2024-2025 Annual Report
Letter from the Director
The 2024-25 Academic Year was one of renewed energy, significant investment, and diligent planning for the future. The 2024 summer kicked off with the entire department coming together to pull off our largest furniture replacement project to date. Every HRL staff member helped remove 1,000 old twin size beds and mattresses, so that contractors could install new, self-loftable beds and new mattresses in every room of Shocker Hall and half of The Flats. This large scale project set the tone for the year, with HRLstaff truly living out our service standard of efficiency while creating further connections to each other.
Shortly after, our staff welcomed our largest number of residents ever to their new homes on campus. We moved in 1,461 students over 7 days and received so much positive feedback regarding our easy processes and friendly staff. The rest of our year followed suit with our highest residential engagement numbers in 5 years, which was very encouraging to our Residence Life staff. Students are seeking connections, attending building-wide programming, and seeking out resources. Conversely, we are still seeing a trend of a lack of interpersonal skills, particularly conflict management skills. Residents are not communicating effectively with each other, and are eager to avoid conflict. We as a staff are working to educate on this topic and build their skills and confidence in these areas. This will continue to be an ongoing focus for our team and we are confident we can contribute to positive change in this area, equipping our residents with the real-world skills needed to be successful, productive alumni after college.
KATIE AUSTIN, M.Ed
Director
Housing and Residence Life
Creating a home where Shockers can live, learn, and grow.
MISSION
Housing and Residence Life is committed to providing a positive student experience by creating a safe and inclusive community that promotes personal and academic success.
SERVICE STANDARDS
Safety
Courtesy
Connection
Efficiency
Department Highlights
- Highest occupancy in 15 years- utilized overflow housing at the Hyatt at WSU for 4 weeks to accommodate every first-year student who needed housing
- Strongest engagement numbers since before COVID- especially at building wide programs
- Highest resident satisfaction numbers regarding Resident Assistant performance since 2020
- Installed 1,000 new Twin XL self-loftable beds and replaced all twin mattresses in Shocker Hall and The Flats
- Re-opened The Flats information desk and reinstated mail and package pickup at The Flats
- Supported 50 residents with Reside & Thrive scholarships and wrap-around programming
- Hired 70 student workers for various roles within the department
- Hired 7 Graduate Assistants
| Occupancy | 1461 |
| Falls to Spring Persistence | 92% |
| Living Learning Community Members | 145 |
Residence Life and Educational Engagement
Residence Life and Educational Engagement implemented Year 2 of its student-centered resident engagement model throughout the 2024-2025 academic year. This engagement model includes Shocker Surveys, social and educational programming, community building hours, roommate agreements, health and safety checks, educational bulletin boards, door decorations and wall decorations, and educational conversations during duty rounds and incidents. Our Shocker Survey numbers this year were record breaking, largely due to the effort of the RA staff to get as much participation as possible. Each Shocker Survey told a story of the resident who was filling it out. It told us how they were transitioning to college life in the early fall, how their mental health was as midterms and fall finals approached, what they were looking forward to in the spring semester, and how our department had helped them become a stronger version of themselves. All the students who noted they were struggling in one way or another would be sought out individually by their RA to appropriately address the concern. For example, there were lots of students who noted that they were missing friends or family from home in the first semester. Because their RA connected with them individually and was able to help them get involved, by the second half of the fall semester, they noted that they were happier, felt connected to the university, and were excited about coming back in the spring. There are hundreds of stories like this from Residence Life this year. Stories like this matter. They matter from a persistence standpoint because it helps us to retain students. They matter from a Care perspective, because by intervening at a low-level concern, we are able to possibly prevent any more serious escalation of issues down the road. They matter from a human perspective because helping students find a home at WSU will have lasting impacts on their relationships, life, and future careers. Along with Shocker Surveys, we continued to do large-scale social programming in the halls to create fun opportunities for students to engage with one another, meet people, and get to know the university. Some examples of programs hosted by our RA’s, Graduate Residence Life Coordinators, and Residence Life Coordinators were “Do The Right Thing” – a Black History Month Event, Donuts with the staff, Superbowl Parties, Basketball tournaments, grocery bingo, cooking classes, outdoor BBQ events, hammock parties, weeklong “assassin” games, and the list can go on and on.
