Journal of College & University Student Housing Volume 50, No. 2 - 50

Improving Praxis in Residence Life
Residence life departments need to evaluate staff responsibilities
with a focus on reducing workloads and providing opportunities
for staff to create a better work/life balance and prioritize their
well-being.
el times, increases access and comfort, and maintains effectiveness and staff cohesion.
While virtual meetings are sometimes seen as reducing human connections
(Kaye-Tzadok, 2021), virtual meeting platforms can be leveraged to increase connections
when they are used to replace emails or other forms of communication. As with
work responsibilities, departments may engage in stop-start-continue exercises to
identify the practices worth continuing, new innovations that could be implemented,
and practices adopted during the pandemic that were not as effective and should be
discontinued.
Overall, our findings indicate a need for intentional reflection on residence life
staff's experiences during the pandemic. As our findings highlight, much could be
learned from the pandemic, particularly ways to reduce work stress for staff and prioritize
staff well-being. Residence life departments should consider setting aside time
to engage in reflective activities that allow staff to collaboratively re-envision residence
life and higher education based on knowledge gained during the challenging times of
the pandemic.
CONCLUSION
This qualitative study explored the experiences of residence life staff during the
COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on lessons learned to improve praxis. Our findings indicate
a need to increase transparent communication and reduce workloads; examine
the support provided to foster staff well-being, such as flexible work arrangements,
hybrid work, and roommate policies; and leverage the use of technology to improve
efficiency, effectiveness, and access. Most importantly, our findings point to a need to
re-evaluate and re-envision processes and procedures in residence life that balance
student and staff needs and prioritize staff well-being. Our study provides an alternative
approach for housing departments to evaluate the challenges residence life staff
face by utilizing Schlossberg's transition theory (Anderson et al., 2011; Schlossberg,
2008). Recognizing that residence life staff frequently undergo transitions-such as
moving between institutions or adjusting to a new position, addressing the changing
needs of students, and adjusting to a new work culture due to changes in team
members-this framework can provide a holistic approach to problem-solving that
centers the staff member's experiences (situation and self) and holds departmental
and institutional leadership accountable for prioritizing staff members' well-being
(support and strategies).
Our study also points to a need for further research in this area. First, the limitations
of this study regarding who the participants were and the timeframe when
interviews were conducted indicate a need for additional follow-up studies with a
Volume 50, No. 2 * 2024 47
Journal of College & University Student Housing Volume 50, No. 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Journal of College & University Student Housing Volume 50, No. 2
