The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 83

Housing Is An Epicenter For Change

cluded growing numbers of residents from
other metropolitan areas of Illinois, including
Chicago. Growing geographic and social class
diversity have shifted with the changing racial
demographics of the student body. While the
number of African American students has
never exceeded more than 6% of the population, a dramatic increase in the number of
international students has grown such that
UIUC is one of the highest ranking U.S. public
institutions educating international students
(University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign,
2016). This has created a dissonance between
the university's land grant mission to serve
minorities from the state, while the number of
out-of-state residents including international
students continues to grow rapidly. This demographic shift has caused some at the university
to question how resources may not be serving
those students in greatest need.
UIUC houses approximately 9,000 students and employs around 650 full-time staff
and 2,300 student staff through facilities and
building services, dining, marketing, technology, and residential services. There are
19 residence halls, staffed by more than 200
residential professionals and paraprofessionals. There are 10 living learning communities,
four residence hall libraries, and special living
options such as gender inclusive rooming and
state-of-the-art accessibility accommodations.
University Housing has continued to expand
services and programs to meet the changing
needs of the growing student population.
With demonstrated values of diversity
and inclusion, University Housing has had
long standing programs, dedicated staff, and
training and development systems in place to
ensure inclusion spans beyond the philosophy

With demonstrated values of
diversity and inclusion, University
Housing has had long standing
programs, dedicated staff, and
training and development systems
in place to ensure inclusion spans
beyond the philosophy statement.

statement. There are a few unique characteristics of UIUC University Housing that have
contributed to the development of students'
organizing efforts. Affinity student organizations, which are typically found within departments such as Multicultural Affairs or
Student Activities units, are based in University Housing at UIUC. Racial/ethnic student
groups, such as the Latino/a Student Association, Asian American Student Housing Organization, and the Central Black Student Union,
are based in university housing and were established about the same time as the campus
cultural houses. There is one Black Student
Union serving several residence halls, located
on a side of campus where there have historically been fewer African American students
housed. In contrast, there is about one Black
Student Union per hall, where there has been
larger Black resident populations. A collective
of these BSUs, known as the Central Black
Student Union (CBSU), has consistently played
a significant role in student movements within
the department and throughout the campus.
University housing student organizations

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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