“They Don’t Care About You”: First-Year Chinese International Students’ Experiences With Neo-racism and Othering on a U.S. Campus

This qualitative research study illuminates the experiences affecting firstyear Chinese international students in the United States and gives insights as to how these students perceive interpersonal relationships at college. Participants shared reports of neo-racism and othering as negatively affecting their feelings of connection to other members of their collegiate community. Findings and implications from this study indicate a need for better support for first-year Chinese international students in college. Students from mainland China comprise the largest international student group entering the United States in recent years (Yan & Berliner, 2010). In 2012, more than half a million students from China studied abroad, with the United States being the top destination (UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2014). In Fall 2012, U.S. institutions enrolled 235,597 students, or more than 28% of the total international student population of 819,644 (Institute of International Education, 2013a). Tensions between Asian and domestic students have coincided with this trend, with many international students reporting discriminatory incidents against them at historically White campuses (Jaschik, 2012; Redden, 2012). As the number of Chinese nationals at U.S. institutions rises (Institute of International Education, 2013b; UNESCO Institute for Statistics, 2014), those students tend to bear the burden of negative encounters (Yan & Berliner, 2010). Little research is available digitalcommons.unl. edu C.W. Yao in Journal of the F irst-Year Experience 30 (2018) 2 specifically on the interpersonal experiences of first-year Chinese students at those institutions, however. The early years of college are critical to ensuring students’ sense of belonging and persistence, and institutional environment and culture correlate with students’ collegiate success (Astin, 1993; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Tinto, 1993). The first year is particularly crucial as students, especially those from other countries, have little commitment to and integration with their institution because of their newness in the environment and thus are more susceptible to withdrawing (Tinto, 1993). Yet, residence halls can be an important site for integrating to the academic and social environs of college. Most first-year students, including those from other countries, are required to live on campus. Residence halls are considered secure, comfortable spaces for students to live and learn. Community building and student learning are often at the heart of residential programs, and residence halls are touted as the ideal setting for building community and intercultural relationships among students (Blimling, 2010). Yet the experiences of first-year Chinese students in this new environment are understudied. Thus, this study, which emerged from a larger phenomenological research project, seeks to fill the research gap by examining the interpersonal experiences of first-year Chinese international students in residence halls. The primary research question in the larger study was, How do undergraduate Chinese international students’ experiences with domestic students in residential communities affect how they understand their sense of belonging? Findings highlighted in this study provide further understanding of how negative interactions in college may affect international students’ overall experiences in higher education.