Using data from both qualitative interviews and quantitative questionnaires from 32 undergraduate resident assistants (RAs) at a private, residential university, this study explored RAs' role conflict derived from their simultaneous positions as rule enforcers and friends, vis-a-vis their residents. Most RAs reported that they were friends with…

The purpose of this study was to examine dissertations that were published in the U.S. during the past 5 years that related to collegiate housing. The dissertations were examined using a bounded qualitative meta-analysis approach. Each dissertation was examined using three questions: What were the methods/attributes of the research? What were the…

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand what motivated tenured and tenure-track faculty at three research-extensive institutions to participate or not participate in residential learning communities. Responses were then categorized using one aspect of ford's (1992) Motivational Systems Theory (MST): personal agency beliefs as…

This study sought to explore and understand the perceptions that faculty members have of community development in living-learning communities at a large, private research institution in the Northeast. Boyer's (1990) tenets of community development provided a theoretical lens for the study. The article concludes with implications for practice and…

In its recent history, American higher education has segmented the student experience, especially as research universities have grown in size and complexity. To increase the integration of undergraduate learning experiences, many efforts have combined the curricular and cocurricular worlds of students. In one practice, housing and residence life…

This qualitative study employed a constructivist, case study approach to explore how faculty made meaning of their experiences in a newly developed residential college at a large, land-grant research university in the Midwest. Findings revealed that faculty focused on determining how to prioritize the numerous opportunities for involvement while…

Whether contemplating a swim in a river or a dive into the expanse of the Atlantic ocean, I am definitely more comfortable when I can see or touch the bottom. The farther out I swim, the more anxious I get, mostly because of the unknown. This analogy seems to capture the tentativeness that faculty members sometimes feel, specifically at large…

A study examined university students' satisfaction with the on-campus living environment and perceptions of the importance of 63 environmental attributes. Subjects were 1,779 students not returning to campus housing the following fall semester. Two scales were developed to measure the relationship between perceived importance and satisfaction with…

This paper attempts to assess the impact of a residential academic unit on its participants. Subjects were 651 students enrolled in the College of Forestry at Colorado State University. Results indicate that those students involved in the residential unit were generally more satisfied. (Author/HMV)

Presents the results of a pilot study conducted to determine the utility of the Short Form (Form S) of the University Residence Environment Scale (URES) as a means of collecting information about the social climate of single-sex and coed residence halls. Results indicate some potential as well as some problems. (Author)

This paper attempts to determine the impact a building's physical design and structure has on student/resident perceptions of residence hall staff effectiveness. Results indicate that residents living in "isolated" rooms reacted less favorably to the staff than those in normal traffic areas. (Author/HMV)

Purpose of this investigation was to ascertain whether new residence hall students provided with positive preinformation about their resident assistant would differ from a control group in development of maturity, earned GPA, and amount of damage, room changes, and number of student activities in their unit. Results are positive. (Author/HMV)

The author reviews a number of research studies in the area of housing and suggests that the assessment of the impact of environmental factors on student academic performance is difficult to ascertain. (Author/HLM)

The inherent nature of their jobs makes residence hall personnel susceptible to tort claims. While past legal rulings have been kind to staff employees, the legalistic mood of the times indicates that this situation may not continue. Significant changes legislated in recent years have increased the probability of tort actions. (Author/BEF)

Reviews literature on crowding related to student housing, and formulates guidelines for making the best use of overflow housing. Individual differences must be taken into account when making room assignments to expanded-housing facilities. Research efforts must be broadened to study the effects of long-term crowding on humans. (Author/BEF)