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Affinity Housing: Creating Holistic On-Campus Living Experience

Explore the University of New Orleans' innovative approach to collaboration through Affinity Housing, a program that offers themed housing communities for new students. This presentation will discuss the background, theoretical framework, implementation process, student response, future growth, collaborations, and other successes of the Affinity Housing program. Learn how campus partnerships create a holistic on-campus living experience for students.

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Affinity Housing: Creating Holistic On-Campus Living Experience

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  1. Abstract This program will discuss the University of New Orleans' newest approach to collaboration: Affinity Housing. Affinity Housing opened in Fall 2013 with four new affinity wings: iLEAD *(involvement/leadership), New Orleans Culture, Transfer Experience, and Honors. Affinity Housing was created and implemented through campus partnerships: Housing, Student Involvement and Leadership, Orientation, and First Year Experience. Through reviewing theories centered around Transformative Learning, this presentation will focus on campus partnerships that create a holistic on campus living experience for new students.

  2. Overview • Introduction • Affinity Housing Overview • Background • Theoretical Framework • Implementation Process • Student Response • Future Growth • Collaborations • Other UNO Successes • Lessons Learned • Discussion

  3. Affinity Housing

  4. Background • University of New Orleans • 4 year, urban research institution in the heart of New Orleans, LA • Primarily a commuter campus • Three housing options: Pontchartrain Hall, Lafitte Village, Privateer Place • Factors Impacting the Need for Affinity Housing • First year live-on requirement implemented Fall 2013 • Poor retention rates • Need for community building • Budget limitations • “Do more with less”

  5. Theoretical Framework • Astin’s Theory of Involvement • Investment of psychosocial and physical energy • Involvement is continuous • Involvement has qualitative and quantitative features • Development is related to quality and quantity of involvement • Educational effectiveness related to student involvement • Tinto’s Theory of Student Departure • Pre-entry attributes • Goals and commitments • Institutional experiences • Integration • Outcomes

  6. Departmental Roles in Implementation • Student Housing • Adding Affinity Housing wing options to student housing application • Coordinating rooms by themes • Oversee the maintenance and day-to-day operations of each wing • RA training • Policy implementation • Student Involvement & Leadership • Serve as professional staff liaisons for affinity wings • One-on-one guidance to RA’s • Provide materials to assist in programming • Orientation and First Year Experience • Serve as professional staff liaisons for affinity wings • One-on-one guidance to RA’s • Promote Affinity Housing to new students • Shared Responsibilities • Marketing Affinity Housing to new students • Selection of affinity wing RA’s • Programming costs divided evenly across departments

  7. Timeline • August 2011 – Announcement of first-year residential requirement, informal discussion regarding impact of the new policy. • August 2012 – Office discussion increased, taking into account new professional staff with diverse experiences. • September 2012 – Themed housing research began. • November 2012 – Affinity Housing survey distributed to first-year students to determine need and interest. • December 2012 – Informal discussion and brainstorming. Redesigning RA selection and training. • January 2013 – Informal meeting to determine departmental interest. • February 2013 – Formal meeting to discuss foundation. Affinity Housing committee formed. • March 2013 – RA Selection. • Summer 2013 – Promotion and implementation. • July 2013 – Student Housing transitions from Business Affairs to Student Affairs. • Fall 2013 – Continued assessment.

  8. Affinity Housing Summary • Housing communities centered on special interest themes • iLEAD Leadership Wing • New Orleans Culture Wing • Transfer Student Wing • Honors Wing • Collaborative initiative sponsored by: • Student Housing • Student Involvement & Leadership • Enrollment Services

  9. Student Response • 68% of students agreed with the statement “I feel that selecting Affinity Housing has positively impacted my residential living experience.” • building connections with other students as a positive outcome of living in housing • these connections “pushed [him/her] into being a big leader” and “helped [him/her] to succeed” by being with like-minded individuals, particularly in the Honors and iLEAD wings. • Personal Growth & Development • Responses were generally positive and students reported higher levels of growth and development compared to the responses of all students living on-campus.

  10. Student Response

  11. Future Growth • Improved Theme Implementation • Increased Faculty Involvement • Sophomore-Focused Affinity Housing

  12. Collaborations

  13. Other Successful Collaborations • Privateer Camp – Enrollment Services, Student Involvement & Leadership • Transfer Retreat for Leadership (TRL) - Enrollment Services, Student Involvement & Leadership • Privateer Plunge – Enrollment Services, Student Involvement & Leadership, college departments • StrengthsQuest Committee - Enrollment Services, Student Involvement & Leadership, Counseling Services, Career Services, Athletics • First Year Interest Groups – First Year Experience, Faculty • De-Stress Fest – First Year Experience, First Year Advising, Counseling Services, Health Services, Student Involvement & Leadership • Senior Week - Student Involvement & Leadership, Alumni Affairs

  14. Things to Consider • Don’t be limited by your departmental silos. • You are more than your title. Take into account your talents, hobbies, and experience. • Different departments will bring unique insights and approaches to the same project. • Successful collaborations involve more than interdepartmental budget transfers. • There is a difference between being open to collaborate and stepping on others’ toes. • Many collaborations begin as informal conversations between colleagues before they develop into implementable programs.

  15. DISCUSSION

  16. Discussion • In small groups, please discuss cross-campus collaborations of which you’ve been a part. What key factors contributed to your success? • What potential opportunities for collaboration do you see on your campus? • In larger groups, share some of the themes discussed in small groups. Brainstorm possible roadblocks and ways you might work around them.

  17. References • Astin, A. (1993). What matters in college: Four critical years revisited. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. • Clark, M. (2014, March 07). A practical guide to institutional change. Retrieved from http://chronicle.com/blogs/future/2014/03/07/a-practical-guide-for-institutional-change/. • Tinto, V. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition. (2nd ed.). Chicago: University of Chicago Press. • Tinto, V. (2003). Learning better together: The impact of learning communities on student success. Higher Education Monograph Series, 2003-1, Higher Education Program, School of Education, Syracuse University.

  18. Questions? Contact us. • Christy Heaton, cheaton@uno.edu • Dale O’Neill, dmoneill@uno.edu • LeeAnne Sipe, lsipe@uno.edu

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