Affirmative Action and the Role of Structural Diversity Cues in Black Students’ College Choice

Abstract

Highly selective public institutions affected by affirmative action bans have struggled to enroll Black students despite myriad attempts at alternative strategies. Bans likely shift university recruitment practices and shape both campus climate and portrayals of institutional commitment to diversity. In this chapter, the author draws from a larger qualitative case study of Black students’ college choice to examine how Black applicants perceive and appraise the diversity commitments and climate of a highly selective campus affected by an affirmative action ban. Utilizing theoretical constructs of setting cues and social identity threat, findings reveal how the racial identities of individuals associated with recruitment and admissions practices as well as the extent to which diversity and race were foregrounded in the structure of these events served as cues that both conveyed critical information related to the institution’s diversity commitments and signaled the status of Black students on campus. Students’ appraisals of the campus environment were cited as an important factor in their decision to decline admission. Findings offer insight into patterns of Black student choice and enrollment in the wake of Student for Fair Admission. Implications for policy, practice, and research are discussed.