Survey Finds Positive News About Race Relations on the Campus of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock

In a wide-ranging survey of the racial climate on campus, the Institute of Government Survey Research Center at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock found that 91 percent of all students agreed with the statement, “The atmosphere in my classes makes me feel I belong.” Ninety percent of both blacks and whites said that students were respectful of other students from different racial or ethnic groups. Nearly 29 percent of the students surveyed were African Americans.

Three quarters of all students said they had not witnessed any race-related tensions while on campus. However, blacks were twice as likely as whites to report what they felt was unfair treatment. Sixteen percent of blacks said they felt they needed to change their appearance or their pattern of speech in order to fit in on campus. A majority of both black and white students said they thought racial and ethnic diversity added to their educational experience.

Blacks are 32 percent of the student body on the Little Rock campus.

Copyright © 2007. The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education. All rights reserved.