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Arts,Sciences&Engineering

AComprehensiveReviewofStudentExperiencesofRacialandEthnic

DiversitywithintheCollege

InformationAccurateasofJune23,2017

Arts,Sciences&EngineeringStudentDiversityReport 2

ExecutiveSummaryThisreportexaminestheundergraduatestudentexperienceofracialandethnicdiversitywithintheCollege,inkeepingwiththefindingsofthePresidentialCommissiononRaceandDiversity,whichrecommendedin2016thateachSchool“developaneffectivesystemtocollectandanalyzedataregardingalldimensionsofraceanddiversity.”ThereportanalyzesinternalCollegedataonitsstudentbodyandfromarecentlycompletedsurveyonracialclimateoncampustoevaluatevariationsinacademicoutcomesbyraceandethnicity,bothwithintheCollegeandascomparedtoaselectgroupofpeerinstitutions.Thesedataprovideacomprehensivesnapshotofcurrentstudentexperiences,includinghistoricaltrendsinmatriculationandgraduationrates.Thereportalsodiscussescurrentandfutureprogrammingtosupportunder-representedminority,low-incomeandfirst-generationstudentswithintheCollege.

Keyfindingsincludethefollowing:• Increasingnumbersofunder-representedminorityandinternationalstudentsoverthepast10

years,whichcompriseroughly35%oftheundergraduatestudentpopulationintheCollege.

• Significantimprovementsininternationalstudentretentionand6-yeargraduationrates,whichhascontributedtoincreasesintheoverallCollegegraduationrate.

• Small-scaleimprovementsinunder-representedminority6-yeargraduationrateshavenotclosedagapwiththeoverallCollegegraduationrate.Thisgapislargerthansimilargapsatpeerinstitutions,perhapsreflectingthestrongeroverlapoflow-incomeandfirstgenerationstatusamongtheCollege’sunder-representedminoritystudents.

• Notablesuccessesinimprovinggraduationratesforunder-representedminoritystudentsparticipatinginspecialprogramsadministeredbytheKearnsCenterandOfficeofMinorityStudentAffairs.

Surveyresultssuggestingsignificantawarenessofincidentsofbias,harassmentanddiscriminationbyunder-representedminorityandotherCollegestudents.Theseincidentsarereportedlyoccurringbetweenstudents,notfacultyandstaff,andarerarelyreportedtotheCollegebythewitnessingstudent.Thesefindingsareconsistentwithacomparisongroupofprivateandpublicuniversitiesutilizingthesameclimatesurvey.Surveyresultsreportingstudentwillingnesstointeractwithstudentsofotherracialandethnicgroups,andafeelingofefficacyaroundhavingdifficultdiscussionsonrace.Thereportendswithseveralrecommendationsonfutureactivitiestocontinuetoimprovetheracialclimateoncampus.Theseincludetheestablishmentofaworkinggrouptoconductregulardatacollectionandanalysisoftheexperiencesandacademicoutcomesforunder-representedminoritystudents,expansionofexistingprogramstopromotesuccessamongthispopulationofstudents,trainingonpromotingdiversityandculturalcompetence,andcontinuedsupportfortheCollege’snewbias-relatedreportingsystem.


IntroductionTheCollegeinArts,Sciences&Engineeringisavibrantcommunityofscholarsengagedinlearning,teaching,research,communityoutreach,andco-curricularactivities.TheCollegeworkstoensurethatthisresearch,teachingandlearningenterpriseisrobustandavailabletoallstudents,andthatitisnotconstrainedbybarriersorbiasesbasedonrace,ethnicity,income,andotherdemographics.Thiseffortderivesfromasenseofsocialresponsibilityandadeeplyheldconvictionthatdiversityamongourfaculty,staffandstudentsimmeasurablyenrichestheintellectualenvironmentwithintheCollege.Inthisatmosphere,studentsfromallbackgroundscancomfortablyworkandstudytogether,feelsupportedinthepursuitoftheirinterestsandgoals,andcanlearnfromandaboutoneanother.Intheend,Collegegraduatesshouldlookbackontheirexperiencesasamongthemostintellectuallyandsociallyfulfillingintheirlives.Thisreportexaminesoneimportantaspectofthisexperience–thestudentexperienceofracialandethnicdiversitywithintheCollege.Indoingso,itcontinuesatraditionofreportingontheracialclimateanddiversitywithintheCollege(seeAppendixAforadditionalinformation).However,italsorespondstothePresidentialCommissiononRaceandDiversity,whichrecommendedin2016thateachSchool“developaneffectivesystemtocollectandanalyzedataregardingalldimensionsofraceanddiversity.”Inregardstostudents,theCommissiondesiredthateachSchool“collectdataannually,usingquantitativeandqualitativemethodstoassesstheacademicandsocialclimateandemploybestpracticestoaddresschronicoremergentproblemsthatthesedatareveal.”Thisincludedanalyzingdisparitiesinacademicoutcomesbetweenunder-representedminoritiesandotherstudents,includingrelevantsystemsofsupportthatpromotedacademicsuccess.ThisreportprovidescurrentandhistoricaldataontheundergraduateexperienceofraceanddiversitywiththeCollege.Inparticular,itreviewsrecentdatatoassessnewandcontinuingacademicandco-curricularneedsforCollegestudents.Thefocusisprimarilyonvariationsinacademicoutcomesbyraceandethnicity,bothwithintheCollegeandascomparedtoaselectgroupofpeerinstitutions.Inallcases,thedataareorganizedaroundthefederaldefinitionfor“under-representedminorities”(URM).1Thereportalsocontainsdataonlow-incomeandfirstgenerationstudentswhenavailable.Academicoutcomesforinternationalstudentsaredescribedinthesectionsonenrollmentandacademicoutcomes,recognizingtheimportanceofthispopulationtooveralldiversityoncampus.AsubstantialproportionofthedataforthisreportderivesfrominternalCollegestatisticsonitsstudentbodyandfromarecentlycompletedsurveyonracialclimateoncampus.2Thesequantitativedataprovideacomprehensivesnapshotofcurrentstudentexperiences,includinghistoricaltrendsinmatriculationandgraduationrates.Supplementingthesedataarevarioustypesofqualitativedata,muchbasedonstudentcommentsprovidedduringmonthlyCollegeDiversityRoundtablemeetings.Inaddition,inthelatefallof2015andspring2016,anumberofTownHall

1Thefederaldefinitionofunder-representedminority(URM)includesstudentsfromthefollowinggroups:Black,Hispanic,NativeAmerican,NativeHawaiian,andAlaskaNative.2TheCollegeconductsprofessionalsurveysofundergraduatesonmultipletopicsatregularintervals.Theseincludeprevioussurveysoncampusclimatecompletedin2010and2012.


meetingsandfocusgroupsspecificallyaddressedstudentexperiencesconcerningthecampusracialclimate.3Thisreportcombinesthesedataintoonemulti-facetedanalysisofdiversityandraceamongCollegeundergraduatesoverthepastdecade.Thedocumentaddressesthefollowing:(1)enrollmentfigures,highlightingthecurrentdiversityofthestudentbody,(2)academicoutcomesforURMandrelatedstudentgroups,(3)studentexperiencescomprisingtheracialclimateforstudents,(4)currentinitiativesrelatingtoraceanddiversity,and(5)recommendationsfornextsteps.ItwascompletedbyBethOlivares,DeanforDiversity,andAlanCzaplicki,AssociateDeanoftheCollege,attherequestofPeterLennie,DeanoftheFacultyofAS&E,andRichardFeldman,DeanoftheCollege.

I.EnrollmentTheCollege’senrollmentsovertimeclearlydemonstratewhatonecanseewhenwalkingacrosscampus:thestudentbodyisverydifferenttodaythanitwasadecadeago.InFall2016,URMandinternationalstudentscombinedmadeupabout34%oftheCollege’stotalundergraduatepopulationand35%oftheenteringfirstyearcohort.InFall2005,thisfigurewas12.5%forthetotalundergraduatepopulationand14%fortheenteringfirstyearcohort.Significantly,thishasoccurredduringaperiodinwhichoverallCollegeundergraduateenrollmentshaveincreasedbyapproximately25%,leadingtoasubstantialincreaseinthenumberofstudentsofunder-representedminorityandinternationalbackgroundsoncampus.ThepercentageofURMstudentsineachenteringcohorthasaveraged11.1%fromFall2005toFall2016,withahighof13.9%inFall2015.Combinedwiththegrowthinoverallenrollment,thishasresultedinURMcohortsthathavegrownfromroughly100studentsto150-175studentsperyear.TotalURMenrollmentwithintheCollegehasfollowedthisupwardtrajectory,withURMstudentsgrowingfrom9.6%oftheundergraduatestudentbodyinFall2005to12%inFall2016.Thishasresultedinapproximately300moreURMstudentsoncampus.Withinthisgroup,HispanicstudentsmakeuphalftheURMpopulation(51%),whileBlackstudentsrepresentanother46%.(Theremaining3%arestudentswhoareeitherNativeAmericanorPacificIslander.)Comparatively,thesefiguresfallwithintherangeofapeersetofschoolsthatarecompetitivewiththeCollegeforadmissions.4TotalURMenrollmentswithinthepeersetaveraged11.7%inFall2005,witharangefrom7%to16%;inFall2015,thisaverageincreasedto14.4%,witharangeof10%to18.5%acrossthepeergroup.Nationally,totalURMenrollmentforallfour-yearpost-secondaryinstitutionswas21%inFall2005,andthisfiguregrewto26.5%inFall2015.

3TheTownHallmeetingsandFocusGroupsarepartoftheCommissiononRace&Diversity.4ThecomparisonsetincludesBostonCollege,BostonUniversity,BrandeisUniversity,BrownUniversity,CarnegieMellonUniversity,CornellUniversity,DartmouthCollege,EmoryUniversity,NortheasternUniversity,TuftsUniversity.ThelatestfiguresonthiscomparisonsetarefromFall2015.


Figure1.Collegetotalenrollmenttrendsbyethnicity,bypercentage.

TheenrollmentofinternationalstudentshasgrownatanevenmorerapidpacethanthatofURMstudents,fromlessthan100totalinternationalstudentsadecadeagotoroughly1,000internationalstudentscurrently.Thisreflectsanincreaseinthepercentageofinternationalstudentsinthestudentbodyfrom3%inFall2005to22%inFall2016(Figure1).Thischangeismirroredintheincomingcohortfigures.Internationalstudentsmadeupjustover3%ofincomingfirstyearstudentsinFall2005,andthishasgrownto26%intheFall2016cohort,foranincreaseofover200internationalstudentsperenteringcohort(Figure2).

Figure2.Collegeenteringcohortenrollmenttrendsbyethnicity,bypercentage.

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In2005,theCollegetotalinternationalstudentenrollmentwasbelowtheaverageforthepeerset(6.6%)andclosetothenationalaverage(4.5%).By2015,ourinternationalenrollmentexceededthatofthepeerset(14.5%)andgreatlyexceededthenationalaverage(6.1%).Overall,URMenrollmentsfortheCollegemirrortrendsamongourpeerset,andtheseinstitutionshavegenerallyhadalowerpercentageofURMstudentsthanthefullspectrumoffour-yearinstitutions.Withinthisinstitutionalset,however,therehasbeen,andwillcontinuetobe,steadyincreases,especiallywithgrowthinthenumberofcollege-agedHispanicstudents.Internationalstudentshavemadeupanincreasedproportionofthestudybody,particularlyatresearchuniversities,whichisreflectedinthefiguresabovefortheCollegeandthepeerset.FortheCollege,asubstantialpercentageoftheseinternationalstudentshavebeenfromChina(roughly50%),buttherearealsogrowingnumbersofstudentsfromKorea,India,andVietnam.

