A Different look at Separate

but Equal

Inquiry#2

PartI.(PersonalExperience)

DoesorganizationsthataretypicallyaimedforAfricanAmericanstudents
makethemfeelmoreimportantandlesslikelytobestereotyped?
IsitfrowneduponforCaucasianstojoinAfricanAmericanorganizations?

IpersonallybelievethattheseorganizationsthatareforAfricanAmerican
studentsdomakethemfeelmoreimportantoncampus.Forexamplean
AfricanAmericanmalewhoisthepresidentofanorganizationoncampus
wouldfeelmoreempoweredattheiruniversityvsanAfricanAmericanmale

whodoesnothingoncampus.Ifeelthatpeoplehavemorerespectforthose
youngmenwhoareactuallytryingtobetterthemselves.Notonlymalesare
inthisdispute.AfricanAmericanwomenwhoareapartoftheseorgsalso
feelbetteraboutthemselves.Icanspeakfrompersonalexperiencesonthis.I
recentlyjoinedtheBlackStudentUnion(BSU)oncampusandIabsolutely
loveit.Beinginvolvedoncampusandnotbeingthetypicalstereotyped
blackgirlmeansalottome.Ihavewitnessedyoungblackgirlsjustlike
mebecalledghettoorothernamesjustbecauseoftheirnamesorjust
becauseofthecoloroftheirskin.Inourorganization(BSU)wediscusshow
toproperlyhandledbeingstereotypedandothersthingsofthatnature.It
definitelyhelpstogettonetworkwithpeoplewhoareofhighimportanceon
campus;thereforethemorepeopleyouknowthemoreopportunitiesyou
willhave.Soyes,Idobelievethatbeinginorganizationsthataredesigned
forAfricanAmericanstudentsgivethesestudentsasenseofimportanceand
makethemfeelmuchbetteraboutthemselves.

Thisisaniffyquestionformyselfalso.Idontthinkitsfrowneduponfor
otherracestojoinorganizationsthataretypicallyforAfricanAmerican
studentsbutIdobelievethatquestionsareraisedwhensomeonefrom
anothergroupwantstojointhesegroups.ItsnotabadthingatallandIfor
oneamallforeveryonebeinginvolved.Butknowingthehistoryand
meaningbehindthesegroupsIjustwonderwhypeoplewhoarentAfrican
Americanswouldwanttojoin.Maybeitsbecausetheyknowthehistory
andwanttoshowthatthingscanbedifferentinthefutureofmaybetheyre
justjoiningtoprovethattheirnotracist.Notsayingthat,thatmayreallybe
thecasebutthisisjustmyopiniononthesubject.


PartII.(WhatisDisputable)

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_college_student_development/v054/
54.1.reeder.html

Source1.MotivationalandJudgmentPredictorsofAfricanAmerican
AcademicAchievementatPWIsandHBCUsbyMatthewC.Reederand
NealSchmitt

ThesefindingsimplythatAfricanAmericanstudentsatPWIsmustexerta
greaterdegreeofperseveranceanddriveforcontinuouslearninginorderto
achieveatthesamelevelofperformanceastheircounterpartsatHBCUs.

Phrase:ThephraseMustexertagreaterdegreeofperseveranceanddrive
needstobelookedintomoreformanyreasons.Whostosayhowmuch
driveapersonmusthavetosucceed?Everyoneisdifferentinhasadifferent

reasonforwantingtolearnorbeatcollege.Maybesomeonesperseverance
anddriveisdifferentthansomeoneelsesbuttheybothstillhavethechance
tomakesomethingoftheirselves.

Statement:Thestatement,ingeneralcouldbedisputablebecauseAfrican
AmericansatPWIsmayjustaswellhaveasmuchperseveranceanddrive
asthosewhoattendPWIs.IwillsaythatAfricanAmericanswhoattend
HBCUsmayfeelthattheyhavetheupperhandbecausetheschoolthat
theyreattendingismadefortheirbenefit.ButinthesameaspectAfrican
AmericanstudentsatPWIsmayhaveanupperhandattheiruniversity
becauseofthesimplefactthattheygotintotheschoolandmusthavegotin
foraprettygoodreasonandmostlikelywilldoeverythingtheycantostay
ingoodattheschool.

