What We Know About How College Campuses Can Create Environments Where Diverse Students Thrive

• In Event: Forging a Research Agenda on the Role of Mental Health in Advancing Racial Equity

Abstract

The third presentation will synthesize research that sheds some light on how higher education systems sometimes help address mental health challenges among diverse college students. These include the following:
• Centering care in serving students with programs that promote individual self-care through good sleep, nutrition, exercise, and mindfulness, as well as community-building experiences that relate to spirituality, gratitude, and mutual aid (McGuinness & Nordstokke, 2021).
• Promoting connections and belonging including opportunities to build relationships with college personnel and peers, as well as culture- and identity-based experiences that enrich connections with home communities (Hurtado & Carter, 1997; Museus & Maramba, 2011).
• Creating affirming structures and spaces through culturally relevant curricula, affinity spaces, and campus art that validate the identities of marginalized groups (Solórzano & Pérez Huber, 2020).
• Building curricula that prioritize well-being of diverse students, understanding that such programs, like Ethnic Studies, are both linked to student achievement and facing substantial political threats (Cabrera et al., 2012).
• Providing culturally relevant mental health programming, including increasing the availability of practitioners from diverse backgrounds to expand awareness, normalize discussion, and promote healing (Neal-Barnett et al., 2011).

Author

• Sylvia Hurtado, University of California - Los Angeles