Posts published on July 7, 2013

Class Or Race: Diversity Impact On College Cross-Racial Interactions

Questions concerning class diversity in higher education generally focus on the point of enrollment (for instance, can class-based affirmative action lead to sufficient racial diversity? What can universities do to boost enrollment for low-income students?) versus what actually happens once students get there. In a recent research study, titled “Does Socioeconomic Diversity Make a Difference? Examining the Effects of Racial and Socioeconomic Diversity on the Campus Climate for Diversity,” Julie J. Park (University of Maryland, College Park), Nida Denson (University of Western Sydney), and Nicholas Bowman (Bowling Green State University) consider whether any educational benefits are associated with attending a socioeconomically diverse institution.

The primary outcome of interest is cross-racial interaction, a term that describes whether students are interacting with students of other races. Positive cross-racial interaction is associated with numerous educational and civic benefits. The study investigates whether positive racial diversity-related outcomes can be achieved via class diversity in a student body, a topic with significant policy implications given the ban on affirmative action in California and the continued national controversy over race-conscious admissions policies.

Click here for full article and study.