Document Tag: race and racism

Examining Anti-Poverty Programs to Address Student’s Unmet Basic Needs at Texas Hispanic-Serving Institutions over the Course of the COVID-19 Pandemic (2024)

Many post-secondary institutions have implemented anti-poverty programs to address students’ basic needs insecurities. This study examined the provision of 17 types of basic needs programs at Texas Hispanic-serving institutions over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic with the aim to identify changes in the number and types of programs offered as well as factors that may influence the presence of specific types of basic needs programs on campus. While the average number of basic needs programs per institution varied little over time, the specific types of programs that were offered changed. Institution type as a 2-year or 4-year institution was associated with providing on-campus mental health services, on-campus physical health services, and after-school care for students’ children at pre-pandemic and anticipated post-pandemic time points and employing
students and free food or meal vouchers at the pre-pandemic time point. The percentage of students receiving Pell Grants was associated with basic needs programs to assist students applying for public services and referrals to off-campus health services pre-pandemic and anticipated post-pandemic. The presence of an on-campus free food pantry was associated with the percentage of students receiving Pell Grants at the anticipated post-pandemic time point only. Over the course of the pandemic, there
were changes to the types of basic needs programs offered. Some types of basic needs programs were associated with institutional and/or student characteristics. Given the continued presence of basic needs programs through the course of the pandemic and into the post-pandemic period, the use of these kinds of programs and services to support students, while influenced by external factors such as the pandemic, appears institutionally established as a way to facilitate going to college for students in need.

Food insecurity among Black college students: An exploratory study (2023)

Literature suggests that food insecurity negatively affects academic well-being and sense of belonging among college students; however, limited research has focused on Black students. This exploratory study examines the prevalence and impact of food insecurity among Black students. The results indicate that a greater proportion of Black students experienced food insecurity compared to White students. Additionally, this study found that Black students to not experience the same negative consequences of food insecurity as White students and that these negative consequences may be offset due to Black students’ higher level of engagement and resource utilization. Implications for social workers are discussed.

Integrating Systems of Power and Privilege in the Study of Resilience (2023)

Althoughcurrent approaches to the study of resilience acknowledge the role of context, rarely do those conceptualizations attend to societal systems and structures that include hierarchies of power and privilege -namely systems of racism, colonialism, patriarchy, and capitalism –nordo theyarticulate how these structural realities are embedded within individual experiences.We offer critiques of the current literature from this structural lens, using the concept of master narratives to articulate the incompleteand, at times, damaging story that the discipline of psychology has toldabout resilience. We then provide three models that center history, systems,and structures of society that can be employed in the study of resilience. We close with lessons learned from listening to those voices who have been marginalized by mainstream society, lessons that require us to redefine, broaden, and deepen our conceptualization of resilience

Basic Needs Insecurities among College Students at Minority-Serving Institutions (2022)

Almost two-thirds of students at HBCUs, PBIs, and HSIs had experienced basic needs insecurities (i.e., food insecurity, housing insecurity, or homelessness) while in college. • Nearly half (44 percent) of surveyed students at participating minorityserving institutions were food insecure. • Eleven percent had faced all three forms of basic needs insecurity within the past year (from October/November 2020 to October/November 2021). • Respondents with basic needs insecurities were more likely to be female, identify as a first-generation student, and indicate they were likely suffering from anxiety and/or depressed mood.

Racial and Ethnic Differences in the Impact of Work-First Policies on College Access (2005)

The college participation rates of African Americans and Latinos continue to lag behind those of other
racial and ethnic groups in the United States, despite the efforts of financial aid and affirmative action
policies. Two recent federal policies that are “work-first” in nature threaten to further exacerbate
racial and ethnic disparities in college access. This article examines the complex ways in which
the 1996 welfare reform and the 1998 Workforce Investment Act differentially affect opportunitiesf or
college enrollment among disadvantaged adults. Utilizing national and state-level data, the authors
argue that both policies restrict access to postsecondary education through the implementation of
their guiding philosophy, “work-first,” which emphasizes rapid job placement as the strategy of
choice in achieving stable employment and moving out of poverty. These policies have reduced the
size of the clientele receiving welfare and restricted access to education and training for those who
remain on the rolls. Moreover, this reduction in access is particularly acute among African Americans
and Latinos. Thus, the findings indicate that these work-first federal policies serve to limit higher
education opportunities available to these already disadvantaged populations

What Higher Education Has to Say About the Transition to College (2007)

Background: Higher education researchers have much to say about the transition to college.
This field focuses primarily on inequities in college participation and completion, the relative
importance of high school preparation, and the utility of financial aid in promoting
enrollment. This literature’s strongest conceptual emphasis is on theoretical models of student
retention. Less is known about other facets of the transition to college, including different
postsecondary pathways and college outcomes.
Purpose: This paper describes the major findings of research on the transition to college contributed
by higher education, and how further research might be improved. The specific areas
covered are college preparation, college access, persistence, and college outcomes. The
reviewed literature covered extant research on the transition to college as conducted by higher
education researchers.
Research Design: This essay is an analysis of extant research on the college transition in the
field of higher education
Conclusions/Recommendations: This review highlights the field’s major shortcoming as
undertaking insufficiently rigorous, empirical testing of theories on the transition to college.
Existing research on postsecondary pathways is often compromised by data or methodological
limitations, failure to be critical in attributing causality, and not differentiating effects
occurring at different measurement levels (i.e., individual vs. institution).