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theses

According to the National Council for Educational Statistics (NCES), approximately 998,000 Black males were enrolled at American colleges and universities during the 2015 academic year. The 998,000 Black males that were enrolled was reflective of the percentage of the Black male population within the United States. Of that population only 21.5% graduated within four years. In that same year, 4.8 million White males were enrolled at a higher education institution. The four year graduation rate of that population was 41%. Essentially, Black men are graduating at a disproportionately low rate (Britt, 2014). McClure (2006) contends that institutional exclusion, perceived racism and a lack of resources that are identifiable to men of color play a negative role in their ability to successfully attain a bachelor’s degree.

Kimbrough and Hutcheson (1998) find that Black students on predominantly white college campuses have been shown to demonstrate lower student involvement than White students. Lack of campus community engagement can affect the persistence and retention of students of color, more specifically Black males. Tinto (1993) argues that Black students have difficulty adjusting at predominantly White institutions (PWIs) because their [Black males] values and beliefs are incongruent with the systems and practices in higher education. Britt (2014) finds that, while race-centered clubs and organizations play a critical role in the inclusion of Black students, the historically Black fraternal organizations in particular, have been most successful in helping Black men to remain in college. Greek-lettered organization involvement provides them with the benefits of social connections and leadership skills, which have been shown to increase their overall academic performance (Patton, Bridges & Flowers, 2011). The guidance and support obtained through membership of fraternal organizations helps counter the low persistence and retention of Black males.

This study is being completed to understand how membership in Black Greek letter fraternities (BGLFs) impacts the experiences of Black men at predominantly White Institutions using theories capital. Previous research acknowledges how involvement in BGLFs can contribute to a Black males persistence and retention however, there isn’t much about what forms of capital are gained and transferred to members of BGLFs. The goal of this study is to examine how capital is obtained and/or exchanged through Black Greek letter fraternal membership and how it relates to their persistence and retention at a predominantly White institution.

ETD_10764

Ed.D.

Includes bibliographical references

doi:10.7282/t3-zxxg-yc88

ETD doctoral

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