Reducing Cultural Taxation: Students’ Perspectives on Changes Needed in Higher Education

What would happen if higher education institutions (HEIs) supported minoritized students’ labor to ensure institutional diversity? As HEIs diversify, students of color (SOCs) have been tasked with nurturing this “diverse” experience, which can tax their progress. The impacts of this cultural taxation on faculty of color are well-studied, but the impacts—particularly for a diverse cross-section of SOCs—and steps that HEIs can take to rectify this taxation remain unclear. Leveraging 14 focus groups, our comparative analysis examines the experiences of undergraduate and graduate SOCs with varying degrees of involvement in diversity labor across two institutional types. The following questions guide our study: (1) what changes do SOCs want HEIs to make to reduce cultural taxation; (2) what differences exist in these desired changes; and (3) what are the roots of those differences? We find that decentralization of HEI resources, low faculty diversity, and institutional performativity are common concerns. We also find that differences in HEI resources, students’ engagement in diversity labor, and students’ experiences with diversity explain differences in SOCs’ desired changes. Our study, which amplifies not only common changes but also diversity of perspectives in this non-monolithic student group, has tangible implications for HEI leaders seeking to create inclusive campuses.