USING PHOTOVOICE TO EXPLORE THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PHYSCIAL SPACE OF THE COLLEGE UNION AND COMMUNITY BUILDING ON CAMPUS: A CASE STUDY

College unions are a common feature on the traditional American campus. The Association of College Unions International, the Association that advances the role of the college union, has long claimed that the college union assists with community building on campus and that the college union is a place where everyone on campus can come to gather. Still, research surrounding the relationship between the physical space of the college union and community is limited. DeSawal and Yakaboski (2013) highlighted this gap in the literature and since then several practitioners have conducted studies examining this relationship.

To better understand this relationship, a case study was conducted exploring student perception of the physical space of the college union and community. Strange and Banning’s (2001) Hierarchical Model of Environmental Purposes and Design Model provided the framework to explore how students understood the relationship between the physical space of the college union and community. Through photograph analysis, interviews, and observation data showed that participants were keenly aware of the physical space of the college union. They paid close attention to where things were in the building and how the location of these things impacted their decisions and use of the space. They also acknowledged the importance of the services and amenities within the physical space of the college union. Design elements like natural light, color, and open space were also acknowledged and valued by students. Finally, participants drew on the connections between the physical space of the college union and community. They saw the college union as a place to gather, a place that nurtured belonging, a place that was safe, and a place where they felt welcomed and could engage with their peers. Participants believed that the college union served as the hub of campus life, and as the hub, the college union was and place that encouraged the development of community on campus.