II.Academicoutcomes–RetentionandGraduationRatesTherearetwoprimarymeasuresofauniversity’ssuccessineducatingundergraduates–retentionratesbysemesterandthe6-yeargraduationrate.Thesix-yeargraduationrateisdefinedasthepercentageoffirst-time,first-yearstudents(a“cohort”)graduatingfromthesameschoolwithinsixyears.Retentionratesrefertothecontinuationofstudentsintheirstudies,andthesearetypicallymeasuredbydeterminingthenumberofstudentswithinacohortwhocontinuetobeenrolledatthebeginningoftheirsecond,thirdandfouryears(i.e.third,fifth,andseventhsemesters).Whilegraduationratesshowtheultimateoutcomeoftheeducationalexperience,retentionratesareusedtotrackstudentprogressthroughthecurriculumandalsoprovideevidenceonthetimingandcausesofstudentsleavingtheireducationearly.Academicproblemscancontributetostudentattritionandlowerretentionrates,butvariousotherfactorsoutsidethecontroloftheCollegecanalsoresultinastudent’sdesiretoleave.Thesecanincludefinancialandfamilyissues,geographical(city)preference,attachmenttocertaininstitutions,changesinacademicplans,and/orthedesiretobeclosertoorfurtherfromhome.Astudent’sbackgroundandsocialcircumstancesareaprimaryfactorinunderstandingthecausesbehindacademicproblems.Asshownlaterinthissection,URMstudentsaremorelikelytoleavetheCollegebeforegraduatingthantheircounterparts.Itisnotclearwithavailabledata,however,howmuchofthisgapinretentionandgraduationratesisdirectlyassociatedwiththestudent’sraceandethnicity,versusothercharacteristics.Statusasafirstgenerationorlow-incomestudentcangiverisetomanyfactorsthatundermineacademicsuccess,andmanyURMstudentsarefirstgenerationstudentsandcomefromlow-incomefamilies.Thismakesithardtoassertthataparticularoutcomeisprimarily(orexclusively)associatedwithaspecificracialorethnicstatus.ThisisanespeciallyimportantmatterfortheCollege,because,asshowninFigure3,thefractionofURMstudentswhoarelow-incomeandfirstgenerationisroughlydoublethepercentagethanforotherCOFHEnon-Ivyschools.5Thisoverlaplikelygeneratesincreasedbarriersintransitioningtoahighereducationenvironmentandinsucceedingacademically.Itisalsoquitelikelythatthisdistinctivecharacteristic5TheCOFHEnon-IvyinstitutionsareCaliforniaInstituteofTechnology,DukeUniversity,GeorgetownUniversity,JohnsHopkinsUniversity,MIT,NorthwesternUniversity,RiceUniversity,StanfordUniversity,UniversityofChicago,UniversityofRochester,VanderbiltUniversity,andWashingtonUniv.inSt.Louis.Datafortheadmissionspeersetisnotyetavailableforthisanalysis,althoughtheresultsareexpectedtobesimilar.


oftheURMpopulationasawholecontributestomoresignificantgapsinretentionandgraduationratesthaninpeerinstitutions.(Seethediscussionlaterinthissection,especiallyTable2,formoredetails.)Giventhis,theCollegeplanstofocusonbetterunderstandingtherelativecontributionsofURM,firstgenerationandlow-incomestatusonretentionandgraduationratesinthefuture.

Figure3.OverlapsbetweenURM,first-generation,andlowincomestudents,Fall2015.

Giventhiscontext(andcaveat),therestofthesectionwillexploreretentionandgraduationdataforURMandinternationalstudents.ThedatainTable1belowhighlightdifferencesforURMstudentsinrelationtotheircounterparts.RetentionforURMstudentsenteringtheirthirdtermishighandsimilartonon-URMrates.The10-yearaverageofthirdsemesterretentionforURMstudentsis2.5%belownon-URMstudents,buthasimprovedtoanaverageoflessthan1%belownon-URMstudentsinthepast5years.Insubsequentsemesters,lossofURMstudentsincreasescumulativelyandmoresignificantlywith10-yearaveragesof5.05%inthefifthsemesterand6.86%intheseventhsemester.However,thereisasimilarpatternofimprovementinrecentyearsfortheserates,withthemostnotableimprovementinretentionfortheseventhsemester.WhilethesedataillustrateaclearpatternthateventuallymanifestsindifferencesingraduationratesbetweenURMandnon-URMstudents,recentpositivetrendsintheratesstronglysuggestthatthesedifferenceswilldecline.

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Table1.RetentioninSecond,ThirdandFourthYear(Terms3,5,and7),byethnicity.

Term3 Term5 Term7

Cohort Non-URM URM Difference Non-URM URM Difference Non-URM URM Difference

2005 93.60% 90.00% 3.60% 89.80% 80.90% 8.90% 87.10% 80.00% 7.10%

2006 96.60% 89.70% 6.90% 92.40% 83.50% 8.90% 90.20% 76.30% 13.90%

2007 95.10% 91.50% 3.60% 91.20% 89.40% 1.80% 90.30% 81.90% 8.40%

2008 96.10% 94.80% 1.30% 91.90% 88.50% 3.40% 89.70% 84.40% 5.30%

2009 95.80% 89.70% 6.10% 93.40% 87.90% 5.50% 91.60% 85.00% 6.60%

2010 95.70% 93.70% 2.00% 92.50% 87.30% 5.20% 91.00% 84.10% 6.90%

2011 96.20% 97.40% -1.20% 92.60% 88.00% 4.60% 89.90% 83.80% 6.10%

2012 96.20% 92.90% 3.30% 93.50% 86.50% 7.00% 91.60% 85.90% 5.70%

2013 96.50% 95.40% 1.10% 92.00% 89.70% 2.30% 90.30% 88.60% 1.70%

2014 96.00% 94.80% 1.20% 91.90% 89.00% 2.90%

2015 96.30% 96.60% -0.30%

Average 95.83% 93.32% 2.51% 92.12% 87.07% 5.05% 90.19% 83.33% 6.86%

Average(2011-2015) 96.24% 95.42% 0.82% 92.50% 88.30% 4.20% 90.60% 86.10% 4.50%

Figure4.RetentioninSecond,ThirdandFourthYear(Terms3,5,7),byethnicityandinternationalstatus.

Figure4showsthatfromFall2005toFall2015,internationalstudentshavecomparableaverageretentionratestonon-URMandURMstudentsinthethirdsemester,anddecreaseslightlyinrelationtonon-URMstudentsinthefifthsemester.Theseventhsemesteraverageretentionrateforinternationalstudentsshowsanothersignificantdropinretention(5%).Thisisacaseinwhich

95.83%93.32% 95.08%

92.12%87.07% 88.79% 90.19%

83.33% 84.83%

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averagesobscureagenerallyupwardtrendwithinthisseventhsemesterrate.Overthepastseveralacademicyears,theseventhsemesterretentionhasbeenclosertothenon-URMrateof90%,animprovementoverratesof80%-85%betweenFall2005-2010.Weexpectthatthisimprovementwillyieldincreasesin6-yeargraduationratesinthecomingyears.The6-yeargraduationratefortheCollegehasimprovedsubstantiallyoverthepast15years.Therehasbeenanup-and-downpatterntothisprogress,withahighpointof88.2%forthe2009cohort(Figure5).Thisratecomparesfavorablytotheadmissionspeerset,andthereisasmall,butsignificant,gapwith6-yeargraduationratesforCOFHEnon-Ivyinstitutions.Thecomparisongroupsincludeothereliteinstitutions,whichcanbeseeninthe6-yeargraduationrateforallfour-year,postsecondaryinstitutions.Thisrateisabout60%forthemostrecentcohorts,orroughly25%lowerthantheCollegerate(Figure6).

Figure5.Six-yearGraduationRateforCollegestudents.

Figure6.Six-yearGraduationRateforallstudents.

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Therearesignificantcomponentvariationswithinthisoveralltrend.First,the6-yeargraduationrateforwomenisonaverageroughly4-5percentagepointshigherthanformen.Second,internationalstudentgraduationrateshaveimproveddramaticallyoverthisperiod,approximatingthe6-yeargraduationratefornon-URMstudentsinthe2006-2010cohorts.Importantly,thishasoccurredduringaperiodofsignificantgrowthinthispopulation,from23studentsin2000to149studentsin2010.(The2016cohorthas348internationalstudents.)

Figure7.6-yearGraduationRateforCollegestudents,bySelectedPopulations.

Third,the6-yeargraduationratesofURMstudentscontinuetolagbehindthoseofotherstudents.URMrateshavecontinuedtofluctuatebetween70-80%whilesteadilyincreasingforthestudentpopulationasawhole.The10-yearaveragerateforBlackstudents(76.5%)isslightlyhigherthanforHispanicstudents(72.5%).6Table2providescomparativedataonthe6-yeargraduationrateforthe2000-2009cohorts,showingpercentagesforallstudents,non-URMstudentsandURMstudents.ItalsoincludesannualdataonoverallandURMgraduationratesforselectedpeerinstitutions.PeerinstitutionshaveasubstantiallysmallergapbetweenURMandnon-URMgraduateratesthandoestheCollege.Thegapvariesfromyeartoyearbuthasaveragedabout5.5%sincethe2000cohort.WiththecurrentsizeoftheURMpopulation(142studentsinFall2016),closingthisgapwouldrequirethegraduationofanadditional8-10URMstudentsperyear.

6ThesizeoftheURMcohortmayinfluencegraduationoutcomesinthefuture.URMcohortsizesfrom2000-2009werefairlystable,rangingfrom76-100students,butsince2010URMcohortshaveincreasedroughly50%toarangeof124-189students.Thegreaterrangeofpersonalexperiencesandacademicpreparednessfoundinalargerbodyofstudents,combinedwithpotentialstrainsonsupportservices,isanissuethattheCollegewillhavetomonitor.

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Table2.Six-yeargraduationratesbyenteringcohort,CollegeandAdmissionsPeerSet7Cohortyear 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009

OverallCollege 81 81 84 81 85 83 85 86 85 88

Non-URM8 81 82 84 82 86 85 87 87 86 89

URM9 78 76 80 72 71 72 66 78 72 79Differencebetweenoverall

andURMrates 3 5 4 9 14 11 19 8 13 9

OverallPeerSet 84 85 86 87 87 88 88 89 89 90

URMPeerSet 81 80 79 82 83 84 84 84 85 87

PeersetdifferencebetweenoverallandURMrates 3 5 7 5 4

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andURMrates0 0 2 4 10 7 15 3 9 6

GrowthofthegapstemsfromlackofimprovementinURMgraduationrateswhilenon-URMgraduationrateswereimproving.URMgraduationrateshavenotincreasedsince2000,whilenon-URMrateshaveincreasedroughly6-7%overthesameperiod.(Internationalstudentrateshavejumpedabout20%.)Amongthepeeruniversities,URMgraduationrateshaveimprovedcommensuratelywiththeoverallgraduationrates.Insummary,theCollegefaceschallengesinimprovingits6-yeargraduationrateforURMstudents.Variousprogramshavebeendevelopedoverthepastdecadetoassistthispopulationofstudents,andsomeoftheiractivities(andrelatedpositiveoutcomes)willbediscussedinsubsequentsections.Nevertheless,thecomplicationscausedbymultiplestatusesasURM,low-incomeand/orfirstgenerationaresignificant.Inthemeantime,theCollegecanpointtoconsiderablesuccesswithretentionandgraduationratesforinternationalstudents,whichhavehadasmall,butsubstantial,impacton6-yeargraduationratesfortheentireundergraduatestudentpopulation.

