ABSTRACT
Once described as “an idyllic place, neutral and untarnished by the ugly inequalities that mar the ‘outside world’” today’s colleges and universities have undergone dramatic changes over the last 75 years. With increased access to higher education, student populations have diversified to include more first-generation college students, women, and students of color. Mainstream American universities have always been and continue to be places where the needs, desires, and fragility of Whiteness are central. This is evident in marketing approaches, where diversity is superficially imaged in viewbooks as not only about demographic numbers and inclusion but also about the range of experiences brought onto a college campus. The authors discuss the myriad ways neoliberalism shapes university culture, further centering Whiteness at the expense of democracy, public good, equality, and diversity. They critique university tourist and customer service tactics to privilege the White gaze, and the ways conservative right-wing organizations exert increased power and influence to support White supremacy on campuses.
