Students' Sense of Campus Community: What it Means, and What to do About It

Abstract

This study examines different aspects of students' collegelife to articulate their perceptions of campus community.The findings indicate that students' sense of community is closely associated with their feelings of being cared about, treated in a caring way, valued as an individual and accepted as a part of community and the qualitysocial life on campus. The most negative influence on community comes from students' feelings of loneliness on campus. In order for students to have a sense of campus community, student affairs administrators should strive tobuild a community that (1) has an open environment where free expressions are encouraged and individuality is accepted and respected, (2) engages faculty and students in teaching and learning, (3) provides an active social and learning environment in residence halls, (4) fosters positive relationships among ethnic and cultural groups through programs and student activities, (5) celebrates traditions and heritage of the institution, and (6) provides assistance to students when they feel lonely or depressed.