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?