Journal of College & University Student Housing "Housing While Black" Theme Issue - 79

Black Exodus
As is true of higher education in general, student affairs was initially
created as a means for white professionals to support white students.
In the 400+ years since then, there has not been any significant change
in that philosophical foundation, even with the advent of professional
standards, organizations, and accreditation processes created and
implemented over time.
There have been some significant studies on the departure of student affairs professionals
in general (Anderson et al., 2000; Frank, 2013; Hancock, 1988; Hirt &
Creamer, 1998; Johnsrud et al., 2000; Johnsrud & Rosser, 1999; Kortegast & Hamrick,
2009; Lorden, 1998; Rosser & Javinar, 2003; Tull, 2009), and in recent years, some
have focused on the departure of student affairs staff specifically in terms of race
and culture (Dancy et al., 2018; Davis, 2013; Durant & Knottnerus, 1999; Jackson,
2004; Steele, 2016). As is true of higher education in general, student affairs was
initially created as a means for white professionals to support white students. In the
400+ years since then, there has not been any significant change in that philosophical
foundation, even with the advent of professional standards, organizations, and
accreditation processes created and implemented over time. Thus, inquiry into the
experiences of Black people within student affairs and the impact of this work on
Black staff must be examined with those conditions and realities in mind. The fact
that white supremacy has been the foundation of an oppressive system impacts how
Black professionals determine their own satisfaction and fulfillment with their roles
and their institutions, where they are ultimately judged within that space. As Stewart
(2018) states, we must consider that
. . . these questions are of how and whether Black people can be constructed as
wholly members of the student affairs profession, when mainstream frameworks of
professionalism and fit in student affairs have primarily relied on white supremacy to
create definitions of the ideal student affairs professional. (p. 18)
This dissonance comes into play in the dual status in which Black student affairs
professionals find themselves: They are both hypervisible and invisible. As Stewart
(2018) defines the terms, hypervisibility is the " condition of being subject to heightened
scrutiny, observation, and policing because of one's limited representation "
(p. 21), while invisibility is the " corollary experience of being ignored, dismissed, and
invalidated also because of one's limited representation " (p. 18). This dual status robs
Black student affairs professionals of the necessary validation of their lived experiences,
while simultaneously confining them to the limitations of an antiquated and misinformed
perception of Blackness based on white perceptions instead of reality. This
is an intolerable position that makes it difficult for Black staff to find stasis, establish a
sense of belonging, and/or find long-term success.
76 The Journal of College and University Student Housing

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

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