A changing landscape: Black STEM students’ noticings of policy impacts at their institutions

• In Event: “For Such a Time as This”: Advancing Racial Equity–Focused Research in Varied Sociopolitical Contexts

Abstract

This paper attends to strategies for implementing racial equity research within the context of political mandates negatively impacting diversity, equity, and inclusion within public universities in Georgia. More specifically, the authors detail continuous shifts made to ongoing research processes (i.e., recruitment and data collection) given preliminary outcomes from Black STEM students’ perceptions of the changes happening on their campuses. This paper is driven by the following research questions: How are Black STEM students describing the impact of higher education policy changes on the climate, resources, and their experiences at the university? Given their perceptions and experiences, to what extent does our research team modify existing research processes to account for the implications of existing political mandates?

Our paper borrows from an Afrocentric Theoretical framework as presented by King and Swartz (2016). This framework includes the concept of collective consciousness–an epistemology that is rooted in relational ways of knowing and connected to ancestral sensibilities within and across multiple generations. This framework is helpful in situating the current political context within historical attempts to curve and recede progress of Black Americans. A collective knowledge shares the impact of local legislation on Black students at these institutions, but also helps to build knowledge around what to anticipate from other conservative governing bodies. Lastly, this framework helps to establish the connection of the current tactics of higher education officials as being similar to what our ancestors withstood in past decades.

Data includes focus group interviews that allow students across multiple institutions to talk about what it means to be Black and in STEM. As part of our semi-structured protocol, we asked the students about other resources or supports that are offered by the school or that they imagine could be beneficial for their success. Additionally, we have recorded research team debriefs that aid us in thinking about continued strategy toward recruitment. These documented dialogues serve as points of internal reflection, as well as larger points of discussion to share with the full project team.

Preliminary data denotes how Black STEM students across Georgia convey recent changes and concerns at their institution. Specifically, our data reveals that students are noticing the shifting of employee job titles and positions, as well as the rebranding of institutional initiatives even in the heart of a large Black metropolitan area. Given their noticings, we also discuss shifts we have made in participant recruitment to account for Black students’ lived realities, our research plans, as well as our collective goals to advance social, psychological, and physically safe spaces for Black people. We share pointed language on how to recruit Black students in this political context, emphasizing the goals of the study without ever articulating who cannot participate.

A collective consciousness on how to engage racial equity research among continued bans on supports for Black students is needed. This paper proffers tangible strategies for continuing to do racial equity research in ways that meaningfully and ethically account for Black students’ perceptions and experiences.

Authors

• Nickolaus A. Ortiz, Georgia State University

• Angela-Faith Thomas, Georgia State University

• LaTeisha Andrews, Georgia State University

• Shawn Irons, Georgia State University

• Cameron Gilliam, Georgia State University

• Paris Iyamu, Georgia State University