Student leaders present research on campus study spaces and sense of belonging

Understanding student life at IU Indianapolis starts with listening to our students. The Chancellor’s Student Advisory Board (CSAB) brings together selected student leaders to share their perspectives with Chancellor Ramchand and university staff on issues that matter to Jaguars today.

This year, the board focused its efforts on two key areas: Sense of belonging and campus study spaces. Their end-of-year presentations highlighted findings and offered recommendations on how to improve campus life.

Campus study spaces
Group members: Clara Pineda, Simran Shergill, Hailie Ridge and Roufa Hanna

Whether students prefer to study alone or in a group, having dedicated spaces on campus to focus on classwork helps increase productivity and promotes a sense of community.

Through a questionnaire taken by over 200 students from 16 different schools, the group found that underutilized spaces on campus could be converted into study spots and that students are unaware of the current study spaces available to them. Based on their findings, the group’s goals were to:

• Inform students about available study areas.
• Motivate students to study on campus.
• Address potential improvements to enhance students’ study experience.

The group members and Chancellor Ramchand had an engaging conversation where they brainstormed together potential action items to accomplish these goals:

• Reimagine current spaces, like classrooms in Cavanaugh Hall and computer labs, so they meet student needs. For example, taking out computer lab stations and replacing them with more seating and printers.
• Increase student awareness that multipurpose spaces, like residence hall lounges, are open to everyone.
• Explore how the IU mobile app can be used to showcase open study areas.

"After months of research and compiling our findings, the campus administrators took our feedback very well and they’re actually going to implement our suggestions," said Clara Pineda. "It’s really satisfying to see that our suggestions are coming to fruition in the upcoming years."

A sense of belonging
Group members: Maya El-Chal, Vibha Kamath, Kimberly Hestermann and Mason Charlton

This group chose to explore how the IU and Purdue split impacted student morale and students’ overall sense of belonging on campus.

Through surveys and research, the group got to better understand how the student body has processed this shift and identified areas where the university can continue to support its community through this change. 120 Jaguars took the survey, with 67% identifying as commuters.

Students shared mixed views on campus connection and the value of degrees after the split. 

Direct quotes from the survey:

"I personally feel connected to my small communities on campus. However, I struggle to connect with campus as a whole."

"I feel if we had more faculty members participate in student events, it’d be a relaxed way of interacting with students and staff."

Based on this information, the group recommended open forums so students feel seen and heard, more faculty engagement and highlighting the university’s strengths to build community. 

Chancellor Ramchand and the students discussed the value of creating an institutional sense of belonging — hosting watch parties or establishing a campus-wide tradition that connects alumni — and how that can help influence students’ perspective of the university as a whole.