The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 2 - 56

David M. Rosch • Joshua D. Lawrie

responsibility for educators. To prepare those who would occupy future positions of civic and professional influence, attention must be given to training students that (1) leadership can be taught and is not inherent; (2) the development of leadership skills is everyone’s responsibility, not only the responsibility of an elected few; and (3) good leadership leads to positive social change (Komives, Lucas, & McMahon, 2007). Therefore, involvement in intentional campus-sponsored leadership activities and training, where students learn about and apply responsible leadership practices, is of critical importance. College students can find significant leadership opportunities in residence life departments. Many colleges and universities have a live-in requirement for non-local students and often offer specialized avenues of involvement such as residential living-learning communities and special-interest housing (Baxter Magolda, 1992). Students who live on campus have a long history of displaying larger gains across a wide variety of involvement and development scales (Pascarella et al., 1994; Pike, 2002), arguably a consequence of their increased involvement on the campus (Astin, 1993). Historically, one of the most common methods of providing leadership experiences for students, both within student housing and residence life as well as through campus-wide initiatives, is by offering leadership responsibilities in student governance groups (Arboleda, Wang, Shelley, & Whalen, 2003; Cooper, Healy, & Simpson, 1994; Tucker, 2006). Typical examples within a residential environment include a Residence Hall Association (RHA), National Residence Hall Honorary (NRHH), and residential student councils or housing
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office advisory boards. These organizations have been in existence almost as long as colleges and universities have offered modern residence halls in the United States (Terrell & Cuyjet, 1994). Such groups typically exist not only to provide student services (Cuyjet, 1994), but also as a means to help students

To prepare those who would occupy future positions of civic and professional influence, attention must be given to training students that (1) leadership can be taught and is not inherent; (2) the development of leadership skills is everyone’s responsibility, not only the responsibility of an elected few; and (3) good leadership leads to positive social change .

develop leadership skills (Woodward, 1994). Research suggests that students involved in these governance groups develop higher levels of confidence, independence, and altruism, as well as significantly higher levels of practical competence (e.g., problem solving, ability to carry out tasks) (Kuh & Lund, 1994). Governance organizations often require a different mindset from students than do other organizations (Greek-letter, arts, etc.) in that students

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 37, No. 2

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