ResistBinaryThinking

MaybeAfricanAmericanStudentsdoneedtohaveadriveandperseverance
todowellattheircollege.ButdoCaucasianstudentsandHispanicstudents
notneedtohavethatsamedrivetodowell,also?WhyareAfrican
Americanstudentsalwaysexpectedtohavetodobetterthanothers?Why
arentallgroupsexpectedtohavetohavethesamedriveandperseverance?

http://eds.a.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?sid=328be7359ac44b94
8f8f83ecfb8e400c%40sessionmgr4002&crlhashurl=login.aspx%253fdirect
%253dtrue%2526scope%253dsite%2526db%253dehh%2526AN
%253d4086846%2526msid
%253d604000687&hid=4211&vid=0&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZS
ZzY29wZT1zaXRl#AN=4086846&db=ehh

Source2.EncouragementandEthnicityinAfricanAmericanCollege
StudentsbyPhelps,RosemaryE.,TranakosJowe,Sarah,Dagley,JohnC.,
andLyn,MichelleKing

ItisalsopossiblethatsupportivegroupdynamicssharedbyAfrican
AmericancollegestudentsonPWIsmayservetoencouragestudentsto
developasenseofbelongingthatwouldbeanordinaryconsequencefor
thoseattendingHBCUs.

Phrase:Mayservetoencouragestudentstodevelopasenseofbelonging
isaphrasethatcouldbemadealittleclearer.Whatexactlyisasenseof
belonging?Thiscanmeandifferentthingstodifferentpeople.SomeAfrican
Americanstudentsmaywanttofeelliketheybelongwiththeotherblack
studentsoncampusandsomemaywanttoventureoutandgettoknowother
racesattheuniversity.

Statement:Thatwouldbeanordinaryconsequenceforthoseattending
HBCUs.Thiscouldbedebatabledependingonthestudentwhosin
questionattheHBCU.SomekidsatHBCUsmaynotbeasintolearning
theircultureasotherpeoplethere.

ResistBinaryThinking:
ThesegroupssharedbyAfricanAmericanstudentsoftenserveformultiple
purposes.Theycouldbetheretohelpstudentsexcelinallaspectsoftheir

livesormaybejustintheirstudies.Asforthepartaboutthestudents
needingtofeelasenseofbelonging,couldtheuniversitytheyattendnottry
todomoretomakeeverystudentfeelasneededasthenext?Whatabout
creatinggroupsthataregearedtowardsallkindsofstudentsthatteachthem
howtoworkwellwithothers?

http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/journal_of_college_student_development/v048/
48.1nelson.html

Source3.AfricanAmericanandHispanicStudentEngagementatMinority
ServingandPredominantlyWhiteInstitutionsbyThomasF.NelsonLaird,
BrianK.bridges,CarlaL.MorelonQuainoo,JulieM.Williamsand
MichelleSalinasHolmes

WhenchoosingandattendingPWIs,AfricanAmericanstudents,with
assistancefromfriends,family,faculty,andadministrators,shouldbesavvy,
asmanyare,infindingsubculturesattheirinstitutionsthatsupportand
nurturetheirengagementanddevelopmentinwayssimilartowhatisfound
atmanyHBCUs.Fortheirpart,PWIsandthepeoplethatworkthereshould

continuetoexplore,create,andassessprogramsandprocessesthatprovide
fortheeducationalneedsofAfricanAmericanstudents.Thegapin
engagementandoutcomesbetweenAfricanAmericanstudentsatPWIsand
HBCUsisonePWIsshouldbeactivelyattemptingtoclose.

Phrase:..Shouldbesavvy,asmanyare,infindingsubculturesattheir
institutionsthatsupportandnurturetheirengagementanddevelopment.
ThisphraseisdisputablebecausewhyshouldAfricanAmericanstudentsbe
savvy?Whycanttheyjustcometoschooltoearntheirdegree?Itseems
thattheyhavetotryharderthanotherracestosucceedattheirinstitution
andthatiskindofabsurdwhenthinkingaboutitinthatway.

Statement:ThegapinengagementandoutcomesbetweenAfrican
AmericanstudentsatPWIsandHBCUsisonePWIsshouldbeactively
attemptingtoclose.Thisstatementcouldbelookedatmultipleways.Ifind
thisdebatablebecausenotonlyshouldPWIsattempttoclosethegapbut
HBCUsshouldalsotrytoclosethegapthathasbeenmade.HBCUsareso
focusedonBlackculturethattheyreallydontopenthemselvesuptoother
racesasmuch.

ResistBinaryThinking:


AlthoughPWIscouldtryanddomoretoaddresstheirAfricanAmerican
students,couldtherenotbeatimewheretheymightoverdoit?Iftheyput
alloftheirfocusonjustonegroupofstudentsitmaymakeothergroupsfeel
uneasyaboutthesituation.AlsowouldntputtingmorefocusonAfrican
Americanstudentsmakethemseemalittleputinthespotlight?Noone
likestobesingledoutsohowcouldyoufocusmoreonagroupofstudent
withoutmakingthemfeelbelittled?

http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2010/12/censoring_caucasian_coll
ege_cl.html

Source4.CensoringCollegeClubsbyJeannieDeAngelis

Thewholesituationraisesthequestion:Howlongwillittakeforacademia
torealizethatallowingstudentstosegregatethemselvesinclubsaccording
toskincolororethnicitydoesnothingtopromoteacollegialatmosphere
thatinstead,aswitnessedatWestChesterUniversity,theprocesscontributes
todivisionsthatstirupirrationalhostility?

