The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 101

Supporting Undocumented Students in Campus Housing

centers also exist at a number of systems and
schools, such as the University of California
system, California State University system,
San Bernardino Valley College, and Santa Rosa
Junior College.

CONCLUSION
No undocumented student experience is
exactly the same and in no way does this
article examine the vast diversity in the experiences of all undocumented students. In
fact, much of the research today exploring the
undocumented student experience is viewed
through the Latinx lens. The lack of research
that chronicles undocumented students from
diverse backgrounds of race, ethnicity, gender,
and geographic location limits the knowledge
we have about each group's unique experiences. Additionally, there needs to be future
research done on the intersectionality of these
students' identities. Student counter-stories
can be powerful narratives for helping institutions of higher education recognize the ways in
which they can address the inequities in access
for undocumented students and their specific
living needs.
Little is known about the rates in which
undocumented or DACAmented students
choose to live on campus. For campuses
that require students to live in housing, how
much of their population of residents are undocumented? Do they choose to attend other
universities because of this requirement? Do
undocumented students find it valuable to live
on campus? These are all questions to address.
The reflections in this article come from a
large public institution in California where
the campus population largely commutes. It
would be ideal to understand the context of

how undocumented students from different
types of institutions and different geographic
locations view living on-campus. Finally, more
research can be conducted on the specific ways
in which undocumented students living on
campus experience their living environment
daily; through interacting with peers, faculty,
and staff, the conduct process, or becoming
resident advisors.
Federal and state laws, policies, and regulations impacting the lives of the undocumented
community continue to evolve. The experiences of undocumented college students continue
to be shaped by the environments in which
they find themselves - college and university
systems that sometimes support them, and
sometimes do not; state laws that provide financial aid resources, and sometimes bar them
from public higher education; and federal and
executive laws and policies that open doors for
some, and keep them closed for others. As undocumented students continue to strive for a
college and university education, it is critical
for higher education professionals to understand their challenges and mitigate them so
they can receive equitable opportunities. Our
undocumented students enrolling in colleges
and universities today have many more opportunities available to them than were available
only a few years ago. Additional exploration
is needed in the arena of supporting undocumented students living in college and university student housing. The experiences offered to
students living in student housing are unique
and rewarding, and it is the hope of the authors
that this article inspires practitioners to explore
further methods by which to make this unique
experience an accessible and fulfilling one for
undocumented students.

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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