Employees in service-oriented, relationship-based jobs are prone to experiencing feelings of burnout. As such, paraprofessional staff in college housing environments, resident assistants (RAs), are not immune to its effects. Since navigating relationships is the root cause of burnout, it makes sense to focus on the relationships between…

Purpose: This study aims to examine the relationship between sustainability initiatives and student satisfaction in accommodation services at the University of Northampton. Design/methodology/approach: Four main sustainability factors, including energy consumption, waste management, environmental responsibility and green infrastructure, are…

On 17 March 2020, the population in France entered into a strict lockdown due to the critical spreading of COVID-19. Students could no longer go to their learning institutions. The initial 2-week-lockdown lasted overall 10 weeks and higher education institutions remained closed until the end of the academic year, affecting then even longer…

Freedom dreaming offers a new paradigm that centers the experiences and realities of Latinx students on college and university campuses and re-imagines residence halls as liberatory spaces. Referencing the legacy of racism and the experiences that Latinx students have with microaggressions and other forms of oppression, this article highlights how…

This study utilized a qualitative approach to learn about a co-educational housing pilot program in a rural serving, four-year regional university in the mid-south United States. Four individuals involved in the program took part in semi-structured interviews. Open coding analysis revealed four themes: sense of belonging, learning, gender and…

Recent scholarship indicates a growing emergence in research on the experiences of transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) college students and on the ways in which colleges and universities do or do not address the specific needs of TGNC students (Beemyn, 2005; Beemyn, 2012; Goldberg et al., 2018; Nicolazzo, 2015). As visibility increases…

Objective: Assess administrative responsibilities and experiential effects of emotional support animal (ESA) and service animal (SA) policies on college campuses. Participants: Students at two four-year universities participated in an emotional support animals and service animals survey. Selected students and professional personnel participated in…

New student residence halls are being built to meet students' demands and needs, creating complex living units that prioritize private spaces over social group spaces despite potential negative impacts on student success and well-being. This study examines all university residences located in a large urban center in Northern America, quantifying…

This study gathered preliminary data on the impact of the U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic on the substance use, sexual behavior, and general well-being of U.S. college students. Participants from colleges across the U.S. (N = 212; 50.5% female; M age = 22.09) completed an online survey between May 20th and July 5th, 2020 about…

Homelessness among at-risk transitional age youth is an increasingly growing crisis impacting college-aged students across the United States. Thankfully, along with interest in their local community's success, universities have the necessary resources that may offer a unique solution to this crisis. This study describes the pilot of a…

Bulletin boards are ubiquitous in residence halls and may not always capture students' attention, but when they do, they have the potential to engage students in meaningful learning experiences. Our study explores how arts-based methodologies can be used in student affairs and higher education research to expand possibilities for practitioners to…

Purpose: The aim of this empirical study is to identify the relationship between student accommodation characteristics (SACs) and academic performance (AP). SACs, considered as the single independent variable, were divided into three further constructs: perceived location advantage (PLA), perceived facilities (PFs) and perceived safety and…

This study evaluates the measurement invariance of the Resident Assistants (RAs) Belongingness Scale (RARABS-10) using Rasch-based Differential Item Functioning (DIF) Analysis. Examining 201 RAs at a southern U.S. university, we found the scale generally reliable but potentially too easy for many RAs. One item showed significant differences…

The residential community is a key part of the college experience simply because students spend a large majority of their time in the places where they live. Given this fact, a student's interactions and engagement with their community can positively impact their learning experience. We utilized a constructivist, qualitative, phenomenological…

Emotional support animals are increasingly common in residence halls. This study examines the benefits and challenges of having an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) while living in campus housing, from the perspective of the animals' owners and their roommates. Using a mixed methods case study approach, we collected qualitative and quantitative data…