The Relational Context of White Institutional Presence

• In Event: Identity and Postsecondary Campus Climate

Abstract

Retention literature for higher education discusses the problem of chilly climates on predominately White campuses for African Americans. The purpose of this research is to investigate the roots of these chilly climates, which I refer to as White Institutional Presence (WIP) (author, 2010). WIP is the Euro-American worldview of independence, competition, dominance and power-over (Baldwin, 1985, 1990), as well as, U.S. societal practices of stereotyping and stratifying individuals (Feagin, 2006).WIP is revealed in an institution’s policies, practices, and relational expectations. This qualitative case study investigates the complex and multi-layered experiences of one African-American female undergraduate as she attends a predominately white institution. The participant’s narratives describe classroom dynamics and administrative policy and practices that are embedded in Euro-American ideology.

Author

• Diane Lynn Gusa, SUNY - Canton