The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3 - 16

Desiree D. Zerquera * Juan G. Berumen * Jason T. Pender

mandates for assessment have required that
assessment happen within divisions of student
affairs, more professionals at all levels of
student life are increasingly seeing the value
of assessment to their work (Hoffman, 2015).

ingly seek to foster achievement of outcomes
related to creating a more just world, housing
becomes a primary site for the examination of
social justice on college campuses (see others
in this special issue).

However, in approaching this work, professionals may find themselves at a loss. Student
affairs practitioners and administrators often
lack the proper training to do assessment work,
hindering these efforts and further exacerbating the dilemma (Hoffman, 2015; Seagraves &
Dean, 2010; Schuh & Gansemer-Topf, 2010).
Further, campuses do not always provide adequate support for the effective implementation
of assessment efforts, lacking sufficient leadership investment and structural resources
(Swing & Coogan, 2010).

Thus, assessment for social justice in
student affairs must be creative and look
outside traditional assessment approaches
to overcome common barriers encountered
when doing such work. Participatory action
research (PAR) becomes an appropriate alternative for conducting ethical research with a
social justice lens (McDonald, 2012; Maguire,
1987; Marshall & Rossman, 2006; Selenger,
1997). PAR, as a research methodology, is collaborative in its approach, focusing on action
for community development and social justice.
It provides promise as an alternative to traditional assessment approaches, particularly for
those doing social justice work.

While sufficient methodological training and a culture of assessment are essential
(Bresciani, 2010; Schuh, 2013), they are not
the only requirements for successful assessment. Those with an interest and passion for
social justice may be at an even greater loss
in seeking to assess their work and prove its
value to external audiences. Many of the assessment approaches employed today are misaligned with social justice agendas, failing to
adequately inform decisions about how best
to serve students, particularly those marginalized within higher education (Bowman, 2013;
Dowd, Sawatzky, & Korn, 2011; Wall, Hursh, &
Rodgers, 2014). These tensions may be exacerbated when seeking to assess students' residential experiences on campus. As the primary
interaction point for many college students,
residence halls are often where students encounter and make meaning of diversity-related issues, including differences along social
identities (Pike, 2002). As campuses increas16

This article argues for the use of PAR as
a framework for strengthening and grounding assessment within a social justice agenda
in student affairs, particularly housing. To do
so, we present a case study from the University
of San Francisco where an assessment team
in housing used PAR to develop and implement an assessment process. Drawing from
this experience, we present recommendations
that help foster creativity in developing and
conducting assessment for those dedicated
to doing social justice work in housing and
student affairs.

UNDERSTANDING PAR AS A
FRAMEWORK FOR SOCIALJUSTICE ORIENTED ASSESSMENT
As mentioned, PAR is a response to the limitations of conventional research as practiced

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 3

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