journal_vol49no2 - 73

A Bridge Over Troubled Water
The underrepresentation of Black males who are in college earning degrees
is a result of systematic neglect that starts long before they enroll.
have of their White counterparts (Moore, 2006; Ogbu, 2003). In addition, Black males
are disproportionately disciplined (Hale, 2001), underrepresented in gifted education
programs (Ford & Moore, 2013; Hines, Fletcher, et al., 2021; Jackson & Moore, 2008),
and overrepresented in special education (Haycock, 2006; Levin et al., 2007).
In spite of the difficulties that Black males face in the world of higher education,
researchers and practitioners alike have sought to create and identify interventions and
best practices to retain them through to graduation. Interventions like the Meyerhoff
Scholars Program utilize a wrap-around approach as a best practice to serve students;
in its early days, the program served only Black males (Maton & Hrabowski, 2004),
an intervention that included a summer bridge program, a renewable financial aid
package, study groups with peer support, personal advising, mentoring, and faculty
involvement. Researchers have also shown that Black faculty mentors (Brooms & Davis,
2017; Dancy, 2011), supportive families (Palmer et al., 2014), peer relationships
(Bonner, 2003; Bonner & Bailey, 2006; Harper, 2006), student organizations such as
the National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE, 2023), and social networks (Brooms,
2019; Grier-Reed & Wilson, 2016) are essential for retaining and helping Black males
to graduate. Though successful strategies have been implemented in various settings,
interventions have often been designed in isolation (Flowers & Banda, 2018). One less
explored, yet impactful, strategy has been implementing the Living and Learning Community
Model, specifically for Black males (Cintron et al., 2020; Dohy et al., 2021;
Hines, Mayes, et al., 2021).
LIVING AND LEARNING COMMUNITY MODEL
High impact practices (HIPs) affect
enhanced student learning and success by bringing to the teaching and learning process
the intentional and integrative characteristics associated with how humans learn; not
just in the moment but for sustained use and transferability from one instance to different
instances of practice and application. (Watson et al., 2016, p. 66)
Generally, these practices deepen learning and bring one's values and beliefs into
awareness. Students better understand themselves in relation to others and the larger
world, and they acquire the intellectual tools and ethical grounding to act with confidence
for the betterment of the human condition, and one such high impact practice
is a living-learning community (Kuh, 2008).
Studies show that LLCs improve the retention rates, cognitive performance, and
non-cognitive performance of program participants (Lenning & Ebbers, 1999; Murphy,
2010; Palm & Thomas, 2015; Shapiro & Levine, 1999). Specific research on LLC participation
has identified several benefits that include, for example, improved academic
outcomes (Inkelas & Weisman, 2003), interpersonal skills (Hill & Woodward, 2013),
and mental health (Fink, 2014). Brower and Inkelas (2010) indicate that participation
70 The Journal of College and University Student Housing
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