More Than an Assemblage of Queers: Queering Living-Learning Communities.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	More Than an Assemblage of Queers: Queering Living-Learning Communities.
Authors:	SILVIA, JESS¹ jessbs@vt.edu, CATALANO, D. CHASE J.² ccatalano@vt.edu
Source:	Journal of College & University Student Housing. 2024, Vol. 50 Issue 3, p12-25. 14p.
Subject Terms:	Universities & colleges, Service learning, Queer theory, Eyewitness accounts
Abstract:	USING SCHOLARLY PERSONAL NARRATIVES AS A RESEARCH TOOL, we explored how the director of an LGBTQ+ living-learning program (LLP) created community within the constructs of an otherwise cis- and heteronormative residential environment. We reviewed the first author's reflections about community experiences and analyzed them for opportunities to upend assumptions, practices, and operations for more liberatory futures. Students participating in LLPs tend to have higher levels of engagement and belonging, but those with marginalized identities may benefit even more from this kind of involvement. The first author's personal narratives about serving as an LGBTQ+ LLP program director revealed that many of the residents appreciated the feelings of affinity and safety offered by this residential community, and they were uninterested in engaging in community in many of the expected ways (i.e., program attendance). Our exploration offers liberatory possibilities for queering institutional transformation, with the recognition that campus housing professionals should reconsider their expectations for all LLPs, and higher education institutions must make strong commitments to provide support that resists assumptions about queerness and community. The stability and growth of this LLP requires specific support that allows it to evolve into configurations that reflect the needs of its divergent communities while still being centered in queerness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	USING SCHOLARLY PERSONAL NARRATIVES AS A RESEARCH TOOL, we explored how the director of an LGBTQ+ living-learning program (LLP) created community within the constructs of an otherwise cis- and heteronormative residential environment. We reviewed the first author's reflections about community experiences and analyzed them for opportunities to upend assumptions, practices, and operations for more liberatory futures. Students participating in LLPs tend to have higher levels of engagement and belonging, but those with marginalized identities may benefit even more from this kind of involvement. The first author's personal narratives about serving as an LGBTQ+ LLP program director revealed that many of the residents appreciated the feelings of affinity and safety offered by this residential community, and they were uninterested in engaging in community in many of the expected ways (i.e., program attendance). Our exploration offers liberatory possibilities for queering institutional transformation, with the recognition that campus housing professionals should reconsider their expectations for all LLPs, and higher education institutions must make strong commitments to provide support that resists assumptions about queerness and community. The stability and growth of this LLP requires specific support that allows it to evolve into configurations that reflect the needs of its divergent communities while still being centered in queerness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	0161827X