Talking Stick - July/August 2018 - 25

common interests or identities; some
are connected specifically to colleges
or majors, while others are designed
more specifically "for students with a
shared background." Their identitybased communities include the Pan
African Theme Hall, an African/African American community; Mundo
Hall, a Chicano/Latino community;
and Stonewall Hall, an LGBTQ+ community. Their intention is not to segregate groups of students but instead
to be inclusive of anyone interested
in or allied with these groups. The
Pan African Theme Hall, for example,
"welcomes all students with similar
goals and expectations of expanding
and developing the consciousness in
the area of Pan-African culture and its
relationship to other cultures of the
world," while Stonewall Hall "welcomes students of all gender identities
and sexual orientations."
UC Irvine houses several LLCs in
its Arroyo Vista housing community:
the Academic Excellence Black Scholars House "explores the interconnectedness of scholarship and personal
identity across the Black diaspora
within the context of the University";
the Ele Si Rosa Parks Theme House
offers housing for undergraduates
interested in Black history; the Casa
César Chávez House helps to achieve
many of the objectives fostered by the
university's Department of Chicano/
Latino Studies; La Casa Nuestra House
provides an immersion experience
in Spanish; and the Spectrum House
affirms the experiences of LGBTQ+
students.
The University of Vermont supports a Cultural Crossroads community where upper-division students can
explore various cultures or interests
within an array of communities
designed or led by students, faculty,
or staff. The community identities are
subject to change each year; present ones include the Africa House, a

COMMUNITIES
BASED ON IDENTITY
DO NOT SIMPLY
HOUSE STUDENTS
TOGETHER BASED ON
IDENTITY; THEY ARE
LIVING-LEARNING
COMMUNITIES THAT
PROVIDE INTENTIONAL
ACADEMIC AND
SOCIAL SUPPORT
TO OFTEN
MARGINALIZED AND
UNDERREPRESENTED
STUDENTS IN A WAY
THAT CELEBRATES
THEIR CULTURAL OR
GENDER IDENTITY.

faculty-led community where residents
learn about African cultures and traditions; La Casa de Cultura, a student-designed community that explores Latin
American cultures and the Spanish
language; and the LBGTQA Collaborative, a staff-led community that
promotes learning about the diversity
of sexual and gender identities. These
residences have gradually developed
into what they are today: intentional
communities led by student affairs
professionals who provide enhanced
programming and other student development opportunities.
Having safe, supportive spaces can
help residents who are most suscepti-

ble to social and cultural dislocation as
they transition to college. Living with
other students having similar cultural
identities can help integrate students
into the larger campus community.
"There is a quick bond between the
residents, in large part because of
their shared lived experiences," says
Kelsey Shook, a resident director at
UC Riverside. Kevin Nguyen Chastain,
coordinator for student programs
there, notes how students in an
LGBTQ+ community bonded over a
core element of their identity. "Even
though everyone came from different
backgrounds they were able to connect
on this specific identity of sexuality.
Students liked how there was a community full of other students who were
going through the motions they did."
Identity-based LLCs are often run
as partnerships among several campus
entities. UC Riverside manages its
LLCs with a three-prong partnership
among residential life, housing services, and the cultural center relevant
to the community. Residential life
handles the programming, funding,
staffing, and day-to-day tasks, and
each LLC is supported by a resident
director, an assistant director, and two
student staff: a resident advisor and an
academic outreach coordinator. Housing services assigns spaces, manages
marketing, and works with residential
life to ensure that residents understand their responsibilities. In addition
to their campus-wide efforts, cultural
centers pay special attention to the
identity-based LLCs; Chicano Student
Programs, African Student Programs,
and the LGBT Resource Center help
with programming and student staff
selection. Identity-based LLCs undergo
constant revision and renewal at UC
Irvine; every three years, academic
colleges and/or university departments
submit sponsorship proposals to
residential life for identity-based housing options. The proposal identifies

JULY + AUGUST 2018

25
Talking Stick - July/August 2018

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