This document summarizes a presentation on racial microaggressions in academic advising. It defines racial microaggressions as brief, common verbal or nonverbal indignities that communicate hostile or derogatory slights toward people of color. The presentation discusses the results of a racial climate study at one university, where many students reported experiencing racism, exclusion, and an informally segregated campus. It then defines three types of racial microaggressions and provides examples of microaggressions students experienced during academic advising meetings, such as advisers questioning students' abilities or steering them away from majors based on their race. The presentation concludes with information on environmental racial microaggressions and contact information for further resources.

1. I L L I A A C A N N U A L A D V I S I N G C O N F E R E N C E
M I C A H H E U M A N N A N D S T A C Y H A R W O O D
D E C E M B E R 1 1 , 2 0 1 5
Racial Microaggressions and
Academic Advising

2. Overview
1. Racism and on College Campuses
2. Racial Campus Climate Study
3. Racial Microaggressions
4. RMAs in Academic Advising
5. Racial Steering in Academic Advising
6. Discussion

3. 1. Racism on College Campuses

4. Racism on College Campuses
http://itooamharvard.tumblr.com/

5. 2. Racial Campus Climate Study @ Illinois
 On-line survey
 2011-2012
 Quantitative and
qualitative questions
 4,800 responses
 45% response rate

6.  43% experienced physical or emotional harassment
because of race on campus
 60% experienced racism on campus
 63% feel excluded because of race
 81% believe campus is informally segregated
Racial Campus Climate Study @ Illinois

7. 3. Racial Microaggressions
“brief and commonplace daily verbal, behavioral, or
environmental indignities, whether intentional or
unintentional, that communicate hostile, derogatory,
or negative racial slights and insults toward people of
color”
Sue, Capodilupo, Torino, Bucceri, Holder, Nadal and Esquilin, 2007

8. Types of Racial Microaggressions
 Racial assaults
 typically are conscious actions meant to demean a person through
deliberate and overt racial discrimination, which can be verbal or
nonverbal.
 Racial insults
 actions or comments that insult persons of color, by signaling that
the person of color is considered inferior to a White counterpart, less
intelligent, a second-class citizen, and given to behavior and
criminality inscribed upon race. Often unconscious.
 Racial invalidations
 actions or comments that negate or ostracize the experiences of a
person of color. Often unconscious.

9. Racial assault, insult or invalidation?
“My Native perspectives are often not granted validity
or even a chance for discussion because they assume
my ideas stem from my heritage and not scientific
insights… when the value of life or the environment is
discussed my Native beliefs are often viewed as
primitive.”

10. Racial assault, insult or invalidation?
“My friends and I were called sand n-word. It
happened outside of a fraternity house…This
happened my first semester, at nighttime. I was
enraged. I did nothing but just walked away because I
didn't want to start anything.”

11. Racial assault, insult or invalidation?
“In the classroom setting, someone behind me was
discussing how they did not feel that African
Americans deserves to be here, and that we only got in
because the school has to let ‘them’ in.”

12. Questions? Comments?

13. 4. Racial Microaggression in Advising
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJL2P0JsAS4

14. Racial Microaggression in Academic Advising
 “When I was a freshman I went in to see my
academic adviser to help schedule my classes for
next semester. When I walked into her office her
expression immediately changed, and throughout
the whole meeting she kept questioning me on
whether I could stay in the major. It seemed like
after she realized I was African American, in her
mind, I wasn't able to successfully complete the
major. I felt insulted and disrespected by that
meeting and every other meeting I had with her.”

15. Racial Microaggression in Academic Advising
 “One instance is when I went to see a counselor
about changing my major. He asked me if I was sure
I wanted to do that and said the accessory
courses (physics and calculus) might be too hard for
me. This is the first time I ever talked to him, had
never met him and he didn't know anything about
me. He didn't know if I was first generation, middle
class, James Scholar, etc. He just assumed that I
shouldn't pursue the major. I have not been back to
see him since that day.”

16. Racial Microaggression in Academic Advising
 I visited my advisor to ask for advice about a gen ed I
was taking in which I was performing about average.
Irritated to see me again, he went on to ignore my
request for help, told me that he had experience with
“students like me” who didn’t belong in higher ed,
and even offered to help me transfer to Parkland if I
was “stuck” on the idea of being in college.

17. Racial Microaggression in Academic Advising
 At one of my first meetings with an advisor he
seemed unduly surprised that I did so well in my
classes, and it was implied that his surprise was a
result of my race and gender.

18. 5. Environmental RMAs:
Racial Steering in Academic Advising
 Environmental Racial Microaggressions
 racial assaults, insults and invalidations which are manifested
on systemic levels.
 Example of ERM: Racial Steering in Academic
Advising
 Narrowing or limiting the academic opportunities based on
race.

20. 6. Discussion

21. For more information
Email
 sharwood@illinois.edu
 mheumann@Illinois.edu
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Copies of our reports:
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