1. Monday, March 13, 2017 Convention Center, 006-C
Breaking the Black/White Binary: La Lucha in Student Affairs Administration
Adele Lozano, University of Wisconsin–La Crosse Roberto Orozco, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Monday, March 13, 2017 Convention Center, 006-C

2. Black/White Binary…what do we mean?
…the conception that race in America consists, either exclusively or primarily, of only two constituent groups, the Black and the White…because the Black/White binary paradigm is so widely accepted, other racialized groups like Latinos/as, Asian Americans, and Native Americans are often marginalized or ignored altogether” (Perea, 1997, p ). “By offering a two-dimensional discourse, the Black/White binary limits understandings of the multiple ways in which African Americans, Native Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, Chicanas/os, and Latinas/os continue to experience, respond to, and resist racism and other forms of oppression” (Yosso, 2005, p. 72). In student affairs administration: “…tendency to equate the terms diversity and inclusion with black or African American which, for all intents and purposes, ignores other racial and ethnic groups” (Lozano, 2017, p. 28)

3. B/W Binary in Higher Ed…how do we know?
Latinx college student enrollments continue to rise
50 years of college students. The Chronicle of Higher Education

4. SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), "Fall
Enrollment in Colleges and Universities" survey 1980; Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), "Fall Enrollment Survey"; and
nrollment component.
Available at

5. While Latinx representation in higher ed administration lags behind…
Administrative positions grouped into 6 categories:
Top Executive Officers
Senior Institutional officers
Academic Deans
Institutional Administrators
Heads of Divisions, Departments & Centers
Academic Associate/Assistant Deans
CUPA-HR Administrators in Higher Education Salary Survey CUPA-HR Survey

7. Examples…Midwest Iowa State University – Fall 2016
Student Enrollment: Black-2.6%, Asian American-3%, Latinx-4.7%
Student Affairs Division Cabinet ISU Student Affairs
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign – Fall 2016
Student Enrollment: Black-5.16%, Latinx-8.78%, Asian American
Student Affairs Division Cabinet UIUC Student Affairs

8. Examples…Florida & Nevada
Florida State University – Fall 2016
Student Enrollment: Black-8.4%, Asian American-3%, Latinx-17.7%
Student Affairs Division Cabinet us/office-of-the-vice-president/
University of Nevada, Las Vegas– Fall 2016
Student Enrollment: Black-8%, Latinx-26%, Asian American- 15%
Student Affairs Division Cabinet OrgChart.pdf

9. Resisting False Narratives
Master Narrative
Majoritorian Story
Evidence-based data
Counterstories

10. Small Group Discussion
What is your experience with the Black/White Binary in higher education?
What impact does the B/W Binary have on Latinx student affairs professionals coming through the pipeline?
How are your universities currently serving or preparing to serve and support Latinx students?
What strategies should we be using to:
Promote awareness of the B/W Binary (e.g. bring this issue to the attention of upper administrators) while not alienating our colleagues
Interrogate and resist “false narratives”
Change the system that perpetuates the B/W Binary

11. References
Bichsel, J., & McChesney, J. (March 2017). Pay and representation of racial /ethnic minorities in higher education administrative positions: The century so far. [Research report]. CUPA-HR. Retrieved from: Lozano, A. (2016). Breaking the black/white binary in higher education leadership. About Campus, 21(6), Myers, B., & Hatch, J. (2016, December 1). 50 years of college students. The Chronicle of Higher Education. Retrieved from Perea, J. F. (1997). The black/white binary paradigm of race: The normal science of American racial thought. California Law Review, 85(5), Yosso, T. J. (2005). Whose culture has capital? A critical race theory discussion of community cultural wealth. Race, Ethnicity and Education, 8(1), U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2015). Fall enrollment in colleges and universities. Retrieved from

12. Thank you for joining us today!
Please remember to complete your customized online evaluation following the conference.
See you in Philly in 2018!