P. 448 Questions

1. I am representing my own view of the culture throughout most of the paper. There are times though that I have to represent my interviewers point of view as well. Most of my paper seems to be my own representation, but I have two or three interviews woven into the writing as well. There are also some points where I have added research information that I thought might enhance my thesis.

2. I chose to use subheadings to organize data by describing the features of Studebaker East that people might notice first. Then I tell how these things have influenced the students and how things might be different without those objects or rituals.

3. I try to give a detailed description of what is going on during the interview in the paper. How the surroundings are, what the interviewer is like, where they are from, and what their role in the dorm is. Hopefully this information will appeal to the reader.

4. I give detailed descriptions of the dorm as much as possible. At one point I discuss how the study lounges are useful and used and I give descriptions from what I see, to even the smells that I smell. In some cases, such as the elevator, I use my interviewers descriptions to get another person's point of view about what they are seeing.

5. I make the assumption that dorm life will be wild and crazy. I also assume that dorm life will not be beneficial to study since everyone will just be hanging out all the time. This is something I prove to be wrong within my paper. I mention small conflicts that have arose during the semester inside of the dorms, and how the students and facility of the building have dealt with these problems.

6. I think if I told the story from an outsiders view it might be different. Since I personally live within the dorms, I might forget to explain something at one point. It is important that I make sure to fully explain something where necessary or the reader won't understand it like I do.

Progress

I finished my rough draft of the final paper today. It wasn't as bad as I though. The organization was definitely the hardest part. It took me awhile to figure out how I wanted it. I will probably re work it some before the final paper is actually due. I had some problems posting it to blackboard though :(
It told me that the file wouldn't upload but it still showed up on the discussion board. I tried to click on it to view it, but it wouldn't load. I'm not sure what was going on with that. I emailed Ms. Murray to see what she thought I should do. Hopefully blackboard is just having some problems today. I'm not looking forward to peer revising two 20 page papers. I know it's good feedback, but that is going to be time consuming. I hope everyone's papers are coming together all right. :D

Here's some pictures I decided to use in my final paper.

Review of essays

We're not sure of what the author is trying to get out of this essay. He discusses the daily routine of telemarketers.



Which voices (colors) stood out in this essay?
The author has a balance between interviews and his own voice. There was a lot of blue and yellow.

How did the author incorporate secondary sources?
He had a references at the bottom but never cited them within the paper.

Where did they place them in the essay?
The references were at the end of the essay.

In your opinion, does the author of this essay strike a good balance between all three?
No. We can't tell what information comes from sources because there's no in text citations.

Do the voices of informants stand on their own, or are they overpowered?
Most of this paper is interviews. The writing that is included either introduces the next conversation or describes the surroundings.

How is the essay organized?
It basically tells the story of how his day of interviewing went in the exact order it happened.

Did the author use a particular method to organize the essay?
Not that we can see.

Is the organization reader friendly?
No, it is hard to read because it is not interesting or appealing.


In your group's opinion, what are the strengths and weaknesses of this essay?
He did a very good job with the actual interviews. They are frequent and very detailed. He doesn't really have a thesis statement. The references are not cited.

What did you like or dislike about it?
We feel like it didn't have a purpose because there was no thesis statement. We liked the interviews because they were detailed.

Organization

After thinking about how I want to organize my final paper, I think I've decided to do the headline thing that has been reoccurring in papers throughout the semester. I think I will start out with what people expect from dorm life, then move to the characteristics of the Studebaker East subculture, onto what makes them unique, and finish with an overall summary of what I've learned from researching this subculture. This is just a very rough draft of the lay out that I want. I have a lot to do this week and into the weekend. The rough draft is due on Tuesday. Hopefully I can manage the fifteen to twenty pages, but from all of the information that I have gathered throughout the semester I don't think the length will be a problem. Good luck with your final papers everyone!

Thickening the final paper

1. What's going on here?

Everyone in the dorm meets for floor meetings and hall events. All of the students are attending classes at Ball State University and are taking at least twelve credit hours to maintain living within the dorms.

The students are live in a tight knit area that has little private space. Everyone shares a room with another person and the bathrooms are shared by everyone on the floor. It is not hard to interact with people since there are approx. sixty people per floor and the building has eight floors.

I have interviewed people about the study lounges, elevators, and how they think life in the dorms may affect their later years at Ball State. I have been extremely surprised by the answers of some of the students, and I have expected some of the answers that were provided.

