The Sacred Structure Study on a University Campus: A Case Study of Meijigakuin University

Keiro Hattori (Ryukoku University)

To support the productivity and wellbeing of its students, a university should improve the ways that its campus is used. To do so, it is necessary to understand how students perceive and value their campus environment. Therefore, the author has conducted a ‘sacred structure study’ of the students at Meijigakuin University (Tokyo, Japan) in order to understand which areas of the campus students felt attached to or uncomfortable in. The study applied the concept of “sacred structure” suggested by Randy Hester. According to Hester, sacred structure is defined as the collection of places, or sacred components, that inhabitants are particularly attached to or value in their daily life (Hester, 1985). This study followed his definition.

In November 2017 , 116 students of Meijigakuin University responded to a research questionnaire.

The research findings from the questionnaire are as follows:

• The key sacred components on the Meijigakuin University campus were the chapel, library and Sun-sun plaza (a indoor space for student use). Many students felt attached to these spaces.

• The places that students disliked most on the campus were the smoking area, Building #3 and the pathway from the main gate to the main building. However, unlike with the sacred components, students held contradictory opinions about the places they disliked with a few students attached to these places.

• The places that students most frequently visited were the Sun-sun Plaza, cafeteria, library and main building.

• Gender did not play a significant role in participants’ choice of sacred components but it did play a small role in terms of the places they disliked.

The study results suggests that in general the students perceived Meijigakuin University’s spaces positively. They appreciated the three key sacred components, holding no negative perception of them.