The Office of the President and Division of Student Affairs invited Dr. Shaun Harper, founder of the Center for the Study of Race and Equity in Education at the University of Pennsylvania, to the stage of DeBaun auditorium last Thursday as the latest installment of the Excellence Through Diversity Series. The series was started by President Farvardin several years ago and has included guest speakers such as Dr. Scott Page and, just recently, Dr. Jedidah Isler to offer their perspectives on increasing the value of diversity and inclusiveness in STEM.
In a time where students of color in higher education still face issues of marginalization and systemic disadvantages, Dr. Harper has been committed to the examination of race and gender in education, equity trends, and racial climates on college campuses. From a culmination of over a decade’s worth of research, Dr. Harper fervently attests that race does in fact matter in college.
His proof lies within the thousands of interviews he conducted at 41 predominantly white institutions across the United States during focus groups. He asked faculty, students, and administrators of color and their white counterparts questions about their time at these universities as a way to gauge racial climate and understand how different groups experience racial encounters. Unfortunately, he noted that several institutions that had asked Dr. Harper and his colleagues to conduct these studies—often following student protests that intimidated administration—never generated any change within their universities, or in Dr. Harper’s words, “paid to ignore racism.”
Dr. Harper went on to describe another line of work, which included a study of over 200 undergraduate black men from 42 universities spanning across 20 different states, a group characterized by an average GPA of 3.39, numerous scholarships and awards, and high campus involvement. Interested in understanding how these men navigated themselves into success, Dr. Harper came to realize that this success came with a cost. Despite their academic accolades, these men had no immunity to racism.
From the countless hours of interviews, Dr. Harper noted several motifs that surfaced, one of which included racial microaggressions. “[Racial microaggressions] are subtle, seemingly innocuous, racial insults that people of color experience often in everyday experience,” said Harper. He noted common examples, such as a professor asking a student of color if they believe they can succeed in a class. “It is the everydayness that make [these microaggressions] academically dangerous for students of color, as they undermine psychological, academic and physiological wellness,” said Dr. Harper.
Dr. Harper’s research has not made it this far without skepticism from critics. However, he and his staff will continue their studies to ensure that students, of all colors and backgrounds, have the right to express their concerns and be taken seriously. “Just increasing the percentage of black students isn’t enough,” explained Harper. “What students [of color] want is greater inclusion, more resources for ethnic studies and cultural centers, more people of color in professorships and administration roles, and for white students to have understanding.”
Dr. Harper is a loud voice in a national conversation that is focusing on the seemingly innate challenges that students of color face in higher education. His presence on campus comes at a time that calls for Stevens’ reaffirmation of its dedication to enhancing its efforts towards more accepting, inclusive, and equitable STEM.
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