Institutional Support and Black Women Resident Assistants across Environments

Abstract

Resident assistants are unique among undergraduate leaders since they straddle the roles of student and university employee simultaneously. Through a phenomenographic approach, this study examines how Black women resident assistants (RAs) describe institutional support at a historically White institution (HWI). Three findings were identified: academic spaces and relationships were barriers to receiving support; self-selected student services offered both opportunities and barriers to support; and residential professional staff and fellow RAs created spaces for support.