Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1 - 94

Sense of Belonging
Students across all the focus groups shared experiences that made them feel excluded
on campus. Some identified spaces that made them feel unwelcomed, while others described
incidents of microaggressions and bias. When asked to consider the impact of
an LLC for LGBTQ+ students, they felt this would positively contribute to their overall
sense of belonging on campus, in part because a dedicated LLC would address issues
of visibility. As one participant explained,
When I was looking at the [LLCs], I also was looking for one anywhere specifically
related to being queer or . . . like being in the community and not seeing one was a little
bit disappointing. I definitely think that it's something that we probably should consider
and need on the university level because I definitely think it's one thing to be in the LGBT
community and . . . choose to go to the [LGBTQ] center and choose to walk all the way [out
of the way] in order to see . . . another gay person. I think it would be really cool for the
university to say, " Hey, we know you guys are out there and we know you guys want to find
a community. Here's one for you. Here's one where you can . . . surround yourself
with people who identify the way that you do and people who you can connect with. "
This student advocated for visibility, especially with the administration, and recognized
that an LLC would create a space where people could connect and be in community
with one another. This student's reflection also highlights an expectation for the university
to have spaces where students do not have to leave their comfort zones in order
to connect with other LGBTQ+ students, thus mitigating the fear of being rejected by
other students or excluded from some campus spaces.
Students also pointed out that having an LGBTQ+ LLC would not only increase
their sense of belonging, but would also solve logistical and identity issues with roommates
and staff. For example, one student described how they felt about sharing a
room with someone who might not know their identity.
I picked my roommate solely on the fact [that] she had a rainbow flag in one of her
Instagram posts. Turns out later she was hella gay. It was really cool and awesome and
we have a lot of other interests too beyond that fact. But we did a roommate match thing.
I don't know if they still do that. It was through Facebook. But I just went through a bunch
of different people's social media profiles and I was like, " doesn't seem gay-friendly,
doesn't seem gay-friendly. " I don't even want to deal with that. So I'm just going to pick
the first person that seems like they're not going to hate me for that if that comes up. So if
I went into an LLC immediately that was like " anyone who you room with who wants to be
in this LLC probably isn't gonna hate you for this unchangeable fact or at least be weird
about it and . . . not necessarily hate you. "
This student noted the significance of living in a community where they won't immediately
fear rejection from assigned roommates and community members. Furthermore,
within an LGBTQ+ LLC, holding an LGBTQ+ identity would be normalized,
Volume 49, No. 1 * 2022 91

Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of College & University Student Housing Vol 49, No. 1