Black Campus Life: The Worlds Black Students Make at a Historically White Institution

The Office of Multicultural Programs, in collaboration with campuswide strategic partners, will host Dr. Antar Tichavakunda, Assistant Professor of Race and Higher Education at the University of California Santa Barbara, for a series of engagement events with faculty, staff, and students. Critical discussions will take place on race relations and equity in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) in higher education.

Faculty, staff, and students are cordially invited.

Monday, February 6
Campus Seminar
Let’s Talk About It: Conversation with Dr. Antar Tichavakunda – Unpacking the System of Racial Inequity Within STEM Fields
Heffner Alumni House Great Room
2:30–4:00 p.m.
This event has limited space, so please RSVP early.

Tuesday, February 7 
Campus Talk
Centering Black Life to Support Black STEM Students
EMPAC Concert Hall
5:00–6:30 p.m. 

BLACK CAMPUS LIFE: The Worlds Black Students Make at a Historically White Institution, SUNY Press, 2021.

Abstract

An in-depth ethnography of Black engineering students at a historically white institution, Black Campus Life examines the intersection of two crises up close: the limited number of college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, and the state of race relations in higher education. Antar Tichavakunda takes readers across campus, from study groups to parties and beyond, as these students work hard, have fun, skip class, fundraise, and, at times, find themselves in tense racialized encounters. By consistently centering their perspectives and demonstrating how different campus communities, or social worlds, shape their experiences, Tichavakunda challenges assumptions about not only Black STEM majors but also Black students and the "racial climate" on college campuses more generally. Most fundamentally, Black Campus Life argues that Black collegians are more than the racism they endure. By studying and appreciating the everyday richness and complexity of their experiences, we all — faculty, administrators, parents, policymakers, and the broader public — might learn how to better support them.

Biographical information

Dr. Antar Tichavakunda received his Ph.D. in Urban Education Policy from the University of Southern California. Born and raised in Washington, D.C., Tichavakunda is a product of DC public schools and earned a Bachelor of Arts in Education Studies from Brown University. Prior to his doctoral studies, Tichavakunda worked as an 11th grade English teacher in DC public schools. Tichavakunda has engaged in research on college readiness, Black students’ experiences at predominantly white institutions, and, more broadly, the sociology of race and higher education. He is also the author of Black Campus Life, which examines the intersection of two crises up close: the limited number of college graduates in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields, and the state of race relations in higher education.
 

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