Mixed Race Studies

Multiracial students discover identities in college

USA Today
2013-04-04

Taylor Lewis, USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent

College offers multiracial students the chance to have open conversations about race, allowing them to embark on a quest that is crucial in developing their identities.

When Sam Ho receives a form where he must select his race, he has a decision to make: Will he choose “white,” or will he check “Asian”? The trick, he has found, is to alternate.

Raised by a Caucasian mother and a first-generation Chinese immigrant father, Ho, a junior at the University of Kansas in Lawrence, grew up in a multiracial household. Although he lived in predominately white Topeka, Kan., he was frequently exposed to his Chinese heritage. But because of his physical appearance, Ho finds himself identifying more strongly as a white man.

“My outward features aren’t particularly Asian, and living in a majority white society, that’s culturally just what has been around me for the most part,” Ho says. “I think most people assume I’m 100% Caucasian, so I think the treatment I get from others is with that assumption.”…

…”Your identity is not only impacted by how your racial group might perceive you, but how the dominant culture perceives you as a member of a different racial group,” says Belinda Biscoe, associate vice president for University Outreach at the University of Oklahoma in Norman and an coordinator of The National Conference on Race & Ethnicity in American Higher Education (NCORE). “Regardless of how we may see ourselves, part of our identity is also inextricably woven with how others see us.”…

…Take the “one drop” rule, for example, which suggests that if you have “one drop” of African-American blood, you must identify as black. So for multiracial students who grew up in two or more cultural worlds, they had to learn to define themselves in a society that was frequently asking “What are you?”.

“A lot of the biracial students would hear, ‘I’m not black enough to be black, and I’m also not white enough to be white, so where does that leave me?'” says Willie L. Banks Jr., associate dean of students at Cleveland State University in Cleveland and author of the study “Biracial Student Voices: Experiences at Predominantly White Institutions.” “So that’s always the conundrum. That’s the question that’s always addressed to these students: Where do you fit in?”…

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Biracial Student Voices

University of Georgia
2008
140 pages

Willie L. Banks Jr., Associate Dean of Student Life
Cleveland State University

A Dissertation Submitted to the Graduate Faculty of The University of Georgia in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILISOPHY

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of biracial students with one parent of African American heritage attending Predominantly White Institutions (PWI) in the South. This study utilized a basic qualitative research design and was comprised of three phases: semi-structured individual interviews, responses to written prompts and a photo elicitation project. Twelve participants from two southern institutions participated in this study.

Through an analysis of data four themes emerged that encapsulated the experiences of the students in this study: 1) The Search – the pre-collegiate experience, 2) Finding a Voice – the collegiate experience, 3) Breaking Free – dealing with labels from society, and 4) Here’s Where I am for Now – the evolving identity of biracial students. These themes illustrated how complex and personal biracial student development can be. The biracial students in this study used their experiences with family and friends to define their identity. Once they reached college, their circle of friends, involvement in student organizations, and finding safe spaces on campus all contributed to the students defining and redefining their biracial identity. These experiences all contributed to a generally positive experience for students in this study. Additionally, participants in this study were able to define their place in society as a biracial individual and what role society should or should not play in their identity choices. Results from this study showed that biracial identity was a complex process that started before college and that continued through college.

The findings in this study have implications for student affairs professionals. The implications include: understanding that biracial identity is complex and situational, programs and services for students of color are needed and can be beneficial for biracial students, spaces on campus need to be welcoming to all students and student affairs professionals need to structure and provide spaces that welcome and support all students, student affairs professionals need to be cognizant of the different experiences biracial students have from other students of color and will need to ensure that biracial students are provided with the options and choices provided to all students.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
• LIST OF TABLES
• LIST OF FIGURES
• CHAPTER
  • 1. INTRODUCTION
    • Statement of the Problem
    • Theoretical Framework
    • Research Questions and Methodology
    • Limitations of the Study
    • Significance of the Study
    • Definition of Terms
    • Summary
  • 2. REVIEW OF LITERATURE
    • Race
    • Biracial Identity Development
    • Bases, Borders, Identities, Patterns and Quadrants
    • Factors Influencing Racial Identity Choices
    • Multiracial Students at Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs)
    • Recommendations from the Research
    • Summary
  • 3. METHODOLOGY
    • Design
    • Sample Selection
    • Site Selections
    • Ethical Considerations
    • Data Collection
    • Data Analysis
    • Validity and Reliability
    • Researcher Bias and Assumptions
    • Summary
  • 4. SEARCHING, FINDING A VOICE, BREAKING FREE AND HERE’S WHERE I AM FOR NOW
    • Participants
    • Presentation of Data
    • The Search
    • Finding a Voice
    • Breaking Free
    • Here’s Where I am for Now
    • Summary
  • 5. DISCUSSION AND IMPLICATIONS
    • Analysis of Findings
    • Implications for Practice
    • Limitations of the Study
    • Recommendations for Future Research
    • Conclusion
• REFERENCES
• APPENDICES
  • A. Student Solicitation Email
  • B. Consent Form
  • C. Participation Information
  • D. Individual Interview Protocol
  • E. Directions for Written Prompt
  • F. Directions for Photo Elicitation

LIST OF TABLES

1. Five Patterns of Multiracial Identity
2. Placement of Participants in the Five Patterns of Multiracial Identity
3. Detailed Participant Information

LIST OF FIGURES

1. Representation of my Parents
2. Basil
3. My bedroom
4. BAM
5. The Black Hole
6. UoS Hall
7. Theater
8. UoS Stadium
9. Holding Hands
10. An Unquiet Mind
11. Camouflage

Read the entire dissertation here.