2. Where's the culture?

The fact that everyone is living in the same building with the same rules and similar routines helps convey that this is indeed a subculture within Ball State's culture. The language is that of a teenager, meaning that it is still developing towards that of an adult's. They also might use terms that older people may not understand like "creeper". The dorm was built in 1964 and students have been living there ever since then.

3. What's the story?

The culture for the students is just a living within a dorm and coping with everything around them while maintaining decent grades. I conducted this research while living with them. I am a part of this subculture as well and I am living it firsthand. The outsider might not think about all of the studying and hard work that is put into the students schooling since they only see them leaving the building to go to frats, sororities, or parties every night, but after taking a look inside of the building it is clearer to notice how much these students strive for success.

Thoughts on presentation for final

I was thinking about what kind of multimodal presentation I wanted to do for the final presentation today, and I'm really starting to lean towards a video. I want to make a short film (7-9 minutes) combining everything I've learned in an interesting way. I think it would be neat to do some interviews and re enact a few scenes to make the presentation more enjoyable. The paper portion of the assignment doesn't seem so bad know that I think about it. Most of it should be information that I have already acquired throughout the semester. If anyone has suggestions about the video idea, feel free to leave a comment. :D

The 3 big questions

What surprised me?

One of the things that surprised me after doing research was finding out that the students in my dorm use their study lounges. After talking to students from other dorms, I realized that the lounges are not used very often for studying. It's nice to discover that the students in my dorm take advantage of the space that Ball State has provided for us. Although this is a small fact to discover, I believe it might say something about the students in Studebaker East and how they strive to achieve their best when it comes to grades.

What intrigued me?

I was intrigued at how dorm life might affect my life later on at Ball State. I wondered if living in the dorm would hinder me in some ways or strengthen me in others. After doing this paper, I think it is clear that dorm life may not be for everyone, but I believe the immersion in something like this can benefit almost anyone and teach them things they may not learn otherwise.

What disturbed me?

I was disturbed to discover how rude some people can really be. After doing some research throughout the dorm, I talked to a lot of different people and they told me stories of how loud people are at night or how disrespectful room mates can be. Problems are bound to arise, but I was a little shocked to see how many problems there really were.

Review of paper 4

I just finished peer reviewing the two people in my group, and I realized I had forgot to do a few things in my rough draft. I forgot to put everything in alphabetical order and I think I left out the databases in my citations as well. At least this is a rough draft so I will have time to fix it before I turn in the final. This paper is definitely the hardest that I have had to write this semester. I'm a little nervous about writing the final project for this class. I know that we will just be elaborating on the papers we have already finished throughout the semester, but the length of the paper freaks me out a little. I hope that everything works out.

In class citation

Article:

Eckart, Gabriele."The German Gothic Subculture." German Studies Review 28.3 (2005):547-562.


Book:

Harris, Cheryl, and Alison Alexander.Theorizing Fandom.Hampton Press, 1998.

Website:

BSU Knitting and Crocheting Club. 29 Mar. 2009. 31 Mar 2009. .

Website options

As I look for websites to use for paper four, I'm finding it hard to actually find decent ones to use for my topic. Dorm life isn't really a group that people tend to make websites about. I have used Ball States website of dorm life and their living options and I have found one site that tells the various types of options available at most colleges but other than that there is not much else out there. The ones I do find tend to be just lists about how to survive dorm life and what to expect. If anyone has any suggestions of where I can find some information about how living in the dorms might affect someone attending college let me know. Thank you!

Troubles

I have continued to try and find various articles and such to use for paper four and nothing strikes me as amazing. This paper will definitely be the hardest so far. I am running out of ideas to use as research items. I even resorted to emailing Ms. Murray for suggestions. If anyone reading this has any ideas please let me know. It would help me out a lot. The topic of my subculture is Studebaker East dorms. So, I guess anything tag lines that have to do with dorm life or dorms might work. Hmmm...I'm going to go attempt some more research.

Sources for Paper 4

After learning more about the details of paper four, I am trying to think of some sources that I could use. My topic is Studebaker East dorms on campus. I know of Ball State's site that describes the dorm, but other than that I'm not quite sure where to go. If anyone has any ideas of places I could research, the help would be greatly appreciated. Hopefully after I use some of the research tools learned in class I'll find something that will aid me in my search.

