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…

Since 1995 and until it apparently eased with the coming of Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, ethnicity has become the dogmatic principle of the country for its social and political policies. Consequently, it has permeated through university campuses and affected relationships among students belonging to different ethnic groups. This study makes a…

During a student's first year, there is typically an adjustment period of living independently and feeling a sense of belonging that helps students overcome obstacles they may face in trying to navigate a new world. Students can find community in classrooms, joining a club or organization, forming an outside study group, and often through Living…

Objective: The present study examined the relationships among students' participation in Residential College (RC) activities, their sense of belonging, academic engagement, and academic achievement. Participants: Two hundred and forty-six undergraduate students from a public university in Macau participated in this study. Methods: A set of survey…

The minoritized identities of many resident assistants are rarely a topic of studies that evaluate their campus experiences, yet these identities are crucial in making these experiences positive. This qualitative research study helps fill this gap in the literature by reporting the experiences of 21 resident assistants with minoritized identities…

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.