Abstract:
It is essential for colleges and universities to identify issues that affect the persistence of students of color. While involvement has been proven to greatly impact a college student's experience and development, it only has an impact if they take advantage of the opportunities. This study compares African-American student involvement in residence life and multicultural affairs organizations at Ball State University. While African-American students often spend several years in the residence halls, their involvement in housing activities remains lower than their involvement in multicultural affairs programs. Strategic planning is necessary to restructure a living environment where students of color readily invest themselves in leadership and programming opportunities available to them in the residence halls.