Thanks in advance!
:D

Paper 3

I just finished revising part of my third paper. After reviewing my last paper, it seemed that I don't go in depth enough at times. I'm going to post part of my paper on here. Maybe I'll get some feed back from you guys to help me to improve it. :D Thanks.


While walking down the hall of the fourth floor, I could hear music booming from someone’s computer. I followed the noise and ended up at the study lounge. It was a little after ten at night, and we had just finished having a floor meeting. During the day it seems that no one is in the study lounge. It is after ten that students start heading there and it seems to me that they use it as more of a “party” lounge than a study lounge. Upon reaching the location of the sound, a stench protruded my nostrils and almost made me sick. The smell was a combination of various food items that had just been delivered. Jimmy Johns, Papa Johns, First Wok, all of these food smells were mixing in the air of the lounge and creating some pretty funky fumes.
After reacting to the smell, I looked around and noticed that every single lamp that was in the room was turned on whether someone was sitting by it or not. The light blue couches were completely empty, but the chairs around the tables in the middle of the room were packed with students and their projects. They had pulled the three tables together in the middle of the room to create one massive platform to study upon. A group of six to eight girls were in there attempting to make it through mid term week. The room is quite small, so it gets extremely hot when a lot of bodies are in it. All of these observations were interesting to take in and after viewing them, I was ready to determine how those influences could hinder or enhance the studies of those students.
Later that night, I went up to the sixth floor to attend a floor program that was being held in that social lounge. It is not uncommon to have these floor programs in the social lounge because they are three times the size of the individual floor lounges. The sixth floor lounge on that particular night was very cold and deserted, except for those of us who were there for the tie dying event. On one side of the room, there are vending machines to satisfy any hunger or thirsty you may acquire while hanging out or studying. On the other side of the room, there is a ping pong table that has had its fair share of use over the years. It is common to see students attempting to beat each other in the monotonous game throughout the day.
This lounge contains a lot more furniture, ranging from large couches, to comfy chairs, to wooden tables and even a piano. At night, you can often hear people practicing their tunes on the piano on the sixth floor. The large space and partial seclusion from people is what makes this area a hot spot for study groups, hall council, floor activities, and any other dorm events that may occur. Take the tie dye party for example, the fourth floor decided to tie dye shirts together, but obviously there is no where large enough to do that on our floor. This is where the spacious sixth floor lounge comes in handy. It is rarely packed with people and if there are people there they are more than willingly to give you some of the space.
There are a few rules that apply to the lounges of Studebaker East. The study lounges on each individual floor are to be used as study lounges. Any sort of music, videos, or conversations are to be taken elsewhere so those who need to study can. This is recent problem on some floors. As mentioned earlier, the fourth floor likes to socialize in their study lounge. It was brought up at the last floor meeting though, that things had to change, and ever since then the lounge has been used to enhance the scholarly portion of student’s lives. It is the duty of those who use the lounges to keep them. If food is brought into the lounge, then the mess is to be picked up before you leave. Furniture is not to be taken from the lounges (social or study). If any furniture is missing, residents of the floor will be charged a fee until the missing items have been returned. This was a problem in the past, but there have been no issues this year. There might be some rules when it comes to hosting events in the sixth and first floor social lounge, but this is something I have not discovered yet. Hopefully, I can meet with someone who will be able to answer that question after spring break.

Pg 188 Action Box

Sights- people, furniture, books, ping pong, etc.
Sounds- music, talking, laughter, piano
Smells- take out food, perfume, furniture
Textures- feel of furniture?
Tastes- ...not sure
Colors- mostly white, subtle colors

Do you need more about the setting at different times of the day?

This might be something to look into. Since everyone's schedules are different, I should look into when the lounges are at their peak activity. From what I've seen on the fourth floor, the lounges is most active late at night into the early morning. It seems that most people like to go there at this time. I have no idea about the sixth floor though, and that is something I will probably look into.

1st site observation

I visited two of the study lounges tonight to observe the activities that were going on within them. When I first entered the fourth floor study lounge, there were a few people sitting in there working on their computers. The lounge has various couches and chairs along with tables for the students to use. There are multiple lamps available that provide adequate lighting.Normally that particular lounge is full of students who are very social. It is not uncommon to hear loud conversations or music blasting from that room. This has recently changed though, due to midterms. The lounge has once again turned back into a place of studying.

