Examining environmental racial microaggressions on a university campus

College campuses are becoming increasingly diverse; yet there are many ways in which the university climate fails to promote inclusion, thereby creating a sense of exclusion for students of colour. This study utilizes a visual content analysis to critically examine the spatial imagery of exclusionary messages on a predominantly White institution (PWI) campus. Specifically, we asked student collaborators (N = 3) to identify and reflect upon cultural artefacts and imagery within their university that conveyed messages of inclusion or exclusion, affecting their sense of belonging in the campus environment. The students captured eight photographs and provided written narratives to further contextualize their observations. Four main themes emerged from the analysis to represent the messages conveyed to people of colour: (1) tokenism and visual differentiation; (2) selective visibility and stereotyping; (3) lack of belonging and empowerment; and (4) white saviorism. Our findings revealed the pervasive environmental microaggressions that students observed in images, portraits, and illustrations across campus at this PWI. These images and their underlying messages can encourage higher education institutions to reflect deeply on their practices in order to truly foster a culture of belonging on campus. By doing so, they might move beyond superficial impression management to undertake more substantial evaluations and improvements in their current practices. Finally, we present practical recommendations to promote genuine diversity and inclusion on university campuses.