At Dartmouth College, they often emphasize the effort’s they are taking towards being a diverse institution. They acknowledge the importance and benefits of having a diverse student body and staff. Inclusion does not always come with diversity and some groups who are in this environment do not feel that they belong.  In this ethnography, I wish to delve into the experience of a certain demographic in this environment. I hope to discover the reasoning behind the lack of inclusion at Dartmouth, specifically among African-American males. I am an African-American male and decided to attend Dartmouth after my acceptance for numerous reasons. If I did not envision myself becoming a part of this community and benefiting from my time here I would not be enrolled at this college. Unfortunately, the transition has not been easy. As a member of an underrepresented minority group I have faced many unique challenges. One that stands out the most to me is the discrepancy between my actual persona, and the first impression which I make on people. When introducing myself to my fellow classmates it seems that I must defeat numerous preconceived notions. In crafting this ethnography, I compiled field notes based on my brief experience at this institution thus far. I also interviewed seven students regarding their experiences and opinions on first impressions.  After conducting the observations in the field and the interviews, I coded recurring themes that I noticed. This process of analyzing the qualitative data I have gathered has allowed me to conclude that misrecognition, based on a lack of exposure, has led to the lack of inclusion amongst groups at Dartmouth.

My observations in the field were taken within my closest friends that I have made at Dartmouth so far. They are all members of the graduating class of two thousand twenty-one, and all of the interactions from my field notes occurred while I was with members of that group. Four of the seven people I interviewed are members of my closest group of friends. Five of those interviewed are members of the class of two thousand twenty-one, while the remaining two are members of the class of two thousand and twenty. All of those interviewed are members of varsity athletics teams, because I have noticed at Dartmouth that these people sometimes gather the most preconceived notions. Five of the seven are African-American males, because that is the group I am conducting this ethnography on. One of the subjects interviewed is Caucasian, and the other is Asian-American. I did not interview exclusively persons of African-American decent because I desired a control that I could compare responses to.

In order to develop a hypothesis on the cause of a lack of inclusion of African-American males at Dartmouth, I conducted in depth field notes. My field notes were coded into 4 main themes that were observed as recurring patterns. The first theme is a theme of “desired recognition”. I considered desired recognition to be what people hope their ideal impression is. The second is an “undesired recognition”, or the type of impression that my subjects did not wish to make. Next, I noticed a recurring theme of an assumed perception of outsiders. This is important because this demonstrates whether or not the individual feel that they are included. Lastly, I was able to code grouping and stereotypes often in my research. This code was classified as, when a large group of people are generalized. Suggesting that is someone falls into a certain group, their actions are the same as everyone else in that group. These 4 themes became evident to me first when I observed an interaction between my friends and an older African-American student. The older student told my friends that he was hearing negative things about our group and our actions. He expressed a concern for us not only because he cared about us, but because African-American males are already stereotyped at our school. He also suggested that if my friends and I were to do something idiotic, it would also negatively affect him because of how our people are generalized. This interaction demonstrates the undesired recognition our group was receiving. It also showed the desired recognition that he wished for African-American males to have on campus. The upperclassmen also enlightened us on how my fellow African-American peers are often viewed in the eyes of others on campus, demonstrating my last two codes. From these observations, I concluded that the root cause for the lack of inclusion of African-American males at Dartmouth is them being misrecognized. In order to validate my findings, I conducted a series of interviews which were centered on first impressions and recognition at Dartmouth. I coded my interviews and found the same themes that occurred in my field notes. The results I gathered in the field and in the interview validated my initial hypothesis on the reasoning for a lack of inclusion of African-American males at Dartmouth. I did not prompt any of the respondents to answer in a certain way, or to tailor their answers with a specific group of people in mind. All of the questions were structured in a way which the person interviewed would give either an observation, or reflect on a personal experience.

