References
Vaddireddy, S. (2022). Koury Residence Hall Lounge [Digital Image].
418 Manning Dr [Online Image]. (2021). Google Maps. https://www.google.com/maps/@35.9035312,-79.0440684,3a,75y,62.53h,97.34t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sY7oIXA_skX9PMqA0DE8iDw!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?hl=en.
Presentation Script:
Preface:
As a resident of Hinton James, a first-year dorm that houses approximately 1000 students, I often wondered how life differed at smaller dorms. I chose to investigate how college students at small, suite-style residence halls utilize common spaces in contrast to students at larger residence halls. To answer this question, I interviewed and observed residents of Koury Residence Hall, that houses around 250 people and is pictured on the left.
Background Information:
As stated by Karen Inkelas, living spaces are a crucial aspect of students’ transition to college (Inkelas, Daver, Vogt, & Leonard, 2006, para. 10). With a strong residence hall community, students are eased into this initial social transition. Koury Residence Hall has many amenities that can facilitate the formation of social connections and community building. The UNC Housing website lists that Koury has common areas such as seminar rooms, study rooms, lounges, and recreation rooms that residents can use as they wish (Koury – UNC Housing, para. 2).
Observational Data and Analysis:
For my first observation, I interviewed first-year students Vamsi and Pranav who live in Koury Residence Hall. Since there are fewer residents at Koury, they have more updated technology, larger living spaces, and more lounge spaces that attract students to the dorm. An unfamiliar face is easier to spot than at a larger residence hall, and people pay more attention to each other in the quieter, emptier environment. I noticed this when I first entered the dorm for the interview, as I felt that the people I passed in the halls were watching me and could sense that I was an outsider. Vamsi and Pranav said that the people at Koury were typically very kind and friendly, sharing anecdotes about their experiences with helpful neighbors. The dorm is very quiet overall and people who choose to live at Koury tend to prioritize their privacy. Having fewer amenities, such as the lack of ping pong tables and TVs, yet more lounge space allows for more private socialization. Rather than many people flocking to one common lounge as they would in a larger dorm, smaller groups of people can socialize in multiple areas. This can facilitate closer, and possibly fewer, friendships.
During my second observation, I spent time in two lounges at Koury and discovered an interesting aspect of how residents utilize common areas. Students staying in Koury prefer to use lounges as focused study spaces, rather than areas of socialization, as shown in the photograph on the right. This conforms to the stereotype that residents of smaller dorms are quieter and more studious. In the interview, Vamsi and Pranav shared that there was an unspoken rule among the residents to not enter an occupied lounge, even if there is only one person inside. I also noted this during my search for lounge spaces to observe, as most lounges were occupied by one person who was studying. In fact, when I entered an already occupied lounge, I was shocked to see some people go so far as to leave in search of an empty space.
Conclusion:
Residents of smaller dorms tend to utilize common spaces productively and are more mindful of others. People respect others’ privacy, even in common areas, which is not often seen or feasible in larger dorms. Of course, this research is based upon only two observations of a single residence hall, and this must be kept in mind when generalizing these conclusions to larger populations. Future observations could be conducted in common spaces in larger residence halls to solidify claims about the differences between smaller and larger dorms. Smaller residence halls can allow for closer interpersonal relationships that can help the social transition to college.
Explication of Research:
I. Preface
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offers numerous residence halls that students can choose to live in. They have hall-style and suite-style dorms of varying capacities located throughout their campus. As a resident of Hinton James, a suite-style dorm that houses approximately 1000 students, I often wondered how life might differ at smaller dorms. I expect smaller residence halls to be quieter and that students who choose to live there are less social than the residents of larger dorms. To examine these presumptions, I chose to investigate how college students at small, suite-style residence halls utilize common spaces in contrast to students at larger residence halls. I interviewed and observed residents of Koury Residence Hall, a suite-style residence hall that only houses around 250 people, to research this question.
II. Background Information
College students must adjust to new environments, typically far from the comfort of home. As a result, they must form new connections with peers and rely on socialization to establish them. Living spaces are a crucial aspect of students’ transition to college (Inkelas, Daver, Vogt, & Leonard, 2006, para. 10). A strong residence hall community can provide students with a support system to help them through this initial social transition. Koury Residence Hall has many amenities that can facilitate the formation of social connections and community building. The UNC Housing website lists that Koury has common areas such as seminar rooms, study rooms, lounges, and recreation rooms that residents can use as they wish (Koury – UNC Housing, para. 2). Larger dorms have similar amenities but they are shared among a greater number of residents.
