The exterior of Alma Clark Glass Hall that will house the Black Affinity Housing space Annika Taylor // AS Review
By Annika Taylor
Beginning in fall quarter, Western will be following the example of other universities by introducing Black Affinity Housing.
Last year, Vicki Vanderwerf, associate director of Residence Life, received a question sent over from the Office of Admissions. A Black identified female student asked if there was an opportunity to live with other Black students and at the time there was no space within a residence hall specifically for that need.
According to Residence Life at Western, affinity housing gives students the opportunity to live in a shared space with others who have a shared identity, specifically a marginalized identity. Currently, the only other affinity housing at Western is PRIDE housing which is designed to be LGBTQ+ affirming and gender-inclusive.
The process of designing Black Affinity Housing at Western started the summer of 2020. It involved calling several institutions around the country with currentBlack Affinity Housing programs about their challenges and how the community responded.
As planning continued into fall and winter the Black Affinity Housing advisory group was created consisting of Black identifying staff and faculty at Western.
According to Residence Life, the Black Affinity Housing space was created in response to student input and, specifically, the demands of Black Student Organization [BSO]. However, the creation of Black Affinity Housing is not directly linked to the demands of Western’s BSO chapter last June.
LaShaiah Dickerson, sophomore political science major, is one of three Black Student Coalition development specialists responsible for building the Western chapter of BSO. She signed the original BSO demands last June and imputed her own ideas into the demands.
“[BSO] were not consulted at all. I didn’t know about [Western’s Black Affinity Housing] until I signed on. Obviously now we get invited [to meetings]” said Dickerson.
Dickerson said that one reservation that the BSO had over Black Affinity Housing at Western was that there were no Black people inputting.
According to Dickerson, Black Affinity Housing at Western is not about attracting new students of color, it’s about building a sanctuary for Black students. There are no spaces on campus where students of color feel comfortable and Black Affinity Housing would work towards fulfilling that need.
Another relevant guide for the creation of Black Affinity Housing at Western is strategy 2.1 of the Viking Unions Equity and Diversity Action Plan: ‘Supporting the development of culturally relevant student-centered spaces.’
Alma Clark Glass residence hall [Glass Hall], opening fall quarter 2021 will be the location of Black Affinity Housing. Named after the first Black Western student, the new dorm is being built to honor Glass and the experiences of current Black students. This will be apparent through the building’s artwork, signage and design.
The construction of Glass Hall created an opportunity to implement Black Affinity Housing and design a residence hall with a program in mind. This is Residence Life’s first opportunity to design a building around a program and not the other way around.
Of the 400 beds in Glass Hall, 40 will be reserved for Black Affinity Housing. There will be multiple room options including singles, doubles, triples and suites. All Black Affinity Housing will be in the middle tier of Western’s new housing pricing system, to be introduced next year. Also included are lounges, study spaces and large community areas.
Dickerson said that The 40 bed cap of the total 400 available was something that the BSO fought.
“We know the community will probably start off small, just as Pride housing, or Gender neutral housing and other programs that we’ve started until the word gets out,” said Vanderwerf.
Residence Life and BSO agreed that if more than 40 students applied for Black Affinity Housing the program would be expanded.
Residence Life designed the Black Affinity Housing to create welcoming space for Black-identified students to build connections within the community, find opportunities for learning about multidimensional personal and social identities and to connect residents across campus in a way that promotes academic success and personal wellness centered around the Black student’s experience. Glass Hall was designed with the specific goal of community development.
The goal is for students in the affinity group to move in on Thursday, Sept. 16 and Friday, Sept. 17. During this period students will have the opportunity to tour the Multicultural Center, participate in a roundtable with staff and faculty, go to Lakewood and take a tour of Bellingham. Residence Life is also considering parent and guardian welcome and info sessions.
Early start activities were designed in collaboration between the Black Student Coalition and Residence Life. Outside of the first few days of festivities, the program is intended to create an ongoing experience.
As of June 10, twenty nine students have applied for Black Affinity Housing. Students who have applied to housing before the priority date are still able to request Black Affinity Housing. Housing continues to accept housing applications from students even though the priority application deadline has passed. During the application process students can request the community. Students who apply after the deadline are placed on a waitlist for a housing offer.
So far feedback from next year’s Black Affinity Housing students has been positive.
“Students are excited about this program and in some cases, it helped them make the decision to choose Western compared to other universities. Students who have applied are looking for a strong community where they can connect with others through a shared experience,” said Vanderwerf.