This article is based on a preliminary study, which looks into multiracial college students’ attitudes about the challenges that they encounter on campus. The focus of the article is to emphasis a need for college counselors to broaden their views of diversity in order to adapt to the growing multiracial and multiethnic student population. This study defines a multiracial person as "someone with two or more socially distinct racial heritages—one or more from each parent." This definition is used to broaden the often used definition of being half one race and half of another. For this study, an undergraduate student support group, Shades, served as participants. Semi-structured interviews were used with three randomly chosen members of Shades. The themes that arose where then used for questions used in a group interview. The themes that emerged were that race is an ever present issue, that there is a lack of empathy from loved ones, and that multiracial identity development is a complex process.

     Of the 16 member 12 reported growing up in homes where the parents never discussed that they were an interracial family. The families did not take into account the parents’ different racial and cultural heritages or the challenges that an interracial family must deal with. The students expressed that they wished their parents had prepared them better to confront racism and ignorance. Most of the students grew up with messages such as ‘color doesn't matter, we’re just people,’ which they felt were unrealistic from a societal standpoint.

     The students also expressed feeling that most people, along with their parents did not really understand the issues faced by multiracial individuals. The students understood that identity development is a developmental task that all young adults must go through, although felt that they had an added difficulty of finding acceptance in different racial groups. They also felt a personal role model would have been helpful, someone to help guide them and to provide encouragement to accept their being biracial.

     The third issue of multiracial identity development was expressed as being a complicated process. The students needed to accept and integrate their multiracial identity, which they found difficult. The group members reported changes in their racial identity over time—with the first identity usually being the dominant identity in the home. At college, many of the members wanted to reexamine their identity and explore their other racial heritages. The move into a multiracial identity was expressed in positive terms. They expressed the importance of having more then just the traditional minority student groups offered at college. The students often felt in order to join such organizations they had to prove their ethnic membership.

     Nishimura suggests multiracial workshops to help increase awareness and respect for diversity along with training for staff advisors of student groups and student group leaders. She also indicates the importance of the personal attitudes of student affairs and counseling professionals, for influencing university policy. "A college education is not solely composed of what one learns in the classroom; increasing awareness of oneself and of oneself in relation to others is an invaluable lesson that will affect a person for a lifetime" (p.52).