The problem of this study was to explore social and cultural issues of acclimation faced by self-identified urban, Black/African American students at Bowling Green State University, a predominantly White institution. Included in the literature review was information about historical context, relevant racial identity theory, and current literature on the topic. Juniors, seniors, and recent BGSU graduates (from Spring 2007 to the present) who participated in the Sidney A. Ribeau President’s Leadership Academy (PLA) and/or the Office of Residence Life Students of Color Mentoring, Aiding, Retaining, and Teaching (SMART) Program were solicited via e-mail to participate in an online, open-ended survey.
Four themes occurred consistently throughout the responses from participants: denial of personal acclimation issues, the effect of quality exposure to Whites and/or predominantly White environments prior to arriving at BGSU, the benefit of participation in PLA/SMART, and the need to address certain issues to smooth transition. The recommendations from the researcher include conducting face-to-face interviews with self-identified participants in this study for more clarity about the extent and effectiveness of current methods addressing transition issues and repeating the study specifically with urban Black/African American students at BGSU who a) have had limited exposure to Whites and/or predominantly White environments, and b) do not participate in PLA, SMART, or similar programs in order to compare the responses and ascertain what needs to be done to retain Black/African American students at BGSU in higher numbers through graduation.
Note: For the purpose of this study, the terms Black and African American were used interchangeably to designate descendants of enslaved Africans in the United States. For the purpose of this study, person of color, multicultural person, and minority were used interchangeably to designate those who are not racially White.