III.RacialClimateintheCollege:ADescriptiveanalysisofthe2016ClimateSurveyThesuccessofstudentsintheCollegedependsinlargepartonanenvironmentconducivetolearning.Manythingsplayapartincreatingthatenvironment.Giventhewide-rangingdiversityofstudentsintheCollege,someofthetensionssoevidentinsocietyatlargewithrespecttorace,socio-economicstatus,gender,andotheridentitieswillnecessarilybereflectedinthecampusculture.10Yetitistheinstitution’sresponsibilitytoprovideanenvironmentinwhichthesetensionscanbeexaminedandlearnedfrom,ratherthansimplyreplicated.Aspartofaninstitution-wideself-7ThepeercomparisonisbasedoninternaldatafortheCollegeanddatacollectedfromtheIntegratedPostsecondaryDataSystem(IPEDS),thefederalrepositoryofeducationaldata,forotherinstitutions.Thepeersetincludes:BostonCollege,BostonUniversity,BrandeisUniversity,BrownUniversity,CarnegieMellonUniversity,CornellUniversity,DartmouthCollege,EmoryUniversity,NortheasternUniversity,TuftsUniversity.8Includesstudentsidentifyingas2+races,Asian,International,WhiteandUnknown.9IncludesstudentsidentifyingasAmericanIndianorAlaskaNative,Black,Hispanic,andNativeHawaiian.10AseriesofvignettesrepresentingarangeofstudentexperiencesandidentitiescanbefoundinAppendixB.Thesevignettesweredrawnfromavarietyofqualitativeandquantitativedatasources.


analysisofraceanddiversityspecifically,AS&E(whichincludestheCollege)andtheEastmanSchoolofMusic(ESM)contractedwiththeHigherEducationResearchInstitute(HERI)atUCLAtoconductacampusclimatesurveyduringtheSpring2016semester.11TheDiverseLearningEnvironmentssurveyconductedbyHERIisarichsourceofdatafromabroadrangeofstudentswhoholdmanydifferentperspectivesoncampusclimate.Thesurveyaskedthesestudentsaboutexperiencedorobservedbias,discriminationandharassment,theextentandcharacteroftheirinteractionswithpeopleofotherraces,theextenttowhichtheymadeuseofacademicresources,theiracademicandsocialexperiences,andtheirassessmentoftheirownabilities.ThisreportexaminestheresponsesofURMstudentsascomparedtonon-URMstudentsintheCollege.12Therewere1658Collegestudentswhocompletedthesurvey,whichisroughly30%oftheundergraduatepopulation.Ingeneral,therespondentswerefairlyrepresentativeoftheCollege’sstudentbodyasawhole,withslightlymoresurveyresponsesbyURMstudents(3%),byfemales(9%)andbyfreshman(6%).Therewerenomajordifferencesinresponsesbydivisionofmajororintendedmajor(i.e.humanities,socialsciences,naturalsciences,andengineering).

Witnessingand/orexperiencingbias,harassment,anddiscrimination13Overall,thesurveyresultsshowthatundergraduatestudentsbelievethatdiscriminatorybehaviorexistsoncampus,regardlessofethnicorracialbackground.Inaddition,theresultssuggestthatstudentsoftendonotreporttheseexperienceswithbias,harassment,ordiscriminationtoCollegeauthorities.Thisispossiblyrelatedtothesourceoftheseexperiences,sincestudentsofallethnicandracialbackgroundsreportthattheyaremorelikelytohavetheseexperienceswithfellowstudents,ratherthanwithfacultyorstaffintheCollege.ThissuggeststhattheCollege’sfutureemphasisshouldbetofindwaystopositivelyinfluencestudentsocialdynamicsaroundcampuslife,andthiscouldincludemoreoutletsforstudentstocommunicatearoundtheseissues.Morespecifically,thesurveyaskedstudentswhethertheyhadpersonallyexperienceddiscriminationbasedonvariousidentitycharacteristicsincludingrace/ethnicity,religion,gender,abilitylevel,politicalviews,sexualorientation,citizenshipstatus,andsocioeconomicstatus.14Theprimarydifferencesinreporteddiscriminationwerearoundrace/ethnicity,socioeconomicstatus,andgender.URMstudentsreportedsignificantlymoreexperiencesofdiscriminationbasedonrace/ethnicitythannon-URMstudents(40%to16%),andURMstudentswerealsotwiceaslikelytoreportexperiencingdiscriminationduetotheirsocioeconomicstatus(22%)asnon-URMstudents(12.3%).Femalestudentsreportedexperiencesofgenderdiscriminationatfourtimestherateasmalestudents(roughly30%to7%).

11DetailsontheinstrumentanddemographicsofundergraduaterespondentscanbefoundinAppendixC.CampusleadersmayobtainaccesstotheprimarydatasetthroughcontactingtheCollegedean’soffice.12Perfederaldefinitions,studentswhoidentifiedthemselvesasBlack,Latino,andNativeAmericanwerecategorizedasURM,andthosewhoidentifiedasWhite,Asianand/ortwoormoreethnicities(i.e.multiracial),werecategorizedasnon-minority.13Thesurveydidnotdefinethetermsbias,discriminationorharassment;thus,theresultsrelysolelyonstudents’internaldefinitionsofthoseterms,whichmightvarywidely.14Fewerthantenpercentofrespondentsindicatedhavingexperienceddiscriminationbasedonreligion,abilitylevel,sexualorientation,orcitizenshipstatus.URMandnon-URMstudentsreporteddiscriminationbasedontheirpoliticalbeliefsatapproximatelythesamelevel(12-14%).


Studentswerealsoaskediftheyhadwitnessedotherindividualsexperiencingdiscrimination.Thepercentageofrespondentsindicatingthattheyhadwitnessedanydiscriminationorharassmentoncampusishigh,withthepercentageofstudentsreportinghavingwitnesseddiscrimination“often”asmallsubsetofthisfigure.Interestingly,however,fewstudentsindicatedthattheyhadapproachedCollegeofficialstoreporttheseexperiences,asshowninthefigurebelow.Between80-90%ofURMandnon-URMstudentsneverreportedanincidentofdiscriminationtocampusauthorities,suggestingasignificantgapbetweenstudentexperiencesandtheCollege’sabilitytorespondtotheseevents(Figure8).

Figure8.Witnessingvs.ReportingPerceivedDiscriminationbyCollegeUndergraduates,byEthnicity.

ThesurveyresultsalsoprovidecleardirectiononthesourceofbiasedordisparagingbehaviorintheCollege.VastmajoritiesofURMandnon-URMstudentssaidthattheyhadneverheardinsensitiveordisparagingremarksfromfacultyorstaff,withmostoftheirexperiencewithbiasresultingfrominteractionsfromstudents(Figure9).Thisfindingisconsistentwiththeresultsofearliersurveysofcampusclimate.

Figure9.FrequencyandSourcesofDisparagingRemarksforCollegeUndergraduates,byEthnicity.

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Inter-racialexperiencesoncampusStudentsintheCollegeexpressastronggeneralwillingnesstointeractwithstudentsofotherracesandethnicitiesandtoengageindifficultconversationsaboutraceanddiversity.However,thereissomeevidencetosuggestthattheseconversationsremainstressfulforstudentsofallbackgrounds.Thesurveydataarelimitedinspeakingtohowwelltheseattitudestranslateintoactionamongstudents,butthereissomeevidencethatCollegestudents,andespeciallyURMstudents,havemadeeffortstoshowrespectandlearnabouttheexperiencesofotherracialandethnicgroupsoncampus.Inparticular,surveyresultsindicatethatstudentshaveageneralwillingnesstohavetheirideaschallenged,andthattheywouldratherapersonexpressconflictingviewsthanremainsilent(Figure10).AsubstantialnumberofURMandnon-URMstudentsextendthisdesireforopennesstoabeliefthattheycanmediateconflictbetweengroupsthroughtheseconversations.Partiallymitigatingthisview,however,isthefindingthatoverone-thirdofURMandnon-URMstudentsreported“freezing”whenexperiencinganinteractionwith“strongemotion.”Inaddition,anon-trivialpercentageofstudentsalsoreportedeitherhavingtenseandguardedinteractionswithmembersofanotherracial/ethnicgroupoftenorveryoften.Roughly30%ofURMstudentsreportedhavingtheseinteractions,whilethefigurewas17%fornon-URMstudents.Incombination,theseresultsexpresscontinuedstudentoptimisminthepowerofopenlyexpressinganddiscussingdifferentviewpointstoimprovethecampusclimate,butcontinuedbarriersandfrustrationsinbringingsuchconversationstofruition.

Figure10.ExperienceswithStudentsfromDifferentRacialEthnicGroups

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Fromthesurveyresults,itseemslikelythatthereareampleopportunitiesforstudentstoengageinthesediscussions.Roughlytwo-thirdsofCollegestudents,regardlessofrace/ethnicity,indicatedthattheyinteractedoutsideofclasswithstudentsfromdifferentracialgroupseitheroftenorveryoften(Figure11).Asignificantmajorityofstudents(greaterthan85%)alsoreportedhavingmeals,socializing,orstudyingwithstudentsofotherraces,withlargenumbersofstudentreplyingthattheyhadtheseinteractions“often.”SlightlysmallernumbersofURMandnon-URMstudentsreportedhavingmoresustainedinteractions(eithersharingpersonalfeelings/problemsordiscussingissuesofrace/ethnicity)withmembersofanotherracialorethnicgroup.Theseresultssuggestrobustandlargelypositiveinteractionsbetweenstudentsofdifferentethnicgroups.However,therearesomeproblemsofinterpretationresultingfromthefactthatstudentresponsesmaybebasedoninteractionsbetweenBlackandHispanicstudents,orWhiteandAsianstudents(i.e.withinURMandnon-URMcategoriesofthesurvey).Asaresult,itremainsdifficulttodeterminethefrequencyofcross-racialinteractionsbetweenURMandnon-URMpopulations.Thisisn’tnecessarilyacauseforalarm,giventhegenerallyhighnumbersinthesurvey,butanissueforfurtherinvestigation.

Figure11.FrequencyofInteractionswithOtherRacial/EthnicGroups,byEthnicity.

Finally,theseresponsesoninter-racialinteractionsarepartiallyreinforcedbydataonactivitiesrelatedtoraceandethnicityissues.URMandnon-URMstudentsreporthighlevelsofcommitmenttobehavinginwaysthatarenotoffensivetoothergroupsandthatexpandtheirknowledgeofdifferentethnicandracialgroups(Figure12).URMstudentsreportmoresubstantialengagementwithgroupactivitiesaroundracialissues,includingaroundsocialinjustice.Thus,resultssuggestahighlevelofgeneraltoleranceofdifferentracesandethnicitiesamongallstudents,withmoreintensecommitmenttosocialcausesfoundamongURMstudents.

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Figure12.FrequencyofStudentActivitiesRelatingtoRace/EthnicityinPastYear,byEthnicity.

ComparisonstoOtherInstitutionsTheresultsintheCollegecomparefavorablywiththosefromothercollegesanduniversitiesparticipatinginthesurvey,whichincludesasmallcollectionofpublicandprivatefour-yearuniversities.15TherewasnomeasureonwhichtherewasalargedifferencebetweentheresponsesintheCollegeandtheaverageofresponsesatotherinstitutions,buttherewereseveralareasinwhichtherewereinterestingsmalldifferences.Collegestudentswereslightlymorelikelythanthecomparisongroupstohavehadpositivecross-racialinteractionsoncampusandtohaveengagedwithdiversepeersinavarietyofcurricular,co-curricular,andsocialsettings.Theywereslightlylesslikelythanthecomparisongrouptohaveexperiencedharassment.Whilethesevariationsarenotlargeenoughtobestatisticallysignificant,theydosuggestthattheCollegeisatminimumonparwithitspeersinpromotingtoleranceanddiversityoncampus.

IV.AnalysisTheenrollment,retentionandgraduationdatapresentedinthisreporthighlighttheCollege’ssuccesswithinternationalstudentsanditscontinuingeffortstoimproveacademicoutcomesforURMstudents.Progresshasbeenmadewiththelattergroupofstudents,butchallengesstillremaintoreducethegapbetweenURMandnon-URMgraduationrates.ThissectionfocusesonthepotentialcausesbehindthisgapandwhythisgapislargerintheCollegethaninpeerinstitutions.

15TheUniversityofDelaware,SUNY-StonyBrook,ClemsonUniversity,UniversityofCalifornia-Irvine,VirginiaCommonwealthUniversity,andDePaulUniversitywereamongtheparticipatinginstitutions.

