The Color of Conduct: A S.I.S.T.A.\u27s Tale of Race, Housing, and Higher Education

S.I.S.T.A., suffering in silence to be acknowledged, is an acronym that symbolizes the hidden voices of Black women in higher education and abroad. This study examined the experiences of a graduate student woman of color impacted by university housing policies and practices as a judicial student conduct officer at a historically white institution. Using autoethnography as a methodology, grounded in critical race theory (CRT) as a theoretical framework, this qualitative study aims to highlight the ways Black women can and have been harmed in predominantly white spaces and processes within higher education. The application of the aforementioned frameworks found the major themes: (a) power vs. resistance, (b) shifting in the Black body, (c) humanizing Black students and staff, and (d) I AM MORE than melanin to be critical in uncovering Black women voices and moving the field of higher education forward