Responding to the Realities of Race on Campus

Shaun R. Harper, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania
Lori D. Patton, Ph.D., Iowa State University

Abstract

This volume in the New Directions for Student Services series illuminates several realities regarding racism, cross-racial interaction, race-based educational inequities, and campus racial climates in higher education. Authors describe how student learning and development are stifled by the mistreatment of race as a taboo topic on most college and university campuses. Also discussed is the disconnection between espoused and enacted institutional values concerning inclusiveness and racial equity, as well as the need for increased accountability and intentionality. In addition to igniting critical consciousness about one of the most vexing problems in American higher education, the chapters in this volume include several practical implications for reducing racial toxins in campus environments and engaging students in meaningful learning experiences about race inside and outside the classroom.

This book is available for purchase on Amazon.com and through the publisher's website:

http://www.josseybass.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-0470262036.html

PRAISE FOR THIS BOOK:

Responding to the Realities of Race on Campus is a timely, cogent, direct, and thought provoking look at the complexities of racial dynamics on campuses. This is a discourse missing in the field of higher education and student affairs. To engage this dialogue and expose the "realities of race," Harper and Patton bring together a number of well-known scholars in higher education and student affairs who are able to apply empirical research to the everyday lived experience reflected in campus-based incidents. New Directions for Student Services series books are written primarily for practitioners and designed to illuminate contemporary issues facing student affairs educators. Responding to the Realities of Race on Campus certainly meets these criteria and makes a significant contribution to the series and one also useful to faculty teaching in graduate preparation programs. Very few other texts provide such breadth and depth to a topic of critical importance - SUSAN R. JONES, Associate Professor, College Student Personnel, University of Maryland-College Park

[These statements were extracted from Susan's book review published in the July/August 2008 issue of the Journal of College Student Development]

Engaging, provocative, and at times uncomfortable, Responding to the Realities of Race on Campus challenges readers to reflect on their own education, experiences, professional practices, and campus environment surrounding issues of race and academe. Harper and Patton present a thought-provoking and timely exploration of current institutional realities about race on campus. Advisors, other higher education professionals, and faculty will face some uncomfortable realizations about the roles that they and their institutions play in influencing the campus climate regarding race. Advisors, faculty, staff, students in higher education graduate programs, and others will find this book a compelling read that challenges their beliefs and practices with regard to race. Members of academe involved in curriculum and program review and development, outcomes assessment, “diversity’ education, training and professional development programs, and student success and retention initiatives can utilize this book to inform their practices and to stimulate frank dialogue about race on campus. The strength of this publication lies in its ability to provoke the reader - JULIE L. AMON, Assistant Dean for First Year Students, Case Western Reserve University

[These statements were extracted from Julie's book review published in the Fall 2008 issue of the NACADA Journal]

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

INTRODUCTION/EDITORS’ NOTES

Shaun R. Harper and Lori D. Patton

Chapter 1

NINE THEMES IN CAMPUS RACIAL CLIMATES AND IMPLICATIONS FOR INSTITUTIONAL TRANSFORMATION

Shaun R. Harper and Sylvia Hurtado

Chapter 2

BEYOND ARTIFICIAL INTEGRATION: RE-IMAGINING CROSS-RACIAL INTERACTIONS AMONG UNDERGRADUATES

Mitchell J. Chang

Chapter 3

CRITICAL RACE PERSPECTIVES ON THEORY IN STUDENT AFFAIRS

Lori D. Patton, Marylu McEwen, Laura Rendón, and Mary F. Howard-Hamilton

Chapter 4

ENHANCING RACIAL SELF-UNDERSTANDING THROUGH STRUCTURED LEARNING AND REFLECTIVE EXPERIENCES

Stephen John Quaye and Marcia B. Baxter Magolda

Chapter 5

THE COMPLICATED REALITIES OF WHITENESS: FROM COLORBLIND TO RACIALLY-COGNIZANT

Robert D. Reason and Nancy J. Evans

Chapter 6

THE EQUITY SCORECARD: A COLLABORATIVE APPROACH TO ASSESS AND RESPOND TO RACIAL/ETHNIC DISPARITIES IN STUDENT OUTCOMES

Frank Harris III and Estela Mara Bensimon

Chapter 7

RESITUATING RACE INTO THE MOVEMENT TOWARD MULTICULTURALISM AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

B. Afeni Cobham and Tara L. Parker