The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 41, No. 2 & Volume 42, No. 1 - 17

A Culture of Learning

cal environment, (3) dining hall, and (4) the
academic program.

"Don't Throw That Can Away!":
Socializing New Members
Socialization, the mechanism through which
culture is transmitted to new members, involves "cultural learning, the acquisition of
values, knowledge, attitudes, skills, and expectations appropriate to a particular culture"
(Kuh & Whitt, 1988, pp. 37-38). By committing
new members to the culture through a gradual
accumulation of experiences over time, socialization helps to ensure the maintenance of existing norms and values that are critical to an
institution's future (Weidman, 1989). In this
section we discuss the application, selection,
and orientation process, as well as the informal
interactions with peers-all mechanisms that
inﬂuence the student experience and socialize
new members to the LLC.

Application and selection process. This
LLC demonstrates its uniqueness at the
institution through a special application that
is required for admission to the LLC. The
application asks about students' favorite
cocurricular activities, academic interests, why
they want to be a part of this LLC community,
and how their academic and cocurricular
interests will contribute to the LLC. The
director of the LLC is a faculty member who
emphasizes that students who put special
effort into the admissions process, such as
submitting letters of reference or examples
of artwork, are more likely to be admitted.
These extra efforts can help to demonstrate a
prospective student's level of motivation and
interest in living in the LLC, as well as his or
her level of congruence with the community.

The application also includes a diversity
statement that explicitly states an expectation
of respect toward others:
We, the residents of [this LLC] commit
ourselves to celebrating and exploring
differences. We choose to respect all people,
regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, sexuality,
age, ability, religion, or class. [Our LLC] is a
safe place to live, learn, and create. We will
not accept any action that hurts, excludes,
or threatens others, directly or indirectly. We
make this pledge as a uniﬁed community.
Students must sign in support of this diversity statement and are cautioned on the application that those opting not to comply are at risk
of reassignment to another residence hall. The
application itself serves as a method of anticipatory socialization (Weidman, 1989) in that it
communicates values to which residents are expected to adhere prior to entrance into the community. Clearly, student self-selection is key to
attracting people open to this experience.
The director puts great time and effort into
writing a personal note on each acceptance
letter, an act that students receive with great
appreciation. This helps set the tone that this
LLC is a community in which one is given personal attention and treated as an individual.
The director asserted, "I am not a gatekeeper
to keep people out. My position is to include
people." For example, students are not excluded on the basis of academic performance. Although the director makes the ﬁnal decisions
on admission, he said that a student committee helps establish the principles upon which
admissions should be based, enabling the LLC
student "buy-in" to the process.

Orientation and Q-class. In addition to
attending a ﬁve-day orientation program that
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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 41, No. 2 & Volume 42, No. 1

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 41, No. 2 & Volume 42, No. 1