Black Student Equity Report

In August 2022, the Ohio Student Association (OSA) released the Ohio Black Student Equity Report, the most comprehensive study to date on the needs, interests, and experiences of Black college students in the state. The report surveyed 361 students, highlighting experiences from over ten Ohio academic institutions. We produced the report in collaboration with education scholars Everrett A. Smith, Ph.D., of the University of Cincinnati, and Antar A. Tichavakunda, Ph.D., of the University of California–Santa Barbara. Our findings were recently covered by Signal Cleveland, the Statehouse News Bureau, Cincinnati CityBeat, and Dayton Daily News, among other news sites. 

As reaffirmed by this report, racial justice in higher education also impacts racial justice off campus. Studying how higher education in Ohio serves or does not serve Black students is essential to improving the well-being of Ohio’s Black community. Unfortunately, however, Ohio falls behind the nation in educational attainment for Black students. It must, along with higher education institutions themselves, work on boosting postsecondary accessibility and  providing more resources that improve conditions of racial equity.