Band 38, Heft 3

Members of a residential leadership community reported whether they had practiced specific leadership skills in the preceding semester and, if so, how well they believed they had performed on that skill. Results were compared with the responses of peer observers. Self-reports of leadership practices were confirmed by peer reports in 72% of cases. Self-assessments of the quality of performance were confirmed by peer assessments in 83% of cases.

Previous research published in this journal found broad-based negative effects of Greek affiliation on standardized measures of cognitive development after 1 year of college.

The Internet and its varied applications have redefined the student affairs landscape. The most commonly used resources include e-mail, Internet discussion groups (listservs), and the World Wide Web. While these technological tools have become widespread throughout the profession, no empirical studies have been conducted to gauge their pervasiveness.

This article summarizes the results of a survey completed by senior judicial officers at 189 colleges and universities. The survey concerned institutional responses to a section of the Higher Education Reauthorization Act of 1998 that allows, but does not require, institutions to notify parents of students under the age of 21 who have violated institutional alcohol policies. The study found that, as of January 2000, 44% of the participating institutions had implemented parental notification policies; 15% did not have policies, but notified parents in practice; and 25% were actively considering adopting policies. Factors triggering and inhibiting development of parental notification policies, circumstances under which notification is allowed by policy and implemented in practice, notification procedures and frequencies, support of policies by parents notified, and effects of policies on numbers of alcohol violations on campus were also assessed in this study.

The relationships between psychosocial development, involvement in career development activities, and employment status of college seniors one month prior to graduation were examined. Psychosocial development was measured using the Student Developmental Task and Lifestyle Inventory (Winston & Miller, 1987). Involvement in career development activities--including career planning and job search--was measured using the Career Activities Survey, developed for this study. Employment status (job offers received versus no job offers received) was self-reported by graduating seniors. Relationships were found among psychosocial developmental tasks and participation in career development activities. Involvement in job search activities differentiated graduating seniors who had received employment offers from those who had not. The results support the notion that psychosocial development and career development are closely related.

To supplement student development research, the author reviews clinical psychological research on the concept of purpose in life. This review is presented to provide implications and recommendations for practice in the higher education setting. By not only encouraging students to identify a purpose in life but also assisting them in this process, student affairs practitioners may positively influence their personal development and well-being.

Although the literature has suggested that minority and nonminority students often have different experiences and perceptions of these experiences in college, the findings of this study suggest that the relationship between college experiences and progress are quite similar for the two groups. This finding reinforces the need to further explore how minority and nonminority students interpret their college experience and whether satisfaction with their college experience emanates from similar types of activities, relationships, and environments. Understanding this next component, especially as increasing numbers of minority students enroll in college, will unquestionably help colleges and universities to create an atmosphere and culture conducive to progress in college, persistence, and graduation.

The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of the Crime Awareness and Campus Security Act on student behavior and decision making. The findings suggest that the attention paid by the federal government, special interest groups, and college administrators to the formal reporting requirements required by the Act may be misplaced.