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WhyStudentsMayNotSucceedintheCollegeTwofactorsareimportantpredictorsofpooroutcomesintheCollege.Thefirstindicatorisfailureinacourseduringthefirstsemester,andthesecond,oftenrelated,indicatorisacumulativeGPAoflowerthan2.0(a“C”average)inthefirstsemester.Themostrecentdata(throughSpring2010)ontheseindicatorssuggestthatstudentsfailingacourseintheirfirstsemesterhave6-yeargraduationratesthatareroughlyone-halfofthegraduationrateforallstudents.OutcomesalsoworsenforthosestudentswhohaveaGPAlowerthan2.0intheirfirstsemester,with6-yeargraduationratesthatareroughly40%oftheoverallstudentpopulation.Asonewouldexpect,studentsexperiencingbothoftheseproblemsgraduateatevenlowerrates.Withineachcohort,thereareroughly90-100students(8-9%ofthecohort)facingatleastoneoftheseproblems,suggestingthattheCollegecouldgainasmuchas4-5%initsoverall6-yeargraduationrateifsuccessfulinimprovingperformanceinthefirstsemester.Thesetwoindicatorsarepotentiallyrelatedtoarangeofunderlyingfactorsincludinglevelofacademicpreparation,involvementinco-curricularandstudentlifeactivities,accesstosocialnetworksandsupportservices,integrationintocampusnormsandexpectations,andissueswithfamilylifeandother“external”demandsonthestudent’stimeandeffort.Inotherwords,theseindicatorsprovideinsightintoastudent’sgeneralskillsandabilitiestopursuecollege-levelacademicsubjects,butalsoastudent’sbroadersocialandculturalcapital(andattendantabilitytoadapttocampusculture).16Inpractice,theseearlyindicatorshighlightproblemsthattendtomanifestlaterasretentionissues,particularlyinthethirdandfourthyears.Theendofthesecondyear(andbeginningofthethirdyear)isthetimewhenstudentsofficiallydeclaretheirmajor,whilethebeginningofthefourthyearisoftenwhenstudentsmostacutelyrealizethattheirprogressionthroughtheirmajormaynotbegoingaccordingtoplan.Thismayresultinstudentsdecidingtochangetheirmajorsand/ortemporarilyorpermanentlystoppingtheireducation“tofigurethingsout.”SomestudentsreturntotheCollegeaftertakingahiatus,especiallythoseactivelyseekingassistancefromadvisorsinvariousCollegeunits,butasignificantproportiondonotreturn.Forthosechangingtheirmajor,theoutcomesarenotautomaticallynegative.TheRochesterCurriculumactivelyencouragesexploration,evenlaterinastudent’sacademiccareer.However,foranon-trivialnumberofstudents,latemajorchangesreflectseriousunderlyingissues.Theseincludechronicpoorperformanceincoursesresultingfromacademicunpreparedness,anunwelcomedepartmentalorclassroomatmosphere,alackofrolemodels,and/oralackofsupportiveresources.Inaddition,certain“logistical”issuesmayintrudeforstudentswantingtoswitchamajor,suchastheneedtofitmultiplecoursesintoacompressedtimeframe,lackofavailabilityofkeycourses,orlimitsonfinancialaideligibility.Thesebecomesignificantchallengesforstudentstoovercome,andcanresultinstudentsfailingtograduatewithinasix-yeartimeframe.

16Socialcapitalisdefinedasthestrengthandextentofinterpersonaltieswithotherindividuals.Culturalcapitalistheknowledgeofthesocialnormsandexpectationswithinacertaincontext.Usedinauniversitycontext,theseformsofcapitalsignifythefamiliarityofstudentswiththeculturalandsocialenvironmentofthecampus,theirabilitytodevelopskillstosuccessfullynegotiatethisenvironment,andtheirknowledgeofandaccesstoservicesandotheropportunities.


GraduationandRetentionIssuesAmongURMStudentsAsillustratedabove,URMstudentsgraduateatlevelssignificantly(8-10%)belowtheirnon-URMcounterparts.WhilethisgapisnotdistinctivetotheCollege,theCollegegapislargerthanatpeerinstitutions.Thissectionoutlinesonegeneralreasonbehindthegapforalluniversities(culturaladjustment)andthenfocusesontwoareasinwhichtheremaybesomespecialcharacteristicsoftheURMpopulationintheCollegethatresultinadisproportionalimpactofthesefactorsoverpeerinstitutions.Ingeneral,URMstudentsoftenhavetroubleadjustingtothecultureofahighereducationenvironment.Aswithfirst-generationandlow-incomestudents,URMstudentsmayhavealimitedframeofreferencearoundacademicexpectationsandvaluesystems.Thiscanresultinafeelingofisolationandalienation,andmayalsoleadtocultureshockwhenencounteringstudentsofdifferentbackgrounds.Insomesituations,thisfeelingcouldexpandintoamoresustainedcrisisofconfidenceandthedevelopmentofafeelingthatonedoesn’tbelongandhasbeenadmittedbyaccidentorerror(the“impostersyndrome”).ThereisnoreasontobelievethatculturaladjustmentisamoresignificantproblemintheCollegethanatpeerinstitutions.However,studentcommentsmadeduringthe2015studentprotest,thefollow-uptownhalls,andinothervenuessuggestthatURMstudentsareconcernedaboutculturaladjustmentandsocialisolationanditseffects.Moreover,inthe2016Climatesurvey,over70%ofURMstudentsreportedthattheywere“often”or“veryoften”theonlypersonoftheirraceorethnicityina“situation”oncampus,whichmightincludeclasses,meetings,socialevents,groups,orotherinteractions.17SurveyresponsesalsosupporttheideathatURMstudentshaveastrongerracialidentitythannon-URMstudents,andthattheyarethreetimesaslikelythannon-URMstudentstoactivelythinkabouttheirracewhileoncampus.ThismaycauseproblemswithadaptingtotheCollegeenvironmentinsofarasURMstudentscodethisracial/ethnicidentityas“different”(inanegativesense)fromthisenvironment.SocialisolationcanalsolimitURMstudents’willingnessandawarenessofacademicandco-curricularpossibilitiesoncampus.TheKearnsCenterhasrecentlydeterminedthatURMstudentsarehalfaslikelyastheirpeerstostudyabroad,one-thirdaslikelytopursueundergraduateresearch,andalmosthalfaslikelytoparticipateinunpaidinternships(KearnsCenterdata,2015).ThesefiguressuggestthatURMstudentsarenotfullytakingadvantageofopportunitieswithintheCollege,andthisisparticularlydistressinggiventhenewemphasisonexperientiallearningintheCollegeandatpeerinstitutions.TwoadditionalfactorsmayincreasedifficultiesforURMstudentsintheCollege.First,theCollegedoesappeartobedistinctivefromitspeersinthelargeroverlapbetweenURMstudentsandlow-17Feelingsofisolationmayalsobereinforcedbystudents’experiencesaroundcampus.CoursedemographicshighlightthatURMstudentscompriseroughly10-13%ofoverallenrollments,whichmeansmostcoursesincludeonlyasmallnumberofURMstudents.Similarly,BlackandHispanicfacultyandstaffarestillunder-representedoncampus,withover85%ofthestaffbeingcategorizedaswhite.ThisreducesthenumberofrolemodelsoftheirownraceorethnicityforURMstudents,limitingtheirsenseofasharedexperiencewithsuccessfulprofessionalsoncampus.Infact,asignificantnumberofBlackandHispanicstaffarebuildingandfoodserviceworkers,whichstudents(notjustURMstudents,butmoregenerally)haveidentifiedasamatterofconcern,andasocialjusticeissue,oncampus.


incomeand/orfirstgenerationstudents.Asshownearlier(Figure3),URMstudentsintheCollegeoverlapwiththeseothergroupsatalmosttwicetheratethanatpeerinstitutions.FortheundergraduatepopulationinFall2015,thismeansthat45%ofURMstudentsarealsofirstgenerationandroughly50%ofthesestudentsarelow-income.Morethanone-thirdofURMstudentshavebothcharacteristics.TheCollegeiscollectingandorganizingdatatobetterunderstandhowtheseoverlappingstatusespotentiallyincreasebarrierstoacademicsuccess,butseveralissuesarealreadyclearfromtheCollege’sexperiencewithlow-incomeandfirstgenerationstudents.Thesestudentsaremorelikelytoexperienceacademicdifficultiesforavarietyofreasons,including:lessrigorousacademicpreparationthantheirpeers;difficultywiththetransitiontocollegelevelstudiesandthecampusculture;lackofconfidence,resilience,andsenseofbelonging,especiallywithapoorstarttotheiracademiccareer;complicatedfamilylives;difficultyinnavigatingthebureaucraticelementofUniversitylife;andpersonalandfamilyfinancialissuesthatresultinlonghoursatworkoutsideclasses.Researchshowsthatlow-incomeandfirst-generationstudentsoftenexperienceproblemsthatarisefromfeelingliketheylivesimultaneouslyintwovastlydifferentworlds,whilebeingfullyacceptedinneither.18Collegedataonthetwoindicatorsabove(failingaclassinthefirstsemester,lessthan2.0GPAinfirstsemester)showthatURMstudentsaretwiceaslikelyasnon-URMstudentstohaveoneorbothoftheseproblemsintheirfirstsemester.Thismeansthatanaverageof30students,orroughly25%oftheenteringURMcohort,willfacetheseproblems.19Thesestudentsmayexperiencetheseoutcomesbecauseofchallengesassociatedwiththeirracialandethnicstatus.However,itisalsolikelythatpartofthisdisproportionaleffectversusnon-URMstudentsisrelatedtotheoverlappingdisadvantagescausedbylow-incomeandfirst-generationstatus.ThisisanissuethattheCollegewillcontinuetoexamine,especiallysincethereisgreatpotentialtoimproveURMretentionandgraduationrateswithtargetedinterventionsinthisearlystageofaURMstudent’sacademiccareer.(SeeSectionVforcurrentprogramminginthisarea.)Second,theCollege’sstrengthinSTEMfields,andthestrongfocusofapplicantsonmajorsinthenaturalsciencesandengineering,mayshapedifferencesinURMcompletionratesintheCollegeversuspeerinstitutions.Ingeneral,manyCollegestudentsstarttheirundergraduateexperienceintendingtocompletemajorswithinthenaturalsciencesandengineering,withasmall,butsignificantnumber,shiftingtheirintereststothesocialsciencesandhumanitieslaterintheiracademiccareer.URMstudentsfollowthispattern,butwithahigherpercentageofstudentsleavingthenaturalsciencesandengineeringthantherestofthestudentbody.PreliminaryevidencesuggeststhatURMstudentsfacingdifficultiesinSTEMmajorstendtoswitchtheirmajoratalaterdatethannon-URMstudents.ThisslowsdownacademicprogressfortheseURMstudentsandoftencausesmorefinancialhardship,whichcanresultinmorestudentsleavingtheCollegebeforecompletingadegree.

18Harper,S.R.,&HarrisIII,F.(Eds.).2010.CollegeMenandMasculinities:Theory,Research,andImplicationsforPractice.SanFrancisco:Jossey-Bass.19URMstudentsmakeupabout30%ofthetotalnumberofstudentsineachcohortfacingtheseissuesintheirfirstsemester.


V.CurrentInitiativesTheCollegehasestablishedseveralprogramstoassistURMstudents,andtheseprogramsoftenprovidesupportforlow-incomeandfirst-generationstudentsaswell.Thefocusoftheseprogramsistoovercometheissuesraisedabove,specificallyreducedfamiliaritywiththecollegeexperienceand(oftenrelated)problemswithacademicpreparedness.20TheEarlyConnectionOpportunity(ECO)programisapre-freshmansummeracademicprogramoverseenbytheOfficeofMinorityStudentAffairs(OMSA).ItisdesignedtointroducestudentstothedistinctiveRochesterCurriculum,andtohelpstudentsacquiretheskills,attitudes,andsocialconnectionsnecessarytobecomesuccessfulURstudents.Approximately70enteringfreshmenattendthe4-weeksummerprogrameachyear.Ofthesestudents,about30arepartoftheHigherEducationOpportunitiesProgram(HEOP),aprogrampartiallyfundedbyNewYorkStateforstudentsfromlow-incomefamiliesinthestate.Thestudentsinthisprogramreceivesubstantialneed-basedfinancialassistance,student-centeredcounseling/advising,tutorialsupport,andparticipateinnumerousco-curricularactivities.TheHEOPprogramattractsstudentsfromdiverseracial,ethnic,andculturalbackgrounds.In2011,ElizabethBruno,analumfromtheclassof1989,establishedtheBradyScholarsSupportFundtoprovideadditionalsupporttostudentswhoarethemostunder-resourced,disadvantagedstudentsinECObutarenotservedbyHEOP.EachsummersixstudentsareidentifiedfromtheECOcohorttobeBradyScholars.ThegoalofthisprogramistoensurethatsupportedstudentshaveaccesstoalltheopportunitiesavailabletostudentsintheCollege.Toachievethis,theBradyStudentSupportFundprovidesenhancedfinancialaidforallfouryearsofundergraduatestudy.Dependingonthestudent,thissupportmight:eliminateworkstudyorsummerincomeexpectations;coverroom,board,ortuitionforsummersessions;assistwithstudyabroadexpenses;and/orprovidesmallgrantsforthepurchaseofbooksorothersuppliesessentialforacademicsuccess.StudentsalsoreceiveenhancedadvisingandcounselingservicesthroughECO,OMSAandtheKearnsCenter.Thereissubstantialevidencetosuggestthattheseprogramshavebeensuccessfulinincreasingretentionandgraduationratesforparticipatingstudents.TheretentionratesfortheseventhsemesterhaveshowngradualimprovementforECOstudentsascomparedtotheCollegeundergraduatepopulation.HEOPstudentretentionrateshaveexceededratesforCollege’sundergraduatepopulationinthreeofthepastsixyearsforwhichdataisavailable.TheBradyScholarsprogramisrelativelyrecent,butshowsthemostpromiseinovercomingbarrierstoacademicsuccess.Fully100%ofthesestudentshavebeenretainedintotheseventhoverthepastthreeyears(Figure13).

