Are the University of Illinois’ Residence Halls Segregated by Race?

1. Are the University of Illinois’ Residence Halls Segregated by Race? Nicole Sorell EPS 500 Race and the University

2. Subsidiary Questions • Do minority students choose which residence hall they want to live in or does housing segregate the students? • Do minority students “self-segregate” by choice and if so, why?

3. Research Plan • Total of 7 participants • 6 women and 1 male participant • All freshmen students • 1 male and 1 female-Caucasian • 1 female-African American • 4 females-Latinas More specifically: 2-Mexican American 1-Half Mexican and Puerto Rican 1-Half Mexican, Polish and German

4. Research Materials • 7 tape recorded interviews with each individual participant • University of Illinois Department of Housing Statistics from 1996-2004.

5. Method for interview data analysis • Open coding- A qualitative method in which I conducted the interviews, and transcribed the information. • Coding frames- My second step in analysis consisted of looking at the interviews in a more specific and detailed manner for similarities and differences in order to answer my questions of interest.

6. Interview Preliminary Findings • Are the University of Illinois’ residence halls segregated by race? 4 out of the 7 participants-Had heard the dorm rumor and could see it to be true. (2 Latinas and 1 African American and 1 Caucasian) The 3 other participants did not verbally hear the rumor, but instead revealed that they have seen this rumor as a reality in the dorms. (2 Latinas, 1 Caucasian)

7. Interview Preliminary Findings cont. • Have you noticed any type of segregation among students in the dorm? 6 out of 7 students noticed segregation in their and other dorms. The other student identified segregation at Fraternity Parties and other types of parties. (Caucasian-male)

8. Interview Preliminary Findings cont. • When participants were asked whether their dorm had a large population of students of their same ethnicity: ISR-Caucasian female-Yes ISR-Latina-No PAR/FAR-Latinas-Yes PAR/FAR-African American-Yes Six Pack-Latina-No Six Pack-Caucasian male-Yes

9. Interview Preliminary Findings cont. • Do minority students choose which residence hall they want to live in or does housing segregate the students? • Was this residence hall your first pick when you signed up for the dorms? 5 out of 7 participants received their first pick. 1 Latina living in FAR had wanted to live in the Six Pack. 1 Latina living in FAR had received her 1st pick to live in Six Pack, yet found a roommate and was reassigned to FAR.

10. Interview Preliminary Findings cont. 2. Do minority students “self-segregate” by choice and if so, why? • Only the African American student from FAR acknowledged this topic: *Did your aunt tell you anything about it (dorm rumor) when she was living in FAR as a student? “A little bit, she did kinda say that. She was like, um, she said she didn’t know if it was deliberately but it is a tendency every year there just happens to be a lot of minorities that live here, that’s placed over here, so.”

11. Statistical data analysis • Are the University of Illinois’ residence halls segregated by race? • Statistical data from the Housing Department was analyzed from 1996-2004. • Recurrent trends will be discussed further.

12. Statistical data analysis for 1998 and 2004

13. Trends throughout 1996 and 2004FAR and PAR • 7 years of statistics prove that FAR has the largest underrepresented minority population based on the dorms studied. • So much so, that these minority students actually amount to the majority in FAR! • Where as, for 7 years, the Caucasian students fall below the majority and are the minority in FAR! • Only 2000 shows that in FAR Caucasians total 51.8%, while in PAR they total only 48.3% • So in 2000 the Caucasian students were the minority in PAR.

14. Trends throughout 1996 and 2004 FAR and PAR cont. • Trends also reveal that the Asian percentage remained highest in FAR and PAR combined, compared to all other dorms analyzed. • This does not fit with the “dorm rumor,” yet does correlate to the student interviews. • Trends also reveal that the African American percentage remained highest in FAR and PAR combined, compared to all other dorms analyzed. • This does fit with the “dorm rumor,” and also correlates to the student interviews.

15. Trends throughout 1996 and 2004 FAR and PAR cont. • For the most part, Latino students tend to be evenly spread out among the dorms analyzed. • Yet from 2000-2004, the percentage of Latino students living in FAR and PAR grew significantly and exceeded the percentages found in the Six Pack.

16. Trends throughout 1996 and 2004 Six Pack • Caucasians remain the majority by a significant percentage throughout the 8 years in both Gregory and Peabody halls (SIX PACK) versus FAR, PAR, and ISR. • Implying that the Six Pack is the dorm with the highest Caucasian percentages versus minority percentages. • Also, this proves the “dorm rumor” as being true in relation to the Six Pack as the dorm where “most of the white students live.” • Gregory: high-69.9% FAR: high-51.8% • Gregory: low-61.5% FAR: low-41.1% • Peabody: high-71.9% PAR: high-63.1% • Peabody: low-66% PAR: low-46.1%

17. Trends throughout 1996 and 2004 ISR • ISR had the lowest percentages for African American students throughout the 8 years. • As low as 3.2% in 1999 and only as high as 5.3 in 1996, versus the highest percentage of 36.5% in FAR and PAR in 1997!

18. Let’s answer this question! • Are the University of Illinois’ residence halls segregated by race? YES! • This is a problem because this study cannot prove whether the University is segregating students, or whether students are self- segregating!

19. Implications for Future Research • Expand sample size and number of interviews. • Interview upper-class men/women. • Compare to other dorms such as LAR and Allen. • Interview housing staff for knowledge on housing admissions and procedures.