The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 42, No. 2 - 112

Jamie M. Singson * Amanda R. Tachine * Charlotte E. Davidson * Stephanie J. Waterman

112

has included Native perspectives has found
that Native students struggle to adjust in Eurocentric educational systems (Fox, Lowe,
& McClellan, 2005), often do not wish to assimilate to the dominant culture (Waterman,
2012), and ﬁnd these institutions to be hostile
environments (Perry, 2002; Pewewardy & Frey,
2004). Due to these concerns, higher education institutions must seek ways to not only
recognize Native students' needs, but also
incorporate strategies to support their adjustment and persistence.

An Indigenous perspective on

When seeking strategies to meet underrepresented students' needs, Harper and Quaye
assert that a "dependency on sameness is no
longer appropriate" (2014, p. 1), suggesting that
students' college experiences are increasingly
diverse and that university faculty and practitioners must think critically, strategically, and
intentionally about how they serve all students.
Many Native students ﬁnd themselves having
to articulate their worldviews and defend their
relevancy within Non-Native College and University (NNCU) settings (Shotton et al., 2013).
An often overlooked area is living spaces.
Place is a foundational epistemology for Native
peoples: "Indigenous peoples are all about
place," because a connection to the environment "is the everything to [their] sense of love,
joy, and nourishment" (Meyer, 2008, p. 219).
The role of place is not a simple construct; it
is how Indigenous peoples identify and make
meaning (Deloria & Wildcat, 2001). Ultimately, for most Native students, living spaces are
an essential component to their belonging and
persistence. Therefore, campus housing is well
positioned to facilitate and increase support of
Native students through their second home,
the residence hall.

culture and customs . . . can be

land and place, as a relationship,
is an example of what Native
students bring with them when
they leave home to attend college.
Harmonizing Native epistemology
(ways of knowing) and ontology
(ways of being) with the dominant
the most intense, invisible task
that Native students endure within
these contexts.

The purpose of this paper is to reﬂect upon
Kirkness and Barnhardt's (1991) historical and
seminal work on higher education transformational change that serves to support Native
students. Throughout, we acknowledge the
important connection that place and land has
among most Indigenous peoples. We do this
by highlighting examples of higher education
institutions that are incorporating Indigenous
students' cultural values and traditions in
campus housing. These examples are rooted
in the Indigenous epistemology of respect,
relevance, reciprocity, and relationships (Kirkness & Barnhardt, 1991). We also assert that
some common practices (e.g., carousel interviewing) in campus housing may fall short in
contributing to positive institutional transformation. We end by offering a discussion on

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 42, No. 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 42, No. 2