Edge Dancing: Campus Climate Experiences and Identity Negotiation of Multiracial College Students of Multiple Minoritized Ancestry

Abstract

Students who identify as biracial or multiracial on college campuses have received far less attention than monoracial students have. Using an “edge dancing” theoretical framework that incorporates multiracial identity development and campus climate perspectives, this chapter focuses on the results of a study of multiracial college students at Pacific Coast University (PCU), a pseudonym for a private, four-year university. In this mixed methods study, the experiences of multiracial students with two minority parents and those with one white parent were examined in terms of how they negotiate their identity and perceive their campus experiences. Multiracial students engage in a variety of strategies to increase their belonging on campus, even when campus environments have not been designed with their multiple identities in mind. Authors provide recommendations for universities to increase a sense of belonging among their multiracial students.