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Taking the Pulse
Residential life staff struggled with issues of resilience and coping
and reported negative impacts that could be described
as vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue.
(P in the equation) by increasing their levels of stress and anxiety. More specifically, the
symptoms of stress in student behavior (B) are caused by factors such as working conditions
(E) and individual attributes (P). Work-related stress emerges from the interaction
between individual characteristics and the conditions of the working environment
(Ornek & Esin, 2020). As student affairs professionals, we need to consider the student
developmental context and culture of our environment in order to create effective strategies
and programs that facilitate the development of our students. Institutions must
be mindful of the impacts that our environments have on our campus community
members and develop strategies and approaches to address such factors (The Healthy
Minds Network & American College Health Association, 2021).
The setting for the current study was a highly selective large public institution on the
West Coast. The institution is ethnically and culturally diverse (Office of Planning and
Analysis, 2022a), with many students reporting that they are first-generation college
students. Students have noted challenges related to basic needs, financial constraints,
mental health and wellness concerns, and the impacts of COVID-19 (Office of Planning
and Analysis, 2022b). The selectivity of the institution attracts students who are
very bright, accomplished, and driven, which has produced a campus culture that is
vibrant, dynamic, and steeped in creativity. However, it is a competitive campus culture
that often catalyzes " imposter syndrome " (Holden et al., 2021) for many students.
The community where this institution is located has a housing market that is one
of the most expensive and competitive in the United States (Bay Area Market Reports,
2022), which makes it difficult for some students to find accommodations that meet
their level of affordability. The university represented in the current study provides
on-campus housing not only to address the basic housing and food needs of its students,
but also to give students access to the positive educational and social advantages
that these structured environments offer (Blimling, 2015). One important aspect of
these developmentally focused environments is the opportunity for creating leadership
roles, such as those for residential life staff who fulfill crucial functions such as
educational programming, mentoring, crisis management, policy enforcement, and
communication. The mission of the institution is largely achieved through the commitment
and active engagement of these student leaders.
From a student perspective, individuals apply for these highly competitive staff
positions not only to gain leadership experiences but also for practical and financial
reasons: They need a means for offsetting the cost of college. More specifically, the residential
life staff position provides room and board in a community in close proximity
to campus in exchange for successfully meeting the expectations of the job.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented unique challenges and stressors that have
tested the resilience of residential life staff in significant ways. The institution in the
current study provided almost exclusively remote instruction during the 2020-21 aca110
The Journal of College and University Student Housing

journal_vol49no3

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