Conditions That Affect Sense Of Belonging In A Student Government At A Mid-Sized Private University: A Collaborative Ethnographic Study

The factors that assist college students in finding meaning, connection, and community during the undergraduate experience are nuanced and varied. Many studies have reviewed the importance of meaning and connection in the context of undergraduate experiences that, when successful, often lead to persistence and retention. In addition to meaning and connection, much has been researched and articulated about the Sense of Belonging concept, essentially combining meaning and connection while examining micro and macro influences on college students before and during undergraduate experiences. While the literature on sense of belonging in relation to involvement in student organizations has gradually emerged over the last several decades, discussions on how a sense of belonging impacts a specific subset of student organization involvement—student governments—is negligible.