The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 32

Lori D. Patton * Sacha Sharp * Berenice Sánchez

ally relevant activities, promote scholarship
and celebrate black aesthetics (The history of
W.E.B. Dubois College House, 1997). However,
the House has faced resistance by opponents
dubbing its existence reverse racism or separatism. The House was and remains open to
all Penn students and has never had an exclusionary policy. Brown University's Harambee
House is a living center for those interested in
politics, history, and experiences relevant to the
African Diaspora. Founded in 1993, the House
cultivates academic excellence and leadership
among members and is "a place where no one
feels the need to explain, translate, or be selfconscious" (About Harambee House, n.d.)
UCSH can potentially serve in a capacity
similar to the centers above but must grapple
with differing opinions. Patton (2006a; 2011)
argued culture centers have been accused
of separatism and self-segregation, serving
minoritized students only, and prioritizing
social over academic engagement. Conversely,
proponents agree they allow momentary interruption from racist environments and are
unapologetically supportive of racially minoritized students.
Regardless of stance, institutional decisionmaking can be influenced by public opinion
about culture centers and culturally-themed
campus housing. Postsecondary institutions
and public opinion are mutually shaping entities. Pertaining to this article, the public's perception may influence institutional decisions
that directly affect diverse populations. We consider dissenting public commentary related to
UCSH and the implications for future diversity-related decisions at UConn and its residence
life program.

32

METHODOLOGY
CDA, an interdisciplinary approach, highlights abuses of power within texts through
analysis of linguistic details, which are framed
by larger social and political contexts in which
those texts circulate (Huckin, Andrus, & ClaryLemon, 2012; van Dijk, 2003). CDA allows
researchers to identify and deconstruct issues,
while noting the discursive nature of power
and its location in the discourse (Patton, 2014).
It encourages researchers to connect macro
and micro discourses and investigate critical
social inequity as expressed and legitimatized
by language (Fairclough, Mulderrig, & Wodak,
2011; Huckin et al., 2012). CDA is relevant for
examining discursive racial power in public
commentaries. Due to having no standardized
methodology, CDA varies depending on genre
and text being analyzed (Fairclough et al., 2011;
Huckin et al, 2012; Patton, 2014).

UCONN SCHOLA2RS HOUSE
CONTEXT AND METHODS
The UCSH was designed to improve recruitment, retention, and graduation of Black men.
The acronym stands for "Scholastic House of
Leaders who are African American Researchers and Scholars." The house was announced
following student protests demanding ethnic
housing and given the low graduation rates
of Black men at UConn (New, 2016). UCSH
is not a stand-alone residence hall. Efforts will
prioritize Black and mixed-race males, but the
hall is open to all students. The Booth Ferris
Foundation funded UCSH with a $300,000
grant.We chose UCSH because it was one of
the recent diversity initiatives that received
online media attention with articles allowing
public comments. To perform the CDA, we

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

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