The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 68

C. Daryl Healea * Patrick J. Hale

and multiculturalism (Association of American Colleges & Universities [AAC&U], 1999;
Johnson & Kang, 2006).
Although there has been a dearth of literature on RAs, studies on the effects of diversity in higher education have increased. Pope,
Mueller, and Reynolds (2009) found that diversity research has gradually expanded over
the past 50 years to include studies of multiple
social identities, forms of diversity other than
race, and integrated identities at the same time
that these studies have increasingly sought
to confront privilege, reduce prejudice, and
promote social justice. Additionally, Harper
and antonio (2008) cited four forms of diversity in the literature: structural diversity, or
the extent to which a student population is
racially and ethnically diverse; interactional
diversity, or the experiences with others of different races, ethnicities, sexual orientations,
and cultures; cocurricular diversity, or campus
programs that promote cultural awareness and
intergroup dialogue; and curricular diversity,
or academic programs and courses that focus
on diversity. Scholars have found direct and indirect benefits with each of these forms of diversity including, but not limited to, enhancing
involvement in a democratic society, hindering
the perpetuation of segregation, contributing
to openness to and understanding of others,
improving academic skills, and increasing
student satisfaction (Harper & antonio, 2008;
Pope et al., 2009).
Despite the educational benefits of diversity, students in minority populations have
reported feelings of marginalization, while
students in majority populations have resisted
discussions about diversity. Many students
of color lack access to and mentorship from
68

same-race/same-ethnicity faculty, who are
hired at significantly low numbers across institutions of higher education (Quaye, Griffin, &
Museus, 2014). Consequently, these students
have felt isolated, unqualified, unconnected
to student activities, and unsatisfied within
chilly climates where prejudice and discrimination-both overt and covert-were regularly
encountered (Griffin, Nichols, Perez, & Tuttle,
2008; Quaye et al., 2014; Solórzano, Ceja, &
Yosso, 2010). International students have also
experienced challenges with language, food,
culture shock, and discriminatory patterns of
neo-racism (Lee, 2014). Meanwhile, researchers have noted that racial/ethnic minority students and their White peers often viewed the
campus racial climate in different ways (Harper
& Hurtado, 2010). Jones (2008) situated issues
of privilege and identity at the center of these
different views, which often resulted in majority students' resistance to cross-cultural engagement or any programs that might disrupt
comfort levels with the status quo.
Given both the benefits and obstacles associated with diversity on campus, researchers
have underscored the influential nature of a
campus's ecology and have exhorted student
affairs professionals to intentionally cultivate
the educational benefits of diversity. Some
scholars have noted that elements of campus
environments (such as climate, context, and
culture) can be appropriated to enhance the
educational benefits of diversity (Denson &
Chang, 2010; Hurtado, Milem, Clayton-Pedersen, & Allen, 2010; Kinzie & Mulholland,
2008; Museus, 2008). Consequently, Harper
and Quaye (2014) asserted that student affairs
professionals must be deliberate in facilitating learning and development with margin-

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

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