Residential halls are an important component of college education, and the benefits for holistic personal development have been documented by previous research. The majority of studies, however, have focused on Western universities. The current research therefore assessed the academic, social and independent development of students attending…

This qualitative phenomenological study explored the experiences of students working as resident assistants (RAs) in college or university housing departments during the March 2020 COVID-19 shutdown. Twelve current and former RAs participated in qualitative interviews exploring their experience as their institutions shut down because of COVID-19.…

Students are transferring from community colleges to four-year institutions in increasing numbers, yet transfers are persisting and graduating from four-year institutions at lower levels than students who had begun at the institution. Research suggests that transfer students feel less connected to a four-year institution, and fostering transfer…

Religious, secular, and spiritual identities (RSSIs) are an important aspect of the complex experiences of students in higher education. Often dismissed or forgotten by higher education professionals, RSSIs have shifted drastically over the 20+ years since Love and Talbot first wrote about them in 1999. While scholarship on RSSIs has steadily…

Tara D. Hudson questions the potential of Duke's new policy of random roommate assignment to be successful in supporting learning about diversity. Hudson notes that with random roommate assignments, the conditions for attitude change are not necessarily met. There can be status differential and/or competition between the roommates as well as a…

The Sanction Enhancement Group, pilot tested in the Division of Housing at the University of Florida, was a structured group experience for residence hall students. The group's experience reflected a major goal of the judicial system within the Division of Housing--education through redirecting behavior. The group members were students whose…

Queer college students experience microaggressions and macro-aggressive behaviors that may diminish positive effects of on-campus housing. This longitudinal, qualitative study examined the narratives of 12 queer college students and their experiences living on campus toward understanding the ways queer college students navigate their required…

LGBTQ+ supportive practices in college and university housing must extend beyond cursory policies and practice. Applying a critical framework, The Traditionally Heterogendered Institution (THI), this study explores the experiences of 16 LGBTQ+ students navigating college and university housing. Findings illustrate how colleges and universities…

Students' sense of community is at the heart of their college success and can be impacted by many factors, including staff, programming, and hall design, as well as demographic variables such as age, ethnicity, and gender. The purpose of this study is to investigate how gender and student housing type at a faith-based institution influence sense…

This study investigated the perceptions and attitudes students have regarding their decision to participate or not as witnesses in a southwest United States private university gender-based violence adjudication process. The study also investigated whether there was a relationship between students' decisions to participate and their gender, age,…

A heterogeneous student body is valued in part because diverse interactions among students help create educated and competent citizens and promote learning and development. Campus housing is a primary setting for diverse interactions as students navigate living with individuals who differ from themselves. This study investigated how the roommate…

Research has found that learning communities contribute to positive educational outcomes by promoting positive peer relationships. New commentary has suggested that some benefits of niche programs may be due to the "protective segregation" of members from negative influences on campus. This mixed-methods study used social network…

Construction and new facility decisions regarding student housing remain difficult for many colleges and universities. Challenges associated with these decisions include rising building costs, waning government funding, daunting facility safety codes, and compliance with evolving accessibility legislation, among many factors. One solution,…

Sense of belonging is critical for students throughout their college experience, and even more so now, given the current concerns about undergraduate graduation rates. The purpose of this study was to explore how students' perception of their sense of belonging on campus is affected by where and with whom they live. We utilized a multidimensional…

This three-article dissertation sought to explore the potential causal link of students' collegiate residence with three broad categories of student outcomes. Using data from the Wabash National Study of Liberal Arts Education, each article employed propensity score matching in an effort to reduce selection bias associated with a student's…