Enhancing Social Capital: Policy Recommendations for First-Generation, Low-Income, and Students of Color in Higher Education. Breslinang, S. (2020). Center for Research on College-Workforce Transitions Student Report #2. University of Wisconsin-Madison.
Introduction: For marginalized college students—such as first-generation, low-income, and students of color—higher education has long been a battleground where they have fought for their futures and equal treatment, and it is no different in 2020. Institutions and societal structures that shape opportunity, such as colleges and universities, are being challenged. Amidst the Black Lives Matter movement, COVID-19, and other events; problems of racism and classism have continuously persisted to restrict opportunities for too many students with a new essence of publicity that we haven’t seen previously.
College students at the forefront of this battle fight to receive better treatment from academic institutions. Young people are learning how to connect, network, and push back against societal norms (Networking, 2017). Students should not feel the pressure and have the personal responsibility to close the resource gap. They have immense pressure to develop relationships and networks so they can use these connections for their own gain. This concept defines social capital, which means transferring someone’s relationships into personal, economic, or professional gain. Achieving this becomes especially difficult when it comes to students not included in the dominant culture—non-white, first-generation, and low-income students—for whom the disparities are increasingly evident. The challenges faced by these students consist of everyday looks from people on the street, the disregard felt in classrooms, and neglect from faculty. As the nation, and subsequently colleges, become more diverse; it is essential that postsecondary institutions provide the same opportunities so that these students can construct social capital like their more privileged counterparts. Continue reading.