The Role of Ethnic Student Organizations in Fostering African American and Asian American Students' Cultural Adjustment and Membership at Predominantly White Institutions

Over half of all racial/ethnic minority students matriculating at 4-year colleges fail to graduate within 6 years. One explanation for those low graduation rates is minority students' inability to find membership in the cultures and subcultures of their respective campuses. This study was focused on understanding the role of ethnic student organizations in fostering minority students' adjustment to and membership in the cultures of a predominantly White institution. Data analyzed from individual interviews conducted with 12 African American and 12 Asian American students indicate that ethnic student organizations constituted critical venues of cultural familiarity, vehicles for cultural expression and advocacy, and sources of cultural validation for participants. Implications for future research and practice are discussed.