III. Observational Data and Analysis
Observation 1:
For my first observation, I interviewed first-year students Vamsi and Pranav who live in Koury Residence Hall. When I first entered Koury for the interview on October 4th, 2022 at 8 pm, I felt as though the people I passed were watching me. The hallways were very quiet, and I had a strange feeling that the residents could sense that I was an outsider. At smaller residence halls, an unfamiliar face is easier to spot, and people pay more attention to each other in the quieter, emptier environment. Vamsi and Pranav said that people often assume that residents of Koury and other small dorms are quiet, antisocial, and focused on academics, but that these stereotypes are not always true. Sharing anecdotes about their experiences with helpful neighbors, they explained that people at Koury were typically very kind and friendly, and that it was easy to get to know those living near you. The dorm is, however, very quiet, and people who choose to live at Koury Residence Hall do prioritize their privacy.
Since there are fewer residents at Koury, they have more updated technology, larger rooms, fewer students sharing a bathroom in each suite, and more lounge spaces that attract students to live in this dorm. These amenities can better the transition to college by providing comfortable living space and reducing stress for students. During the interview, I was given a tour of Koury, from which I was able to gather more information than what was provided on the UNC Housing website. For example, larger dorms such as Hinton James typically have one lounge space on each floor. Koury, however, had four lounges and a kitchen on every floor. Having more lounge space allows for more private socialization in smaller residence halls. Rather than many people flocking to one common lounge as they would in a larger dorm, smaller groups of people can socialize in multiple areas. This can facilitate closer, and possibly fewer, friendships.
Observation 2:
During my second observation on October 6th, 2022 at 7:45 pm, I explored common spaces at Koury and discovered an interesting aspect of how residents utilize lounges. First, I surveyed Koury’s common spaces to choose a lounge to enter. I noticed that many were either empty or occupied by only one resident who was studying. Students staying in Koury prefer to use lounges as focused study spaces, rather than areas of socialization. This conforms to the stereotype that residents of smaller dorms are quieter and more studious. During my search, I stumbled upon a lounge with one girl sitting inside. She was wearing comfortable clothing, indicating the casual environment of the common spaces at dorms, and upon noticing me, she immediately opened the door and invited me in. I found this very surprising, as residents at larger dorms are typically less attentive and do not take the effort to create a welcoming environment. The lounge was calm and comfortable. We sat in silence and the girl left very soon after I entered, leaving me to find another lounge space.
Privacy is a distinct aspect of how residents of small dorms utilize common spaces, something that is simply not possible in heavily-populated dorms. At the next lounge space that I entered, there was again one girl studying inside. This time, however, I was not welcomed in the lounge and felt as though I was disturbing the resident’s privacy. In fact, upon noticing that I entered the lounge, another girl approached to inform her that there was another lounge space open, suggesting that she move there. I was shocked to see that some people would go so far as to leave a common space, only because one other person entered. Since Koury is a smaller residence hall, I would have expected them to have a close-knit community that utilized common spaces to socialize as lounges are used in larger dorms. However, it seemed that though many residents of Koury are friendly, welcoming, and kind, they enjoy their privacy and others are very mindful of this.
IV. Conclusion
Smaller residence halls can accommodate more comfortable living spaces and allow for closer interpersonal relationships. Residents of smaller dorms tend to utilize common spaces productively and are more mindful of others. People respect others’ privacy, even in common areas, which is not often seen or feasible in larger dorms. More attention is paid to individual residents and a greater sense of community can ease the social transition to college. Of course, this research is based upon only two observations of a single residence hall, and this must be kept in mind when generalizing these conclusions to larger populations. Future observations could be conducted in common spaces in larger residence halls to solidify claims about the differences between smaller and larger dorms.
References
Horton – UNC Housing. (n.d.). Carolina Housing. https://housing.unc.edu/live/explore-the-halls/residence-halls/horton/.
Inkelas, K. K., Daver, Z. E., Vogt, K. E., & Leonard, J. B. (2006). Living–learning programs and first-generation college students’ academic and social transition to college. Research in Higher Education, 48(4), 403–434. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-006-9031-6.
Featured Image Source:
[Untitled online image of UNC students]. Carolina Housing. https://housing.unc.edu/play/.