Attitudes about homosexuality affect residence hall life for all students, not just those who identify themselves as LGBT. This was the overall finding in research conducted by Michael Fanucce, residence hall coordinator in Hamilton and Whitten halls at Illinois State University. For his master’s thesis at Purdue University, Fanucce sought to investigate the relationship of LGBT and non-LGBT students’ perceived levels of homonegativity to their perceptions of the overall climate and community in campus residence halls.
He hypothesized that LGBT students would perceive their residence halls as having marked levels of homonegativity and that would correlate to a perception of poor community development and climate in residence halls. The findings supported this hypothesis.
Fanucce also hypothesized that the same relationship between the perception of homonegativity and perception of overall residence hall climate would not be found with non-LGBT students, and students who identified as LGBT-allies would respond similarly to LGBT students. Neither of these hypotheses was supported by the findings. Heterosexual students’ responses indicated the same type of relationship that LGBT student responses did, although a slightly weaker one. Early on in the analysis it was found that LGBT-allies responses were closer to the heterosexual responses, so they were counted together. This combined group’s responses showed that as levels of homonegativity increased, the perception of their residence hall climate became more negative.
Although similar studies had been done on a global level about the impact of homonegativity, there was no research that specifically addressed the climate in residence halls. The research was conducted in 2006, but was published this summer in the Journal of College and University Housing. The manuscript won the Betty L. Harrah Journal Manuscript of the Year Award.
“The study did a lot more than we expected. It turned out to be a lot timelier,” Fanucce said, referencing a recent incident of bullying in a residence hall at Rutgers University and the subsequent suicide of a student.
“No matter what an individual’s identity, the sheer pervasiveness of negativity and hatred impacts not only the LGBT community, but the residence hall as a whole.”
The research involved students at Purdue University, but Fanucce tries to address incidents of negativity with his own staff in the residence halls here and encourages them to correct negative behavior when it comes up.
“There are students who are not interested in rooming with someone because they are LGBT. We won’t move them. That’s a learning opportunity for them,” said Fanucce.
He said that parents have also gotten involved in these scenarios, even when students show a willingness to live with the roommate.
“It depends on where students come from and what they are used to. They don’t always expect to encounter diversity, but they are better off for it,” Fanucce said.
He also noted that negativity exists in all forms, is not isolated to the residence halls and is not solely directed at LGBT individuals; but it is more of a problem than some people would see readily. Open programming to work against the perceived stigma and to address all facets of the issue is necessary.
Fanucce is interested in expanding on his research and has several ideas of directions to take. Among the questions he would like to investigate is whether or not universities that rate themselves highly on LGBT acceptance and inclusivity are truly reflecting students’ perceptions of what is happening on campus.
He is interested in pursuing a longitudinal study assessing residence hall environments and whether targeted programming has any impact on perceptions of the climate and negativity.
He would also like to explore how a generation “bombarded” with diversity and typically viewed as more open and accepting differs from past generations. He is interested in learning whether today’s students are really more open and accepting, or rather simply more competent in how they are expected to feel about LGBT issues.
“For LGBT students, college can be one of the most freeing experiences they can have, but it all depends on the environment. For some recent students, their environments have not been as welcoming and open as individuals had thought. Faculty, administrators, and students in leadership roles really set the tone, and have to take an active role in confronting negativity when it is seen,” Fanucce said.