When reflecting on the ideal first perception that those interviewed would present, it was a general consensus that the impression would be a positive one. The question “What is your ideal first perception” was posed to gather information on how students at Dartmouth would like to be viewed. Nate Boone, an African-American freshman on the football team stated “I’d like to be perceived as an intelligent man you know works hard”.  MJ Freeman, a freshman shared Nate’s desire for a positive impression, “I’d like people to view me as like a as a genuine individual who’s intelligent and caring about others”. Nate is black and MJ is white, although this is a small sample size the notion that the majority mankind desires to make a good first impression is a plausible one.  Making a positive first impression adds to the productivity, because it assists one in making a positive overall impression. Allies are easier to have when one has a positive image. The students I interviewed answered in the manor I expected, because like the majority of people on this earth they want to be viewed as a good person.

The students expressed a large variance between how they desired to be viewed, and how they are actually recognized at Dartmouth. It was found that African-American male students feel that they are misrecognized at Dartmouth. Naeem Morgan, an African American freshman showed that by saying “my actual first impression not just at Dartmouth, usually most of my life I’ve always been like bigger than most people… I’ve been told I’m intimidating by people or my who became my friends later I’ve been told I’m kind of scary”. Naeem also noted that at Dartmouth he is not the biggest person on campus. All of the offensive linemen on the football team are large than him, and he noticed that many of them do not encounter the problems he faces with intimidation. Dakari Falconer cited his struggles with meeting new people when explaining what he thinks is his first impression at Dartmouth. “I’ll assume my actual first impression at Dartmouth is someone that’s not necessarily approachable. I guess I’m not a really approached much at the school so like I’m assuming it could be like many factors…I know there’s a lot of kids that at the school aren’t used to being around like people with my skin color so that could be a reason” Although they desire to have a positive image, they have noticed it has been difficult to create. Even without prior interaction, students appear to be hesitant to include African-American males. This is an issue because before these students are given a chance to prove their worth, they are initially discredited.

All seven people that I interviewed believe that the manner that the majority of people develop a first impression is unfair. Many of them cited that they believe that physical appearance is a small part of how someone should be evaluated. Aaron Schwartz, an Asian-American freshman on the varsity soccer team stated “so for most people that’s probably like I guess physical features. I guess certain biases they have towards those features, I think color of skin is pretty big especially right now it’s very important. Well not that its important but a lot of people look at that to start”. Aaron noticed that many people value race and appearance. He does not personally believe this should be an important factor, but feels it is a sad reality of this world. Zack Hawkins, an African-American sophomore cited rumors and the accounts of others as the first thing people recognize. “I think that a lot of times what happens is if you hear something about somebody before you meet… them then that’s…your perception of them already like you’re gonna judge there are you gonna base your first impression of them off of like what you’ve already heard…I think that a lot of times that’s what happens” These students all agreed that the way they believe the majority judges others is flawed. This is the root of the problem of a lack of inclusion of students at Dartmouth. All of the students identified misrecognition within first impressions to be a problem. If students were viewed neutrally then they would be given a better opportunity of being included in groups because they could show their positive qualities. Every student deserves an equal opportunity to demonstrate who they truly are. Stereotypes which lead to misrecognition are a serious problem and need to be fixed.

Conducting this cultural analysis was a very rewarding process because I gained a deeper insight on an issue that has troubled me during my time at Dartmouth. Throughout this transition to a new state, new school, and entirely new living situation I have often felt alone and out of place. These interviews assisted me in coming to the realization that I am not the only one experiencing issues with misrecognition. Even though I am glad that I have people who I can relate to over this issue, I would prefer for it not to exist. This process also enlightened me on the consciousness of my fellow classmates of the effect of their appearance. Although it upsets me that this problem is evident to all of those that I interviewed, I am very encouraged that they all personally believed that appearance is not a good basis for judgment. In order to solve a cultural issue, one must have a broad and deep understanding of the issue’s cause. Now that I possess such an understanding I feel I am more equipped to work towards making a more inclusive environment.