Campus Ecology

The College Union is a campus facility that is part of the campus ecology.  It
provides a place where all can feel a sense of inclusion, safety, involvement, and
community.  Through a comparative research approach I will present how both students
and professional staff perceive the College Union, the programs that are part of the
facility, and how it impacts the retention of students.  This investigation draws upon
psychology, behavioral sciences and the liberal arts disciplines as they relate to learning
spaces, campus ecology, and the building of community through involvement. 
This study is a two phased mixed method research design with the primary data
collection conducted electronically using web-based survey tools for both professional
staff (N=562) with a response of 113 individuals, and 50 student respondents (N=1,971). 
Follow-up interviews were conducted with two participants at schools that were
randomly selected from the survey participants who completed a construction or
renovation project in their College Union in the past five years (N=21). 
There is a synergy that became evident between Boyer’s 6 Principles of
Community (1990), the ACUI Core Competencies (2005), and common themes that
came out of my literature review, survey results, and the interviews conducted as a
follow-up to the surveys.  Through the application of a grounded theory approach, this study presents the Six Principles of College Union Efficacy that support retention on
college campuses.

1. Supports the academic mission of the institution
2. Enhances communication of community values
3. Is a diverse space on campus
4. Is a Community Center
5. Is a Welcoming Place
6. Celebrates Traditions

Colleges provide many opportunities for students to interact with faculty and staff, participate in and lead student organizations, and attend campus events.  This type of involvement creates positive student engagement that nourishes students’ connection while in college (Boyer, 1987).  Students seek on-campus social interactions and supportive networks through programs, services, and activities (Kuh, 2007; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005; Tinto, 2001).  Campus facilities that provide spaces where students can come together intentionally are critical (Kuh, Douglas, Lund, & Ramin-Gyurnek, 1994). 
Designing physical spaces, such as a student union, where social and intellectual connections can occur, contributes community for students.  In order to design spaces that foster opportunities for community, specifically a sense of inclusion and engagement, there is a need for understanding organic community (Myers, 2007) and the way individuals use and interact with physical space.  Specifically, campus ecology (Banning, 2012) provides the theoretical framework for understanding interactions within the physical space. 
In this qualitative case study, the notions of community in the overall planning process and the way students use two identified spaces in a student union were explored.  Semi-structured interviews provided insight in the planning process and observations provided an understanding of the way individuals engage in the space. 
Findings from this study indicate how intentional planning of physical space design impacts the social and intellectual interactions between individuals using the space.  Results from this study suggest that attention to the design of physical space matters.  For student affairs professionals, results from this study demonstrate a positive impact on community as an outcome of the intentional design of the student union.

Abstrak Mengekalkan kelestarian kampus adalah salah satu cabaran dalam kehidupan warga kampus. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) telah mengorak langkah mengamalkan kehidupan kampus berlandaskan ecoKampus sejak tahun 2013. Penggunaan basikal diperkenalkan sebagai pemangkin kepada kehijauan kampus UMS. Namun, sejauh manakah basikal berpotensi sebagai pengangkutan alternatif kepada warga kampus. Oleh itu, kajian bertujuan mengenal pasti ciri, faktor dan kekangan penggunaan mod pengangkutan alternatif ini dalam kalangan pelajar UMS. Kaji selidik dijalankan terhadap 300 pelajar UMS meliputi pelbagai unit kediaman (kolej), berdasarkan kaedah persampelan rawak berstrata. Analisis data menggunakan kaedah deskriptif dan inferensi menerusi frekuensi, skor min purata dan khi kuasa dua. Penemuan kajian menunjukkan kebanyakan pelajar wanita, pelajar yang menginap dalam kampus dan pelajar tahun akhir mendominasi penggunaan basikal di kampus. Sebahagian besar aktiviti berbasikal hanya digunakan bagi tujuan riadah, manakala hanya peratus yang kecil sahaja untuk ke perpustakaan. Penggunaan berbasikal ke kuliah masih di tahap paling minima. Kesedaran terhadap faktor kesihatan adalah pemangkin utama penggunaan basikal, diikuti kesedaran terhadap penjagaan alam sekitar dan kebolehsampaian yang tinggi. Namun, faktor cuaca, keselamatan dan kekurangan infrastruktur penyumbang utama basikal sukar dijadikan sebagai mod pengangkutan alternatif dalam kampus. Peningkatan peratus aktiviti berbasikal dalam kampus masih menjadi cabaran kepada pihak pengurusan universiti. Penambahbaikan infrastruktur dan mempergiatkan kempen penggunaan basikal dalam kalangan warga kampus dapat membantu peningkatan penggunaan basikal serta mengekalkan kelestarian kampus UMS.

This paper analyzes the campus ecology (Renn, 2003, 2004) literature from the perspective of Critical Whiteness specifically problematizing perceptions of safety and inclusion on the college campus. Relying upon Sullivan's (2006) ontological expansiveness, Mills' (1997) epistemology of ignorance, and Leonardo and Porter's (2010) Fanonian interpretation of racial safety, we argue that there is too high a premium placed on social comfort during the undergraduate experience which actually leaves White students at predominantly White institutions in perpetual states of racial arrested development. We conclude that intentional, targeted racial dissonance is necessary for both White students to develop their racial selves while concurrently being aware of the ugly realities of contemporary racism.

Mengekalkan kelestarian kampus adalah salah satu cabaran dalam kehidupan warga kampus. Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) telah mengorak langkah mengamalkan kehidupan kampus berlandaskan EcoCampus sejak tahun 2013. Pengunaan basikal diperkenalkan sebagai pemangkin kepada kehijauan kampus UMS. Kaji selidik dijalankan terhadap 300 pelajar UMS meliputi pelbagai unit kediaman (kolej), fakulti dan peringkat tahun pengajian pelajar berdasarkan kaedah persampelan rawak berstrata. Analisis data menggunakan kaedah deskriptif dan inferensi menerusi frekuensi, skor min purata dan khi kuasa dua. Tujuan kajian adalah mengenal pasti ciri, faktor dan kekangan penggunaan mod pengangkutan alternatif ini dalam kalangan pelajar UMS. Penemuan kajian menunjukkan kebanyakan pelajar wanita yang menginap di kampus dan merupakan pelajar tahun akhir pengajian peringkat sarjana muda didapati mendominasi penggunaan basikal di kampus. Kekerapan penggunaan basikal bertujuan untuk beriadah. Kesedaran terhadap faktor...