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. . . the individual factors that contribute to roommate relationships-
residence hall design, personal characteristics, roommate differences,
and academic performance-are predominantly understood in isolation
from one another rather than holistically.
higher intergroup anxiety is present, which negatively impacts the quality of roommate
relationships and further hinders the integration of Black students (Shook & Fazio,
2011). This means that room assignment policies, while often successfully improving
the college experience for minoritized students, also increase the risk of creating problematic
and challenging living situations for the students they are intended to help.
Beyond race, socioeconomic status forms a significant part of an individual's identity,
which can create difficulties for first-year college students entering a new environment
characterized by different social norms, values, and expectations (Destin et al.,
2017). Further, differences in SES may create interpersonal barriers that influence levels
of social engagement, belonging, and academic performance (Ahn & Davis, 2020;
Johnson et al., 2011; Rubin & Wright, 2015) for students from a lower socioeconomic
status, who often spend more time working, which limits the opportunity to meet
others and to foster relationships (Zembrodt, 2019). Also, students with fewer financial
resources may be excluded from social activities simply due to the cost of such
activities-a $20 movie ticket may be too costly for some students.
Few studies have explored how socioeconomic status might shape roommate
relationships. Minoritized students from low SES backgrounds can have more difficulty
transitioning to college. Though the precollege intergroup experience enables
new students to cross racial divides with greater ease (Schofield et al., 2010), many
Black students from lower SES backgrounds who have grown up in neighborhoods
and high schools with majority Black or minoritized peers (Chavous et al., 2002) can
still feel out of place and isolated for both their race- and SES-based identities. There
is some evidence, however, suggesting that residence hall design can facilitate their
transition to college.
RESIDENCE HALL DESIGN
The opportunity for first-year students to connect with their immediate neighbors or
other students in their residential environment creates an increased emphasis on hall
design in establishing a sense of belonging. Corridor-style residence halls offer the greatest
opportunity for connection, with socializing designs that foster close contact and
connection beyond roommates, creating a stronger sense of community (Devlin et al.,
2008). This results in higher satisfaction rates and greater participation in campus
events (Davis, 2010), which can reduce psychological distress (Suitor, 2013) and increases
GPAs, especially for minoritized students (Brown et al., 2019). Unfortunately,
the individual factors that contribute to roommate relationships-residence hall design,
personal characteristics, roommate differences, and academic performance-are
predominantly understood in isolation from one another rather than holistically. HighVolume
49, No. 2 * 2023 53

journal_vol49no2

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