A narrative analysis on whiteness: Exploring the perceptions of white, chief student affairs officers at institutions in the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities

Date

2021-12

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Abstract

Abstract Enrollment rates amongst students of color are increasing at institutions affiliated with the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities. However, CCCU schools remain predominantly white in their leadership and campus climate. This predominantly white culture often creates a barrier to success for minority students as they are forced to navigate and assimilate to a white campus climate. These barriers to success include outcomes like less likely to graduate within six years, less likely to matriculate past their first year of college, less likely to produce a high GPA, and less likely to feel comfortable, welcomed, and safe on their campus. The chief student affairs officer at a university is a key agent of change that shapes the student experience and campus climate. However, most CSAO’s employed at CCCU schools are white. As CCCU schools led by white CSAO’s continue to enroll more minority students, the priority upon them to create an inclusive campus community is becoming more salient. How white, chief student affairs understand whiteness as a systemic construct and personal identity impacts how students experience their campus environment. The purpose of the study is to explore perceptions of whiteness held by white, chief student affairs officers at CCCU institutions relating to the concept of whiteness, their own white racial identity, and the influence whiteness has on campus climate. Three research guided the study: RQ1: What perceptions do white, chief student affairs officers at CCCU institutions have in acknowledging the concept of whiteness? RQ2: What perceptions do white, chief student affairs officers at CCCU institutions have about their own white racial identity? RQ3: What perceptions do white, chief student officers at CCCU institutions hold in acknowledging the influence whiteness has on campus climate? This study gathered responses from 10 white chief student affairs officers at CCCU institutions using semi-structure interview questions over the course two interviews. The findings of this study revealed that white CSAO’s are cognizant of systemic racism and recognize whiteness as the primary ideology of the U.S. as well as the historical and current climates of their institutions. It also found that white CSAO’s prioritize cultivating a positive white racial identity and that one of their primary responsibilities as a white, CSAO’s is to actively engage in deconstructing whiteness and white campus climate at their respective institutions.

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Keywords

Whiteness, CCCU, CSAO, Racial Identity

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