Pros And Cons Of A Lgbtq Living-Learning Community

Hello Dr. Lingrell,

Earlier this week, you asked me to provide you with feedback regarding the strengths and concerns of a residential LGBTQ Living-Learning Community (LLC). In the response below, I will apply my knowledge about campus environments to analyze the reality of housing an LGBTQ LLC on the University of West Georgia (UWG) campus.

First, it is important to understand that students who identify within the LGBTQ community desire the same privileges and experiences as their non-LGBTQ affiliated peers. Quaye and Harper (2015), emphasize that it is also important to acknowledge that even though each student will begin college with a variation of sexualities, some of them will develop non-heterosexual identities along the way. A major

Schuh, Jones, and Harper (2011), reported that marginalized students deal with feelings of depression, are less responsive to learning, and are more likely to leave an environment when they do not feel as though they matter. To combat these feelings and perceptions, the LGBTQ LLC will work as a way to show these students that they matter to the UWG community and society.

A crucial part in making this LLC strongly convey the message of mattering is its location on campus.. Strange and Banning (2015), assert that the location of a space and its overall design impact the way students engage in that space. This raises the question of where the LLC would be housed, and the impact that location would have on the overall LGBTQ student experience. It is my recommendation that, if implemented, the LLC be housed in the Oaks residence hall due to its prime location on the east side of campus, its abundant number of sociopetal spaces and study rooms, and its already established LLC

Strange and Banning (2015), wrote that inclusion and safety are the groundwork of building engagement and community within an academic environment. I believe that the feeling of safety for these students could be at risk due to the identity disclosing nature of the LLC. Quaye and Harper (2015), emphasize that the decision to “come out” is a deeply personal and continuous process for a LGBTQ person. They choose when, where, and how to disclose their identities. With this LLC, participants may automatically be “outed” or incorrectly identified within the LGBTQ community. With this in mind, there would need to be ongoing conversations about how to promote the LLC in a way that does not “out” its participants, but also support the participants who choose to disclose. There would also need to be clarification on how students will be selected to participate in the