http://www.ctpost.com/news/article/UConn-starts-exclusive-African-American-dorm-6800953.phpUConn starts exclusive African American dormAs Black History month commences, the University of Connecticut has made a controversial move.
The school is introducing a residence hall exclusively open to African American males at its Storrs campus. The ScHOLAČRS House, which stands for "Scholastic House Of Leaders who are African American Researchers & Scholars," is an initiative started by Dr. Erik Hines, whose research centers on African American male academic achievement.
According to its website, "UConn ScHOLAČRS House is a scholastic initiative to groom, nurture, and train the next generation of leaders to address grand challenges in society through the promotion of academic success in undergraduate programs at the University of Connecticut and in competitive graduate programs."
UConn's student paper, The Daily Campus, reported mixed reviews on campus. "I was not pleased, my immediate thought was 'What?'" Haddiyyah Ali, a fourth-semester Africana studies and political science major told the paper. "I know there had to be a lot of research that went into it...but just for me coming from a student perspective, my initial thought was what about black women and girls what about us?"
The site states that the reason behind the residence hall is to combat the low retention and graduation rate of black males.
"In response to the research on black male success in college, we have developed a grant-funded program to intentionally provide a supportive community of engagement for students using the successful Learning Community model which provides enrichment programs for undergraduate students on campus."