The sixth floor lounge was not very busy tonight. There were a few art students who were drawing HUGE pictures in the middle of the room by the television. They had pushed all of the bigger couches to the side to make room for their masterpieces. The first and sixth floors are the only lounges with televisions. This is because they are more of a social lounge than a study lounge. The room is twice the size of the individual floor lounges with more seating and chairs. There are also ping pong tables that are available for students to use. A piano can be found in the corner by the window, and in the evening, you can often hear it's songs ringing throughout the halls.


Interview with Ashleigh Webber:

How often do you use the study lounge?
Never. There's too much noise plus I have a private room.


What do you use if for?
Floor meetings.


What do you think could make the study lounge better?
Less rude people and if it was cleaner.


How busy is the study lounge?
There are ALWAYS people in there blaring music.


How often do you use the social lounge?
Whenever we have floor events, other than that not very often.


For what?
Floor events such as t shirt dying, etc.


What activities have you been apart of in the social lounge?
Hall council, tie dying, hanging out with friends

Study Lounges

1. What location(s) are you planning to observe?
I am going to observe the various study lounges throughout the Stu East building.

2. What are your assumptions about the location? What do you think you will see? How do you think the space will be used? Who do you think you will encounter and be able to talk to while observing? What do you think insiders already know about the space? What may outsiders need to learn about the space in order to better understand the subculture?
Since I live in the building, I already know what the lounges look like for the most part. They consist of a small to medium sized room on each floor that has multiple chairs and tables in them along with couches to sit on. On the First and Sixth floor there is a big lounge that is used for social activities. Outsiders should know what goes on within the lounges because sometimes it is not studying at all.

3. Do you think you need to be careful about colonization as you do your research and write your paper? What can you do to prevent colonization from occurring in your paper?
I do not think that colonization will be a big problem with the observation; however, I may end up comparing the materials in the rooms to other places. This could be colonization in the end. To fix this problem I will have to state that these are simply my own opinions.

Tie dying party

Last night there was a tie dying party in the sixth floor lounge for the 2,4, and 7th floors of Studebaker East. In my next paper I will be studying the various lounges in the Stu East complex and how each of them are used. Each floor has a study lounge where students can go to get away from noise and distraction to get their homework done. On the first and sixth floors, there is a huge lounge with a flat screen tv, where students can relax, socialize, and host events. It is common to see floor events like the tie dying party on the sixth floor lounge. They are often used as "floor events" hosted by the RA's in the building. These events help the students bond and get to know each other. Hall council has many upcoming events planned for the sixth floor study lounge, and I am anxious to see the turn out to some of them. I will be observing these locations this weekend to gather more information.

I was going to take pictures at the dying party last night, but forgot my camera in my room. :(

Lake Pontchartrain

During spring break of my junior year of high school, I went with my church youth group down to New Orleans to clean up after the Katrina disaster. One of the most memorable moments was when we were crossing over Lake Pontchartrain to reach the city. The drive was approximately ten minutes long and the traffic was heavy. There is a two lane bridge going across the lake, allowing vehicles to make it to the other side. When you look out over the lake stretched before you, you cannot see the land on the other side. The lake is absolutely huge. That day the sun was shinning high in the sky and the reflections of light off of the water looked like millions of diamonds sparkling below the vehicle. The bridge itself was pretty narrow for two way traffic, and it was extremely low to the ground. The sides of the bridge were practically nonexistent, only a 6-8 inch barrier stopping you from going over the edge of the bridge into the water below. This made the car seem like it was simply driving across the water itself. It was a scary experience at first because of the chaotic traffic flying by you. The shallow guard rails didn't seem like they would stop you from going over at all. I absolutely loved how you didn't feel like you were driving on a bridge to a certain destination though, you felt like you were skidding across the surface of the lake, just barely kissing the water's surface. It was one of the most unique driving experiences I have had.

Final touches

I finished my final draft of paper two today. I ended up taking a few things out and adding a lot more basic info to support my thesis. Here's a chunk that my group members seemed to like.

