In the opening years of the 1920s, Indiana University-Bloomington (IU) faced a dilemma. Enrollment was growing and demand among students for co-curricular and leisure activities was growing with it. But the university had few adequate facilities to support such activities and state appropriations were barely enough to cover expenses related to…

There is likely no campus facility where students spend more time than a residence hall--not the student union, an academic building, or an athletic facility. Especially on a residential campus, where students may spend two, three, or more years living in residence, the potential impact of campus residential environments on student learning is…

More than 1,700 students between the ages of 18 and 24 die each year from alcohol-related causes, according to the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). These students succumb to alcohol poisoning, cardiac arrest, or injuries from falls off dorm room balconies or other heights on campus. The problem of binge drinking, defined…

A university president discusses his goal to use the college years, when students live closely together, to create a community where individuals assume responsibility for each other. The writer advocates decision-making with this goal in mind at the forefront. Outdoor spaces and gardens with benches need to be designed to function as inviting…