Black Only Housing at Colleges

[LucyStoner]

Let's not forget redlining that made it impossible and then next to impossible for people who were Jewish or Black or not the desired WASPy flavor to buy into certain neighborhoods and subdivisions. These rules didn't significantly change until the 1970s and in my city you can see the effects still in place.

 

Don't tell me black people all chose to live in black neighborhoods without any reasons why it played out that way. Acknowledge the history that defined the boundaries in which people could make their choices.

[mamiof5]

But see, it's not ' division', IMO. It's a dorm room, a hallway. The kids go there to sleep, study a bit,socialize with floormates a bit, and shower. It's not even usually entire dorms like this, just small groups, so you may have 12 rooms on one side of the floor being a black LLC and another side/floor being the Theater LLC or the Green/environmental ones. They still share laundry rooms, study rooms, cafeterias, etc with the rest. I'm going to go so far as saying these kids probably don't even share a majority of classes, same as the other LLCs. To believe that they are divisive would mean you also oppose the math LLC, the gender neutral, the same sex floors, the Foreign Language LLCs in the basis of self-isolation.

It's a small place in their lives where they feel comfortable, where they can perhaps more easily share their interests. It's also most likely the younger ones, who may just need some extra comfort-zones, as many older college kids desire to move off campus if they can afford it.

I think several of you guys don't really have a clear picture of what dorm life consists of today, lol. University students are not shutting themselves up in their room and ignoring others who don't look/think like them.

Hey, maybe we need to start a thread on a truly odd college thing-- you know those Christian schools( not the military) that have weekly inspections in the students rooms( kids 18-21!)to check for cleanliness or who knows what?? I've seen them mentioned on these boards, and find that to be so much more bizarre than a culture based LLC. 😜

Lol!! Maybe they are more bizarre.

 

You are right, I don't know much about college living, not now, not ever. Never lived in one. I like how you described it, and I hope that's the situation.

[MinivanMom]

Let's not forget redlining that made it impossible and then next to impossible for people who were Jewish or Black or not the desired WASPy flavor to buy into certain neighborhoods and subdivisions. These rules didn't significantly change until the 1970s and in my city you can see the effects still in place.

 

Don't tell me black people all chose to live in black neighborhoods without any reasons why it played out that way. Acknowledge the history that defined the boundaries in which people could make their choices.

 

I have a good friend who relocated to our area for a tech job about 8 years ago. She's a black, single mother with an advanced degree in engineering. Since she was relocating, she was trying to work with a local realtor to find a home to buy. Her new job was located on the wealthy, suburban side of the city and that is where most out-of-state transplants settle, but the realtor kept sending her information on homes on the opposite side of the city - a community that is historically poor and black.

 

Of course, as a transplant she didn't know this. She just saw that all these homes were a long commute from her job and were zoned for poorly-ranked schools that were predominantly black. She finally told the realtor not to send her info on anymore homes unless they were zoned for schools ranked above a particular score on Great Schools or she was going to hire someone else. Lo, and behold, the realtor suddenly found that there were lots of homes in her price range right by her new company - homes in the wealthier suburbs and zoned for highly ranked schools (schools that are predominantly white & Asian). 

 

So it's more than just the history. People of color continue to get steered toward certain neighborhoods regardless of their income or education level.

[justasque]

They have formed a club based on a commonality. A student is excluded if he doesnt share the commonality. Students pay a lot of money to attend college, and deserve to know what parts of the college they will be excluded from in advance. 

 

 

Typically students tour these living areas to get a sense of whether they'd be a good fit.  For example, one of my kids toured a computer science oriented dorm.  They had a cool lab sort of room with bits of pieces of computers to salvage for parts, and IIRC they did some kind of group project each year in which everyone was required to participate.  My ds is a computer kind of guy, but upon touring found that these folks were *way* more into it than he was, so he didn't opt to apply.  So most kids aren't going into it completely blind as to what the common focus is, or what the culture is.

 

I understand. But, it would still be mayhem if any other race or culture would try to ask for this. And there are so many minorities, blacks are not the only ones. What about the other ones? Will universities have to accommodate to Asians, Hispanics etc?

 

There are common-interest living areas around all kinds of things.  I've also seen colleges that have honors floors, for kids in the honors program.  In some cases, these are designed partly to make freshman feel a bit less lost on a large campus, thus reducing the number who drop out in their first year.  Connections with the "back home" culture can help reduce the feeling of isolation, especially when it comes to holidays, foods, and so on.  Dorms are one of many ways to approach this.  And of course not every kid is interested in this kind of housing.  That's why self-selection is a good method.

 

And for kids who have complex backgrounds, it can be helpful - like a college friend of my ds who was a third culture missionary kid - American by birth, but raised in Korea.  He identified as Korean, though did not look it.  Many people didn't take his Korean-ness seriously.  I think he would have liked an Asian-culture dorm.  

 

Calling someone names (even horribly offensive ones) is not remotely similar to a man forcing himself upon a woman. There is no real danger faced by the victim of namecalling. Rape victims can die or suffer permanent physical injuries, contract an incurable disease, or become pregnant as a result of the crimes. It is a slap in the face of rape victims to equate rape with calling someone a racial slur.

 

We don't need to have a competition as to who can benefit the most from shared-culture housing.  For some it might be a "safe space" issue, and for others it might be a "comfortable space" issue, and for others it might be a "learn something new" opportunity, or an "explore the culture of my ancestors" community.  And for culture groups that aren't based on ancestry/ethnicity, it can be "people who get me when I geek out about computer hardware", or "people who will be able to talk to me about the classic literature I'm reading outside of class" or "people who are serious about academics and aren't just here to party", or "people who are into sober living as a priority".  If there are enough interested students, and the college has the space, and there is a large enough student population that it doesn't seriously impact the general housing situation, then a college can offer whatever there seems to be a need for in their own student body.

 

The key is -

Is it discriminatory?  Not if everyone who is interested has an equitable chance of getting in.  

Is it exclusionary?  Not any more so than a frat or sorority or Christian youth group or a group of friends who likes to go dancing.  

Can it be helpful to some students?  Yes.

Is it hurtful to anyone?  I can't see how it would be.

Edited September 8, 2016 by justasque

[Carrie12345]

Sex segrageted schools are pretty common in private institutions.  And I've heard of them for public ones as well.

 

I don't know that all groups are the same with regard to things like this - the reasons can make a difference, and the context it is happening within.  Sex segregation for example is different than some other types because it is very much a biological difference, so one could potentially have basic physiological reasons for separating boys and girls.  Also I'd say legal isn't the same as desirable or a good idea.

 

The other thing I think that matters is effects.  In some cases, it doesn't have much or any wider social effect or significance that would be a good reason to over-ride individuals choice to associate with whom they wish.  But in other cases, it could have a significant social effect that would be negative, and a good argument could be made not to allow it.  (And, I think, the opposite types of scenario can happen too, where there could be significant effects on either individuals or society that mean something not usually allowed is.)

 

I was accepted into a primarily-women's college and considered it very seriously.  They do accept males into certain program, but I think they're commuter-only.  Now, I was never one to shy away from boys, lol.  But I saw a huge advantage to lessening the distraction.  Not an evil or oppressive distraction, but a real one none the less.  I had no plans to swear off boys. I just figured I'd socialize with them when I had the time, desire, and energy to do so.

 

I can imagine feeling a similar (but probably more profound) way about an all black dorm, and wanting to minimize the distractions of racial crap (intentional or not) while trying to pursue an education.

 

(I would up at the more affordable co-ed school, in a co-ed dorm, and didn't get past the first semester.)