A much better understanding of the ability of some minority students at predominantly White post-secondary institutions to effectively adapt to the academic demands of their campus climates is essential to the success of policies designed to enhance learning for the increasingly diverse student populations. This study investigated influences of gender and socioeconomic status on assertiveness for Black freshmen and juniors (n=560) on the campuses of four Predominantly White Institutions (PWIs). Several variables were identified which appear to be survival factors for Black students on PWIs. The study concludes by noting that the recruitment and retention of post-secondary level minority students at PWIs has suffered because higher educational research has neither produced a generally accepted theoretical explanation for the successful persistence of some Black students on PWIs, nor yet focused on culturally unique non-cognitive type interaction variables that might help to explain the low persistence rates of Black students with strong academic backgrounds. Contains 21 references. (TS)