20AmoreexpansivedescriptionofawiderangeofstudentsupportprogramsinavailableinAppendixD.


Figure13:Term7RetentionRatesforSpecialProgramswithURMstudents

Thissuccessextendsinto6-yeargraduationratesforthesestudents.Figure14showsoutcomesfortheHEOPandBradyScholarprograms,whichhavegraduatedstudentsatthesamerateorhigherthantheCollegeundergraduaterateofroughly86%.

Figure14:6-YearProjectedGraduationRatesforHEOPandBradyScholarsPrograms

Inthesummerof2016,theDavidT.KearnsCenterofficiallybecametheacademichometofirst-generationcollegestudents.Centerstaffhavedevelopedaseriesofone-creditcoursesonadjustingtoCollegelife,andprovideenrichedadvisingandsupporttostudentswhoarethefirstintheir

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familiestoattendcollege.OvertwothirdsofthemembersoftheClassof2020whoidentifyasfirst-generationwereconnectedtotheCenterinthe2016-2017academicyear.Additionalresourcesarebeingmadeavailableforstudygroups,textbooklending,andnetworkingforthesestudents.TheRonaldE.McNairPost-BaccalaureateAchievementProgram,partoftheKearnsCenter,workstopreparelow-income,first-generationandunderrepresentedminorityundergraduatesforgraduatelevelstudy.Theoverarchinggoalofthisnationalprogramistoincreasethediversityofthenation’sprofessoriate.Overthecourseofits25-yearhistoryatUR,theMcNairProgramhaslaunchedtheacademiccareersofalmost500students,over350ofwhomhavealreadyearnedgraduatedegrees.Thisprogramdemonstratesthepotentialofstudentsfromthesedemographicgroupstoachieveacademicsuccessatthehighestlevels.Inadditiontoco-curricularprogramming,theCollegehasalsomaderecenteffortstoimprovestudentlifeforURMstudents.First,theCollegehasrecentlyrenovatedstudentlifeandstudentsupportspaceswiththegoaloffurtherstrengtheningthesenseofcommunityamongstudents.TherenovationofDouglassCommonsandthecreationoftheBurgettInterculturalCenterhaveresultedinanexpansionofgatheringspacesandprogrammingtoengageallstudents,includingURMandinternationalstudents.Inadditiontosharedstudentspaces,theCollegerecentlyidentifiedadditionalspacefortheOfficeofMinorityStudentAffairs.Thisarea,adjacenttotheOMSAsuite,hasbeenrenovatedforstudentuseandwillserveasacomputer/studyroomandalounge.Inparticular,theBurgettInterculturalCenterisexpectedtobenefitURMstudents.TheCenterpromotesculturalawarenessandengagement,educatesonissuesofidentity,culture,anddiversity,andprovidesopportunitiesforcollaborationamongstudents,staff,andfaculty.Italsoworkscloselywithofficesacrosscampustodevelopresourcesthatcomplementandsupplementcurricularofferings,exploretheintersectionsofidentity,buildinterculturalcompetence,andpromoteandencourageculturalunderstandingandappreciationamongthecampusconstituents.Second,theCollegehasrecentlyinstitutedanewBiasIncidentReportingsystem,whichwillprovideawaytomoresystematicallytrackandrespondtoracialbias,harassmentanddiscriminationoncampus.Thissystemisalsoameanstodocumentthetypesofexperiencesthatsomestudentsfeelleadtoahostileenvironment.Asevidencedinthe2016ClimateSurveydatapresentedabove,thisisparticularlyimportantaroundURMstudents’interactionswiththeirpeers,sinceactsofbiasordiscriminationmostoftenoccurinthesetypesofinteractions.Itisexpectedthatcreatingthisclear,formalmechanismforreportingwillincreasetheefficacyandresponsivenessoftheCollegetosuchsituations.21Third,theWe’reBetterthanTHATcampaignengagesstudents,staffandfacultyinawidevarietyofeffortstoacknowledgetheirownbiases,andworkonacommunitythatactivelypracticesanti-racism.Membersofthecampaignhavedevelopedanddeliveredmultipleworkshopsonbiasandanti-racism,andareworkingacrossdepartmentstoenactpolicyandprocedurerevisionsthatwillhelpthecommunitytobecomeeverbetter.21TheCollege’sonlinecomplaintsystemhasbeenoperativeforanumberofyears,butstudentshavenotlikelyvieweditasanappropriatechannelfornon-academicissues.


Insum,weexpectthattheseeffortswillcontinuetostrengthenthepositivetrajectoryinacademicandcareeroutcomesforURMstudents.

VI.RecommendationsThisreportprovidesinsightintoacademicoutcomesforURMandinternationalstudents,anditgivessomeperspectiveontheracialclimateforundergraduateswithintheCollege.Thereportalsohighlightstheneedtobetterunderstandandseparatetheeffectsofrace/ethnicity,low-incomeandfirst-generationstatusforCollegeundergraduates.ItisonlywiththisunderstandingthattheCollegecancontinuetomoveforwardinimprovingacademicoutcomesfortheentirestudentbody.Tofacilitatethisdeeperunderstanding,theCollegeproposestoestablishaworkinggrouptocontinuetoexploretheexperiencesandacademicoutcomes(e.g.graduationrates)ofURMstudentsasrelatedtolow-incomeandfirstgenerationstudentsmorebroadly.Theworkinggroupwouldalsoconductareviewofstudentservices,includingtheimpactofadmissionsandfinancialaidpractices,onURM,low-incomeandfirstgenerationstudents.ThisgroupwouldbeledbytheDeanforDiversityinAS&EandwouldreportregularlytotheDean’sOfficeonthebestapproachestosupportthesepopulationsofstudents.Giventheusefulnessofthe2016climatesurveydatatounderstandingtheexperienceofURMstudents,theCollegealsoproposestocontinuetheanalysisanddisseminationofthisdataandtodeploythesurveyeverythreeyears.Asnotedinthereport,theECO,HEOP,KearnsandBradyScholarsprogramshaveprovidedneededsupportforasubstantialnumberofURM,first-generation,and/orlow-incomestudents.TheCollegewillcontinuetopursuethesupportandresourcesneededtoexpandtheseprograms,withthegoalofincreasingtheoverallnumberofURMstudentsreceivingincreasedfinancialsupportandenhancedadvisingandcounselingservices.Theseserviceshaveprovenimportantforimprovedretentionandgraduationratesforcurrentprogramparticipants.URMstudentsalsobenefitfromawelcominganddiversecampusenvironmentintheirtransitiontohighereducation.Forthisreason,thediversityofthefacultyandstaff,andtheirawarenessandsensitivitytodiversityissues,willcontinuetobeafocusofCollegetrainingefforts.Theseincludeprovidingstaffhiringmanagerstrainingandassistancewithdiversityconsiderationsinhiring,anddevelopingandimplementingtrainingonraceandotherdimensionsofdiversityforallCollegeacademicandsupportstaffandfaculty.ThiscouldoccurthroughAS&E’sfacultydiversityofficers,theAS&EandCollegeDean’sOffice,and/orHumanResources.Thegreatmajorityofstudentsreportinter-racialinteractionsandsaythattheywelcomeconversationsinwhichtheirownvaluesarechallenged,eveniftheyfindsuchconversationsstressful.ThePaulJ.BurgettInterculturalCenterpromotesandsupportsthesekindsofinteractions,asdootherCollegeofficesandprograms.Continuingtosupportanddeveloptheseactivitiesiscritical,asispromotingWe’reBetterthanTHAT:theuniversity’santi-racismcampaign.


TheCollegeshouldstronglyencourage--andsupport--thedevelopmentofstudent-ledinitiativestoaddressissuesofbiasoncampus.Studentsoverwhelminglyreportthattheirinteractionswithpeersarethemainsourceoftheseincidents,anditisimportantthattheCollegecontinuetodevelopandmaintainrobustcommunicationswiththestudentbodyasawholeregardingtheBiasRelatedIncidentReport,sothatthecommunityisawareofanypatternsofbehaviorthatemerge.Insum,webelieveitisourresponsibilitytomodelappropriatebehaviorindifficultconversations;provideasafeenvironmentinwhichstudentscanexploreidentityandtheirplaceintheworld;makearegularpracticeofreviewingandrevisingpoliciesandprocedurestoensurethatgroupsofstudentsarenotdisproportionatelyaffectedbythem;andinsofaraspossible,ensureequitableoutcomesinmeasuressuchasretention,graduationandparticipationinotheracademicandco-curricularendeavors.


AppendixA:HistoryofStudentActivismandDiversityReportingintheCollegeTheCollegeanduniversityhavebeenthesubjectofmultiplediversityreportssincethemid-60’s.StartingwiththeGiffordReport,throughtheEavesReport,the1999sit-in,theResidentialCollegeCommissiononDiversity,andupthroughthefall2015protestanddemandsmadeofPresidentSeligman,theorganizationhasfromtimetotimeundertakenseriousself-studyleadingtorecommendationsforimprovingtheclimateandexperiencesofminorityfacultyandstudents.Mostoftheserecommendationshaveinfactcometofruition.WhiletheyareintheCollegeforonlyashortperiodoftime--fourtosixyears--undergraduates’impactonourcommunityisprofound.Collegestudents’engagementwiththegovernanceofcampuslifetakesmultipleforms,andthereisalonghistoryofactivismaroundracialjusticeandaccessissues.FromthedemonstrationsorganizedbytheBlackStudentsUnioninthe1960s,throughthe1999sit-inatthePresident’soffice,tothemorerecentprotestinthefallof2015,Collegestudentshavebeenandremainseriousabouttheircentralroleintheimprovementofcampuslife.Themostrecentprotestisaproductbothofourspecifictime,wherelarge-scaleracialinjusticesoccuralmostdailyintheUS,andtheoverwhelmingdesireofourstudentstoseetheinstitutionembodyMeliora—andbecomeeverbetter.22StudentactivismhasgeneratedawidevarietyofpositivechangesaroundraceanddiversityintheCollege,bothinacademicsandstudentlife.Inthelastdecade,thesechangeshaveincluded:• aconsistentfocusonenrollingandretainingundergraduateandgraduatestudentsofcolor;• theperseveranceoftheCollegeDiversityRoundtable;• theexpansionofandimprovementstotheEarlyConnectionOpportunity(ECO)program;• theexpansionoftheDavidT.KearnsCenterforLeadershipandDiversityinArts,Sciencesand

Engineering;• theestablishmentoftheDouglassLeadershipHouseonthefraternityquadrangle;• thecreationoftheBurgettInterculturalCenter;• theOneCommunityProgramduringorientation;• the“We’reBetterThanThat”anti-racismcampaign;• andtheinstitution’sfocusonimprovingthediversityofourfaculty.

22SeetheRaceandDiversityCommission’sreportformoreinformation.