The Elevator Girls are a recent addition to the elevators at Studebaker East. The girls started doing their thing around January 20, 2009. I talked to one of the members yesterday about the history and what they do exactly when they are in the elevator. Ashley B is one of the founders of the Elevator Girls. I asked what started the interest of sitting in the elevator for hours at a time, and she stated that her and Ashleigh Webber were bored one day and decided to ride the elevator and provide musical entertainment for those who use the elevators. The Elevator Girls sit in the elevator on Saturdays between 11:00 am and 1:00 pm. They play a song called Holiday from the show One Tree Hill that sounds a lot like what most people would consider elevator music. They use a stick to press the buttons for the patrons, and they hope to relieve some of the stress that students experience throughout the week by giving them free candy. I asked Ashley B how people reacted to people sitting in the elevator with them while they rode to their destination. She said “Most people say thanks, but on occasion some people refuse to get in there with us and others walk out laughing.” Her favorite part of being an Elevator Girl is seeing the reactions that people give, and her least favorite part is waiting for people to ride the elevator on the sixth floor because it gets really cold. The Elevator Girls will be continuing to provide entertainment for the residents of Stu East for the rest of the semester. The fun and unique tradition that these girls have created could possibly inspire other residents in the hall to laugh off what others think about you and to just be true to yourself. They have become an interesting part of the Studebaker East subculture.

Final Draft of #2

After reading my peer reviews of my second paper, I realized I still have some work to do. I had a conference with Elizabeth Murray on Tuesday as well, and she gave me some ideas to incorporate too. I need to add more visuals into the paper. So, this weekend I will take pictures of the elevators in action and paste them into the paper. Kassi really liked the elevator girls portion of the paper, but said I need a more in depth interview. Ashleigh, the other elevator girl, is back at school now, so I will interview her and get her input. I might even sit in with them this weekend to see them in action. I have done this before, but not during the research of this paper. Basically I need to be a little more in depth about the topics within my paper, and make my thesis a little stronger. I guess I still have some work to do.

Family Stories

One story that often comes up every once in awhile, whenever we are at family reunions or gatherings for holidays, is the tale of my cousin, Peter, choking on a lifesaver during my brother's baptism. It tends to arise in the conversation whenever a new member of our family is born or whenever baptisms in general are being discussed. The story is told that while my parents were standing up in the front of the church with my brother, Judy,who was supposed to be watching Peter, noticed him choking on something. They stopped the baptism and dislodged the object in his throat that was causing the irruption. The object turned out to be a lifesaver candy. This was found humorous by many in the family. Most of the people there claim that Judy neglected to watch the young child, and that that's why she has never had children herself. Judy remembers it a different way though, that she was watching him the whole time but never noticed him slipping that small candy into his mouth. Judy is my only aunt that is still single, and the family likes to wonder sometimes after hearing this story if that was just how it was meant to be. (Judy still has many opportunities to babysit her nephews and nieces, everyone just likes to give her a hard time about it)

Elevator Girls

I am interviewing the Stu East Elevator Girls. Ashleigh Webber is sick so I will ask Ashley B about it.

When did the elevator girls start?

Why did they start?
They were bored. To provide entertainment.

What do you hope to accomplish with elevator girls?
To make students who live in stu east have a less stressful life.

What are some traits of the elevator girls?
We play Holiday, give out candy, press button for people with stick that was donated to us by a boy who lives on the sixth floor, people give us money in hat

How long do you think you will continue this?
for the rest of the semester

How to people respond it you?
some ;people say thanks, some people dont get in the elevator with us, others walk out laughing

whats your favorite thing about being an elevator girl?
seeing peoples reactions

Least favorite?
when people get off and the sixth floor and no one comes for awhile and youre just sitting there and its realllly cold

This will be added to my paper to elaborate on the elevator in stu east.

Interview with Sam Fitzjarrald

I asked my room mate, Sam, some questions about the elevator here at Stu East.

What do you use the elevator for the most?
Bringing in her my laundry and other stuff from home

How often do you use the elevator?
Whenever I'm feeling lazy.

What floor do you live on?
The fourth

Do you think people of the higher floors use the elevator more than the others?
Yeah, because they live way up there and don't want to walk four million stairs.

Do you think it would be better for the elevator to go to all the floors?
Yes, because it's not fair to certain students who have asthma and such who have to walk up the stairs.

What's your least favorite thing about it?
It doesn't go to every floor.

Favorite?
The elevator girls. :D

My mission tomorrow is to get an interview with Ashley B, who is an elevator girl. Hopefully she can give me some more information about the elevator.

Interview with Tiara Thomas

During class today I interviewed Tiara about her interests and her schooling here at Ball State.

