Volume 51, Issue 2

During a time of growing parental involvement in the lives of college-going students, this study examines how interactions with parents relate to students’ sense of emotional well-being and how this varies by gender. Using longitudinal data on first-year college students at one institution, the study reveals the importance of both quality and quantity of student-parent interactions, and describes how this varies by the gender of the student and the parent.

Data from 9,760 college students on 20 campuses were used to explore the extent to which fraternity and sorority organizations assert an influence over the manner in which students experience the climate for personal and social responsibility while in college. Results demonstrated greater exposure to fraternities and sororities can function to both enhance and detract from the ways in which students experience a climate that reinforces the ideal of contributing to a larger community.

Racially biased incidents pervade college campuses warranting further attention to their influence on campus climate. This study examines one such incident that targeted Asian American students, who are the largest racial group at the compositionally diverse institution. Using the Diverse Learning Environments survey and the “naturally occurring” incident during data collection, we demonstrate significant group differences across a number of climate indicators and explore the malleability of campus racial climate after the racially biased incident.

The effects of time spent in cocurricular activities on academic performance was tested. A curvilinear relationship between hours per week spent involved in cocurricular activities and grade point average was discovered such that a low amount of cocurricular involvement was beneficial to grades, while a high amount can potentially hurt academic performance in college students. Important gender differences were present such that very high involvement was particularly detrimental to men’s academic performance.

This qualitative study of 20 student affairs master’s students explored their career plans and perceptions of the field. Five themes emerged from interviews with participants who considered leaving student affairs to pursue other careers: (a) distance from the institutional mission, (b) student affairs as devalued work, (c) lack of fulfillment, (d) emotional burdens, and (e) financial concerns. Implications relate to improving master’s students’ experiences in order to proactively address attrition from the student affairs profession.

This qualitative study examined the experiences of entry-level men in student affairs, with particular focus on the function of mentors and role models. Through semistructured interviews and a focus group, 22 participants shared their thoughts and experiences regarding mentorship. Results indicated mentorship to be instrumental in recruitment and retention of entry-level men. Findings also stressed the importance of ongoing mentorship, establishing mentoring relationships with male colleagues, and serving as a mentor to other men.

This paper describes the creation of a comprehensive First-Year Experience program for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and ally (LGBTQA) students. Background information on First-Year Experience programs, LGBTQA populations, and the benefits of providing this program are described. The authors discuss how to plan and implement this program on other campuses and discuss issues and future considerations for helping campuses meet the needs of special populations

Higher education institutions in English-speaking nations host significant populations of non-native English speakers (NNES), both international and resident. English language proficiency is a critical factor to their success. This study reviews higher education practices in the United States related to this population. Findings indicate weaknesses in how institutions identify NNES, measure their English language skills, and track their success. These issues must be addressed to support the needs of this population, fully benefit from their contributions, and achieve educational parity