Institutionally Designated Safe Spaces: Understanding How Black Students Utilize and Experience These Spaces to Develop a Sense of Belonging

open_access
Open Access
Author:
Cunningham, Emil Lee
Graduate Program:
Higher Education
Degree:
Doctor of Philosophy
Document Type:
Dissertation
Date of Defense:
March 06, 2015
Committee Members:
Leticia Oseguera, Dissertation Advisor/Co-Advisor
Leticia Oseguera, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Kimberly A Griffin, Committee Chair/Co-Chair
Pricilla Karen Murphy, Committee Member
Margaret Ann Lorah, Committee Member
Edgar I Farmer Sr., Committee Member
Keywords:
campus racial climate
sense of belonging
safe space
Black students
Abstract:
This paper explores the lived experiences of twelve self-identified Black students at Middle State University (Middle State), a predominantly White institution (PWI). This research focused on understanding how institutionally designated safe spaces (IDSS) helped Black students develop a sense of belonging after experiencing a negative campus racial incident (NCRI). Using Hurtado, Milem, Clayton-Pederson, and Allen’s (1999) campus racial climate model as a theoretical framework, this study developed a model to represent how Black students who utilize an IDSS to develop a sense of belonging with the broader campus community do so in concert with their engagement in both the academic and co-curricular realm. This research discovered that though NCRIs had an immediate effect on participants, it did not rise to a threshold that would diminish their ability to develop a sense of belonging, nor did it enhance or reduce their level of engagement with the IDSS. Additionally, it was discovered that Black students participating in this study attributed their development of a sense of belonging to the ability of a specific areas (IDSS, curricular, or co-curricular) to meet their individual needs related to belonging.