DePauw University is spending substantially more than peer institutions on student support services, and campus leaders are testing whether that higher-touch model will translate into measurable retention, belonging, and academic outcomes. The reporting frames the strategy as a response to persistent concerns about student disconnection and campus community quality. The article describes DePauw’s approach to scaffolding social life—an effort premised on the idea that student outcomes improve when students can connect consistently and build supportive peer networks. With institutional budgets under scrutiny, the central question becomes whether the cost difference can be justified by outcomes rather than sentiment. For higher education operators, the DePauw case functions as a live audit of student services as an evidence-driven investment, not an overhead line—especially as enrollment pressure increases the scrutiny of student success budgets.