These events allowed residents to feel connected, meet friends, learn new life skills, socialize, and even win prizes sometimes! Our staff work incredibly hard to intentionally ask the residents what types of events they are wanting so that we are spending our time and money wisely. In addition to our intentional engagement efforts and social programming, the Residence Life team also conducted one roommate agreement conversation as well as four health and safety checks every room. This allows residents to engage in a mature conversation about what it takes to successfully live with someone they do not know or haven’t lived with before. It also prevents a lot of conflict because they are encouraged to be open and honest throughout the roommate agreement process. Lastly, it sets up a great process for when there is conflict in a room, with the RA facilitating a roommate mediation with the students and referring to the roommate agreements they signed in September. By having a mediation, they are learning conflict management, communication, and understanding of people around them. The health and safety checks are another point of building responsibility in the residents. They are alerted a week prior to these happening so they have time to communicate with their roommates about cleaning the space. We also have noticed that by us doing these, the rooms are much cleaner upon move-out time, that it also saves our custodial and maintenance staff a great deal of energy. Creating opportunities for residents to learn real-life skills is something that we try to implement in all of our engagement efforts. Overall, the 2024-2025 academic year for the Residence Life team was very successful. This upcoming year, we are looking forward to a year of transition and growth as we welcome a new Associate Director, two new Residence Life Coordinators, and a whole new set of Graduate Residence Life Coordinators. Our team continues to be adaptable, innovative, creative, and focused on student success.
| Shocker Survey Number | Total Student Participation | Common Topics |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 748 | Roomates, Adjustment, Homesickness |
| 2 | 755 | Academics, Mental Health, Finances |
| 3 | 756 | Social Life, New Semester, Mental Health |
| 4 | 686 | Finals, Summer Plans, Personal Growth |
Connecting Every Student
Housing & Residence Life Staff work hard to ensure each student living on campus feels connected to the Wichita State community. Every interaction we have is a chance to create a point of connection, and the residents shared some of their appreciation for our staff’s efforts in the Annual Resident Satisfaction Survey feedback section.
I appreciate the efforts of the housing team for their outstanding support and kindness. They are always responsive to any concerns and go above and beyond to ensure residents feel comfortable and welcome.
All the ladies at the front desk have been very kind and very helpful all year long.
The OA's at the Suites have been a big help this semester. They’ve been super helpful and kind and have answered a plethora of my questions. A couple of them even know me by name so I want to give them a big shoutout for their help!
I love my RA, he is so helpful and chill. I get overwhelmed and stressed out easily and he is super helpful in listening. He deserves a raise.
All of the RA’s have been really nice and friendly this year.
Business Operations
For the Business Operations team, the Academic Year 2024-2025 has been a year of change, growth, and success. We spent much of the year assessing and formalizing our processes and procedures, all with our students in mind.
Business Operations processed a record number of New Student Housing applications for the upcoming 2025-2026year, starting in October when the application went live. With our commitment to housing every newly admitted student, Occupancy Management has remained crucial to Business Operations. The team has had to strengthen its communications to students, families, and campus partners regarding the occupancy of our on-campus communities. We reviewed and revamped the information that is made available to prospective and current students. For prospective students, our Housing website provides up-to-date information that is needed to make an informed decision when it comes to living on campus. For current students, we continued to improve our student Housing portal to make it as user friendly as possible, so all residents can easily navigate it, no matter what their level of technological skill. Because the website/portal cannot encompass every student’s specific needs or situation, we also assist many individuals via phone, email, or in-person. Two full-time administrative assistants oversaw the general Housing email and phone line to ensure we maintained the highest level of customer service. During the times we anticipated a higher number of calls (i.e. room selection process, move-in, move-out, etc.), we have added Business Operations staff to the general Housing phone line queue. This has helped with waiting times, staff workload, and provided more opportunities to provide high quality customer service and the most accurate information to every caller.
