Archival Materials

• Papers on Belmont or Lipscomb
• Waybackmachine.com
• http://www.lipscomb.edu/
• http://www.belmont.edu/
• http://www.collegedata.com/

Since both institutions are trying to promote themselves mainly through their websites, I feel that those will be my strongest source.

Lives on the Boundary

Lives on the Boundary by Mike Rose is about, as the title says, boundaries. Its mostly about educational boundaries that most of America deals with, but emotional boundaries as well.
The author talks about his many boundaries of being poor which he had to surpass. From educational boundaries, such as him learning to spell correctly in graduate school, to the more difficult topics of him having to leave home because of the hopeless environment.
Everyone around him was just accepting where they were at and weren't pushing past the boundaries that were put on them. After a family friend shoots himself in Rose's home, and with the help of a kind teacher, Rose realizes he has to leave. Throughout the book Rose fights for equal education among students and talks about subjects such as America's small budget for education and why it is important for things to change.
The book was very inspiring. Mike Rose had been through a lot. He came such a long way from where he was raised. It was definitely an eye opener and an inside look of some of the students who have had to push past boundaries that some of us will never have to experience.

Online Community

Most of the Lipscomb chats I found ended up being focused on dating and singles from Lipscomb. I did find one website called chatBU that has scheduled chat sessions. I can see online communities helping with an Ethnographic study because it is easy to get in touch with people you don't know. It also works as a focus group in a way. (At least the scheduled chat sessions do). People come together to discuss their opinions on a similar topic. I feel that online communities also give people a chance to be brutally honest and speak their opinion more because you aren't face to face with someone. You have a screen and sometimes anonymous identity to protect you. This could be very helpful in an ethnographic study because it gives the researcher an honest inside look of the opinions of people from a certain culture.

Glossary of Important Terms

"man"/"Bro"/"Dude"- Terms of endearment or friendship among young adult males.
"girl"- Usually use at the end of a sentence.
"Hi! How are you?"- Greeting mostly seen given by a female(but not limited to) followed by a hug of the Greetee.
"Hey! Whats up?"- Greeting mostly seen given by males(but not limited to) followed by a high five and a masculing back pat hug.
"Stress"- A feeling mutually experienced by many who are a part of this community.
"Advisor"- A guide for the student in the context of his or her future schedule of classes.
"Party"- Term meaning gathering of community members mostly within the same age group. Usually takes place off of school grounds.
"Sleep"- not much is gained within this community. It becomes a cherished term during an individuals freshman year.
"Roomate"- A fellow college student (usually of the same gender) who one shares a living area with.
"Dorm Room"- A bedroom consisting of 2 or 3 beds along with either a sink in it or an attached bathroom which the roomates share with "suite mates".
"Papers"- Term heard often. Popular homework assignment in this community
"Professor"- A homework assigner, teacher, and mentor to the people of this community. some well liked, some not so much.
"coffee"- A liquid healer to most within this community. Especially since the so cherished sleep has lessened during their time here
There is no one popular language used within this community. It is a melting pot of people (mostly young adults). Some use a very educated language while others are much more "laid back" and do not use the same terms. This is a community where everyone is searching for their self worth and the differences between people are massive.

Unapplicable Interview

The "interview" I had wasn't really what I needed in an interview. I work with a girl who attends Nashville State Community College. After finding this out, I immediately asked her a question or two off the top of my head. Though her answers were very helpful, I have put off writing this blog, because I don't consider it an actual interview. I also have decided not to use Nashville Community State College in my project. I have narrowed my two communities down to Lipscomb's and Belmont's.
Regardless what my fellow employee shared with me was this:
-" There's never anyone hanging around. They just go to class and leave."
-" There are no extra curricular activites, no events."
-"I would like to go to and actual college"

From her helpful advice, I found that I could look into the extracurricular activities which both schools offer as well as the events that occur. Though this is not quite the interview which will be included in my project, it helped me gain ideas and pushed me forward in my search.

Its a little messy, but I think it helps me to understand why this particular space has such a sense of campus community. For starters it is in a very central and convenient area on campus. It sits beside the cafeteria and the Belltower (which is a symbol for our school). It also is next to campus ministries and security which both represent safety and comfort. It has a beautiful view of the stairs which lead to the Belmont Mansion and a great setting for people watching. A number of chairs and tables gives the chance for many people to enjoy this area and meet up with friends.