What classes are you taking?
Math 125, English 104 music history, human health , Tcom

What do you like to do in your spare time?
Write music, play guitar

What sparked your interest in Tcom?
Music aspect such as music production

Are you active in any on campus groups?
Bsa, abj


What kind of high school did you go to?
Crowded, 700+ people

Where are you from?
Indianapolis

Why did you choose BSU?
Drive home whenever she wants and good Tcom school





Critique of Tiara

Tiara used her computer as a microphone during the interview. I liked this idea because then she didn't have to worry about typing anything or forgetting stuff later on. She asked simple questions were straight to the point. I'm guessing she came up with some of the questions randomly, but that just added to the conversation. The interview was quick and easy. There were no problems.

Elevator Q's

How often do you use the elevator?

What are the perks of the elevator?

What are the downfalls?

Do you think the card swiping is necessary for use of the elevator?

Why do you think the elevator only goes the sixth floor?

What floor do you live on?

How often do you use the stairs?

These are some of the questions I hope to answer this weekend.

Weekend Schedule

This weekend I will be doing a lot of research for my second paper. I will be posting a survey by the elevator hopefully to see how many people use it and for what. I will also question people whenever I use the elevator this weekend. I need to start carrying a notebook to write down answers and what not. Any other ideas that you guys can think of?

Artifact Interview

Kassi chose to use her iPhone as her artifact for today.

The phone resembles an iPod. It is about the size of your hand. Kassi has placed a white cover on the phone to protect it from damage. There is a small camera on the back of the phone and the speakers are located on top of the front surface. There is a place for the charger to fit into the bottom. The screen of the phone is a touch screen so there are no visible buttons for you to push. When you want to type something, a small keyboard appears and you tap the letters into the phone. This object is obviously used for making phone calls, texting, and interacting with those who Kassi chooses to.

The phone reminds me of an iPod. The make up is very similar to the iPod touch. I don't know much about the iPhone because it is not my phone company carrier. But I have heard many good things and many bad things. I've heard it was hard to type because of the touch screen and that it can break quite easily. Others have informed me that their phones have frozen before and they have had to go through multiples. It is a neat design though, and they company is keeping up with the latest trends.

The interview:
Kassi received her iPhone for Christmas. She uses her phone daily and says it is always attached to her hand. The only time she is without it is when she is showering. Kassi normally carries her phone in her bag or pocket. She has bought a cover for it to protect it from wear and tear. Her phone is used as an iPod as well as a phone. Therefore she doesn't have to fight with multiple objects as she is walking down the street or going anywhere. It is convinent.


After hearing Kassi's input of her iPhone, it doesn't seem like such a bad thing to have. She hasn't had too many problems with it, and they way she talked about everything being combined into one portable item made it seem really convinent. I'm glad I had the opportunity to hear someone's side of the story who actually enjoys their iPhone.

Observations

The object is a piece of jewlry, a ring to be exact. It is made of a silver metal. It has two inscriptions on it. One says Love Life and on the inside Be Brave is carved into the ring. If you look closely, there are many scratches and dings all over the ring. This could mean many things. The ring could be old, or maybe it has just been worn a lot. There are some splotches on it, so it probably isn't a really expensive metal. The letter LA are engraved on the inside of the ring, could this mean that it was manufactured in Los Angeles? It's a fairly decent size. A little bigger than what other women may wear. The saying Love Life is in cursive, which makes it appear more elegant. Be Brave is listed in all capital letters and the writing resembles that of what might've been found on a cave wall many years ago. The inspirational phrases found on the ring may brighten anyone's day. The affect they have on the person wearing it may keep their spirits up.

Elevator?

Our next paper is supposed to be an artifact that has something to do with the subculture we are studying. I was thinking about doing the actual building of Stu East, but then I remembered that we are going to do a site observation paper later on. So, then I started thinking about what else I could use for the paper. I'm leaning towards the elevator in Stu East. A LOT of people use it. It only goes to the first and sixth floor, but it seems that people are always using it. Maybe it's because it saves time. Maybe it's because they live on the sixth, seventh or eighth floor. Maybe it's because they have a lot to carry and they don't want to drag it up all of those dreadful stairs. I don't know. I'm thinking about taking a survey to discover what the main purposes of the elevator for students is and what they think they would do differently if it didn't exist within the building. I'm going to continue to search for another artifact as well in case something better comes up. Any suggestions?

eHarmony

We decided to research eHarmony.com.

