"Why Aren't All the White Kids Sitting Together in the Cafeteria?": An Exploration of White Student Experiences at a Public HBCU

Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) are racially diverse institutions. As such, this qualitative study examines the interconnected aspects of the college choice processes and campus experiences of White students attending a public HBCU. Utilizing (Renn and Arnold, The Journal of Higher Education, 2003, 74, 261) Ecological Model on College Student Peer Culture, findings highlight how participants' perceptions of HBCUs were influenced by racially informed societal influences and how their academic and social experiences provided opportunities for them to critically engage race and racism. Furthermore, this work reveals how White HBCU students experience intra-racial social anxiety that limited their desire to interact with their White peers on campus.