Black and White Students' Perceptions of Their College Campuses

The report describes the perceptions of nearly 5,000 black and white college students out of 15,000 students who attend 20 historically black and 20 predominantly white institutions in the southern United States. The report is based on students' responses to a survey of: racial attitudes and opinions; satisfaction with the institution they attend; academic and social climate on campus; factors they believe are important in choosing a college; and factors important in recruiting minority students. Evidence in the study suggests that a student's race may not be the major factor in determining his or her opinion or perception about campus climate. Opinions or perceptions were more often determined by the student's membership in the minority or majority group on campus and, to a lesser extent, by the type of institution he/she attends. Only in the area of recruiting did there appear to be a strong divergence of opinion along racial lines. Black students placed more importance on information they received from college recruiters than did white students. Overall, students seemed to be open-minded toward relations between the races. Many white students did not believe that black students should receive special considerations because of their minority status. (JDD)