Talking Stick - September/October 2011 - 50

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RES LIFE

participated in was building a shelter. They were given money and coupons to shop for items that would help them build a shelter that was strong enough to stand on its own and cover the majority of their group. Afterward, advisors asked the students reﬂective questions such as what was most difﬁcult, what would have made the activity easier, and what represents the shelter in their lives right now (family, friends, career)? Going into its fourth year, the Decide program has shown an annual increase in participant evaluations, achieving a 9.13/10 on the general evaluation in 2010. Belden Fernández and Garza note that the program has had a positive impact on the participants, resulting in a stronger sense of belonging in the residence community, lower levels of alcohol and drug abuse, higher participation in residence activities, higher retention rates at the university, and higher
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academic averages. “Thinking about what we want to improve for the next program we want to go deeper in our assessment, implement a follow-up for our residents, and involve them in the future programs so that they become facilitators for the freshman residents,” says Garza. Even with this very brief overview of three different experiential learning programs, it is clear that this type of opportunity has a positive impact on student engagement, community connection, and retention. Students want to get more out of their postsecondary experience, so ﬁnding a way to connect the unique campus culture to an experiential learning opportunity that will help students to develop skills and expand their views will surely enhance their collegiate experience. One of the most important roles of student housing is that it provides students with an opportunity to learn outside the classroom in a way

that enhances their growth not just as students but as human beings connected to others in the wider community. In an article in The Journal of College and University Student Housing (October/November 2008) about the educational role of student housing, Harold Riker and David DeCoster explain that the goal of higher educational institutions should be the development of a student’s entire being: “It is simply not possible to disembody the human personality and develop a student’s intellectual capacities in isolation from his cultural, spiritual, and psychological growth. Non-classroom activities, experiential learning, as well as classroom education must be developed to enhance student growth as total human beings.” TS

Kate McGartlandKinsella

is the residence life coordinator at Fleming College-Frost Campus. Email: kakinsel@ ﬂemingcon.ca.

SPECIAL FOCUS

residence halls with a main entry point for all residents. Encouraging student interaction, this design characteristic was based on the propinquity effect, which states that people are friendlier to or have more positive feelings toward individuals that they see on a regular basis. “This has a direct correlation with the way designers should handle the main circulation in the building,” Wuennenberg explains. A similar concept was incorporated into the development of residence halls at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. With an enrollment of about 7,000 undergraduates, the university has experienced an increased student retention rate as well as better survey marks through the development of their residential life system, which houses 300 students in two buildings of 150 each, with freshmen in one building and upper-level students in the other. While the two classes live in separate buildings, shared spaces such
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as classrooms and multipurpose rooms have been included in the freshman building to set the stage for interaction between the two sets of students. Another useful strategy that promotes student interaction and engagement is the creation of an inviting central staircase. Wuennenberg notes that this design element is a useful resource in emphasizing health and wellness and, with the incorporation of window seats at various levels, can allow residents to stop and interact with other students. Intimacy can also be established through the use of interior ﬁnishes. With the use of wood paneling, soft residential lighting, and comfortable seating, Wuennenberg emphasizes that not only will more students more likely reside in these spaces, but the design elements will also create a reassuring feeling of home. Along with interior elements, community can also be shaped by the building’s exterior. Porches, for

example, provide intimate spaces at the structure’s entry and help reduce the scale of the building, thus changing students’ perceptions of it. “The scale of the buildings is very important in the building of an intimate community,” he says. By establishing these smaller connections and more personalized communities, Delony notes that larger universities can gradually break down some of the barriers related to size and can in the process increase student engagement and retention. To help realize the potential of such resources, he encourages larger institutions to seek out professionals from smaller colleges to provide insight into improving community development, strengthening community responsibility, and creating collective partnerships within their campuses. TS
Bridget Cunningham
is the editorial intern for Talking Stick.

Talking Stick - September/October 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Talking Stick - September/October 2011