The University of Connecticut has announced that in the fall of 2016 it will open a dormitory space that will be earmarked for Black men, but students of any race may apply to live in the university’s living/learning community. The Scholastic House Of Leaders who are African American Researchers and Scholars (ScHOLA²RS House) has the stated goal of “grooming, nurturing, and training 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. The intent of the living/learning community is to increase the retention and persistence of students using educational and social experiences to enhance the residents’ academic success.”
ScHOLA²RS House will be located in a 200,000-square-foot dorm set to open in 2016. About 40 Black men will be able to participate in the living/learning community.
Erik Hines, an assistant professor of educational psychology at the university, will serve as faculty adviser to ScHOLA²RS House. Dr. Hines told local television outlet WTIC-TV that ScHOLA²RS House will be “a space for African American men to one, come together and validate their experiences that they may have on campus. Number two, it’s also a space where they can have conversation and also talk with individuals who come from the same background who share the same experience.”
Dr. Hines is a graduate of Florida State University, where he majored in social science education. He holds a master’s degree in school counseling from the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, and a Ph.D. in counselor education from the University of Maryland.