Some rituals and behaviors we discovered are:
- log in daily
- regular dating
- online dates
- single
- age varies
- have access to relationship advice
- phone conversations
- photo choice available

Some language differences are:
- use of "lol", etc.

First draft

This is part of my first draft. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions to improve it?

Thanks :D

As a freshman at Ball State University, you are required to live on campus unless you live within sixty miles of campus. There are many dorm options on campus and the layouts are all different. One of the dorms that Ball State offers is Studebaker East, or “Stu Easy” by those who live there. Studebaker East is located on the east end of campus and is home to approximately 440 men and women. Upon arrival at Stu East, I wondered how living in that particular dorm would affect how I chose to live my college life. After interviewing and doing some research here is what I came up with.
Presumptions of a small mind
I came from a small town of approximately 1500 people and attended a small high school. My biggest fear about college was getting caught up in the social life and failing at the classroom portion. The thought of sharing a small living space with someone new was also scary to me. A few other thoughts had been running through my mind during the process of enrolling in Ball State University. I had the idea in my head that everyone would want to party constantly and that schooling would come second to everything else. I also believed that the co ed dorms would be louder and that the guys and girls would be hanging out in each others rooms at every hour of the night. Some of these presumptions were true to an extent, but after experiencing the dorms my thoughts changed. I had thought about living in dorms for awhile, but nothing really prepared me for the real deal.
First impressions
When we pulled up to the building, I realized how much different it would be than living at home. The building was huge, and I knew I wouldn’t get much privacy. The opening to the building almost reminded me of a church. The first thing you see when you pull up is a huge glass area with a duel staircase leading up to the dorm entrance. There were paintings of Charlie the cardinal all over the windows that first week, and from the looks of those I thought that the dorm would be really involved with any school activities. There were footballs and school bells on the window as well. Those particular images made me think that Stu East would be a fan of Cardinal football and that we would strive for our best in our academic areas. We used the storage elevator to move everything up to the fourth floor of the building. It was a small, creepy elevator that made disturbing noises as it pushed it’s way up the building. At this point I was certain that Studebaker East would be a crappy dorm compared to the others on campus. The rooms were a decent size, bigger than what I had been expecting, but still small. I figured that living in such a close quarter would bring everyone closer, but as I got into the school year I realized that you don’t really see the people you’re living around. The only time you see them is if you have a floor meeting, activity, or if you become really close with them and make an effort to see them on a daily basis. Most people seemed shy on my floor and that really disappointed me. After all, one of the things I was looking forward to was creating new friendships and bonds with those around me. I had heard that the friends you make in college are the ones that stay for life.
Waffles and dances and meetings, oh my!
The floor meetings and times vary from floor to floor but they are a regular occurrence. These meetings are held to refresh students of the rules, regulations, and any upcoming events that may be happening. In the dorms, there are quiet hours from eleven to nine in the morning from Monday through Friday and the weekend hours are one in the morning until eleven. These hours are to help students study and be successful in their studies. Most of the students I talked to love the idea of quiet hours, but claim they don’t really work. Ashleigh Webber, a resident of the fourth floor, feels that the quiet hours are a nice idea, but they are never really strictly enforced and therefore seem more like show than to actually help the students out. I will continue to ask Ashleigh for her input throughout this project. She is a resident of the hall and she is a very social member of the fourth floor. Any resident of the hall would be a good interviewee for this project. The ones who have first hand experience living within the dorm will be the most helpful. I plan to continue interviewing the residents of Studebaker East and ask them various questions such as: How has dorm life changed you? How has dorm life affected your grades? Has living in a residents hall changed how you interact with people and how so? Do you think living in Studebaker East your freshman year will affect how you live the rest of your Ball State years and why?

Essay 1

So, I started interviewing people last weekend to determine different points of view. Most of the people I talked to liked living in Stu East. I'm getting ready to start my paper, and I'm trying to figure out how exactly I want to do that. I observed dorm life by keeping my door open and listening to the life going on around me. I also talked to various people I ran into. One of my friends went home for the weekend and when she came back today she seemed like a completely different person. I'm not sure if it was because she acts like a different person when she's in her hometown compared to when she's in the dorm or if something just happened and that's why her mood was different. Anyways, the change in behavior made me want to look further into how dorm life may change behaviors.

