Journal of College & University Student Housing "Housing While Black" Theme Issue - 57

Serving as a Resident Assistant While Black
. . . residence life professionals need to recognize that
U.S. higher education institutions continue to be white spaces,
even when the diversity of students increases.
but seems to have adopted white standards of professionalism regarding language
and tone. Studies have shown that Black individuals who engage in code-switching
are perceived as more professional by both white and Black colleagues (McCluney et
al., 2021), but it can be emotionally and physically exhausting and comes at a social
and psychological cost (McCluney et al., 2021). In addition, Brandon pointed out that
knowing they will have to assimilate to a white professional context may also deter
Black students from pursuing the RA position (Arminio et al., 2000).
Similar to their peers at PWIs (Hardaway, 2019; Harper et al., 2011; Roland &
Agosta, 2017), having a Black community and support system was important to our
participants, who looked to Black peers for support and friendship. Black supervisors
served as another source of support, as participants felt more comfortable talking to
them, knowing they would understand and have their back. While white supervisors
could be allies, they had to actively show their support for the Black community. The
racist origins of U.S. higher education shape Black students' perceptions of white administrators
and create mistrust (Johnson-Bailey, 2012). Simone, for example, was
positively surprised when a white supervisor brought up the topic of racism and indicated
a willingness to learn more. When another white supervisor dismissed the
severity of an incident, which Simone perceived as grounded in racism, this supervisor
reinforced perceptions of white mentors as untrustworthy and unable to understand
the experiences of Black students and staff (Johnson-Bailey, 2012).
LIMITATIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR FUTURE RESEARCH
Several limitations need to be considered when interpreting our findings. First, our
analysis focused primarily on RAs' motivations and their experiences with other RAs
and supervisors. Race also shaped participants' interactions with residents; however,
our participants focused more on other aspects of the position during the interviews.
This may be due to collecting data during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the fall semester
of 2020, PRU's residence life department had implemented a variety of safety regulations,
which limited RAs' interactions with residents. Future research should explore
how race shapes Black RAs' relationships with residents during times when more social
interactions occur in the residence halls.
Second, four out of five of our participants identified as women. The intersections
of race and gender shape Black RAs' experiences in unique ways (e.g., Harper et al.,
2011; Roland & Agosta, 2017). Future research should either explore Black RAs' experiences
with a more gender-balanced sample or consider the intersections of race and
gender, as well as intersections with other social identities, in its analysis.
54 The Journal of College and University Student Housing

Journal of College & University Student Housing "Housing While Black" Theme Issue

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