Phrase:Howlongwillittakeforacademiatorealizethatallowingstudents
tosegregatethemselvesinclubsaccordingtoskincolororethnicitydoes
nothingtopromoteacollegialatmosphere?Thisphrasecouldbelooked
intomore.Howdoesoneassumethattheseclubsarentofanyhelptothe
institution?Maybesomestudentsfeelthattheylearnmorebybeingableto
beapartoftheseclubs.Theseclubsmaygivestudentstheextraboostthey
needtodowellintheirstudies.Theymayformstudygroupswiththeir
peerswhoareinvolvedinclubswiththemorjusthelpeachotherinways
thatothersdonthelpthemattheirinstitution.

Statement:Thatinstead,aswitnessedatWestChesterUniversity,the
processcontributestodivisionsthatstirupirrationalhostility?Forone,this
statementcouldbedisputablebecauseeveryuniversitymaynotbelikeWest
ChesterUniversity.Thestudentsatthisuniversitymayjustbeimmatureand
canthandlethesegroupsaswellasotherschoolsdo.Thatcouldbethecase
also.Youcantdeterminewhatsgoodforeveryoneelsebasedoffofone
incident.


ResistBinaryThinking:
Groupsthataretargetedforcertainpeoplebasedonracecouldactuallybe
helpfulonacollegecampus.Theycouldhelpstudentstofeelbetterabout
themselveswhichcouldultimatelymakethemwanttoachieveatthePWI
thattheyreattending.Onanothernote,couldthesegroupsreallybecausing
morediversityamongstudents?Wouldsomeonewhoisinanorganization
thatistypicallyforblacksstarttofeelsometypeofwaytowardswhite
students?Whatcanbedonetoensurethatthesegroupswillonlyhelpthe
campusandnothurtit?

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/threads/challengesafricanamerican
studentsfaceatpredominantlywhiteinstitutions.385777/

Source5.ChallengesAfricanAmericanStudentsFaceatPredominantly
WhiteInstitutionsbyMercedesA.Benton

Understandingtheframeofreferencethatmanyblackstudentscomefrom
mayshedlightontheircurrentsituationinhighereducation.Incomparison
towhitestudents,AfricanAmericanstudentshaveparentsthatgenerallylive
inurbanareas,acquirefewereducationaldegrees,laborinlowerstatusjobs,
makelessmoney,anddivorcemoreoften(Allen,1992;Leslie&Brinkman,
1988).Furthermore,blackstudentsatPWIshavehigherattritionrates,
pooreracademicperformance,andarelesslikelytopursuegraduatedegrees
thanwhitestudents(Allen,1992).

Phrase:Understandingtheframeofreferencethatmanyblackstudents
comefrommayshedlightontheircurrentsituationinhighereducation.
Thisphrasecandefinitelybelookedinto.Howcaneveryblackstudentbe
stereotypedinthismanner?Justbecauseofthecolorofsomeonesskinyou
cantjustautomaticallyassumeyouknowtheirbackgroundortheirlife
style.Theymayjustaswellcomefromthesamebackgroundassome
Caucasianstudents.

Statement:Incomparisontowhitestudents,AfricanAmericanstudents
haveparentsthatgenerallyliveinurbanareas,acquirefewereducational

degrees,laborinlowerstatusjobs,makelessmoney,anddivorcemore
often.Thisisashallowstatement.Thereisnowaytoknowthatthisishow
tocomparewhitestudentstoblackstudents.Justasmanywhiteparents
divorceasBlackparentsifnotmore.Thereforethisstatementcouldreally
bedebatable.

ResistBinaryThinking:

Althoughthestatementsaboveseemverystereotypical,therecouldbesome
truthtothem.NotsayingthatallAfricanAmericanStudentshavefacedthe
thingsmentionedbutmostmayhave.Isthereawaytoshowthatmore
blackshavetheseproblemsthanwhites?Oristheratiobetweenthetwo
equal?WhyarenttheproblemsthatCaucasiansfaceeverputinthelight?
ThefocusisalwaysonAfricanAmericanstudentsandhowhardtheymust
havehaditintheirlife.Whitescouldeasilybegoingthroughthesame
issues.