The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 38

Lori D. Patton * Sacha Sharp * Berenice Sánchez

accountability or repercussion. Furthermore,
the consistent barrage of negative comments
about the UCSH has the potential to remain
acceptable in online communities where commenters clearly lack knowledge and understanding of how racism and white supremacy
operate and how commenters are complicit in
White racial dominance.
Although online comments are typically
unmonitored, college campuses and spaces
such as the UCSH can serve as educational and
supportive spaces to address racism and white
supremacy. A recommendation for residence
life professionals is to provide information
about culturally-themed on-campus options
that not only reveal the benefits for racially
minoritized groups, but also the possibilities
for cross-cultural engagement and educational
discussions to dismantle race and racism. Residence life professionals can also use articles
and comment sections to generate activities
that allow students to share their diverse perspectives, have difficult dialogues, and participate in civil discourse. These activities could be
fostered online or in person, representing an
opportunity for students to grapple with contradictory opinions and engage in diverse perspective taking. Additionally, practitioners within
and beyond residence life programs should
collaborate to host campus-wide conversations
about diversity and social justice to help those
on campus and in the surrounding community understand why particular diversity efforts
are in place, the continued marginalization of
certain populations on campus, and the historical conditions that persist today and make the
realization of social justice difficult at best.

establishing culturally themed housing like
UCSH and modeling them in ways similar
to culture centers. The implementation of a
culture center model would ensure students
have a validating and familial space (Patton,
2006). Increasing culturally-themed residential spaces can help demonstrate the institution's commitment to the success of racially
minoritized students, disrupt existing negative perspectives and serve as a counter point
to the racist comments identified in this discourse analysis.
We contend the opposition related to
UCSH is not simply a matter of holding racist
and ignorant viewpoints, but also about misinformation and mis-education. Those offering
comments had conflated notions of segregation in connection with the UCSH. Moreover,
rather than offering solid arguments and
viewpoints in opposition to the effort (if such
arguments exist), the commentary was insulting and dehumanizing to Black people, men
in particular. Also, those commenting offered
references to the past (e.g. legal segregation),
without demonstrating the ability to distinguish between the past and the present context
of racism and white supremacy. Overall, commenters failed to realize that their opposing
arguments actually lent themselves to the need
for UCSH. The comments were reflective
of racist incidents that consistently occur on
college campuses. Culturally-themed housing
can provide an environment of retreat where
rather than being subjected to stereotypes,
Black men are encouraged and their experiences are centered.

We also urge institutions to prioritize the
needs of their racially minoritized students by
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THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3