AppendixB:TheComplexityofStudentExperiences:ASeriesofVignettesSurveyresponsescandemonstratethatvariouspercentagesofstudentsreportedvariousthings,andyetthoseseekingtoassigndefinitivemeaningtothedataareleftnotknowingwhatcombinationsofexperiencesindividualstudentshavehad,orwhatmotivatestheirthinkingandactions.DuringtheTownHallmeetingsinspring2016,theadministrationandcampuscommunitylearnedaboutsomestudentexperiences,23butmanystudents,minorityandmajorityalike,didnotparticipateinorspeakduringtheseevents.Basedonsurveydata,wehavedevelopedcompositesthatillustratethestudentexperienceinallitscomplexityandmessiness.StudentA,“Michael”isanAfricanAmericanmaleSTEMmajorinhisjunioryearwhodenieshavingexperienceddiscrimination/biasdirectlyonanybasis;hehaswitnessedbutnotreportedit.Throughouthisthreeyearshere,hehasheardotherstudentsmakederogatoryremarksaboutBlackpeople,bothinacademicandsocialsettings.Heinterpretstheseasjustparforthecourse,andhasnotgottentooupsetaboutthem.Michaelisnotanactivememberofacampusaffinitygroupbasedonraceorgender;heisanathlete,andinvolvedinseveralacademicgroups.Heworksanon-campusjobtohelppayhistuition.TheYikYakposts,andthewayacoupleofhisclosefriendswereimpactedbytheirovertracism,didhaveasubstantialimpactonhim.Hedidnotseekoutcounseling,didnotfileabiasrelatedincidentorCAREreport,anddidnotattendthemarchortheTownHallmeetings.Hespentalotoftimeinhisresidencehallamonghisfriends(amulti-culturalandmulti-racialmixofmenandwomen)discussingwhyracismissoprevalentintheUSandhereatUR.Theseconversationshavelefthimwantingtoknowmore.Heenjoysengagingindebate,andoftentakesthelesswidelyheldposition,butbecomesfrustratedwhenhispeersbecomedefensiveorunwillingtotaketheconversationintowhatheconsidersuncomfortableterritory.Michaelhasneverhadanassignedreadingordiscussioninclassthataddressedissuesofracialorotherkindsofdiversity;hewouldliketodoso,butdoesnotknowifhehasspaceinhisscheduleforcoursesthatwouldincludethem.Hisprofessorsaremainlywhitemales,andwhilehelikesthemandbelievesheisbeingwell-educated,hefeelstheneedformorefacultyofcolorasrolemodels.Hebelievesitwouldbecooltohavefacultymemberswholooklikehim,orwhomaybecomefromasimilar,lowermiddleclassbackground,andarewillingtotalkaboutit.Thisstudentthinksthattheuniversityisbasicallydoingagoodjobwithdiversity,butthattheworldatlargeistrulymesseduponthistopic.Forthisstudent,issuesofraceandethnicityarenotprimary;hespendsmuchmoretimeconcernedwithhiscoursework,familydynamics,workingandpayinghisbills,andplanningforhisfuturethanhedoesworriedaboutrace.Heunderstandsthathisraceandgenderbothputhimindanger,buthetriesnottothinkaboutittoomuch;heisnotmuchswayedbytherhetoricofhisactivistpeerswhothinkheshouldtakeamoreactiveroleindemandingcampuschange.StudentB,“Mary”isawhitefemale,sophomore,intendedhumanitiesmajor.Shereportshavingexperiencedgenderdiscrimination,andwitnessingseveraldiscriminatoryactsbasedonrace(both23Thetranscriptsofthesemeetings,aswellasthelargerreportoftheCommissiononRaceandDiversity,canbefoundat:https://www.rochester.edu/president/commission-on-race-and-diversity/


inpersonandon-line).Shehastakenseveralcourseswithassignedreadingsanddiscussionsaboutissuesofrace,ethnicity,andsexualorientation.Theseconversationshavesometimesbeenterrificandsometimesfrustrating;shebelievesthatsomefacultymembersaren’tascomfortablewiththematerial,orwithpresentingthematerialtoadiversegroupofstudents,asshewouldlikethemtobe.Sheenjoysengagingindebatesonhottopics,butacknowledgesthatshegetsuncomfortablewhenarticulatingherthoughts,andshesometimessilencesherselfforfearofsayingthewrongthing.Sheisconcernedaboutmaleaggressiontowardswomen.Maryismostlyunconcernedaboutissuesoffacultydiversity—infact,itisnotsomethingaboutwhichshehadthoughtbeforetheprotest.ShebelievesthelevelofstudentdiversityintheCollegeisterrific.Shehasmademanyfriendsfromothercultures.Whenshehasheardothersmakedisparagingremarksaboutothers,shehasbothchallengedthesecommentsandremainedsilent,inroughlyequalproportions.Sheneedstofeelsafe,andcomfortableenoughwiththegrouptocallsomeoneout,andthisisnotalwaysthecase.Shewouldlikesupport/traininginthisarea.Sheparticipatedintheprotestmarchandsupportsherfriendsintheirdemandsformorediversityandinclusiononcampus,becauseshewashorrifiedattheracistYikYakpostsandothereventsoncampus,whichsheviewsasalmostprehistoric.Forthisstudent,genderissuesareprimary,withrace/ethnicitynowaclosesecond.StudentC,“Maria”isaHispanicfemale,socialsciencestudentinherfourthyear.Shehadsomeacademicdifficultyduringherfirstyear,buthasdevelopedintoastrongstudent.Shehascontinuingfinancialdifficulty,whichleadstomuchworryandmanyhoursofwork.Mariareportshavingexperienceddiscriminationoftenasastudenthere,andthoughshehasnotreporteditofficially,shehasspokentoanadviserinOMSA,aswellastheadvisertoSALSA,ofwhichshehasbeenamemberallfouryears;sheiscurrentlyonitse-board.Someofheracademicdifficultyearlyonwastheresultofherfullimmersionintheculturallifeofcampus,andherneedtowork,tothedetrimentofherstudies.Shespeakswithanaccent,andhasheardnumerouscommentsonit;forexample,studentsaskwhereshe’sfromanddonotbelieveherwhenshesaysPennsylvania.Twice,facultymembershavecommentedaboutherwriting;infact,onesuggestedherworkwasnotherownbecauseitwas“toogoodtohavebeenwrittenbysomeonewithanaccent”likehers.Thiswasunnervingandmadeherveryangry;butshedidnotmakeaformalcomplaint.Doingsoshefeelswouldberiskytoheracademicfuture,andcastsherasavictim,astancesherefusestotake.Shetalkstoherparentsatleastonceaday,andhelpsheryoungersiblingswiththeirlives—heryoungersisterisapplyingtocollegethisyearaswell.Shealsosendsmoneyhome.Thedailyexperiencesofhermomandsistersareverymuchforefrontinhermind;whentheyarehavingahardtime,shefeelsitdeeply.ShebelievesthatsheisdiscriminatedagainstbecausesheisHispanicandhasanaccent,becausesheisawoman,andbecausesheispoor.Shehasfriendsandfamilymemberswhoareundocumented,andtheirconstantvulnerabilitytodiscriminationandthethreatofdeportationisdeeplyworrisome.Itisalwaysinthebackofhermind,asenseofforebodingandfear.Theconversationsshehaswithothersaboutraceareexhaustingtoher,andshedoesnotbelieveitshouldbeherresponsibilitytoeducateothersaboutracialsensitivityorinclusion.Inhermind,theuniversityisnotdoingitspartwithrespecttomakingthecampusandcommunitymoreaccessible,ensuringnegativeconsequencesforthosewhoengageinracistbehavior,orensuringher


safety.Race,classandgenderareprimarytothisstudent’sunderstandingoftheworldandherplaceinit.StudentD,“Mark”isawhitemalefirstyearstudent.Heisthefirstpersoninhisfamilytoattendcollege.Hisparentsowntheirownbusiness,adinerbelovedinhishomecommunity.Hereceivedfinancialaid,andhisparentsareproudtobeabletopayhistuitionbill,sothathedoesnothavetoworkwhileatschool.Hedidverywellinhighschoolwithoutmucheffort;goodgradesandfriendshipsalikehavecomeeasytohim.Heworkedinthefamilybusinessthroughouthighschool,andplanstodosoonbreaksthroughoutcollege.Heisplanningtomajorineconomicsandbusiness,sohecanhelphisparentsastheyage.Heappreciateswhatheseesasthesacrificesthattheycontinuetomakeonhisbehalf.Markdenieshavingwitnessedactualdiscrimination,thoughthisisaverycomplicatedtopicforhim.Heisinterestedinjoiningafraternity;heisinvolvedinintramuralsports,andhasfriendsofdifferentraces.Hisworkethicisimpeccable;hespendsalotoftimestudying.Healsoenjoyspartying,andhasoccasionallysaidordonesomethingthathisfemalefriendstellhimisdemeaning.Markhasrecentlybeentoldonsocialmediathatsomeofhisviewsonraceandsexualityaretroubling.HehasgottenintosparringmatchesonFacebookthatgoonlongintothenight.Hegenuinelywantstounderstandotherpointsofview,buthisbeliefsareverydeeplyheld,andheisperceivedbyothersasaggressive.Thistroubleshimalittle.AlsotroublingisthefactthatA’snolongercomesoeasilytohim;inhisfirstsemester,heearnedtwoC’s,thefirstofhislife.Hehasneversoughtacademichelpbeforeandtruthfullyisembarrassedtodoso;hedidnotsharehisgradeswithhisparents.Sometimesinclassheisshockedathowsmarthispeersseemtobe.Hesawtheprotestbutdidnotattend;hereadsomeofthereportsontheTownHallmeetingsintheCampusTimes,butdidnotfeelcompelledtoattendthem.Hewouldhavebeentoonervoustodoso.Hethinksthattheprotestersarefocusedonthewrongthings.Heisunsettledinhissecondsemester;hisworldviewandunderstandingofhisabilitytonavigatetheworldhasbeenshaken.Thissurveyannoyshim;itillustratesthefactthattheadministrationpaysmoreattentiontoracethanheiscomfortablewith.Beforeattendingcollege,Markdidnoteverdealwithissuesofraceorgenderdiversity,andtheyarenotprimaryinhisidentityformationorexperiencehere,exceptinwaysthatmakehimuncomfortable.Bylisteningtothecomplexityofourstudents’experience,weunderstandthatraceisnotalwaysprimarytotheidentityorlivedexperiences,evenofURMstudents,butitisoftenafactorinthewaystheyinteract.Nostudentgroupismonolithicinbeliefsorvalues;whatonestudentbelievesiscriticalanothermaydismissastrivial.Evenacrosstheirownexperiences,studentvalueschange;themajorityofourstudentsrangeinagefrom18-22,primeyearsforthedevelopmentofanadultidentity.Astudentwhoasafreshmanwasunconcernedaboutinequalityhasaverygoodchanceofbecominganactivistsophomore,andviceversa.AchallengefortheCollegeistoprovidesafeconditionsfortheseshiftingidentities.Michael,Mary,MariaandMarkallinteractwitheachother—perhapsintheathleticcenter,perhapsinacampusgroup,inaresidencehallorprogram;perhapstheyaredrawntogetherbyamutualloveofamusicalgroup;perhapstheyarefriendsonFacebookorfolloweachotheronTwitterorInstagram.Thattheyinteractiscriticallyimportanttothedevelopmentofeach.Howtheyinteractdeterminesmuchofthecampusclimate.ItistheCollege’sresponsibilitytoensurethattheyallhavethenecessarytoolstobothlearnfromtheseinteractions,andtoengageinthemrespectfully.


However,asstudentsthemselvesdeterminethecultureofthelivingenvironment,itisalsouptostudentstodeterminehowbesttoaddresstheseissues.TheCollegecanreflectsurveyresultsbacktothestudents;studentleadersneedtoworkwithandchallengetheirpeerstodevelopasupportiveandsafecommunity.


AppendixC:HERIDiverseLearningEnvironments:SurveyInstrumentandRespondentDemographics

SurveyInstrumentTheDiverseLearningEnvironments(DLE)surveywasdistributedtoAS&EandEastmanundergraduateandgraduatestudentsduringthefirsttwoweeksofFebruary2016throughasecurelink;itcapturedstudentperceptionsregardingtheinstitutionalclimate;campuspracticesasexperiencedwithfaculty,staff,andpeers;andstudentlearningoutcomes.Thesurveyincluded52questionswith425fieldsduetobranching,24aswellasthreeadditionalmodules:ClassroomClimate;TransitiontotheMajor;andIntergroupRelations.Twoopen-endedquestionsallowedrespondentstoprovideadditionalinformationasdesired.TheresponsesofURstudents(N=2,324,includingESMundergradandgraduatestudents)werecomparedbyHERItothecomparisongroups(N=15,392)comprisingstudentsfromninepublicandprivateuniversities(ComparisonGroup1)andfifteenfour-yearinstitutions(ComparisonGroup2).Sixtwo-yearinstitutionsalsocompletedthesurveyin2016;however,theseinstitutionsarenotpartofRochester’scomparisongroups.SeeTableC1forCollegerespondents’demographics.

