USC study: University student affairs staff subjected to ‘widespread racism’

A recent study out of the University of Southern California’s Race and Equity Center found that almost 60 percent of college student affairs staff “witnessed racism on their campuses” in the last year, with around 30 percent “experiencing it directly.”

According to Diverse, the study “Supporting While Marginalized: Racial Realities of Student Affairs Professionals” examined “1,992 student affairs professionals at 73 colleges” who had participated in the 2021-23 National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates Staff Survey.

USC education professor Royel Johnson, whose research deals with “educational access, racial equity, and student belonging and success, particularly for Black and intersectionally marginalized groups impacted by the criminal punishment, child welfare, and inequitable educational systems,” said student affairs professionals are “the backbone of our campuses,” but are “plagued with th[e] same challenges” of racism and discrimination as students.

Johnson (pictured) noted around 60 percent of survey respondents reported not only racism but corresponding “lingering [emotional] consequences” such as “frustration” and “distrust.”

Over a quarter said they experienced “declines in mental health and emotional well-being.”

Black student affairs staff had the highest rate of “direct racist experiences” (61 percent), followed by Asian and multiracial staff (46 percent each).

The perpetrators of racism were most likely to be white — 27 percent reported experiencing racism from white student affairs staff, and 22 and 21 percent respectively from white students and faculty.

According to the study, the “most frequently reported racialized incidents” noted by college student affairs personnel were

• “avoiding discussions related to race due to fear of negative reactions from coworkers”
• “being mistaken for someone else of the same race/ethnicity”
• “being asked/expected to represent the views/experiences of their entire race in meetings”
• “being viewed as naturally less capable than others because of their race”
• “hearing/overhearing negative or insensitive comments about their racial/ethnic group”

While the survey was conducted at a time when “national discussions about anti-Asian hate crimes and police brutality against Black Americans” were taking place, less than half of the 73 institutions were reported to have formally addressed those topics.

From the article:

The findings come as student affairs faces broader retention challenges, with 39% of staff indicating they are likely to seek other employment within the next year, according to separate research by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.

The USC researchers offered seven recommendations for institutional action, including strengthening reporting mechanisms, embedding equity goals in staff evaluations, regularly assessing campus climate with disaggregated data, and ensuring transparent advancement pathways.

“Addressing racism in the workplace is not about individual resilience—it is about institutional responsibility,” the researchers concluded. “Without bold, sustained, and collective action, campuses risk losing the very professionals who are central to advancing their diversity and student success missions.”

According to its website, the USC Race and Equity Center’s mission is to “illuminate, disrupt, and dismantle racism in all its forms.”