The overnight desk team entered its third year and has continued to be an extension of the desk’s quality of service to residents between 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. We offered this extension throughout the Summer semester this year, and it has been met with positive feedback from our 500+ summer guests, corporate interns, and residents.
In conclusion, our Business Operations team continues to adapt to the needs of today’s prospective student, ensuring that our processes are efficient and focused on the customer experience. We are consistently striving to live out our Service Standards in our daily work.
Resident Feedback
How satisfied are you with the information desk services?
- 73.6% were moderately/very satisfied
- 25.2% were slightly dissatisfied, neutral, or slightly satisfied
HRL asked residents, “when you have a question about housing, where do you go for information?” Residents are increasingly utilizing our website and the housing portal.
| Ask my roommate/suitemate | 99 (42.7%) |
| Ask my Resident Assistant | 112 (48.3%) |
| Ask the front desk | 118 (50.9%) |
| Look on the Housing website | 123 (53.0%) |
| Look on social media | 25 (10.8%) |
| Call the Housing office | 26 (11.2%) |
| Email the Housing office | 58 (25.0%) |
| Look in my Housing portal | 98 (42.2%) |
Facilities
The Facilities Team completed several major projects this year, with the first being the replacement of all our Twin beds and mattresses in Summer 2024. During the academic year, the team replaced all of the thermostats at The Suites, repainted hallways at Shocker Hall, and coordinated the installation of a pickleball court and hammock lounge in the Flats Courtyard. These projects were all aimed at improving the residential experience and keeping our buildings looking and operating their best.
The Custodial team hired 11 Student Assistants in Spring 2025 and had them trained and ready to assist with Room Turns at Move-Out. We have 2 Custodial Student Assistants that stay on during the academic year and specifically focus on cleaning the Dining Hall on weekends.
The facilities team received high ratings from our Annual Resident Satisfaction surveys, with students praising the timeliness of repairs, the friendliness of staff, and the overall cleanliness of the common spaces in our buildings.
| Daily | 1 |
| Weekly | 4 |
| Monthly | 16 |
| Quaterly | 36 |
| Semi-Annually | 3 |
| Annually | 18 |
Resident Feedback
How satisfied are you with the cleaning staff?
- 69.3% were moderately/very satisfied
- 27.4% were slightly dissatisfied, neutral, or slightly satisfied
How satisfied are you with the timeliness of repairs?
- 69.3% were moderately/very satisfied
- 28.7% were slightly dissatisfied, neutral, or slightly satisfied
Departmental Assessment
Every Spring semester, HRL administers the annual ACUHO-I/Benchworks Resident Assessment
in order to gather feedback about the residential experience at WSU. All survey data
in this report is from the Spring 2025 Assessment. We have seen many of our key indicators
improve this year, as well as our overall benchmarking against other peer institutions
of our size and scope. In addition to the pre-selected questions, we have the
opportunity to ask Institution Specific Questions which have been very valuable in
helping us determine what types of amenities residents want to see on campus, what
their level of satisfaction is with our mobile key system, and what their preferred
methods of communication are. Our projects at The Flats this year were a direct result
of the feedback we received in this year’s survey. Below are more data points that
we think speak to the positive impact living on campus has on students.
Resident Feedback
Student Staff Satisfaction - How satisfied are you with your the performance of your staff member?
- 80.1% were moderately/very satisfied
- 17.5% were slightly dissatisfied, neutral, or slightly satisfied
Diverse Interactions - To what degree has your on-campus housing experience helped you interact with the residents who are different from you?
- 56.3% were moderately/very satisfied
- 38% were slightly dissatisfied, neutral, or slightly satisfied
Self-Management - As a results of your on-campus housing experience, you are better able to solving your own problems?
- 55% were moderately/very satisfied
- 39.8% were slightly dissatisfied, neutral, or slightly satisfied
Overall Evaluation - Regarding your on-campus housing experience, to what degree has it possibly impacted your decision to return to this institution next year?
- 51.9% were moderately/very satisfied
- 36.9% were slightly dissatisfied, neutral, or slightly satisfied
Contact Housing & Residence Life for previous annual reports.
- Phone: 316-978-3693
- Fax: 316-978-6458