TableC1.DemographicsofCollegeUndergraduateStudentRespondents

24“Branching”providesrespondentswhogivecertainanswerstoreceiveafurthersetofprobingquestions.


AppendixD:SupportServicesforStudentsintheCollegeThefollowingdescribesprograms,efforts,andofficesthatprovideanarrayofsupportservicestostudents,andworkonbuildinganinclusivecommunity.NooneofficeisresponsiblefororsupportsallURMstudents;likewise,nooneofficeisresponsiblefororprovidessupportforalllow-incomestudents.AlthoughtheKearnsCenterjustrecentlybeganreachingouttoallfirst-generationstudentsintheClassof2020,ithasnothadthisroleinthepast,anddetailsaboutimplementationarestillbeingworkedout.Whilenot100%comprehensive,thissummarydescribesmanyofthewaysinwhichtheCollegesupportsitsURMstudents.

Pre-enrollmentexperiences:• TheEarlyConnectionOpportunityProgram(ECO)isapre-freshmansummeracademic

programdesignedtointroducestudentstothedistinctiveRochesterCurriculum,andtohelpstudentsacquiretheskills,attitudes,andsocialconnectionsnecessarytobecomesuccessfulURstudents.TheprogramismandatoryforallfreshmensupportedbytheHigherEducationOpportunityProgram(HEOP)andotherfirst-yearstudentswhoareidentifiedasacademicallyat-risk,andisdesignedtoprovidestudentswiththenecessarytoolstomakeasuccessfultransitionfromhighschooltocollege.Inaddition,eachsummersixstudentsareidentifiedfromtheECOcohorttobeBradyScholars.TheBradyStudentSupportFundprovidesenhancedfinancialaidforallfouryearsofundergraduatestudy,ensuringthatsupportedstudentshaveaccesstoalltheopportunitiesavailabletostudentsintheCollege.

• CoordinatedbytheOfficeofAdmissions,theuniversityiscurrentlyinitsthirdyearofpartnershipwithPosseDC.ThePosseFoundationidentifiestalentedandhighlydeservingstudentsintheDC,Maryland,andnorthernVirginia(DMV)areaforsuccessatRochester.OveronethousandapplicationsarereceivedfortheRochesterPosseannuallyand20-22studentsareofferedachancetomeetwithadmissionsstaff,selectedfaculty,andotheruniversitystaffinahighlyinteractiveinterviewprocess.ThePosseisthenselectedfromthisgroupandofferedenrollmentunderanearlydecisionagreement.EachPossehasamentorwhohelpstoguidethemthroughthetransitionfromhighschooltocollege.OutcomedataforPossestudentsarenotyetavailable,buttheCollegeexpectssimilarpositiveeffectsaswithECO,HEOPandBradyScholars.

• MulticulturalVisitationProgram(MVP)throughtheOfficeofAdmissionsbringstogetherapproximately75-90highschoolseniorsfromdiversebackgroundsandallowsthemtoexperienceRochesteronamorepersonallevel.AdmissiontoMVPisacompetitiveprocessthatconsidersacademicandpersonalqualities.Programhighlightsincludeexperiencinglivinganddiningoncampus;stayingovernightinaresidencehallwithastudenthost;learningaboutvariousopportunitiesforresearch,studentservices,ouradvisingprogram,athletics,andmore;participatingindiscussionswithcurrentstudentsaboutthecollegeexperience;andinteractingwithstudents,faculty,staff,andadministrators.

• First-generationluncheonduringorientationprovidesawarmwelcomeforstudents(andtheirfamilymembers)whoarethefirstintheirfamiliestoattendcollege.TheFirstOnecampaignidentifiesstaffandfacultywhounderstandtheexperiencesoffirst-generationcollege


studentsandcelebratesourstudentswhoidentifyassuch.Thefirst-generationstudentcommitteeworkstodevelopprogrammingthroughouttheyearforstudents,andtoprovideoutreachtofamilymembersonvariousaspectsofcollegeexperience.

TheCollegeoffersawidevarietyofprogramsandservicesdesignedtoeaseallstudents’transitiontocollegelifeandtostrengthentheiracademicperformanceviatutoring,studygroups,andadvising.• ProfessionaladvisorsintheCollegeCenterforAdvisingServices(CCAS)provide

undergraduateswithguidanceandhelptoresolveacademicissues.

• StudentsmayalsoseekassistancefromtheCenterforExcellenceinTeachingandLearning(CETL),whichsupportsundergraduatestudentswithcourse-specificcollaborativeworkshopsandstudygroups,studyskillssupport,disabilitysupport,andtheCollegeTutoringProgram.

• TheOfficeofMinorityStudentAffairs(OMSA)providescounseling,disseminatesinformation,initiatesprogramsandservesasaliaisonwithotherdepartmentsanddivisionsoftheuniversitytoenhancetheenvironmentinwhichunderrepresentedminoritystudentsliveandlearn.WithinOMSA,theHigherEducationOpportunityProgram(HEOP)providescomprehensiveandstructurededucationalandfinancialsupportservicestoover100studentsfromdiverseracial,ethnic,andculturalbackgrounds.Supportincludessubstantialneed-basedfinancialassistance,student-centeredadvising,tutorialsupport,andnumerousco-curricularactivities.WhileHEOPstudentsentertheUniversityacademicallyandfinanciallydisadvantaged,andareoftenthefirstintheirfamilytoattendcollege,thevastmajoritygraduate.Themostrecentfive-yearcohortgraduationrateforHEOPstudentswithinthepastfundingcycleis90%.ServicesforstudentswhoparticipatedinECOextendthroughoutthefirstyearviatheEarlyConnectionOpportunityScholarsProgram(ESP).ESPisdesignedtoassistfirst-yearstudentsthroughcontinuedadvisingandmentoring,aswellasacademicandsocialprogramming.

• TheDavidT.KearnsCenterforLeadershipandDiversityinArts,SciencesandEngineeringatURworkstoexpandtheeducationalpipelinethroughthedoctoraldegreeforlow-income,first-generationcollege,andunderrepresentedminoritystudents.TheCentersupportsstudentsfrommiddleschoolthroughdoctoralstudy,providingintensiveacademicinterventionsgearedtowardsensuringthatstudentsaresuccessfulintheircurrentlevelofstudy,whilealsopreparingforthenextone.TheCenterhasrecentlybeenidentifiedastheacademichomeforfirst-generationcollegestudents,andprovidestailoredacademicadvisingandothersupporttothesestudents.

• KearnsScholarsSeminarisanon-creditbearingcoursedesignedtoprovidefirstyearlow-incomeandfirst-generationcollegestudentsasafespacetodiscusssharedexperiences.Topicsinclude:beinglow-incomeataprestigiousuniversity,academicresiliencyandsenseofbelonging,first-generationstudentexperiences,andstressmanagement.

• TheKearnsCenterprovidessmall,graduatestudent-ledstudygroupsinintroductorylevelsciencecoursesthatareessentialforsuccessfulcompletionofSTEMmajors.Inthefirstyearofstudy,low-incomeandfirst-generationstudentsoftenrequiretheadditionalacademicassistanceandcohortbuildingprovidedbythestudygroupprogram.Withastrongfoundationinentry-levelcourses,participantsareretainedandgraduateathigherrates.TheCenter’s


academicadvisingmodelwasdevelopedspecificallytoaddresstheuniquecomplexitiesofthelivesoflow-incomeandfirst-generationstudents.

• Somestudentsneedtotakesummercoursestobeontrackintheirmajor,tomakeupcredits,ortocompletecourseworkthatisaprerequisiteformovingforwardinaprogramofstudy;suchstudentsoftenrequiremorethanfourorfiveyearstograduate.Fundingopportunitiesforsummerclassenrollment,particularlyinmathematics,haverecentlybeenprovidedbyOMSA,theKearnsCenterandtheDeans’Office,withagoalofincreasingthesix-yeargraduationrate.

• Hajimstaffmembersidentifystudentsinthemostat-riskpopulations(firstgeneration,low-income,andunderrepresentedminority)andcoordinatesupportforthesestudentsunderthe“STEM-Gems”initiative.Throughoutfreshmanyear,STEM-GemsareprovidedacademicadvisingandenrichmentbyanetworkofUniversityoffices.Toreinforcetheseresourcesavailabletostudents,eachHajimSchoolacademicdepartmentdesignatesfaculty,undergraduatecoordinators,andstudentstoserveasSTEM-Gemsadvisers.Thesefocusedeffortsarebeginningtoseeresults:thefirst-to-secondyearretentionofURMstudentsinHajimhasincreasedsubstantially.

• TheCollegehasoverthepastseveralyearsdedicatedeffortstoincreasethenumberofunderrepresentedminoritystudentswhostudyabroad.Theseeffortshaveresultedina41%increaseinthenumberofstudentsstudyingabroadbetween2011and2014(from44to62).In2013-14,thelatestyearforwhichcomprehensivedataareavailable,between13-14%ofourstudentswhostudiedabroadareunderrepresentedminoritystudents.Infact,EducationAbroadandtheOfficeofMinorityStudentAffairs(OMSA)areco-locatedinparttohelpfacilitatethisgrowthovertime.

• TheRonaldE.McNairPost-BaccalaureateAchievementProgram’sgoalistoincreasethenumbersoflow-income,first-generationcollegeandunderrepresentedminoritystudentswhopursuePh.D.degrees.EachMcNairScholarcompletesamentoredresearchexperienceandattendsseminarsfromsophomorethroughsenioryear;theymeetandnetworkwithfaculty,preparefortheGeneralRecordExam,learnaboutlifeintheacademy,andapplytograduateschools.Sincetheprogram’sinceptionin1992,over80%ofourgraduateshaveenrolledingraduateschool,andover100havealreadyearneddoctoraldegrees.Morethanadozenarecurrentlyfacultymembersatcollegesanduniversitiesacrossthecountry,infieldssuchasmath,computerscience,psychology,educationandpoliticalscience.

Studentresponsetocampusclimatesurveyscompletedin2010,2012and2016haveallhighlightedtheon-goingneedforsocialandco-curricularsupportforallstudents,withspecificneedsbeingidentifiedbyURMstudents.• StudentsaresupportedthroughWilsonCommonsStudentActivitiesintheirdesirefor

connectionsviaidentityorinterest.Oursupportofapproximately260student-ledorganizationsandcommitteesexemplifiesourcommitmenttoprovidingexperientiallearningopportunitiesforstudentsandcreatingavibrant,diverseandinclusivecampuscommunity.Morethan10%ofourstudentorganizationsareculturallyfocusedonandpromotediversity,inclusionandculturalawareness.Atotalof44StudentsAssociation-recognizedstudentorganizationshaveadiversity-relatedmission.


• ThePaulJ.BurgettInterculturalCenter(BIC)workswithstudents,staffandfacultytofosteracollaborativeenvironmentthatcelebratestherangeofculturesrepresentedoncampuswhilealsoprovidingopportunitiesforeducationanddialogueondifferenttopics.InFall2016,theBICmovedintothenewstudentlifespaceintheFrederickDouglassBuilding.

• TheOneCommunityorientationprogramthroughtheBurgettInterculturalCenterengagesstudentsinapaneldiscussionfollowedbysmallgroupandpeerfacilitateddiscussionsthatexplorethewaytheUniversityofRochestercommunityisshapedbyourintersectingidentities.TheOneCommunityProgramwasawardedoneofthreePresidentialDiversityAwardsin2016.Aspartofourpromisetoourstudentsthatwewouldgathermembersofthecommunitytohavedifficultconversations,theBICholdsnumerousdialoguesinresponsetotherace-relationstensionsintheU.S.andoncampus,aswellasinresponsetointernationaldisasters.