Presumptions

While living in Studebaker East, I have noticed a few different things about the students that reside there. They vary from loud/outgoing to shy/reserved but the difference in personalities doesn't affect some behaviors they all share. I am a female, living on the fourth floor of the building but I have friends that are scattered throughout the floors. It seems to me that there are certain floors that love their study time, and there are certain floors that love their party time. More floors are social than others, but we're all there to achieve the same goal. An education. I have always been one to focus on my grades, but when I got to college there was so much more freedom and I wasn't really involved in any clubs or sports like I was in high school, so the opportunity to do other things other than study often came up. A lot of students seem to do this as well. It's not that we don't care about our education, just that we have more choices than we've ever had before and we have to learn to balance our time. The upper classmen in the building have learned this already for the most part. They are always helpful and friendly whenever someone needs their advice. My high school was really small. I knew everyone I graduated with. So coming to BSU was a bit of a difference. It hasn't changed me that much though. I'm more open now, and a little more outgoing. I see as the second semester rolls around that many people living in the dorms are becoming more friendly as well. It's as if we all were just a little scared to get out of our comfort zones. I've never enjoyed getting mail as much as I do at school. I notice that all the students who receive mail are overjoyed when they open their mailbox. It's almost like a mini christmas, and of course it's nice to know that someone is thinking about you. In the end, I guess I'm starting to pick up different behaviors and similiarities everyone has.

Beginning Paper 1

Things to accomplish:
-- A detailed description of the subculture and site you will be studying this semester including some of the behaviors, insider phrases, rules, rituals, and locations that distinguish this subculture

• The Studebaker East Dorm on Ball State University Campus
• "Stu Easy", quiet hours, no smoking, door decorating
• floor meetings, waffle night

-- The reasons you wish to study this site and subculture

• I am a part of it.
• Learn the different behaviors and how they are different from other areas of campus.

-- The prior knowledge, assumptions, biases, and preconceptions you have about this subculture and site

• Boy/Girl dorm
• Tend to be noisy
• A lot of drinkers
• Love to have fun

-- The issues, problems, or larger concerns involved in this subculture and site

• Unknown right now

-- The people you think would be "key informants" for your paper, why you think they would be “key informants,” and questions you hope they can address

• People are definitely the key informants since my paper is about life inside the dorms.
• They are the ones living the life.
• They allow the dorm life to define how they live at Ball State.
• How has dorm life changed you?
• How has dorm life affected your grades?
• How has dorm life affected your relationships with others?
• How do you think dorm life will affect your schooling at Ball State in the future? And why?

-- Describe your first encounter with the people at your field site, whether it is by email, another online method, phone, or in person (you should make contact and conduct an informal interview with at least one member of the subculture)

• Unknown at the moment

I plan on starting interviews later on this week to answer some of the questions that I have and need for this first paper. I will be interviewing students on the fourth floor mostly because that's the floor I live on. Students on the other floors will be interviewed when I run into them, so I'm guessing that it might be handy to start carrying a notebook and pen with me to jot down notes. It will be interesting to see how this subculture of Ball State lives their lives differently from other people on campus :D

Responding to two ethnographic essays

In Rick's paper about the truck stop, he did prior research by searching through trucker magazines, brochures, and books that may have given him some information to prepare him for any questions that he might have for the truckers. In the second essay, the girl was a refugee herself at one point, so she has some prior knowledge of what the people she was working with had been through. The authors of these field workings used interviews for most of their evidence. They also included detailed descriptions of the environments that they are interviewing in. Each group that the authors interviewed had their own way of life. They did similar things, acted in certain ways, and has similar languages. This is what sets them apart from other people in society. Both authors did a good job of bringing the environment to life through their writings. After reading the reports, I felt that I understand the life of the subject that they were discussing.

Topic of Choice

After researching over the weekend, I have come to the conclusion of studying freshmen dorm life. I reside in the dorms, and have often wondered if the influence of dorm life your freshmen year changes how you go about your everyday life. I want to know if the encounters you make in the dorms enhance your learning or simply distract you from your studies. It is also interesting to discover if your views of various things change with the impact of others around you. I hope to interview those who live within the dorms and a few who either commute or live in an apartment to see the effects of the different learning situations. I think this topic will hold my interest for the semester since I am included within this subculture. There were a few other subcultures I was considering, such as music (band or choir) or facebook users. These topics may be harder for me to actually interact with the respondents though. I feel that the topic of freshmen dorm life will be the best fit.

First post! Just checking to see if this works :D