whether students who participate in faith-based holidays or practices from their religion are ostracized.
Don’t forget to ask about the local thoughts on issues like politics, race, religion and sexuality and check the local chamber of commerce website to get information on local businesses and support groups for students outside of campus, experts say.
“If you’re looking for a specific opinion you will probably find it, so you have to keep an open mind and look for the other side of the coin,” says Janet Marling, vice president for student affairs at the University of North Georgia.
[Minority applicants should ask these 5 questions during a campus visit.]
How universities respond to student complaints can offer insight into a school’s culture, experts say.
“If institutions are communicating and if they’re trying to make a difference by keeping students in the loop, by bringing in groups of faculty, staff and students to talk through issues, by consulting experts, those types of things, then that to me demonstrates that the university is trying. They may not have it figured out but they’re putting the effort forward.”
Families can look at diversity plans on school websites to see how colleges have responded to past concerns.
Reach out to department heads, religious leaders and LGBT groups to ask questions about specific incidents that have been reported in the news or to learn more about campus resources.
“An administrator isn’t going to say, ‘Don’t come here, we suck, we’re losing the battle on diversity,'” University of Mississippi’s Caldwell says. “But these conversations can give families a real connection to the information they’re hearing or seeing.”
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How Politics, Religion and Race Influence Campus Culture originally appeared on usnews.com
