Student development and involvement -- the effects of living on campus among residence hall government students

Abstract

What effect does living on campus have on today's college student? What effect does being involved have on today's college student? More specifically, what effect does being involved in residence hall governments have on today's college student? The purpose of this study was to find out who are involved in residence hall governments; why do they become involved in residence hall government; what have been the benefits of on-campus living; and finally, is there a perceived difference in the definitions of a "dorm" and a "residence hall"? The subjects of this study were delegates attending the PACURH '88 conference at San Diego State University during November 4-6, 1988. Each subject completed a 51 item questionnaire designed to obtain background information. The instrument consisted of four parts: personal information, extent of extra-curricular involvement, reasons for initial involvement, and affect. The data were analyzed in order to show relationships between the different items on the questionnaire. Of the 288 questionnaires distributed, 243 were returned and 232 were found to be usable--providing an 80.5% usable rate of return. Results indicated that personal factors such as "having a voice in the decision making process", "making a difference in other students' lives", or "meeting people or making friends" played a greater role in the initial involvement than other individuals such as "friends who were involved" or "residence life staff". A majority of the students believed that living on campus has facilitated their growth and development and many believe that living on campus has exposed them to much more than if they had lived off campus. Finally, results indicated that a majority of the students believe that there is a difference between a "dorm" and a "residence hall."