The Impact of Facilities on Community: An Application to Greek Housing.

Campus environments easily impact the ability of higher education professionals to establish campus community. Campus buildings, settings, and environments are important aspects of the development and maintenance of community. This article provides an introduction to environmental impact and one institution's approach in redesigning their Greek Residential housing to enhance campus community. Effective learning environments on college campuses result from the interplay of many factors. One that should be considered is the link between student learning and the ethos of the institution. Campus ethos communicates to faculty, staff and students the special qualities that distinguish the institution from others. It also provides clues about the institution's mission, priorities and expectations for students. One component of campus ethos is the appearance of the buildings and grounds. The architecture style of buildings, campus signs, traffic patterns, and the landscape all send messages to those in the campus community about the institution's philosophy and priorities (Rapoport, 1982). Water features, ponds, and pedestrian bridges create peaceful settings. The beauty and serenity of wooded areas offer places for contemplation, thought, and study. Beautiful trees, high quality turf, flowering plants, broad open spaces, buildings softened by vines, broad sidewalks, vibrant flowers, interesting water features, and dean bike trails incline those on campus to feel comfortable as well as welcome. Physical surroundings can send the clear message that someone cares very much about the environment where people work and learn. The opposite can also be true. Kuh, Schuh, & Whitt (1991) concluded "the properties of the physical environment shape behavior, either encouraging or discouraging students from taking advantage of learning opportunities" (p. 110). In a well-planned environment, one can enjoy the moment or find consolation in the beauty of the campus no matter how difficult things in life are at the moment. The campus environment can create a tone of thoughtfulness, scholarship, and high achievement. An attractive physical setting can incline students and others to stop and appreciate the campus, think about what they are learning, and consider the ideas of others. Because students, faculty, and staff bring to campus the same consumer expectations they have for every other aspect of their lives, there should be a focus on convenience, service, and quality. One way this can be accomplished is to build and maintain environments, places, and spaces that demonstrate concern for the safety, comfort, and enjoyment of people. On a typical college campus there are places and spaces that could be described as scary, invigorating, noisy, and quiet. Additionally, there are places that people hurry through to get somewhere, places that are destinations, and places that attract people for conversation, entertainment, reading, or just relaxing. One goal of administrators in higher education is to create positive environments and eliminate negative ones. Historically this was less of a concern as generations ago custodians had giant key rings and could be heard coming before being seen. Custodians polished floors to a mirror like finish, picked up litter, and cleaned windows. The lead custodians took pride in their building but thought little about the character of the institution. Today, concern about the character of a college campus is shared by everyone including custodians because building a sense of community helps institutions attain organizational goals. Building a sense of community requires a comprehensive effort by people throughout the institution. The admissions office, student affairs, registrar's office, housing office, athletic association, alumni affairs, physical plant, and others have a vested interest in making sure that students enjoy their college experience, develop during college, and graduate in a reasonable time period. …