Belonging October Resource
Great short read about boosting students sense of belonging on campus!
Excitement, Anxiety, and Fear – these were the most reported emotions to the nationwide survey by the Council of Independant Colleges asking faculty and staff (including at our campus) the top three emotions we think college students deal with the first two weeks of campus.
At the same time that this survey was being distributed, Dr. Terrell Strayhorn and PhD candidate, J’Quen Johnson were conducting their own experiment on student belonging. In their experiment, they explored how simple, everyday interactions can have a profound impact on students’ sense of belonging. Their short research, shared in the article “Boosting Students’ Sense of Belonging in Under 60 Seconds,” highlights actionable strategies that answer the question, “how do we respond to these emotions that students are feeling?” What they found was that even brief moments of connection—like greeting a student, offering a few words of encouragement, or simply acknowledging their presence—can significantly reduce feelings of isolation.
The full article (5-minute read!) has great ideas, LC community should read it and consider how we can apply these approaches in our daily interactions to increase belonging on campus.
