Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to accurately reflect Tiaira Porter-Beall’s title.
A University of Wisconsin study brought to light the personal challenges Black men face in engineering graduate programs. The study was conducted by educational leadership and policy analysis professor Brian A. Burt.
The study emphasized the need for sociocultural adjustments for graduate students and how universities can center wellness to counteract isolation and foster a sense of belonging for students.
Researchers interviewed 50 Black male graduate students in programs across the U.S.
The study focused on the success of the students as reflected by their well-being and quality of life and found that these students face racial isolation, struggle in intra-racial connections and have difficulties balancing a sense of belonging.
Burt said that engineering colleges historically haven’t documented demographic information, but he said that Black men make up less than 1% of most colleges he has studied.
This lack of representation comes with struggles because Black students struggle to connect with peers from other races — both in race-related presumptions and in cultural friction points, Burt said.
“When people go to graduate school, they need to get into study groups,” Burt said. “It’s isolating knowing that you need these things, but not necessarily having access to it. Your research team may question your abilities in terms of affirmative action or stereotypes they may hold of you.”
The study finds that students know they need study groups and social connections for success but are denied and rejected from these groups for their identity and stereotypical assumptions.
Further, interviewers talked to Black students who struggled in communicating and forming bonds with peers of different races.
Co-author of the study and a former STEM student Tiaira Porter-Beall spoke to potential roadblocks for Black students in communicating with their peers.
“There’s a ton of friction points, cultural misunderstanding [and a] constant need to explain yourself to your other peers,” Porter-Beall said.
The relatively low percentage of Black students in engineering graduate programs means that students in the program are facing these situations regularly, as they feel the need to form social bonds but struggle in actually forming them.
In forming social connections, the students also faced strain in how their interaction with peers affects their own identity.
“You start from scratch in terms of forming bonds,” Porter-Beall said. “There’s pressure to conform and code-switch, leading to forgetting who you really are. Put this hat on here, dampen yourself here — there’s emotional strain which is incredibly taxing.”
Students also reported a struggle to connect with people of their own race, Burt said.
Many nationalities can be considered under the umbrella term “Black” while still having differing cultures, Burt said.
“Someone who was born in the U.S. [and is] African American, might have different values than someone from Ghana or from the Caribbean,” Burt said.
He said that since these students couldn’t connect with white peers and struggled to connect with other Black students, there was no one available for students to easily connect with.
Another point of friction in the lives of STEM students is the unique workload and time commitment that comes with the field, Porter-Beall said.
“Cells don’t care if it’s your best friend’s birthday,” Porter-Beall said.
The stresses of STEM academics can detract some students from their personal development, but neglecting personal needs breeds burnout, Burt said.
Porter-Beall said that separating student life from academic life misses the boat on what students need for success.
“We’re humans, we’re athletes, we’re caregivers, we’re more than just students. It’s just a part of who we are,” Porter-Beall said. “We’re thinking about our futures, of what to prepare for dinner, all of these pieces of our identity and the student identity intersect.”
Porter-Beall said that there is an expectation for students to set aside their personal life for their academics, but she said this is unrealistic.
Students are more than just academics — they’re people, and broader student bodies can support these students, Burt said.
“A lot of it is awareness, and then after that needs to come action,” Burt said. “Invite yourself to sit next to somebody. Maybe you might invite them out to go play pool or go grab a meal.”
In the study, Burt highlights resources for students, such as the creation of a “Green Book.” A Green Book is a travel guide from the 1960s for Black people as a resource guide for safe travel, identifying safe amenities places to stay, according to the National Park Service website.
Burt said that students assume they’re supposed to give up their basic needs and necessities like grocery stores and haircuts to be completely immersed, but that notion is false. Burt said these students need access to their basic needs, and that the key for success is wellness.
