Creating a sense of belonging and an atmosphere that we often describe as a student’s new “home away from home” is central to the work that we do as Housing and Residence Life practitioners. But, there isn’t a singular “right” way to do it– if there was, wouldn’t we all be doing so uniformly?
And why isn’t there one right way? Well, my guess is because just like with all other things in our line of work–each incoming class of students comes in with their own individual experiences and stories and that shapes the trends and needs that we see arise in our residential communities. Though we can’t create a “one size fits all” (or even most) model sometimes, I think there are a few important things to keep at the center of our practice for creating a sense of belonging and fostering community on-campus in the residence halls.
Rule #1: Don’t Procrastinate!
Who else looks at their calendars from early July until the end of August and begins prioritizing what needs to happen immediately and what can wait? There are things that are not moving around for us even if we want them to: training (professional, graduate, undergraduate student staff), move-in, large-scale opening initiatives and programming, etc. It can be easy to say, “Let’s get through the hustle and bustle and we’ll start building community more intentionally sometime in September.” There are two things I can almost guarantee: 1) September will bring its own challenges and busyness and it can be easy to keep procrastinating and 2) If you wait until September, there are going to be students who have already started to give up on finding their place in their new community. Find the moments to build connection during move-in week and the days that follow and it’ll pay off exponentially!
Rule #2: Lean into the Little Moments for Connection
We often think that building community requires big, high-production-value events. While those have their place (when budgets allow), students are often looking for connection in the day-to-day and they don’t even know it– a conversation on the way back from the dining hall, a laugh shared in a lounge space, or a quick, encouraging chat before they’re off to an exam or presentation. Make it a goal to prioritize “low-stakes” engagement that can then feed into your residents feeling more comfortable and empowered to come out to the programs and events that you’re hosting.
Rule #3: Empower Your Student Staff to Set the Culture as the Feet on the Ground
Your student staff are the true feet-on-the-ground of the residential experience. If they’re seen only as rule-enforcers, they won’t be able to build community in a meaningful way that reaches their residents. But if we model a “people-first” approach with them—showing genuine interest in their well-being and sense of belonging—they will inevitably mirror that with their residents. Give them the autonomy to create community with their own voice and thoughts, rather than scripting and planning out every “intentional interaction”.
Rule #4: Make Belonging Data-Driven, Not Just “Vibe-Based”
It’s easy to look at a well-attended program or even a smiling student walking down the hall and assume that everyone feels like they belong. But we know that loneliness is often invisible. Use your data– program attendance, logged conversations RAs are completing, program feedback forms, interactive bulletin boards in the halls, etc. Try to identify who is showing up and who isn’t and then work to figure out how you can bring them into the community to engage. Don’t just plan for the majority, but design purposeful outreach for those students that maybe have niche interest, are introverted, or who have the tendency to be a wallflower in the room.
Building a sense of belonging for our residential students is worth investing in. Whether you’re a practitioner seeing the experience unfold in front of you or a researcher studying it– it is clear that a stronger sense of belonging has a positive correlation with reduced mental health concerns, lower student conduct cases, increased involvement and retention, and much more. But more importantly, it fulfills a deeper purpose: supporting someone who is navigating a large transitionary period in their life. And that individual’s trajectory and life can be changed for the better when we truly make our campuses feel like their “home away from home.”
D.J. Moore has worked in the field of Residence Life since his undergraduate career in 2015 as a Resident Assistant. Today, D.J. serves as the Assistant Director for Academic Initiatives and Experiential Learning at UNC-Greensboro. D.J. holds a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology from Lander University, a Master’s degree in Higher Education from UNC-Wilmington, and a Master’s degree in Human Resource Development from Clemson University. Outside of work, D.J. enjoys traveling, going on walks with his fur baby Lilo, trying new brunch spots, playing Fortnite and Kingdom Hearts, and most recently, supervising home improvement projects his partner Philip is completing on their new home.
