Culture Centers Sandoval

RUNNING HEAD: Culture Centers

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Culture Centers Melanie R. Sandoval Northern Illinois University

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Introduction: Since their creation, culture centers have always played an important role to the success of marginalized students within higher education institutions. The first culture center dates back to the 1960s and 1970s Black Student Movement. In 1967 the first Black Culture Center (BCC) was created, Paul Robeson Culture Center (Patton, 2010). Culture centers have, and continue to have, a social justice underlining. After a series of social justice movements orchestrated by students of colors in their predominantly White institutions (PWIs), culture centers became a reality. Students of color felt the disconnect and the lack of representation within their institutions, because of the disconnect, students began the demand of these physical spaces on their college campuses. Culture centers are still relevant today, students nationwide continue to ask for these physical spaces within their PWIs. Students continue to report the lack of connection and representation they see within their institutions. “Historical literature on BCCs consistently characterized administration and higher education institutions in general as resistant to change” (Patton, 2010). When students of color began to integrate higher education institutions, they were not always welcomed, students of color where encountered with hate speech and hate crimes. Hate crimes and hate speech are still relevant in today’s higher education institutions. About 154 incidents of hate crime and hate speech have been reported on college campuses in the past year (Hayes, Samaha, & Ansari, 2017). In this paper, I will be discussing the role of culture centers in PWIs, and the value of their existence in higher education institutions, as well

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as considering strategies institutions may take in order to provide quality culture centers for their students. Historic Content of the Issue: In 1967, the Paul Robeson Culture Center was the first Black Culture Center to be established at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey (Patton, 2010). The creation of this culture center was associated with the Black Student Movement that happened in the 1960s and 1970s. The Black Student Movements began because of the lack of representations and inclusion that Black students felt on their campuses. Black students wanted to have more inclusive environments within their institutions, and sought for the adequate resources to help their graduation success and college experience. During the Black Student Movement, Black students released a series of demands, demands that were expected to be met by the institution. “They made a host of demands to ensure that their experiences were represented and supported in the cultural, academic, and social context of the university” (Patton, 2010). Demands included, but were not limited to the curriculum incorporation of Black studies, Black Culture Centers, focused recruitment on Black students, and the hiring of diverse faculty and staff. “Black students’ demands for BCC’s were inextricably intertwined with the yearning to see Black culture manifest throughout their entire system of higher education. In essence, they wanted to see their culture recognized in academics (curriculum and faculty), social life (student activities, residential life) and administrative affairs (financial aid, admissions)” (Patton, 2010).

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Certainly, PWIs were not welcoming to the demands of the students. Institutions challenged the demands done by the students, and claimed that these spaces, in specific Black Culture Centers, would only further separate the students and the institution as a whole. Institutions imposed that the incorporation and demands of the students would go against their university and college missions, as it would only create more separation, resulting in the exclusion of other students within their universities and colleges (Patton, 2010). Students were not satisfied with their institutions response and the lack of initiative they were portraying when it came to meeting their needs and assuring that their Black students were successfully navigating through their college experience. The Black Student Movement was a result of the shortfall of these institutions in the incorporation of the list of demands presented to them. The Black Student movement included a series of social justice movements organized by Black students, students wanted to emphasize their presence and the important attributions that they made to their institutions. Students wanted to hold their institutions accountable to the demands that they were seeking. Students planned a series of walk outs, sit-ins, demonstrations, and would even withdraw from the institutions if the demands were not being executed. Black students also reached out to the press, explicitly explaining their experiences on their campus. Students made sure to highlight the lack of inclusivity, representation and support that they were receiving from their institutions. The students’ narratives brought nationwide awareness to the racial climate that students of color faced on PWIs. Institutions began to realize the negative attention their institutions were gaining through the students’ narratives that the media displayed, and

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began to welcome the demands of the students. The evolution of BCCs validated the efforts of Black students, institutions began to acknowledge their voices and experiences as being part of their institutions’ narratives. The addition of BCCs provided Black Students with a physical space within their institution to call their home. Students described BCCs to be their home away from home, often serving as “a safe haven, a place to retreat from the perceived hostility of an unwelcoming campus community” (Young & Hannon, 2002). Students indications of the positive effects that the incorporation of BCCs had within their communities, helped students cope with the hostility and the lack of inclusivity they faced in their overall institutions climate. When researching the fundamental goals of the BCCs, Stovall (2005), indicates that BCCs are meant to “direct student frustrations into, not away from, academic activities; to guide students to challenge, rather than retreat from, unfairness in the classroom and in the campus community in general; to assist students in building a Black support system that constructs positive self and group identities; to provide avenues that will allow students to feel empowered via involvement in campus life, success in the classroom and intellectual growth; to provide the opportunity for African American, White and all other students, faculty, staff, administrators, as well as the surrounding campus community, to interact with and learn about the African American culture and experience” (p.106). Furthermore, the implementation of BCCs, encouraged other students of color in other PWIs, who were also experiencing the lack of inclusivity in their institutions, to hold their institutions accountable in providing an inclusive environment for all students. A series of nationwide social justice movements began to unfold within other PWIs, resulting in the creation of other culture centers within their institutions. Students of color

