African American Students’ Attitudes and Beliefs about Ethnic and Racial Diversity at a Predominantly White Public University in the Mid-West

Following an incident which involved gunshots and fighting at a private party in a Mid-Western city, where a predominantly white public university is located, several discussions were held at various fora on campus on the issue of race. During the discussions, many African American students complained that they were not being treated fairly at the university. The purpose of this study was to assess the cultural attitudes and climate at the Mid-Western University (abbreviated in this paper as MWU). The research question examined is: What are the attitudes and beliefs of African American students about racial and ethnic diversity at the Mid-Western University? the results of the study as reflected in the participants’ answers is at best mixed, some students expressed a level of comfort with the climate, while others thought the university was not doing enough in terms of diversity. It’s also clear from the responses that the campus climate is not compatible with the experiences of African American students and that in turn affected their perception. The study also offers opportunities for campus administrators to address the issues raised by the students as reflected in the recommendations of the authors.