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College: The Undergraduate Experience in America

College students disproportionately experience victimization, stalking, and relationship violence when compared with other groups. Few studies explore victimization by the gender identity of college students, including those who identify as transgender. The purpose of this study is to explore the rates of violence experienced by transgender students compared with male and female college students. This study utilized the National College Health Assessment-II (NCHA-II) and included data from students (n = 82,538) across fall 2011, 2012, and 2013. Bivariate statistics and binary logistic regression were conducted to test the relationships between gender identity and victimization. Transgender students (n = 204) were compared with male (n = 27,322) and female (n = 55,012) students. After adjusting for individual factors, transgender students had higher odds of experiencing all nine types of violence when compared with males and higher odds of experiencing eight types of violence than females. Transgender students experienced the highest odds in crimes involving sexual victimization, including attempted sexual penetration (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 9.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [6.17, 14.59], d = 1.00), sexual penetration without consent (aOR: 9.06, 95% CI = [5.64, 14.53], d = 0.94), and being in a sexually abusive relationship (aOR: 6.48, 95% CI = [4.01, 10.49], d = 0.48), than did male students. Findings reveal increased odds of victimization among transgender students when compared with male and female students. Results demonstrate the need for more comprehensive violence prevention efforts in college settings.

The Intersection of Gender Identity and Violence: Victimization Experienced by Transgender College Students.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Young adult college students in the United States are likely to be affected by marijuana liberalization trends. However, changes in students' marijuana use following recreational marijuana legalization (RML) have not been examined in more than one RML state at a time, or beyond 1-2 years post-legalization. DESIGN Cross-sectional National College Health Assessment survey administered twice yearly from 2008 to 2018. SETTING A total of 587 4-year colleges and universities in 48 US states. PARTICIPANTS Undergraduates aged 18-26 years attending college in US states that did (n = 234 669 in seven states) or did not (n = 599 605 in 41 states) enact RML between 2008 and 2018. MEASUREMENTS Self-reported marijuana use (past 30 days) and individual and contextual covariates, institution-provided institutional and community covariates and publicly available dates when states enacted RML. FINDINGS Adjusting for covariates, state differences and state-specific linear time trends (accounting for pre-RML trends), prevalence of 30-day marijuana use increased more among students exposed to RML [odds ratio (OR) = 1.23, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.19-1.28, P < 0.001] than among non-RML state students throughout the same time-period; the results were similar for frequent use (≥ 20 days) (OR = 1.18, 95% CI = 1.10-1.27, P < 0.001). Interaction models supported stronger RML effects among students who were female, residing off-campus and aged 21 years and older; sexual orientation did not moderate RML effects. In the earliest states to enact RML (2012) there were increases in use prevalence in the second through the sixth year post-RML compared to pre-RML. In the second legalization group (2015) there were increases in the first and second year post-RML, and greater increases in the third year. In the later states (2016-17), increases were observed in both years after RML. CONCLUSIONS In US states that enacted recreational marijuana legislation from 2012 to 2017 there was evidence for a general trend towards greater increases in marijuana use by college students and differential impact by gender, legal using age and campus residence.

Marijuana use trends among college students in states with and without legalization of recreational use: initial and longer-term changes from 2008 to 2018.

There have been few studies of marijuana use before and after recreational marijuana legalization (RML) in affected states. We tested whether marijuana use rates increased more among college students in Oregon than in non-RML states following Oregon RML in July 2015. Repeated cross-sectional National College Health Assessment-II surveys were completed by random samples of students within participating colleges from 2008 to 2016. Data were from 4-year institutions that participated both before and after Oregon RML. Undergraduates (ages 18-26 years) from 2 institutions in Oregon (n = 7,412) and 123 institutions (n = 274,340) in non-RML U.S. states self-reported use of marijuana, tobacco, alcohol, and other drugs in the past 30 days. Mixed-effects regressions accounted for clustering of participants within institutions and controlled for individual-, context-, and institution-level factors as well as secular changes in substance use rates from 2008 to 2016. Following RML, Oregon students (compared to non-RML-state students) showed relative increases in rates of marijuana use (odds ratio [OR] = 1.29, 95% confidence interval [CI: 1.13, 1.48], p = .0002, and decreases in tobacco use rates (OR = .71, 95% CI [.60, .85], p < .0001). Changes in marijuana use after RML did not differ significantly for participants under and over age 21 years. Some study limitations would be addressed with higher survey response rates, inclusion of other Oregon institutions, and controls for marijuana and other substance policies. Still, findings are consistent with an effect of RML on rates of marijuana use among young adult college students, which may have important public health implications. (PsycINFO Database Record

Oregon recreational marijuana legalization: Changes in undergraduates' marijuana use rates from 2008 to 2016.

Objective: To determine the association between intimate partner violence (IPV) and academic performance among heterosexual and sexual minority undergraduates, including whether health mediates thi...

