The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 2 - 37

Resident Assistant Mattering: Do Placement and Community Size Matter?

likely to be retained (Astin, 1984; Chickering
& Reisser, 1993; Schlossberg, 1989).
In addition to increasing or securing stable
financial resources to provide such environments for RAs and residents, other strategies
should be employed to enhance a feeling of
mattering among RAs. For instance, a supervisory focus on individual efforts within the
communal environment could promote an
RA's sense of mattering and belonging in the
community. One-on-one meetings with a supervisor could give recognition to RAs' impact
on students' lives and illuminate the important role they play in engaging and retaining
students, which they may not have recognized
previously or simply missed from the RAs'
vantage point. Given the requirements of the
position, RAs must build positive relationships with residents while also documenting
students for noise or other policy violations.
Such contention that RAs may encounter
at work could lead to confusion about their
role, which is found to cause stress (Deluga
& Winters, 1991) and contribute to burnout
(Cordes & Dougherty, 1993). Under these circumstances, supervisors should take further
steps to ensure that RAs understand they play
a critical role in eliminating noise and policy
violations and they matter greatly to their residents who are impacted by disruptive peers in
the community.
Mattering is also important to consider when discussing the retention of staff
members. In employment settings (at least
among older workers), employees with stronger feelings of mattering are more likely to
be retained (Armstrong-Stassen & Schlosser,
2011). Although the RA position differs from
traditional full-time employment due to the

Given the requirements of the
position, RAs must build positive
relationships with residents while
also documenting students for
noise or other policy violations.

semi-limited employment duration (RAs are
unable to continue employment after graduation), the importance of mattering and employee retention are likely to have similar effects
on RA employment. Applicable to all employees, the positive associations with increased
perception of mattering include: Employees
feel they are valued by the organization (Armstrong-Stassen & Schlosser, 2011), they are
important to achieving the goals of the organization and are able to identify with the organization (Brown & Leigh, 1996), and they are
included within the organizational community (Masterson & Stamper, 2003). Therefore,
having RAs with stronger feelings of mattering
should yield more positive departmental outcomes, which could benefit the overall campus
environment and student retention.

LIMITATIONS
Prior to discussing the results, it is necessary
to consider the limitations of this study. One
such limitation is the small sample size from
a single institution. The results are therefore
not likely to be generalized to other institutions of differing sizes and types (e.g., small,
private institutions). Replication of the study is
recommended on a larger scale from multiple
institutions of varying type. Additionally, the

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The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 43, No. 2

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