Students' views on racial justice

The 2021 Student Voice survey (conducted by Inside Higher Education) provided important guidance to educators about students' views of campus climate and action regarding racial justice. The update later in the year indicated that racial justice continued as a strong focus and added growing evidence of students' political advocacy as well as interest in career preparation. With 65% of all students either agreeing or strongly agreeing that higher education has a role to play in addressing racial justice and equality, educators have a clear mandate. This mandate is complicated by the fact that when the data is segregated by political inclination, 63% of students who lean Democratic and only 6% of those who lean Republican strongly agree with the mandate.

The survey (including 1,100 white and 800 students of color) found that most students either don't have a clear perception about what their institutions did to address racial issues or were somewhat disappointed. In particularly, students found the responses to police killing George Floyd "underwhelming." A common perspective was that there are lots of statements of sympathy and understanding but far fewer real actions to bring about change. The driver for social justice action is sometimes external to higher education institutions, with 44% of students reporting that community groups and media were their primary sources of information. Student activists can make a real difference in advocating racial justice and some institutions stand out in their effectiveness, demonstrating  that change is essentially a matter of institutional will.

Increased Fall 2021 enrollment at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) perhaps reflected Black students' view of campus climate. The increases could be the result of a variety of factors but one likely cause is that Black students see HBCUs as more responsive to their needs and more likely to address racial justice questions than predominantly White colleges and universities. HBCUs have achieved positive gains toward R-1 status, indicating their success in receiving grant funding. Greater research productivity and classification is often associated with perceived quality.

More Asian American students are now joining fellow Black students in recognizing and voicing concerns about the discrimination and aggressions they face. Interestingly enough, Asian American students were also the most likely to have participated in institutionally-sponsored racial justice initiatives. Sometimes sponsored by institutions and at other times just part of campus life, students indicate that race comes up more often as a topic of discussion. Nathan Reddy, a 2019 Cornell graduate, reinforced the importance of discussions about race, noting that they have raised consciousness, causing people to be "wary of committing microagressions, afraid of insulting someone because of their race." These discussions have created a safer space for exploration of race but one sometimes encumbered by the "need to express all the 'right' thoughts." Reddy called for "more openness to make mistakes and make candid statements."

Jeffrey Herbst, President of American Jewish University in Los Angeles, warned of the threat of rising anti-semitism on campuses in the wake and continuation of the May 2021 conflict between Israel and Hamas. There is clear evidence that anti-Israel groups add to the hostility by vilifying Jewish students. He reports that anti-semitism doubled since May of 2021 and that higher education institutions need to get out in front of what could be rising activism and another polarizing issue on campus. The American Jewish Committee issued recommendations for how campuses should preemptively intervene to address the rise in anti-semitism. The CUNY system partnered with Hillel to address the rise of anti-semitism on its campuses and added focus on Jewish students to its DEI initiatives. After criticism for not responding to complaints of anti-semitism, the University of Vermont issued a statement and launched a website to support Jewish student life. Jonathan Greenblatt, CEO of the Anti-Defamation League was among the many who continued to express concern over anti-semitism on college campuses in the midst of the 2022-23 academic year. Cries for effective intervention seemed to have failed as anti-semitic incidents rose by 41% in 2022.

Seventy percent of openly Jewish students experienced some form of anti-Semitism during the last 120 days in a recently launched reporting site. Another survey by Hillel Foundation and the Anti-Defamation League documented that 43% of Jewish students either experienced or witnessed anti-Semitism in the last year, sometimes in the form of swastikas displayed at Queens University of Charlotte and other times in disparaging remarks or overt actions. The rise of anti-Semitism can be challenged legally, as evidenced by the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights opening an investigation of Brooklyn College and on the rising number of members of Congress who advocate Education Department action. Even with these pressures to address rising anti-semitism, the Biden administration passed on defining exactly what it is. Jewish students have increasingly sought solidarity in the face of rising anti-semitism by joining Chabad communities on campuses throughout the U.S.A. Other Jewish students strive to promote dialogue about the persistent conflict between Israel and Palestine. A number of college and university presidents gathered in April 2022 to discuss the increases in anti-semitism that they observed on their campuses.

Reports of anti-semitism persisted into 2023 at George Washington University and Denver University. The GWU case was countered by other students who claimed anti-Palestinian bias, which highlighted the factioning that has emerged as Israel continues to occupy areas claimed as Palestinian territory. The Office of Civil Rights issued a plan to combat anti-semitism that includes "claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor" as discriminatory speech. Critics fear that including criticism of the State of Israel could encroach upon expression of sympathy for Palestinian. The inclusion of the book The Right to Maim: Debility, Capacity, and Disability in a Princeton syllabus drew criticism from pro-Israel faculty but support from others who see Israel as victimizing Palestine.

Faculty development focused on helping academics understand Jewish identity and its connection to the state of Israel might be a strategy that could help address the rising occurrences of anti-Semitism. This suggestion by the director of Improving the Campus Climate Initiative at the Academic Engagement Network was coupled with the assertion that Jewish cultural heritage should be included as a protected group in DEI statements and work. However, the idea that campus administrators see "... the denigration and vilification of Zionism as a political debate, rather than as a deeply hurtful attack on Jewish identity" reflects a bias of its own, one that does not recognize the plight of Palestine and its citizens.

The lingering impact of stereotyping and fear-mongering following 9-11-01 also contributes to a hostile climate for Muslim students. The Trump administration years saw significant increases in anti-Muslim sentiment in higher education and elsewhere. Particularly for Muslim students in the U.S.A, the Center for Education, Identity, and Social Justice recommended that institutions "invest and create a centralized mechanism to identify discrimination and hate directed at Muslim college students, investigate incidents of hate and discrimination, and follow through with actionable steps to address and resolve the issue." Competing ideology perhaps contributed to two Jewish faculty at City University of New York being targeted in negative course evaluations as a result of their advocacy for Jewish identify and Zionism.

Student views, which generally support social justice work, need to be understood and factored into clarifying the role for higher education in addressing racial justice as more campuses reopen in fall of 2021 with more in-person encounters. With over 80% of students reporting that racial inequality is a difficult subject to discuss but more than 50% saying that they self-censor in campus discourse, one barrier to racial justice appears to be simple - having conversations about it. In order to counter this self-censorship, institutions must inform students of their "rights to express their ideas, encourage the expression of controversial beliefs and discourage the idea of 'reporting' students with bad beliefs." Other educators warn that accepting self-censorship as an excuse for not engaging in relevant and challenging conversations should be discouraged. Clarity about the purpose and actions related to diversity, equity, and inclusion will be central to moving forward deliberately and effectively. Of immediate note is that Black faculty have had a lukewarm response to campus Juneteenth programs and observances, skeptical that window-dressing rather than substance may be the focus.

Some educators assert that nothing short of decolonizing the academy must be undertaken, a process that would include 1) revamping the curriculum, 2) reimagining our syllabi, 3) reimagining classroom dynamics, 4) rethinking our pedagogies, and 5) bringing all students to mastery. Opposition to critical theory has become a rallying point for conservatives but faculty report favorable responses from students and assert that advancing critical theory is central to quality and historically informed education.