A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Residence Hall Student Government and Selected Perceptions and Characteristics of Resident Hall Student Staff Members and Student Government Officers

A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Residence Hall Student Government and Selected Perceptions and Characteristics of Resident Hall Student Staff Members and Student Government Officers
Author: William C. Bachman
Publisher:
Total Pages: 152
Release: 1989
Genre: Dormitories
ISBN:

This study was concerned with determining if: (1) the effectiveness of residence hall student government varies according to the perceptions of its role held by residence hall student staff and government officers, and the hall type and population; (2) the perception of hall student government held by student staff varies according to their age, time in position and gender; and (3) the perception of hall student government by student officers varies according to their age, time in office and gender. The survey population included 48 residence hall directors, 209 student staff and 281 student officers from northwestern land grant universities. Hall directors were surveyed to determine perceived effectiveness of their hall's student government, and the resident population. Student staff and officer perceptions of the role of hall student government were obtained by utilizing the government section of the Residence Hall Attitude Scale (Murphy 1971). Age, gender, time in position or office and type of hall were also provided by the students. Multiple regression analysis was used to test three hypotheses at a .05 level of significance. Of the hypothesized relationships, only gender was found to be significantly related to the variance in perceptions of role of hall student government. In the case of both student staff and officers, women were more favorable toward residence hail student government than men. The combined independent variables of age, gender and time in position or office were found, however, to account for only small percentages (4.4%, staff; 7.8%, officers) of the total variance. The regression equation for effectiveness of hall student government failed to account for significant variance due to any of the independent variables of student staff and officer perceptions, type or population of hall. All variables combined accounted for only 7.7% of the variance in perception. The results of this research suggest that hypothesized relationships between various demographic factors and perceptions, and effectiveness of residence hall student government do not exist. This indicates that some other variables must be used to attempt prediction of either effectiveness or role perceptions of hall student government.

Residence Hall Staff Response to Student Mental Health Needs

Residence Hall Staff Response to Student Mental Health Needs
Author: Kelly Marie Cole
Publisher:
Total Pages:
Release: 2016
Genre:
ISBN: 9781369200836

Mental health is an important issue facing today's college student population, with common student concerns being anxiety, depression, relationship problems and suicidal ideations. As college student mental health continues to gain attention, residence hall professional staff seek to develop programs and support mechanisms to address the needs of the students living in their communities. Given the complexity of their jobs, and often limited professional experience, it is important to examine how prepared residence hall professional staff feel to respond to the diverse needs of their student populations, and to fulfill the broad range of responsibilities associated with their roles. This qualitative study examines the types of mental health issues professional residence hall staff are faced with, when and how they encounter students with such needs, their self-perception of readiness to respond to student mental health needs, and whether or not mental health training and preparation programs align with the perceived needs of these staff members. Findings suggest that residence hall professional staff encounter a myriad of student mental health needs consistent with those referenced in the literature. Study participants' feelings of preparedness developed over time and with experience. Those reporting higher levels of readiness demonstrated a clear understanding of departmental expectations related to student mental health response, or had academic backgrounds in counseling. While training aligned with perceived needs in areas such as depression and suicidal ideations, there are many areas of student mental health where staff demonstrated a need for additional training and preparation. This study provides a variety of recommendations for institutional practice based on the findings.