We conclude the text with a look to the future and considerations and recommendations for centering social justice in residence life contexts.

The campus built environment is an omnipresent force at an institution of higher education. That force is influential during a student's transition into the post-secondary system. Literature on this subject suggests that understandings of the relationship between the campus built environment and the student experience are limited and demand…

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…

The concept of a typical pathway to becoming a student is a pervasive narrative within higher education, with moving away from home to live at university framed as the "traditional student experience". In response, recent literature has begun to trouble the thinking around student mobilities. Building on this work, this study draws upon…

Despite a burgeoning literature on first-generation college student success, little is known about how the presence of first-generation or continuing-generation peers may facilitate desired outcomes among first-generation students. Moreover, two theoretical traditions lead to contrasting predictions about the potential impact of the representation…

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…

Belonging is essential for college student success, yet little is known about how residence hall spaces affect this experience. This article reports on selected findings from a multi-year research project that aims to understand the multiple uses, experiences, and meanings of spaces in the residence halls. Qualitative analysis of student-created…

This mixed-methods case study examined how students perceived the development of independent living skills because of their residence hall experience. Using Astin's (1993) Inputs-Environment-Outputs (IEO) framework to guide the research methodology and analyze data, this study highlighted the importance of students living with, and among, their…

Professional and graduate residence life staff members play an important role in promoting student success and wellbeing. The community built within a residence hall impacts all students, but this impact is salient for students with marginalized identities. Meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) training is crucial for fostering…

This doctoral capstone project assesses the impact and effectiveness of using peer mentoring workbooks as a tool to enhance the transition of college students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. A peer mentoring workbook was developed using theoretical frameworks to guide its design and identification of primary occupations, roles,…

Fostering staff well-being can no longer be the responsibility of individual staff but needs to be built into structures, practices, and social norms in residence life departments. We drew on elements of participatory action research to provide guidance for departments striving to intentionally prioritize staff wellness. First, based on literature…

How can residence life professionals develop communities where social justice is moved from a theoretical perspective to an integrated practice? This chapter provides a case study for residence life staff to use to explore and to guide critical professional praxis in residence halls.

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…

Grounded in an analysis of interviews with migrant farm workers in Canada, this article explores how learning in the everyday contexts of temporary transnational labor migration is implicated in both migrant identity formation and the social reproduction of an established and growing labor migration regime. The article focuses on thinking through…

As colleges and universities--particularly predominantly White institutions (PWIs)--look to offer healing and reconciliation for racialized transgressions, it is important that these institutions also honor the sacrifices of those brave students who not only broke barriers but also held open the door of opportunity through which others may walk.…