College Space, Student Wellbeing, and Sense of Belonging
College spaces can be understood as having both physical and social components that must be navigated during every students’ educational journey. The ways in which students interact with these spaces influences their educational experiences. Using a spatial lens, understanding how scholars have examined the effect of college space on college student wellbeing and sense of belonging makes up my third body of literature.
Understood as both physical – bricks and mortar – and social spaces where relationships are developed, college space design can have a positive effect on students’ sense of belonging and wellbeing (Manning & Kuh, 2005). College space includes both formal and informal learning spaces. Formal spaces include areas such as classrooms, lecture halls, theaters, labs, and studios. Informal learning spaces may include hallways, impromptu gathering spaces, courtyards, dining halls, coffee shops, study tables, libraries, and computer labs. Understanding how students use these spaces gives researchers insight into where students find their sense of belonging, realizing that “belonging is a dynamic process” (Samura, 2016, p.136). College students recognize that the physical spaces on campus are important to creating their sense of belonging.
I earned my undergraduate degree in Art History at the University of Minnesota before there was the internet. All of my classes were delivered in traditional classroom settings – lecture halls and classrooms with rows of desks. As a commuter student, I sought out spaces between classes to do my homework. The lower level of Walter Library, an older building on campus, housed the art history collection and had the coziest study carrels. There, I spent the afternoons by myself, sequestered among the stacks. However, my life on campus changed once I began taking studio art classes.
The art building, with classroom and studio spaces, was a very unassuming facility. It was poorly ventilated, inaccessible, with inadequate studio spaces. By the time it was demolished in 2000, it had become hazardous and dilapidated (Madsen, 2000, in press). However, as rough-around-the-edges it was, the building contained a variety of open studio workspaces, allowing for opportunities to socialize and connect with classmates outside of class. I developed my own sense of belonging to the University of Minnesota in these spaces. Eventually, I made the art building my home away from home, in a worn-out building ideally suited for finding my place among friends.
Being able to engage socially in the university art building’s studio and social spaces allowed me to develop friendships with peers outside of the classroom. Gathering together, we were able to support and encourage each other assignment by assignment, term by term, challenge by challenge. I carry these positive memories, feeling cozy at Walter Library and feeling supported by a cohort of new friends, at the art building, with me as I design this research project about college space. From my own perspective as an undergraduate student during the 1980’s, I have experienced how college space can have an impact on my own wellbeing and sense of belonging.
Environments that are conducive to belonging and inclusion are described as culturally engaging or culturally responsive spaces (Gonzales, 2019). These spaces “create, cultivate and nourish students’ intellect, competencies, and sense of belonging, ultimately creating equitable and sustainable outcomes for socially diverse student groups” (Neal, 2020, p. 2). Any space on campus can contribute to a student’s sense of belonging and can vary depending upon gender and ethnicity (Mulrooney & Kelly, 2021).
However, not all college space promotes student wellbeing and a sense of belonging for every student. With the growing diversity of students of color on community college campuses, attention to space design that is inclusive and welcoming must be observed (Alcantar, et al., 2022). Despite the belief by many that campus spaces exist that are “integrated, inclusive, diverse, and multicultural” (Harwood, et al., 2018, p. 2), students of color continue to experience explicit and subtle practices of racism throughout their higher educational careers (Harwood, et al., 2018). As Samura (2016) pointed out, even if a campus is racially diverse, that does not mean there will naturally be interracial interactions.
One of the barriers to students of color feeling welcomed and included on college campuses is the existence of white space. “White space” is understood as space where Black people are usually not present, not expected to be present, or are marginalized when they are present. It is known as “the white space” by Black people (Anderson, 2015, p.10) and is implicitly “off limits” to anyone other than white people (Anderson, 2015, p.10). Black spaces also exist, yet there is no expectation for white people to enter these spaces. Black people must enter white spaces to participate in life because white space is considered the norm in civic life (Anderson, 2015).
Despite the growing diversity of college campus populations, unwelcoming and hostile environments still exist and are felt by students of color when they walk onto campus, especially through microaggressions (Harwood, et al., 2018). Higher education leaders need to have an understanding of how various cultural and racial groups use space, specifically regarding how use of college space can boost a sense of belonging (Samura, 2016).
When educational scholars want to understand how students develop a sense of belonging to their college, they tend to look at it through student engagement theories, rather than examining how students use physical learning spaces on campus (Mathews, 2009). However, facility design plays an important role in student engagement (Edenfield & McBrayer, 2021). Success for culturally underrepresented or marginalized students increases when spaces are intentionally created for these students, boosting wellbeing and sense of belonging (Patton, 2006; Andrade 2018).
Spaces Communicate Colleges’ Values
The design of college spaces also communicates both explicitly and implicitly to students the priorities and values of the college (Alcantar, et al., 2022; Brook, 2015). Students perceive non-verbal messages about who and what the college values through the placement of offices, classroom design, wall decorations and artwork, signage, and placement of student support services (Alcantar, et al., 2022). The college’s values and priorities regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion can be seen through the lens of this geography of student support (Alcantar, et al., 2022). Whether or not students see themselves reflected in the non-verbal language of space design speaks to their sense of belonging (Banning & Bartel, 1997).
Spaces that promote student sense of belonging can be anywhere on campus. One strategy is to design dedicated spaces that meet students’ cultural and learning identity needs - spaces that are welcoming and culturally sensitive (Alcantar, et al., 2022). These cultural centers often provide an academic home away from home that many students seek. They also increase cultural visibility, which can increase student involvement, engagement, and sense of belonging (Patton, 2006). Furthermore, when students see a physical space dedicated to cultural groups, they see the college demonstrating its commitment to supporting the wellbeing of its students, especially if it has been placed in a prominent spot (Alcantar, et al., 2022). Once involved in a dedicated space, students are able to build relationships beyond the classroom (Alcantar, et al., 2022).