Event

Abstract

Why did an ostensibly race-neutral COVID-19 campus behavioral policy have racially unequal consequences? Drawing insight from Ray’s theory of racialized organizations and Bonilla Silva’s theory of colorblind racism, we explain how The Pact—a restrictive behavioral policy implemented at rural liberal arts college during the 2020-2021 academic year—exacerbated racial inequalities embedded in this institution. The disparities manifested in four main ways: (1) unequal social costs of following The Pact, (2) unequal access to “safe” ways of breaking The Pact, (3) unequal visibility and surveillance under The Pact, and (4) unequal stakes of breaking The Pact. We argue these disparities occurred precisely because this policy was colorblind: it did not account for racism, neither in its design nor implementation. By working primarily to increase diversity on campus through admissions, but not creating race-conscious policies across other campus domains, universities reinforce systemic inequalities.