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Showing Original Post only (View all)Black men only: UConn's proposed 'learning community' sparks controversy [View all]
The University of Connecticut is building a special residence for those who identify as African-American males, as a way to boost retention and graduation rates. Critics of the plan are calling the arrangement "racially segregated housing."
As part of its Learning Community Program, the university has established "houses" designed to match students with like-minded peers, in order to foster development and to "make UConn feel like home," according to the school's website. In addition to houses aimed at environmentally-conscious students or nursing majors, for example, a new house under construction will cater to African-American men only.
The SCHOLA2RS House ‒ which stands for Scholastic House Of Leaders who are African American Researchers and Scholars ‒ "is a scholastic initiative to groom, nurture, and train the next generation of leaders to address grand challenges in society through the promotion of academic success in undergraduate programs at the University of Connecticut and in competitive graduate programs," the university said.
The only one of the "learning communities" based on gender or race, the house is scheduled to open in the fall semester of 2016, WTIC reported. SCHOLA2RS will be located in a 200,000-square-foot dorm that will hold more than 700 other students, according to officials connected with the program.
"African American males graduate at a lower rate than their peers," said Dr. Erik Hines, a professor of educational psychology at UConn who focuses on research pertaining to African-American male academic achievement, especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). "So the University of Connecticut was forward-thinking in bringing a solution to this issue."
In 2012, the graduation rate for all UConn students was 82.5 percent, while the graduation rate for black males was 54 percent. That was the main impetus to build the new house, according to Hines.
"It is a space for African American men to one, come together and validate their experiences that they may have on campus," Hines added. "Number two, it's also a space where they can have conversation and also talk with individuals who come from the same background who share the same experience."
The unusual move has prompted an outpouring of criticism. On the anonymous subreddit board for "all things UConn," commenters have expressed concern with "identity politics" on college campuses and students that "want to hide in a shell and want people to hand them things." Some are alarmed at the fact that "UConn is considering racially segregated housing," and that the house is leaving out African-American women.
Students and others have pointed out that the housing is optional, and therefore not quite comparable to racially segregated housing. Others have supported the house in light of its goals, which include boosting academic performance of male African-American students.
As part of its Learning Community Program, the university has established "houses" designed to match students with like-minded peers, in order to foster development and to "make UConn feel like home," according to the school's website. In addition to houses aimed at environmentally-conscious students or nursing majors, for example, a new house under construction will cater to African-American men only.
The SCHOLA2RS House ‒ which stands for Scholastic House Of Leaders who are African American Researchers and Scholars ‒ "is a scholastic initiative to groom, nurture, and train the next generation of leaders to address grand challenges in society through the promotion of academic success in undergraduate programs at the University of Connecticut and in competitive graduate programs," the university said.
The only one of the "learning communities" based on gender or race, the house is scheduled to open in the fall semester of 2016, WTIC reported. SCHOLA2RS will be located in a 200,000-square-foot dorm that will hold more than 700 other students, according to officials connected with the program.
"African American males graduate at a lower rate than their peers," said Dr. Erik Hines, a professor of educational psychology at UConn who focuses on research pertaining to African-American male academic achievement, especially in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM). "So the University of Connecticut was forward-thinking in bringing a solution to this issue."
In 2012, the graduation rate for all UConn students was 82.5 percent, while the graduation rate for black males was 54 percent. That was the main impetus to build the new house, according to Hines.
"It is a space for African American men to one, come together and validate their experiences that they may have on campus," Hines added. "Number two, it's also a space where they can have conversation and also talk with individuals who come from the same background who share the same experience."
The unusual move has prompted an outpouring of criticism. On the anonymous subreddit board for "all things UConn," commenters have expressed concern with "identity politics" on college campuses and students that "want to hide in a shell and want people to hand them things." Some are alarmed at the fact that "UConn is considering racially segregated housing," and that the house is leaving out African-American women.
Students and others have pointed out that the housing is optional, and therefore not quite comparable to racially segregated housing. Others have supported the house in light of its goals, which include boosting academic performance of male African-American students.
https://www.rt.com/usa/330645-uconn-black-scholars-housing/
I'm all for giving black men a better chance at success in college, but I don't feel that comfortable with this so-called "learning community". The house isn't entirely separated from other students of race so I wouldn't call it complete segregation, but I am concerned that improving the academic performance of black men involved giving them their own little dorm away from other races. I don't think that's the way to go imo.
What do you all think?