Intimate partner violence, health, sexuality, and academic performance among a national sample of undergraduates.

This study examined differences between participation in academic and non-academic student organizations at a large, predominantly White, public research institution A survey of 354 undergraduates revealed that students joined academic organizations to prepare for their futures while students joined non-academic organizations for immediate benefits such as making friends Both groups indicated that their expectations were met and that they experienced personal benefits directed towards their goals, such as gains in field knowledge for students involved in academic organizations and interpersonal skill development for students in non-academic organizations Implications for how administrators structure and direct students toward involvement opportunities are discussed Astin's (1984) theory of involvement states that what students put into their college experiences, in terms of physical and psychological energy, they will get back in learning Kuh (1995) reiterated that "the involvement principle is simple but powerful: the more time and energy students expend in educationally purposeful activities, the more they benefit" (p 125) Research has supported the idea that students who become engaged with their college community enjoy specific benefits such as learning skills, acquiring knowledge, completing their degrees, and an easier path to obtaining employment (Abrahamowicz, 1988; Boyer, 1987; Kuh, 1995; Moore, Lovell, McGann, & Wyrick, 1998; Pascarella & Terenzini, 2005) One way students become engaged in their campus community is to join student organizations that meet their specific interests In a study of what constitutes a successful collegiate environment, Kuh, Kinzie, Schuh, and Whitt (2005) concluded that successful institutions were those who had a "wellspring ofcocurricular offerings that involve students in campus life, connect them to the institution, and provide leadership opportunities" (p 238) Research has demonstrated, however, that students do gain more than just being connected to campus life or developing leadership skills Baxter Magolda (1992) discovered that students' involvement in organizations gave mem access to peers who then provided friendship, support, and knowledge In addition, students reported beneficial experiences such as obtaining hands-on learning and being given increasing responsibility for organizational tasks As the author concluded, "organizational involvement served a variety of purposes ranging from friendship opportunities to practical experience" (p 208) Kuh (1993) observed similar results in a study of what students learn outside of the classroom He found that students were aware of a variety of developmental outcomes they obtained from their involvement experiences However, he was surprised that academic outcomes were not mentioned by many students and when they were, they came from academically-driven environments such as laboratory experiences rather that involvement in student organizations Most of the research conducted on student organizational involvement has classified it in the broadest sense, assuming all organizations offer the same outcomes College campuses today have a wide range of organizations to meet students' academic and personal interests Beeny (2003) suggested that research might need to focus on "examining whether different types of student organizations influence the amount of expressed learning or the skills or competencies students report gaining" (p 87) Gellin (2003) echoed the suggestion saying that "traditionally, scholars have used the moniker dubs and organisations to represent the large number of sponsored activities available on college campuses" but that the broad focus may not provide an accurate view of what those groups offer (p 759) The purpose of this study was to examine differences between academic and non-academic-categories of student organizations Academic organizations were defined as those sponsored by academic colleges or departments such as Student Engineers' Council or the Society of American Foresters …

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Are All Student Organizations Created Equal? the Differences and Implications of Student Participation in Academic versus Non-Academic Organizations

Objective: To analyze the literature in which researchers have utilized the National College Health Assessment (NCHA) I or the NCHA II. Participants and Methods: The authors selected peer-reviewed articles published between 2004 and July 2013 utilizing a single search term: National College Health Assessment. Articles were assessed for instrument use, limitations, and data analyses. Results: The search resulted in 72 articles for inclusion. Researchers used the instrument to either conduct a primary investigation or utilize reference group data for secondary analysis. Researchers used many data analyses, statistical tests, techniques, and methods. Limitations of the instrument were consistently mentioned by researchers. Conclusions: Results indicate limitations in the NCHA. To ensure college health professionals are gaining the best information possible regarding students on their campuses, specific improvements to the NCHA are recommended.

Utilization and limitations of the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment instrument: A systematic review

Background: College students are susceptible to cigarette smoking initiation, and those who smoke are at risk for a lifetime addiction. Purpose: This study examined the differences in colle...

Assessing College Students' Perceptions about Cigarette Smoking: Implications for Prevention.

A Comprehensive Critique of the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment Survey Instrument

Background. Service learning is a pedagogical tool that involves students delivering a service, linked to course learning outcomes, to the community and measured through acquisition of knowledge, a...

Rhonda N. Rahn

Papers

Are All Student Organizations Created Equal? the Differences and Implications of Student Participation in Academic versus Non-Academic Organizations

Utilization and limitations of the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment instrument: A systematic review

Assessing College Students' Perceptions about Cigarette Smoking: Implications for Prevention.

A Comprehensive Critique of the American College Health Association's National College Health Assessment Survey Instrument

Increasing Self-Efficacy Among Future Health Educators: An Exploratory Study Using Service Learning: