Counterproductive Aims? The Effects of Segregated Student Support Programs on Black College Students

Through a survey 49 Black students attending the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), this study examined whether student involvement in segregated student support programs (SSSP) and/or Black student organizations (BSO), is related to higher racial centrality, higher intergroup anxiety, and the perception of more negative metastereotypes. Additionally, this research explored whether involvement in SSSP and BSO on a college campus limited the amount of social interaction between Black students and members of other racial groups. Similar to past research, this study finds that Black students at UIC, regardless of current, past, or no involvement in SSSP and/or BSO hold more negative perceptions about the beliefs that Whites have about them. There are several other significant findings, including that there is a positive relationship between Black students’ metastereotypes and academic performance anxiety, as well as a positive relationship between Black students’ overall assessment of what Whites think about Blacks and their intergroup anxiety. Finally, students reported that SSSP and/or BSO do not provide them with opportunities to interact with students from different racial groups, and students that have never participated in these organizations tend to have significantly more Asian and White friends in their social networks. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.