African American Student Organizations As Agents of Social Integration

Journal of College Student Development, May/Jun 2003 by Guiffrida, Douglas A

Although most comfortable with White students, completely avoiding the Black community was not seen as a viable option. Being seen socializing only with Whites, or passing the African American student organization rooms without saying, "What's up?" was frowned upon by their Black peers. This led to them being teased and called names such as "Oreo," meaning they were Black on the outside and White inside. Their unfamiliarity with Black culture and their perceptions of discrimination from being too White created an uncomfortable tension for these students when interacting with their Black peers.

However, for some students from predominantly White home communities, even these uncomfortable experiences with Black students became enriching. seeing how out of touch they were with other Blacks, who "seemed so strong and confident of themselves and their Blackness," created a need within some to expose themselves to and connect with the Black community. For three of the students who were from predominantly White environments, it was the African American student organizations that provided the important link they needed to connect with the Black community. For one student, it was his affiliation with an African American honors group that pulled him in to the Black community. Another student described being forced to attend the Black student government meetings by his girlfriend. Eventually, after being asked to help on some projects, he became president of the organization, which he later realized was instrumental in connecting him to the Black community. The female student who had been scared to attend Black parties described how her involvement in an all-Black sorority helped her.

So that kind of pulled me back in as well. That is one of the reasons I did it. Not just for the sisterhood but I was starting to feel really isolated and withdrawn, and it has been good. I have been happier this semester than I have been the prior year and a half here.

These three students perceived their participation in African American student organizations as enriching their college experiences by exposing them to and connecting them with Black culture for the first time.

DISCUSSION

The results of this study support prior research regarding the importance of minority student organizations to students of color (Allen, 1988; DeSousa & Kuh, 1996; McClung, 1988; Tatum, 1999; Taylor & Howard-Hamilton, 1995). Consistent with the findings from Padilla et al. (1997) and Murguia et al. (1991), the groups were viewed by some students as a safe outlet in which to stay connected to their cultures. However, by extending the sample and focusing specifically on the perspectives of African American students attending a PWI, a more detailed account of how African American organizations facilitate cultural connections and social integration emerged.

Involvement in African American student organizations provided students an important means with which to connect with Black faculty outside the classroom, which has been found to be important to academic achievement and persistence (Pascarella & Terenzini, 1991). A close relationship with faculty has been associated with better grades, higher levels of retention, and feelings of satisfaction with the university (Allen, 1988, 1992; Kuh, Douglas, Lund, & Ramin-Gyurnek, 1994; Nettles & Johnson, 1987; Nettles, Theony & Gosman 1986; Sedlacek, 1987) and is important in facilitating both academic and social integration at college (Tinto, 1993). Establishing outof-class relationships with faculty is also something that researchers have identified as being more difficult for African Americans attending PWIs than for White students at PWIs (Allen, Epp, & Hanniff, 1991; Burrell & Trombley, 1983; Flemming, 1984). Participation in African American organizations was viewed as one important way for Black students to overcome hurdles they may have perceived in establishing these important relationships.