Homesickness is a complex phenomenon that operates on a spectrum and impacts individuals' psychological, cognitive, and physical functioning. Sufferers experience a preoccupation of home and a strong desire to return home. In higher education, homesickness among first-year students has been linked to a higher risk of dropping out of school,…

The multidimensional role of entry-level, live-in residence life and housing staff has grown even more complex in recent years. These staff members, often referred to as resident directors, are frequently asked to go beyond the role of RA supervisor, community builder, and policy enforcer. Now they also serve to support students with significant…

Rural undergraduate students at flagship universities in the United States are typically outnumbered by their urban and suburban peers. Students from rural demographic backgrounds bring different forms of social and cultural capital to higher education with them. This phenomenological study at a flagship university in the Deep South region of the…

Higher education students face various challenges that often negatively impact their retention rates. Combining multiple challenges leads some students to focus less on academic priorities and their potential retention. Some students begin using drugs and/or alcohol to cope with the stresses, sometimes negatively affecting retention. The negative…

Live-in staff and students have never, even under the most stifling corporatized conditions, "stopped" developing their intimate and personal lives. The act of living, both with oneself and with others, is the primary condition for the exploration of how to live a personal life. However, this article reflects on the many ways that the…

The purpose of this qualitative narrative inquiry, framed by theories of intercultural competence, sociocultural awareness, and national culture dimensions, was to understand how former American residence hall assistants (RAs) in one institution in the northwestern United States developed intercultural friendships with international students. The…

Housing and residence life professionals help students through crises and traumatic events, which may affect their own well-being. Members of higher education student affairs professional organizations, including ACUHO-I, were surveyed to investigate the following relationships: (1) work factors (i.e., job demands, job resources, exposure to…

Research shows that in a traditional college setting, resident assistants (RA) have access to and influence over students in several different ways. RAs are often utilized as academic and campus resources, counselors, problem solvers, and more. RAs have a unique access to students that no other administrator, faculty, or staff member does. Most…

The Resident Assistant (RA) position is the foundational role in the student affairs staffing structure. RA job description has expanded exponentially since the earliest iterations (Boone et al., 2016). The selection of RAs presents unique challenges because it is costly, requires a lot of staff, typically draws a large candidate pool, and…

In this chapter, authors discuss university housing learning communities focused on social justice principles. Authors provide diverse approaches and resources for implementing social justice learning communities.

This dissertation explored the current perceptions and preferences for residence hall construction lifespan standards among campus master planners and housing administrators in higher education. Historically, universities have built residence halls with the intention of spanning many decades (Guckert & King, 2004). However, there has been a…

Using scholarly personal narratives as a research tool, we explored how the director of an LGBTQ+ living-learning program (LLP) created community within the constructs of an otherwise cis- and heteronormative residential environment. We reviewed the first author's reflections about community experiences and analyzed them for opportunities to upend…

Drug overdose is the leading cause of death for Americans under the age of 50, a crisis that is driven by an increasingly potent supply of illicit opioids. College-aged adults are more likely than any other age group to engage in opioid misuse. Naloxone, the antidote for an opioid overdose, can save the life of an opioid overdose victim if it is…

The purpose of this mixed-methods study is twofold: to examine the professional development and supervision of live-in and live-on housing and residence life professionals for crises response and management on colleges and universities. The literature review consisted of empirical research for crises, professional development and supervision. The…

Residence hall directors function as first responders during times of on-campus residential crisis and also train resident assistants on crisis procedures. These directors are often relied upon to serve as intermediaries for residential students when they are impeded by long wait times to see someone in campus counseling services. In addition,…