Race: Factor or Anomaly?

Xavier Baisden
Race has always been a polarizing topic when it comes to many discussions. There are those who believe that race and racial discrimination are no longer a factor in any aspect of life, while there are others who still encounter its effects on a day to day basis. As much as it is denied, there is no doubting the elephant in the room that is race, and its effect oh higher education.
A survey taken at both Ohio State University and Virginia Commonwealth University claims that "African Americans may obtain higher grades if they live with a white roommate". However, the fact that these studies are taking place shows that race is obviously a factor in higher education. If race truly were not a factor in today's higher education society, then studies like this wouldn't go on, as the studies simply compare races in a competition like manner. When the day comes that race is not part of a defining aspect of the college experience, that is when studies like this will not be needed.
Colleges always will feel the need to keep statistics and breakdowns of students' performance, broken down by various categories. Many times minorities are on the lower end of this performance spectrum, and this has resulted in many initiatives to help improve the performance or these minorities. Many schools now have minority development offices tailored to improving the performance of these minorities. However, the day when these offices are able to remove "minority" from their names and change to development offices for all students, then we will truly be able to say race is no longer a factor in higher education.