Scholars have examined and debated the use of African American Language (AAL) in the past but research that has focused on its use in college settings has been scarce. This study uses a case study approach to examine attitudes and perspectives of a university community toward AAL use inside and outside the classroom and beyond. The case study included interviews with students, instructors, administrators, and campus services providers, direct observations, and document analysis. The study was informed by Communication Accommodation, Critical Language and Linguistic Relativity theories. The findings showed that the participants held either positive or neutral views of AAL but preferred that its use be contained to informal environments, mainly settings and situation outside the classroom. When instructors did allow the use of AAL in the classroom, it was restricted to informal assignments and discussion. Mainstream English was preferred for assignments that are used to measure student success. Overall, the restriction of AAL use suggests that the college community did not assign AAL the same level of legitimacy as mainstream English. Further scholarly research dealing with AAL use in higher education settings would be beneficial. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]