The University of Southern California Race and Equity Center has released a new report documenting the persistent racism witnessed and experienced by student affairs professionals on U.S. college and university campuses.
Drawing from data regarding 1,992 student affairs professionals across 73 colleges and universities who completed the 2021-2023 National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates, the authors found that nearly 60 percent of student affairs workers reported witnessing racism on campus in the past year, and 30 percent experienced racism directly. For Black student affairs staff members, 61 percent said they had personally experienced racism at work. In comparison, 19 percent of White respondents said the same.
Among those who had experienced racism, respondents were most likely to report encountering racism from White staff (27 percent), White students (22 percent), external work contacts (22 percent), and White faculty (21 percent). Nearly 40 percent of Black professionals who had experienced racism at work reported being mistaken for another Black person, as well as interacting with co-workers who avoided race-related discussions.
While half of White staff expressed strong confidence in their institution’s commitment to DEI, only 30 percent of Black staff felt the same way. Staff of color were also more likely than White staff to feel excluded from decision-making, passed over for advancement, and unsupported by their supervisors. The majority of respondents said their institution does not provide formal access to professional development related to race and racism, and instead have to rely on self-directed learning.
“When professionals of color are unsupported, silenced, or pushed out, the institution’s capacity to serve diverse students is fundamentally weakened,” the report authors write.
They add, “In short, addressing racism in the workplace is not about individual resilience—it is about institutional responsibility. Without bold, sustained, and collective action, campuses risk losing the very professionals who are central to advancing their diversity and student success missions.”
