The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 2 - 84

David Schmid * Jennifer Wagstaff

in what class helping skills were discussed as
at least one part of the course. Finally, due to
the researchers' previous time as professionals
in residence life, their feelings about the importance of helping skills for housing professionals may have impacted their synthesis of
the topic and information.
Future research in this area should include
a national survey of SHOs as well as mid-level
housing professionals to determine the readiness of entry-level housing professionals in the
area of helping skills. In addition, a phenomenological study should be conducted with
entry-level housing professionals to determine
whether or not they perceive themselves as
being adequately prepared to fulfill their job
responsibilities. Included in this study should
be an exploration of education and training.
It would also be beneficial to research how
helping skills are taught within graduate programs, as detailed by graduate program coordinators. These additional research topics would
support the current study and provide greater
insight into how graduate programs can better
prepare their students.
A proficiency in helping skills on the
part of the residence life professional is paramount considering the prevalence of mental
health issues on college and university campuses. Knowing that the majority of students
with mental illness will not seek professional
help, those who work in residence life, at the
ground level, must be equipped with the skill
set to respond to crises, conflicts, emotional
outbursts, and varying forms of stress. Further
exploration and research on the professional
preparation of entry-level housing professionals
serves as an important link to better manage the
mental health needs of today's college students.
86

REFERENCES
Almanac of Higher Education. (2018). The Chronicle of
Higher Education, 64(41). Retrieved from https://
chronicle.com/almanac
American College Health Association. (2015). Spring
2015 reference group executive summary. Retrieved
June 8, 2017, from http://www.acha-ncha.org/
docs/NCHA-II_WEB_SPRING_2015_REFERENCE_GROUP_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf
American College Personnel Association/Student
Affairs Administrators in Higher Education
(ACPA/NASPA). (2015). Professional competency
areas for student affairs educators. Retrieved June
13, 2017, from https://www.naspa.org/images/
uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_
Competencies_FINAL.pdf
Anfara, V. A., Brown, K. M., & Mangione, T. L. (2002).
Qualitative analysis on stage: Making the research
process more public. Educational Researcher, 31(7),
28-38.
Association of College and University Housing Officers-International (ACUHO-I). (2015). ACUHO-I
standards & ethical principles for college & university housing professionals. Retrieved June 13, 2017,
from http://www.acuho-i.org/Portals/0/doc/res/
acuhoi-standards-ethical-principles-2015-final.pdf
Barratt, W. (n.d.). Selecting a student affairs graduate
program. Retrieved from http://www.myacpa.
org/sites/default/files/Selecting%20a%20
Student%20Affairs%20Graduate%20Program.
pdf
Bland, H. W., Melton, B. F., Welle, P., & Bigham, L.
(2012). Stress tolerance: New challenges for Millennial college students. College Student Journal,
46(2), 362-375.
Blimling, G. S. (2010). The resident assistant: Applications and strategies for working with college students
in residence halls (7th ed.). Dubuque, IA: Kendall/
Hunt.
Blimling, G. S. (2015). Student learning in college residence halls: What works, what doesn't, and why? San
Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Burkard, A. W., Cole, D. C., Ott, M., & Stoflet, T.

THE JOURNAL OF COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY STUDENT HOUSING

http://www.chronicle.com/almanac http://www.chronicle.com/almanac http://www.acha-ncha.org/docs/NCHA-II_WEB_SPRING_2015_REFERENCE_GROUP_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf http://www.acha-ncha.org/docs/NCHA-II_WEB_SPRING_2015_REFERENCE_GROUP_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf http://www.acha-ncha.org/docs/NCHA-II_WEB_SPRING_2015_REFERENCE_GROUP_EXECUTIVE_SUMMARY.pdf https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencies_FINAL.pdf https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencies_FINAL.pdf https://www.naspa.org/images/uploads/main/ACPA_NASPA_Professional_Competencies_FINAL.pdf http://www.acuho-i.org/Portals/0/doc/res/acuhoi-standards-ethical-principles-2015-final.pdf http://www.acuho-i.org/Portals/0/doc/res/acuhoi-standards-ethical-principles-2015-final.pdf http://www.myacpa.org/sites/default/files/Selecting%20a%20Student%20Affairs%20Graduate%20Program.pdf http://www.myacpa.org/sites/default/files/Selecting%20a%20Student%20Affairs%20Graduate%20Program.pdf http://www.myacpa.org/sites/default/files/Selecting%20a%20Student%20Affairs%20Graduate%20Program.pdf http://www.myacpa.org/sites/default/files/Selecting%20a%20Student%20Affairs%20Graduate%20Program.pdf

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 2