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Black men only: UConn's proposed 'learning community' sparks controversy [View all]
romanic
Jan 2016
OP
It's interesting how nobody complains about the nursing majors, or crew participants, or whatever
Recursion
Jan 2016
#9
Why is that a problem for you- it literally is a common interest, or did that fly over your head?
bettyellen
Jan 2016
#53
If white students see that university enforced blacks-only dorms are permitted,
Nye Bevan
Jan 2016
#30
I think it is a good idea but I sure do like this article about it from U Conn's own paper
Bluenorthwest
Jan 2016
#7
A Google search brings up a few rt, Fox News and other similar sources with only the Daily Campus
Bluenorthwest
Jan 2016
#12
Homogenous clubs and frats doesn't seem to have hurt white students too much. nt
bemildred
Jan 2016
#16
The dorm is 200,000 sq feet, housing hundreds of students of all sorts, this is a section of a floor
Bluenorthwest
Jan 2016
#19
So if a town council democratically votes to divide its town-owned public housing
Nye Bevan
Jan 2016
#36
Here's a question, should realtors be able to discriminate based on race? n/t
Humanist_Activist
Jan 2016
#42
Yes, of course, that doesn't make it right, it sounds to me like you want to overturn...
Humanist_Activist
Jan 2016
#76
Wait, hold the phone. You support segregation by race in housing?!? Did you land on the wrong site?
X_Digger
Jan 2016
#127
If black males themselves are requesting it and it is voluntary I think it's great.
CTyankee
Jan 2016
#21
if learning is the issue, why not open to all who need learning-enhanced housing?
wordpix
Jan 2016
#57
because each would benefit from having their own ethnic grouping. That's fine.
CTyankee
Jan 2016
#59
IMO, there's no benefit to "ethnic grouping" re: making a learning env't available
wordpix
Jan 2016
#60
Not everbody will want that kind of housing and they still could go into the mixed dorms.
CTyankee
Jan 2016
#62
my husband said that at UCONN the team members are together, regardless of race.
CTyankee
Jan 2016
#75
Isn't such reasoning the very antithesis of the purported benefits of diversity,
branford
Jan 2016
#70
while the women's team is still fabulous and their graduation rate is excellent...
CTyankee
Feb 2016
#144
The women's team did a LOT for women's sports in this country. I loved their ascent and
CTyankee
Feb 2016
#146
oh, god, too much sports stuff for me...you and my hubby could go on and on about
CTyankee
Feb 2016
#148
No, the university is building housing only open to those of a particular race.
Nye Bevan
Jan 2016
#25
If the students are demanding university-enforced racially segregated housing,
Nye Bevan
Jan 2016
#29
Even if a majority of the students wanted "separate but equal" racially segregated housing,
Nye Bevan
Jan 2016
#37
If a majority of the citizens of Mississippi had wanted to keep the Jim Crow laws,
Nye Bevan
Jan 2016
#40
Free clue: Five guys of the same race renting a 5 bedroom apartment is free association.
X_Digger
Jan 2016
#128
So you are basically advocating for a return to the world of the 1950s, Jim Crow and all?
Humanist_Activist
Jan 2016
#77
My honest assessment, you seem to have a complete lack of understanding of society...
Humanist_Activist
Feb 2016
#129
Link to where racially segregating student housing improves graduation rates?
Nye Bevan
Feb 2016
#162
that's just silly. they will have their basic freshman year class load and interact with lots
CTyankee
Jan 2016
#64
Some colleges have difficult course loads for new freshmen and then there are all the
CTyankee
Jan 2016
#69
Ummm.... the fact that a white or Asian student would not be permitted to live there? (nt)
Nye Bevan
Jan 2016
#80
The argument that black people actually benefit by being segregated from white people
Nye Bevan
Jan 2016
#100
I don't think I've ever seen quite so many pro-segregation arguments advanced
Nye Bevan
Jan 2016
#113
Yes. This is happening in a lot of areas in education based on evidence that it works.
Iris
Jan 2016
#124
While others recognize the relevant differences between safe spaces and segregation.
LanternWaste
Feb 2016
#135
I think some are missing an important point here - there is more than 1 learning community at UConn
Iris
Jan 2016
#122
Students choosing to live together because they share an interest in innovation, or human rights,
Nye Bevan
Feb 2016
#158
Yep. The claim that people somehow benefit when their contact with people of other races is reduced,
Nye Bevan
Feb 2016
#157
Why exclude Native Americans, Asians, and whites, from the "scholar/leader program"?
Nye Bevan
Feb 2016
#159
Native Americans ARE ALREADY being discriminated against, and it's not by black men
JI7
Feb 2016
#175
In that event, one or more of the frats could host ScHOLA2RS in their houses.
KamaAina
Feb 2016
#174
Yep, defending this kind of thing does lead to some tricky, difficult-to-answer questions.
Nye Bevan
Feb 2016
#196