The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1 - 41

Men’s Diversity LLC

indicate that awareness of and appreciation
for diversity diminish after living on campus.
Also, men in traditional residence halls report
a slightly higher diversity score after living on
campus for one year. The difference in score
is minimal between the two chi-square tests.
For example, the difference for men in LLCs
amounts to only one participant, while that for
men in traditional residence halls amounts to
only four participants.
Men in traditional residence halls are likely
to have lower scores on all these tests, including
the three individual UDO constructs, yet men in
traditional residence halls who report high levels
are not that different from men in academically
based LLCs. We found no significant difference
between the two groups of participants after they
had lived for a year in one of the two environments. The results necessitate some consideration for why male college students indicate
lower awareness of and appreciation for diversity after living on campus for one year.
One reason for this could be the lack of
structural diversity (i.e., the quantity of diverse
students) within the residence halls, which
may affect the male participants’ diversity
levels. The overall results from men in LLCs
and those in traditional residence halls are not
surprising when looking at the demographics
of the participants in this study. The dearth of
students of color in LLCs may affect students’
UDO levels in these environments. The possible influence of a greater mass of students
of color is consistent with results from previous studies finding that honors LLCs typically had a poor representation of students of
color (Soldner, McCarron, & Inkelas, 2007;
Wawrzynski, Jensen, & Stolz, 2012). These
results suggest that participation in honors

LLCs negatively related to diversity appreciation when compared to the experience of
students in traditional residential facilities. Although the LLCs in our study were not all honors-based, comparison with previous studies of
honors LLCs could still be valid because of the
similarities in program and staffing structures.
Opportunities for interactions with
diverse peers having different views may
be challenging due to the demography of
most LLCs, which—particularly those affiliated with an honors program—tend to
be fairly homogenous with mostly middleclass, White students (except of course those
found at historically Black universities, colleges, and community colleges) (Hamilton,
2004; Soldner et al., 2007). Although a high
number of students of color cannot automatically foster more interaction between
diverse student groups, there is a correlation
between structural diversity and interactions
amongst diverse groups of students (Pike &
Kuh, 2006). Specifically, the more heterogeneous the student population, the more likely
students will experience contact with diverse
people. The results of Pike and Kuh’s (2006)
study indicate a strong relationship between
structural diversity and informal interactions,
which in turn affects students’ intellectual
and personal development as it relates to diversity appreciation.
Although structural diversity can increase
student interaction, it cannot be the sole solution for increasing the diversity appreciation
amongst residential students. Institutions of
higher education must intentionally create residential programs that promote appreciation of
and comfort with diverse student populations.

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 39, No. 2 & Volume 40, No. 1