Multiracial students may feel pressured by peers to join one
organization over another based on their race. If multiracial
students are not recognized in cultural centers or in student
organizations on campus, they may not have a “place” to
express their multiracial identity. These students are asked the
same question over and over again by peers and others: “What
are you?” Do campuses create environments in which students
demonstrate sensitivity to these types of questions or create
learning opportunities for students to explore how to ask the
question? Perhaps even more important, do campuses explore
the need to categorize others? Opportunities for multiracial
students to share stories about their heritage and upbringing
can be powerful tools to promote inclusion.
FAMILY EFFECT
Families have a lasting impact on mixed students in terms of
if they were raised predominately in one culture or another,
were encouraged to embrace more than one race, and received
support for exploring different facets of their identities. Parent
programs and orientation welcome receptions should include
parents of multiracial students or adopted transracial students.
We must ask what campuses are doing to include (or exclude)
parents of multiracial students, or, at the very least, recognize
their existence.
REPORTING REQUIREMENTS
Campuses are now required to report data to the Integrated
Postsecondary Education Data System on students who check
more than one box for race on their applications. The “two
or more races” category captures students who are
multiracial. This tracking method may demonstrate the number of students in more than one
racial category, but it may still be difficult to
break down those different categories. At a
minimum, it will allow campus administrators to discover how many students check
more than one racial category given the
chance. Beyond the admissions or registrar
data, how many colleges and universities are
building standards or providing guidance to departments on what racial categories should be on applications for
residence assistants, committee members, scholarship applicants, and others?
PROGRAMS, SPACES, AND ORGANIZATIONS
Many programs and best practices at campuses and universities across the nation currently support multiracial students,
and steps can be taken to assess existing programs on campuses. Higher education institutions, and student affairs
staff in particular, work to ensure that students from all
backgrounds succeed. As institutions recognize multiracial
students, they must create services to ensure the needs of these
students are addressed. A significant effort in multiracial student inclusion is creating a space—the space can be a physical
structure or even an opportunity for people to come together.
During the spring 2011, a survey was distributed nationwide
to campus diversity and multicultural officers through a variety of student affairs and social justice e-mail lists. Fourteen
institutions—large and small, public and private—responded,
representing all regions of the United States. The survey
assessed institutional support of multiracial students, which
included discussion and support groups, and events focused
on multiracial identity.
Multiracial student organizations are often initiated by stu-
dents and supported by student affairs administrators to serve
the dual purposes of creating community while educating
campus constituents about multiracial identity and challenges.
Multiracial student organizations are often in need of strong
advisors and leadership development activities. The mission
statement of the University of California, San Diego’s Mixed
Student Union provides a clear example of the purpose of such
an organization:
We are a student organization which seeks to foster
personal growth and empowerment of individuals
who identify as multiracial, mixed, multicultural,
those which are transracially adopted as well as
allies. Mixed Student Union promotes the interac-
tion, dialogue, and expression of those who identify
with being mixed as well as their allies by: build-
ing community to explore mixed race and cultural
experiences and initiating partnerships with cam-
pus organizations and other marginalized groups.
Several campuses provide physical spaces for students to
meet and celebrate their unique identities. Oberlin University
has created a Mixed Heritage Center, which has a mission to
“…provide sustaining resources to multiracial, multi-
ethnic, and transracially adopted people and families
as well as support the community leaders, practic-
ing professionals, and organizations that serve
them. Through consulting, research, resource
referral services, and training, the Mixed Heritage
Center will be the most comprehensive source of
existing and emerging information and tools for
the mixed heritage community…” Dedicating a
physical space for multiracial students demonstrates
that these students are important to the life of our cam-
puses and provides a platform to bring these students together.
Many multicultural offices’ primary function is to provide
engaging programs to educate about diversity and celebrate
multiculturalism; moreover, some campuses now include
programs celebrating multiracial identity. Colorado State
University hosts Mixed Race Week, which offers five days of
events, including the appearance of well-known multiracial
individuals and a multicultural heritage art exhibit created by
students, faculty, and staff. Although the multiracial community is diverse, multiracial individuals do share commonalities
that allow them to understand and support one another. The
University of Southern California hosts Project ReMiX, a
monthly, interactive discussion series to explore issues facing
the mixed race generation. Higher education institutions must
recognize the existence of these students and create a plan to
support and celebrate their multiracial identities.
