Breaking the Barriers to Overseas Study for Students of Color and Minorities

Summary notes of a presentation given by Marilyn Jackson San Francisco State University to CCCU Off-campus Study Coordinators (OCSC) Conference, June 2004. 

1. The typical study abroad student is: 
• female
• white
• social science or humanities major
• middle/upper class background
• of professional/highly-educated parents
• a risk taker
  
  
2. Be aware of other segments of your school population that don’t choose to study abroad  For example:
• People of color, minorities
• Men (approximately 65% of all study abroad students are female) 
• Students of natural sciences (and other not humanities majors) 
• Part-time, older or non-traditional students
• Students with physical or learning disabilities
• Students from financially disadvantaged backgrounds
  
  
3. The Open Doors Study, which aimed to raise the numbers of under-represented groups in study abroad, identified practical reasons for under-representation:  
• Lack of information leading to a lack of visualization (“I don’t see myself on that program…”)
• Lack of funds
• Curriculum is not applicable to major
• Fear of delaying graduation
• “Not for people like me” syndrome
• results from historical exclusion
• often there is little family support among under-represented groups; they don’t understand relevance of what appears to be the “luxury” of travel
• fear of suffering racism abroad
• Lack of peer support
• Lack of mentor modeling
• Lack of media images reinforcing their participation
• It is very hard to find under-represented groups presented by the major media in foreign contexts
• There is a perception that bad things happen when you leave the country.
• Under-represented groups often end up going abroad against their will (in the military, etc.)
• Insensitive advisors who fail to market effectively, or worse, counterproductively
• Lack of previous travel experience
• Personal and spiritual concerns
• “Where can I practice my faith while abroad?” is a common question
• Hair.  People of color often have very particular needs for their hair.  It might sound trivial, but who would enthusiastically enter an experience where every day was guaranteed to be a bad hair day?
• Fear of flying
  
  
4. Breaking down the barriers
• Change your office environment.  
• Make it a more friendly and international place through the use of decorations, maps, newspapers, etc.
• Create role models through thoughtful hiring
• Seek diverse assistants in study abroad staff
• Choose staff/student assistances from various majors
• Put up a photo board in the office so that the faces of past students can be seen by future ones.  
• This will go far to combat the objection that “there’s no one like me” 
• Cache information about your accepted destinations that would be relevant and helpful to people of color
• Profile historically significant people of color who have studied abroad
• Advise on study abroad in groups
• This will help to build community and allow students to see that there are others like them doing the same thing. 
• Find existing community groups where you can begin to recruit for study abroad
• Consult with experts on campus: diversity officers, etc.  
• If you are an “old white guy,” don’t try to overcompensate.  
• Avoid sweeping generalizations such as, “The French love black people!”
• Just relate by being yourself 
  
  
5. So, why bother with under-represented groups?
• Good old-fashioned liberal guilt!
• There are real inequities in the world that these experiences can, in some small way, truly help to remedy
• It confers personal benefits on every student you can convince to do it 
• It will increase those students’ professional marketability
• The presence of under-represented groups will enhance the learning experience of the white students in the program
• It provides a neutral space to discuss racial issues from home. 
• There will be a real value to the host country in understanding people of color from the US who are not a movie caricature.