Navigating Institutional Racism Through Sas Eof
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
Running head: NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH SAS EOF NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH RUTGERS’ SCHOOL OF ARTS AND SCIENCES (SAS) EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY FUND (EOF) PROGRAM By RENÉE A. WALKER A dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of Education – New Brunswick Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Education Graduate Program in Education, Culture, and Society written under the direction of _____________________________________ Beth Rubin, Ph.D., Chair and approved by _____________________________________ Catherine Lugg, Ph.D., Committee _____________________________________ James H. Whitney III, Ed.D., Committee New Brunswick, New Jersey May 2019 NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH SAS EOF © 2019 Renée A. Walker ALL RIGHTS RESERVED i NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH SAS EOF Abstract This study examined a U.S. based university’s peer group for low-income students to identify the ways in which the group successfully retains African American, male students despite the low national retention rate of Black male students in higher education. The peer group was assessed through qualitative analysis to understand the ways in which the organization is able to facilitate students’ academic and social integration into the university despite their experiences with institutional racism and microaggressions. Using Vincent Tinto’s Theory (1975) and Critical Race Theory, this research finds that African American men are better able to retain within the university when the peer group’s staff proactively addresses the challenges that the students bring with them into their university experience; facilitates the students’ bond with racially similar, male students within the group; and adopts a “like family” approach towards academically and socially supporting students. It is suggested that similar university peer groups can mitigate the low retention of Black men through these efforts. There are several implications presented for research, practice, and policy, including the assumption that these groups can execute a stronger means of support for Black, male students through increased activities and funding. Keywords: institutional racism, microaggressions, race, African American, persistence, retention, integration ii NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH SAS EOF Acknowledgement This dissertation is dedicated to the many men who generously shared their stories and leant their voices to this study. I am deeply honored and appreciative for the time spent learning from you and your journey. Thank you for your honesty and support. I would also like to thank the staff at Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences Educational Opportunity Fund (SAS EOF) for your deep insight and contribution to this dissertation. I truly admire and respect the many ways in which you give of your whole selves each day to support the young men in this study. I know that you will continue to advance other young, Black men’s pursuit of a higher education. I would also like to sincerely thank my family and friends for giving me strength and support throughout my doctoral studies and dissertation process. I know that there were many challenges and sacrifices that came with me juggling work and academics, so I am deeply appreciative of your patience, love, motivation, and compassion throughout these years. I am truly blessed to have each one of you by my side and delight in the fact that you also share in the successful completion of this work. My sincere appreciation goes towards Dr. Beth Rubin for being an amazing mentor and guide. I am also deeply grateful and thankful for the support and advice given to me by Drs. Catherine Lugg and James H. Whitney III. I have learned invaluable lessons from each of you. iii NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH SAS EOF Thank you everyone for being instrumental in helping me achieve my dream of earning a doctoral degree, so I can make a mark on the field of education. iv NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH SAS EOF Table of Contents Chapter 1: Problem Statement and Research Questions ………………………....……........... 1 Chapter 2: Literature Review …………………………………………………..……....…...... 8 Chapter 3: Methodology ………………………………………………………………….…. 39 Chapter 4: A Financial, Personal, and Academic Bridge For Belonging At Rutgers ……..... 54 Chapter 5: A Peer Group For Persistence ………………………………………………..…. 78 Chapter 6: A Family For Belonging and Cycle of Support ……………………….……….. 102 Chapter 7: Implications, Limitations, and Conclusion …………….…………….……….... 130 References ………………………………………………………………………………..... 140 Appendix A: Interview Protocol for One-on-One Interviews with Students ……………… 150 Appendix B: Interview Protocol for One-on-One Interviews with SAS EOF Staff ………. 152 Appendix C: Protocol For Focus Groups for Students ..………………………...………… 154 Appendix D: Protocol For Focus Groups of Alumni ..………………………....………….. 156 Appendix E: Recruitment Letter For Students ..……………...…………………………..... 158 Appendix F: Observation Agendas and Programs ..……………...………………………... 160 v NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH SAS EOF 1 Chapter 1: Problem Statement and Research Questions Introduction It is often said that education is a gateway to success, yet a college degree remains just a dream for many Americans, particularly for African American men. Each year, only small numbers of African American men enter four-year universities in the United States. In 2004, the average enrollment for Black, male undergraduate students at any of the 50 public flagship universities was just 2.8% (Harper, 2006). Approximately 17.0% of Black men age 25 or older have completed a bachelor’s degree or higher, which is lower than the 18.4% national average for all men age 25 or older (U.S. Census Bureau, 2015). This enrollment gap is the result of several factors, particularly institutional racism, also known as "any institutional policy, practice, and structure that unfairly subordinates People of Color while allowing White persons to profit from such actions" (Sue, 2006, p. 24). Institutional racism against African Americans is often buried within standard operational procedures for everyone in the institution (D’Andrea & Daniels, 2007). For universities, institutional racism is historically found in discriminatory admission practices against Black people and the use of culturally-biased curriculum (Frierson, Pearson, & Wyche, 2009). The legacy of institutional racism is seen today in the underrepresentation of African American students on college campuses (D’Andrea & Daniels, 2007). While a small number of Black men enter universities as undergraduates, the number of graduates is equally concerning. In 2009, the national graduation rate for Black males at four- NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH SAS EOF 2 year institutions was 51%, while 73% of White males who entered these same institutions successfully obtained a college degree (National Center for Education Statistics, 2012). The gap in academic achievement goes beyond comparisons of Black males to White males attending colleges and universities. When comparing African American men to African American women, a gap in degree attainment is also found. By 2010, Black women made up 66% of all Black people completing a bachelor’s degree, 71% of those completing a master’s degree, and 65% of those completing a doctoral degree (Black Women in the United States, 2014). It is apparent that African American men not only lag behind White males when it comes to degree completion, but they are finishing college at a lesser rate than Black women. The under representation and low degree attainment of Black men at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) is a problem echoed at Rutgers University—New Brunswick. Rutgers’ goal is to foster a supportive and inclusive community for its approximately 35,500 undergraduate students (College Data, 2017; Rutgers University, 2015). However, only 7.4% of the population on the New Brunswick Campus identifies as African American and 764 out of 10,356 undergraduate men in Rutgers School of Arts and Sciences (SAS) identified as African American and male (Rutgers University Registrar, 2016). Looking at Rutgers’ graduation rates, it was found that only 5.5% of the total undergraduate degrees conferred to students at Rutgers University—New Brunswick students were given to African American men, while 47.3% of those degrees were awarded to White males (Rutgers University Fact Book, 2017). This is a much larger gap in degree attainment than the national average. NAVIGATING INSTITUTIONAL RACISM THROUGH SAS EOF 3 Researchers have found that Black men tend to drop-out of college due to institutional racism and experiences with microaggressions, “the everyday manifestations of racism that People of Color encounter in their public and private lives” (Huber & Solórzano, 2015, p.1). In the face of these oppressions, Black men lack the support systems needed to make them feel as if they belong at their educational institutions (Griffin, 2006; Harper & Quaye, 2007; Leppel, 2002). However, peer groups promote the social integration of students into the higher educational environment. In his theory of social integration, Vincent Tinto suggests that students who academically and socially integrate into an academic environment will have a stronger commitment to remaining at that institution (Tinto, 1987). Peer interactions, he explains, create a sense of belonging within universities, thereby positively influencing students’