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nationwide sought culture centers as resources that their institutions should provide, to help assist their academic success. Although BCCs were the first culture centers to come to existence, they served as a model for other culture centers to come. Other marginalized identities began to ask for similar resources for their communities. A variety of culture centers can now be found in higher education institutions, for example, Latino/a Culture Centers, Asian American Culture Centers, and Native American Culture Centers, just to name a few. BCCs were the first to model how their existence benefits their intended student populations, as well as the universities’ environment as a whole. Relevance of this issue to contemporary higher education: Culture centers rooted from the advocacy and social justice movements done by their students. Today, they continue to serve their students. Within these culture centers you will find a series of resources that are provided for their students. Culture centers house an array of resources for their students, ranging, but not limited to: mentoring programs, honor societies, student organizations, alumni outreach, curriculum incorporation of cultural studies, student recruitment and retention, and cultural programing. Although culture centers are found in various institutions, they are still underserved by the institutions. Culture centers are departments that often struggle for funding and validation within PWIs, aligning with the history of their creation. PWIs notoriously fail to validate the importance of culture centers within their institutions, and fail to adequately provide the centers with fair facilities to house their centers. Usually, not always, culture centers are in smaller buildings or even found in the outskirts of the

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institutions, rather than in centralized locations, like the majority of their departments. Other times, the conditions of the culture centers are poor, not reflecting the quality found within the rest of the institutions’ departments. And even then, when researching culture centers, it is noticeable that culture centers are not found in every higher education institution. Students of color still continue to host series of social justice movements and demands in hopes of obtaining quality culture centers (Patton, 2010). PWIs continue to be hostile environments for students of color. In the past year there has been 154 incidents reported, in over 120 institutions, of racial hate speech and crime directed at students of color in PWIs. Incidents range from racial slurs, to at times, deaths. For example, the demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia. This demonstration was a one of many incidents that students of color continue to face on the daily within their PWIs. This demonstration was created by a group of White supremacist that were protesting the removal of confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Protestors were chanting, “You will not replace us”, “Jews will not replace us”, and the Nazi slogan “Blood and soil”. Protestors also carried confederate flags and would display the Nazi salutation. This demonstration resulted in the death of a 32-year old counter protestor, when a White supremacist drove a car into the crowd that was counter protesting their white supremacist demonstration (Hayes, Samaha, & Ansari, 2017). PWIs continue to be a hostile environment for students of color. As they continue to be underserved, underrepresented, and unwelcomed, and this is why having physical spaces, like culture centers, are imperative to the success of marginalized students whom attend these universities and colleges. Students of color continue to express the

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lack of inclusivity and importance they are given. Students of color, when feeling isolated in PWIs, are less likely to utilize conventional university services, such as counseling, academic advising, and refrain from joining dominant student organizations (Ladson-Billing, 2010). Making these physical spaces, culture centers, and important tool to the success of their college experience. Culture centers continue to serve as a safe space for their students. What strategies have been or can be used by higher education institutions to address this issue? Culture center faculty, staff, and students need to continue to hold their institutions accountable of their existence. It is important for culture centers to annually conduct analysis of their facilities. These analyses may provide quantitative facts, justifying their importance on campus. Culture centers may provide quantitative research showing the impact they have on the recruitment and retention of their intended student demographics. By showing factual numbers to the university, culture centers are able to hold the overall PWI accountable for the resources they should be providing for their centers and students. Incorporating a climate survey of the institution may also help voice student’s opinions and concerns. This way, both the institution as well as the culture center are able to first hand hear the opinion of the students they are intended to serve. It is also imperative for culture centers to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses. This information may allow culture centers to continue those successful programs and resources, as well as improving those that may lack structure or attention. Although analyzing culture centers and their structure is time consuming, it is

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a fair investment to their students. Showing the importance culture centers have on their campuses. Keeping the analysis in mind, it is important that the analyzation is keeping the intended student population in mind. Incorporating the centers’ students, faculty and staff is an important population to keep in mind, as they are who regularly use these facilities and their services, as well as being the original population for whom these culture centers were intended to serve. Conclusion: Culture centers continue to be a topic of discussion in higher education institutions. The importance and relevance of these spaces continue to be controversial. However, these culture centers continue to positively influence the experience of marginalized students who attend predominantly White institutions, and continue to provide their students with the necessary tools to better their college experience as a whole. Culture centers serve as the home away from home for their students, providing them with the academic and personal support needed to help them achieve graduation, and degree attainment. Culture centers continue to be as relevant today, as they first were in 1960. The creation of these culture centers is valid proof of the successful social justice movements students of color have established. These social justice movements have opened the door to an inclusive campus climate in PWIs. Furthermore, allowing marginalized students to feel comfortable and accepted in their institutions and over all positively advancing their experiences in these predominantly White institutions.

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Landson-Billing, (2010). Culture centers in higher education: perspectives on identity, theory, and practice. Sterling (Virginia): Stylus. Mike Hayes, Albert Samaha, Talal Ansari. (2017, September 27). We Found 154 Incidents Of Hate Speech And Violence At More Than 120 College Campuses. Retrieved December 11, 2017, from https://www.buzzfeed.com/mikehayes/wefound-154-incidents-of-college-hate-speech-andviolence?utm_term=.dn0EE0lGz#.le4JJQdV6 Patton, L. D. (2010). Culture centers in higher education: perspectives on identity, theory, and practice. Sterling (Virginia): Stylus.