Physical Environment

The physical environment of McNutt is interesting to consider because McNutt is an incredibly large environment. I spend much of my time in the Center building, which is where my office (pictured below) can be found, where the Center Desk is located, and where most, if not all of my meetings with my supervisors, co-grads, and supervisees occur. Residential spaces, including rooms and most lounges, are located in the North and South buildings of McNutt. There are two ways in which I will approach my analysis of McNutt's physical environment. First, I will discuss the ways in which the environment influences the experiences of residents. Then, I will discuss how this then shapes the experiences of my student staff and myself.

There are three important quotes from Strange and Banning (2015) below that I would like to emphasize before beginning my discussion of McNutt's physical environment.

“The research supporting the nonverbal communications link between the physical environment and behavior has long been established” (p. 16).

“Behavior settings are the social and physical contexts within which human behavior occurs, [and these] can function like nonverbal mnemonic devices, where messages encoded in the physical component serve to remind participants of what is expected. [...] At times behavioral setting components are antagonistic and at other times synomorphic” (pp. 17-18).

“Physical features often set broad limits on the phenomena that can occur in a setting, making some behaviors more or less likely than others” (p. 18-19).

I believe that these quotes are highly applicable to my experiences in McNutt. As mentioned on the "McNutt & The Northwest Neighborhood" page, McNutt has a reputation as a wild or chaotic "party" neighborhood. I believe that this stereotype has a negative impact on the Northwest neighborhood as a whole, including McNutt, because the physical environment of McNutt reflects these assumptions.

There are no academic buildings nearby and few study spaces. McNutt’s interior is designed in a way which seems to anticipate problematic behavior. For example, there are no TVs, ping-pong or pool tables, white boards, or other activities in lounges, because staff do not trust students to respect these items. Walls, public spaces, and furniture are dull in color. Resident Assistants often leave hallways undecorated due to a fear that their decorations will be torn down or vandalized, which leaves halls bare and institutional feeling. These cues convey this lack of trust to students, and though there is historical precedent which has justified these precautions, this environment also doesn’t help to reduce boredom in students (which leads to destructive behavior) or encourage residents to take ownership over their community. Further, there are issues with cleanliness in the halls.

Due to short staffing on our Environmental Operations (EO) team, trash (including alcohol containers), dirt, and dust are regularly seen in stairwells and around the building, and dirty bathrooms and public spaces are normal. These issues with cleanliness communicate that students don’t need to respect the space, and though I firmly believe that residents need to learn to clean up after themselves and be respectful of their halls and the building, it is difficult to encourage this appropriate behavior when a baseline level of cleanliness is not maintained. Overall, this negatively impacts our student staff and our EO staff, but also the relationships between our EO staff and our RAs. EO staff think RAs need to tell their residents to clean up after themselves, but due to low staffing, the space isn’t being sanitized properly in the first place. Our RAs consistently have to deal with complaints from residents as well as poor behavior. As a member of McNutt's Leadership Team, balancing how we support our RAs and manage the state of the environment in such a large building can be difficult.

Another physical space which is important to discuss is my actual work space within McNutt, my office. I share my office with my two co-grads. The space is large, with plenty of seating, and I also have access to other spaces, such as a smaller, private room with a table and chairs that connects to my office, and the McNutt conference room. I have made it a priority to make this space as warm and welcoming as possible. The blinds on the windows are usually open, as well as the door. I want all students who enter the space for different reasons, whether they are one of my RAs or a resident who is coming in for a conduct meeting, to feel secure and comfortable. I think it's difficult to feel anxious or scared walking into a space which is full of colorful decorations and fidget toys. This hypothesis is supported by a number of positive reactions that I have experienced in the space. Residents who are nervous or struggling with concerns are able to relax, it is easier to have more casual conversations with my staff members, and I feel more positive when in the space as well. If more serious conversations need to be had, I have access to other, simpler spaces. When thinking about the different spaces that I have discussed, I feel that my office environment contrasts greatly from the residential environment of McNutt.

McNutt was renovated in 2019, and I do wish that a greater focus was put on updating the space to solve some of the issues described above. Unfortunately, this renovation was so recent that there is little opportunity to change some of the issues that I have described, due to budgetary restrictions. Further, I do not foresee staffing issues being resolved in the near future for similar reasons. These factors make improving the environment directly difficult. However, I believe that a change in mindset about McNutt and the Northwest Neighborhood would be helpful. This is something that I frequently work with my RAs to address. If we are able to communicate new perspectives with the residents, then we can begin to change behavior. In turn, I hope that this could leads to future changes in the physical environment.