The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 40, No. 2 & Volume 41, No. 1 - 14

Karen Erlandson

challenges they face with regard to issues of
sex and sexuality. Unfortunately, this excellent
reference mentions the problem once, and
only brieﬂy, in the preface. The author notes
the need for an up-to-date resource on college
student sexual behaviors, stating, "Clearly,
some things have changed, including the terminology that students use in reference to sex
and dating (such as 'hook-ups,' 'sexting' over
the cell phone, and being 'sexiled' by an inconsiderate roommate)" (p. ix). The book includes
valuable information about important topics
including college dating, emerging sexuality,
inﬁdelity, and sexual orientation, and, indeed,
"anyone interested in the topic of sex in college
should ﬁnd it useful and timely" (p. ix).
However, it does not address the problem
of being sexiled or how students attempt to negotiate their privacy needs in a shared living
space. This is especially important for fouryear residential colleges where students are
required to live on campus and therefore must
often share living space for their entire college
career. Students who are not satisﬁed with
their roommate and/or living situation may
view this as a bad ﬁt and may experience dissatisfaction. Students have a set of needs, personalities, and abilities that are either a good
ﬁt or a bad ﬁt, and satisfaction is the degree
to which student needs match their environment (Michalos, 1991). When there is a large
discrepancy in ﬁt, dissatisfaction occurs. For
this reason, a bad ﬁt between a student and
their environment (which includes roommates) may negatively impact retention (Witt
& Handal, 1984). Students who are not satisﬁed with their college experience, especially
during the important transition of the ﬁrst

year, may decide to drop out, and this can be
very costly to both the student and the college
(Murphy, 2010).

Students who are not satisﬁed
with their roommate and/or
living situation may view this
dissatisfaction. Students have a
set of needs, personalities, and

degree to which student needs
there is a large discrepancy in ﬁt,
dissatisfaction occurs.

There is no research speciﬁcally investigating the link between retention rates and a
roommate being sexiled; however, other links
to retention might help inform the discussion.
Much of the research in retention that looks at
peer inﬂuence is focused on academic performance and not issues related to climate such
as access to private space (Astin, 1993; Oseguera, 2005-2006; Tierney & Colyar, 2005).
One study that focused on climate found that
students who feel isolated or lack a sense of
belonging are more likely to drop out (Hausmann, Schoﬁeld, & Woods, 2007). Academic
performance is also linked to retention rates,

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 40, No. 2 & Volume 41, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 40, No. 2 & Volume 41, No. 1