Examining the Experiences of Black, White, and Other Student Groups on Campus

The climate of a university can be critical to the experiences and mental health of students on a university’s campus (Budge et al., 2020), as such it is necessary to examine the experiences that perpetuate a university’s racial climate. Past psychological research has aimed to reduce negative emotional reactions born of race-related experiences in targeted and marginalized groups (Carter & Forsyth, 2020; Kim, 2016). Although the focus of prior research was essential in improving the experiences of people of color, other directions such as, analyzing the similarities and differences between experiences and emotional reactions of different racial groups, exist as well. Performing a thorough examination into the experiences of different racial groups will provide us a deeper understanding of the emotional reactions each group experiences, as well as yield greater clarity to the race-related dynamics on the Kennesaw State University Campus. Data was collected from KSU students, faculty, and staff who participated in focus groups, of 3-12 participants. During the interview, a facilitator invited participants to share their race-related experiences on-campus and in the community and their emotional reactions. Thematic analysis is currently being used to identify common themes among participant responses. This specific presentation will focus on the experiences of Black, White, and Other student racial groups, and how those experiences differ from one another. Results will be provided to the upper-level KSU administration to provide insight into ways to improve on-campus relations for students at KSU