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also discussed their relationships with their residents and how that motivated them in
their roles. As Betty said,
My favorite part of the experience was, the . . . one-on-one bonds that I made with
my residents that were more individualized. And also the friendships and bonding and
shared experiences and camaraderie with the staff, like fellow RAs.
Bianca agreed, saying,
I returned as an SRA because I really enjoyed the part of getting to know students and
mentoring the team and so I think that was probably the most fulfilling part. My favorite
part of this past year was getting to know my small staff and being able to work closely
with my RD to address student needs.
Student staff also mentioned campus counseling services and other student service
departments as important resources. One interviewee spoke about the process of registering
their emotional support animal and the difference that made in their well-being.
Others mentioned the ability to leave the residence hall to take breaks away from their
place of work.
DISCUSSION
The quantitative data obtained through the campus pulse surveys showed that student
hall staff had lower rates of anxiety and higher rates of depression than did the general
student population, at least during the spring 2021 semester. One limitation in this
data is that students were asked to self-identify their levels of anxiety and depression
rather than having these conditions clinically assessed. Additionally, significance testing
was not conducted between the respective fall and spring semesters due to the
number of hall staff available in the study. Nonetheless, the results of the pulse surveys
were shared with hall staff, which allowed for an exploration of ways to improve work
conditions that could lead to reduced levels of stress, anxiety, and depression.
During the pandemic, campus leadership has been committed to communicating
as often and as effectively as possible. The qualitative data gleaned through interviews
showed that student hall staff were consistently informed of policy and protocol changes.
Despite the difficulties of constant change resulting from the unpredictable and unsettling
nature of the pandemic, student staff were among the best informed groups in
the student population because they had the benefit of receiving weekly verbal updates
at staff meetings regarding the current campus plans. This supports the pulse survey
findings that they had lower rates of anxiety as a result of being more informed.
The qualitative data supports the quantitative data in terms of the higher rate of
depression symptoms in student staff. Focus group participants explained that being
isolated during the 2020-21 academic year was difficult, as they accepted the position
hoping to make strong connections with their residents and other student staff. It
was perhaps especially isolating for student staff to attend training, where staff were
required to learn about their positions via Zoom sessions lasting five to eight hours
per day over the course of 10 days. Additionally, some student staff who had frequent
Volume 49, No. 3 * 2023 119

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