• ThemissionoftheEmergingLeadersProgram(ELP)throughOMSAistofacilitatethedevelopmentofleadershipskills,promoteexcellence,individualityandgroupcohesivenessamongcurrentandemergingleadersaffiliatedwithOMSA.Theskillsgainedenablestudentstotakeonamoreactiveleadershiproleintheirorganizations,betternavigateuniversity/Collegeresources,andengageinawiderangeofco-curricularactivities,bothonandoffcampus.

ThroughconversationsattheCollegeDiversityRoundtable,feedbackfromthevariouscampusclimatesurveys,anddiscussionswithstudents,weunderstandthatprovidingourstudents,regardlessofethnicityorbackground,opportunitiestomakeconnectionswitheachotheracrossandwithingroupsisdeeplyimportanttotheirwell-beingandgrowth.• TheKearnsCenter’sverticalmentoringmodelprovidesstudentsateachpointinthe

educationalpipelinewithmanyopportunitiestointeractinmeaningfulwayswithindividualsfromsimilarbackgroundswhoarebothaheadofandbehindthemonthepathtoacademicsuccess.Thatis,highschoolstudentsareabletoworkwithbothmiddleschoolandcollegestudents,aswellasgraduatestudentsandfacultymembers,allofwhomareinvestedintheirsuccess.Inparticular,connectingminorityandfirst-generationcollegestudentswithsimilarbackgroundsallowsthemtoenvisionthemselvesassuccessfulacademicsandresearchers,whethertheyareinhighschool,collegeorgraduateschool.

• TherenovationsofthesanctuaryattheInterfaithChapelinsummer2015removedthepewsandcreatedamoreflexiblespace,sothatthesanctuaryisnowa“sacredspace”formanymorereligioustraditionsincludingMuslim,Buddhist,HinduandJewish.Insummer2014weinstalledablutionstationsformenandwomenintheChapelsothatMuslimstudentscouldperformtheritualablutionsnecessarybeforetheirdailyprayers.Additionalablutionstationsandameditation/prayerspacearealsonowopenintherenovatedFrederickDouglassBuilding.

• TheCommunalPrinciplesProject(CPP)isaninitiativeoftheCollegecoordinatedbytheOfficeoftheDeanofStudents.Thisprojectaimstopromotethecommunalprinciplesoffairness,freedom,honesty,inclusion,respect,andresponsibility,whicharewovenintothefabricthatmakeupourcommunityofengaged,lifelonglearners.Oneofthesixprinciplesishighlightedannually.Studentsareinvitedtoapplyforminigrantstodevelopaprogramoractivitythatexemplifiesthespiritandpurposeofinclusiontoourcommunity.“CommunalPrinciplesDay”celebratesalloftheCollege’sCommunalPrinciples,andintroducesthenextyear’sprinciple.


• TheBurgettInterculturalCenter(BIC)coordinatesLGBTQIssueandAwarenessprograms,events,anddialogues,includingaTransgenderPanel.MovingforwardtheBICwillberevampingaSafeZoneTrainingprogramforstudents,allowingforstudentleadershipdevelopmentandLGBTQtrainingandawarenessfortheirpeers.

• TheBICoffersInterculturalWorkshopsandClassesoncommunicationandcompetence.MultipleintersectionaldiscussiongroupsareofferedandorganizedthroughtheBurgettInterculturalCenterandotheroffices:GraduateStudentsofColor,Non-traditionalUndergradsatUR,QueerStudentsofColor,SurvivingCrisisAbroad,URDREAMers,URTransSupportNetwork,andtheWomenofColorCircle.

OurunderstandingofstudentneedsextendstothecontinuingrequirementthatCollegeadministrationremainattentivetothecommunityitcreatesateverylevel:continuingsuccessfulmechanisms(andinstitutingothers)forlisteningtostudentconcerns,beingopentostudent,staffandfacultycritique,followingupontheconcernsunderlyingdemandsforthecreationandsustenanceofsafespacesforURMstudents,andensuringthatdiversityconsiderationsarepartofallstaffhiringandtraining.Severalcurrenteffortshavebeensuccessfulinthisdomain.• TheCollegeDiversityRoundtable(CDR),appointedbytheDeanoftheCollege,ischarged

withestablishinganeducationalforum/exchangebywhichdiversity,inallitscomplexityandmulti-faceteddimensions,canbesupportedandaffirmed.TheCDRconsistsofstudents,staff,andfacultyandisastudent-centeredforumwherecurrenteventsandcampusclimatearediscussed.SomeinitiativesthathaveemergedfromtheCDRrecentlyincludetheOneCommunityProgram,andtheBias-RelatedIncidentReportingSystemthat.AllthreeCampusClimateSurveys(2008,2010,and2016)wereadministeredbymembersoftheCDR.

• TheBias-RelatedIncidentReportisameanstodocumentracist,sexist,andotherwisetroublingcomments,incidentsoreventstowhichourstudentsareexposed.Bias-RelatedIncidentsreceivedbytheCAREnetworkareforwardedtothedirectorofthePaulJ.BurgettInterculturalCenter(BIC)forfollowup.ThedirectoroftheBICreachesouttostudentsnamedinthereportand/ortheURcommunitymemberwhosubmittedthereport.Ifanonymous,thereportisdocumented.IftheReportdescribesahighlevelconcernorcrisis,thedirectorconvenestheBias-RelatedIncidentExecutiveTeam25tocoordinatearesponseand/orcommunicatewiththeAS&Ecommunity.Allreportsarecompiledandreviewedregularlyfortrendsandtoidentifytheneedforeducationalprogramming.TheBias-RelatedIncidentTeamprovideaggregatedetailsofreportsreceivedtotheAS&EandURcommunitiesonaleastanannualbasis.

• TheStudentSupportNetwork(SSN)consistsofacomprehensivearrayofcampusofficesanddepartments.Itspurposeistoidentifystudentsandissuesthatmayneedattention,support,orotherintervention.TheSSNmeetsformallyonaregularbasis.Itsmembersholdthemselvestotheveryhighestethicalstandards,sharinginformationconfidentiallyamongUniversitystaffandfacultyona“need-to-know”basisonly.

Finally,butimportantly,theCollegeiscommittedtoeducationaloutreachintothelocalcommunity,andespeciallytoensuringthatlocalK-12studentsunderstandthatcollegeisforthem.25TheBias-RelatedIncidentTeamincludes:RichardFeldman,DeanoftheCollege;MatthewBurns,DeanofStudents;BethOlivares,DeanforDiversityInitiatives;NormanBurnett,AssistantDeanandDirector,OfficeofMinorityStudentAffairs;andJessicaGuzman-Rea,Director,PaulJ.BurgettInterculturalCenter.


• TheUpwardBoundprogramsintheKearnsCentersupporthighschoolstudentsinayearroundefforttograduatehighschoolandgainadmissiontocollege.Theyaredesignedtohelpfirstgenerationand/orlow-incomestudentswhoareenrolledintheRochesterCitySchoolDistrict.Activitiestakeplaceafterschool,onweekendsandduringthesummer.Studentsapplyinthespringoftheireighthorninthgradeyearandremainintheprogramuntiltheygraduatefromcollege.Theresultsareexciting.Thesestudentshavegraduatedatarateof95%,comparedtotheoverallRCSDhighschoolgraduationratewhichiscurrently43%.Equallyasimpressiveisthecollege-goingrateofthesestudents.Ninety-threepercentoftheKearnsCenterUpwardBoundandUpwardBoundMath/Sciencehighschoolgraduatesenrolledincollege.

• TheSTEMSpecialistattheKearnsCenterworkswithfaculty,staff,undergraduateandgraduatestudentstodesign,planandimplementinnovativehands-oncurriculumforourpre-collegestudents.Thisincludestheabilitytodesignandteachcoursesduringtheacademicyearandthesummer.Additionally,sheworkswithSTEMdepartmentsinthecollegetoimplementourstudygroupsinchemistryandbiologywhilealsocoordinatingsupportforphysicsstudents.Duringtheacademicyear,workshopsconsistofuniqueandauthenticcurriculumdesignthatisdevelopedwiththeinputoffacultyandstaff,whosegoalistoincreasetheinterestandsuccessofstudentsinSTEMfromhighschoolintocollege.

• TheCollegePrepCenters(CPCs)atEastHighSchoolandVanguardCollegiateHighSchoolareapartnershipoftheKearnsCenterandtheRCSD.TheCPCsworktochallengestudentstoseethemselvesaspotentialcollegestudents,andhaveaccesstoaccurateandrelevantinformationabouttheprocessofpreparingforandsuccessfullyenrollingincollegewithappropriatefinancialaidandscholarshipassistance.

• OfficeofAdmissionshasmultipleeffortsaimedatincreasingthediversityoftheundergraduatepopulation,inadditiontonationaloutreachandrecruitment.TheRochesterPromiseScholarshipisatuition-freescholarshipprogramavailabletoRochesterCitySchoolDistrictgraduatesandguaranteesatleast$100,000insponsoredscholarshipstoattendtheCollegeinArts,Sciences,andEngineering.RenewingtheprogramforRCSDhighschoolclassesof2014andbeyond,high-performingpublicschoolstudentsinRochesterwillattendtheUniversitytuitionfreewithtuitionassistancethat-whenaddedtogovernment,university,orothergrantsforwhichtheyareeligible-equalsfulltuitionuptofouryearsofenrollment.

• Since2008,RochesterhasparticipatedintheSayYestoEducationprogram,whichofferscomprehensivetuitionscholarshipprogramstohighschoolgraduatesfromtheSyracuseandBuffalocityschooldistricts,andmostrecently,GuilfordCounty,NC.HighschoolgraduatesinSayYescommunitieswhoareSayYesScholarswithannualfamilyincomesatorbelow$100,000—andwhogainadmissiontotheUniversityofRochester—aretypicallyeligibletoreceivescholarshipscoveringthefullcostoftuition.

• InpartnershipwiththeNationalHispanicInstitute,theUniversityhoststheLorenzodeZavalaYouthLegislativeSession,anine-dayextensiveleadershipprogrameachJulyandbringsapproximately130youthin10thand11thgradesfromacrosstheUnitedStatesandLatinAmericatocampus.TheuniversityisproudtooffertheLorenzodeZavalascholarshipasanincentiveforstudentstobringtoourcampustheskillstheygainedthroughparticipationinthelegislativesession.


• Since2011,inpartnershipwithSigmaPhiEpsilon,the19thWardCommunityAssociation,andtheRochesterCitySchoolDistrict,theUniversityofRochesterhashostedandsupportedtheAnnualSpellingBeeandCampusDiscoverySearchwhichfeaturesstudentsingrades3through7inschools16,19and44.InadditiontotheSpellingBee,studentsparticipateinacampus-widescavengerhunt,whichincorporatesahistoryofthecampusandbuildings.

• TheOfficeofAdmissions,theFinancialAidOffice,andPre-CollegeProgramscombineeffortstopresentthePre-CollegeExperience(PCE).Thiseventisforstudentsingrades7–11fromRochester,Buffalo,andSyracuseschools.Inthisfreeprogram,participantsmaychoosetoattendanassortmentofworkshopsontopicssuchasthecollegeadmissionsprocess,financialaid,thecollegeessay,mini-classofferingsavailablethroughPre-CollegePrograms,andsummerprogramofferings.

• Inpartnershipwithtwelveareacolleges,theURisamemberofRochesterAreaColleges(RAC)andparticipatesinnumerousprogramsandeventsfocusingonoutreachtohighschoolsintheRochester,SyracuseandFingerLakesregions.Programsincludemini-collegefairsathighschools,aCounselorEnrichmentProgramfortheschoolcounselorsandSpringPanelPresentationsonacademicpreparationandcollegetransitionateachRCSDhighschool.

RochesterCenterforCommunityLeadership(RCCL):RCCLisdedicatedtosupportingpartnershipsbetweenourcampusandthelocal,national,andinternationalcommunity.Wehelpcreatethesebridgesthroughanumberofinitiatives,including:career-buildingexperiences(jobs,internships,andfellowships),volunteeropportunities,leadershiptrainingandcommunity-engagedlearning.AnewCitationinCommunityEngagedLearningwasapprovedthispastacademicyearthatwillidentifythisactivityonstudents’transcripts.

a comprehensive review of student experiences of racial ... · a comprehensive review of student...

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