CrandellCluePaper

Amy J. Crandell Literature and Society – Dr. Sherry 02/14/11 **Dictators of Friendships ** **Problem **  College! Time could not pass fast enough the summer between my senior year and starting college. I was so ecstatic. I was finally going to be on my own -  independent! No more curfews. No more asking permission. I could not wait to meet new people, make some friends and experience what many believe to be the true essence of college -  “lots of drinking, socializing and partying” (10 Common Misconceptions). Now, I do not drink and parting is not high on my priority list, but I love to socialize. I wanted to meet people and I wanted to build friendships that would last.  My freshmen year was pretty great and I did manage to meet some amazing people and make some pretty spectacular friends, but I cannot help but notice how the dynamics of many of my friendships have changed since my freshmen year. Of course, “life is change” and people change, but I blame it on the lack of time (Unknown). Our once compatible schedules have now become completely opposite, our once close living quarters have now been expanded to a ten minute walk across town and the dinners we used to gather together for at the commons have been replaced by the convince of frozen dinners in our own new individual apartments. Why have the dynamics of my friendships changed? Can class schedules, living arrangements, and our nature for convince really be dictators of our friendships? In the paper, I will discuss this question by using ethnographic data collected here at Bloomsburg University. I will use time diaries, observations taken in public spaces and personal interviews. Finally, I will draw some conclusions about the friendships formed here at Bloomsburg University. **Investigation ** I started my research by asking students at Bloomsburg for a schedule of their daily routines. I wanted to know what a normal day in the life of my piers consisted of. Below are the three of time diaries I collected. __Time Diary 1 __ __Time Diary 2__ __Time Diary 3__ // 7:00 – Wake up 7:30 – Wake up 7:00 – Wake up /Breakfast 7:30 – Gym 8:00 – Work/Class/Lunch 8:00 – Class 9:30 – Breakfast 4:30 – Done with Work 9:30 – Work 10:00 – God Time 5:00 – Dinner 11:00 – Class 11:00 – Class 6:15 – Gym 12:30 – Class 12:00 – Class 8:00 – Time with Girlfriend/TV 2:00 – Class 1:00 – Lunch 12:00 – Bed 4:00 – Study 1:30 – More God Time 6:00 – Dinner 3:00 – Class 7:00 – Free time/Facebook 3:00 – Class 11:00 – Bed 5:00 – Dinner 6:00 – Study 7:00 – Work/ Cru 9:00 – Study 10:30 – Bed // (Crandell, 2011) By looking at the time diaries it is evident that all my peers started their day no later than 7:30 am. They all kept busy going to class, work, the gym and they even spent a substantial time studying. Even though their day consisted of some of the same activities, the times at which they were done are different. Since I also know these people fairly well I am going to take my analysis a little further. Time diary one has a job as a Community Assistant on campus. They always work at night and every other weekend. Time Diary Two and Three also have jobs on campus; Two works at the Printing Shop and Three works at the Health Center. Time Diary Two works during the day in between classes and can choose his/her own hours. There is no set schedule. Time Diary Three also works during the day, but has a set schedule that is made to fit around his/her classes, so there is not a conflict. She/he is required to give a one week notice if they want a day off or if the time they are scheduled to work conflicts with other plans. Neither Time Diary Two nor Three work on weekends. Based off of this knowledge, I can conclude that even if all three of these people wanted to get together during the week or even on the weekend it would take some planning. All of their schedules are pretty concrete and from week to week they do not change. People’s schedules can really influence when they are free. (Crandell, 2011)  The next thing I did was observe people in public space. I decided to observe people at Starbucks, located inside the library. I first observed Starbucks during the day and then again later at night. During the day, I found the atmosphere to be loud and almost hectic. Especially in between class times, it would become crowded and quite busy. Students would come in, order and leave as soon as they got their drink. Most students also seemed to be alone. When I observed again at night the atmosphere had changed. It was the calm and tranquil atmosphere I feel Starbucks often tries to create with the big comfy chairs, sofas, and the warm color pallet. There were groups of people there this time. Some appeared to be working on projects, but others looked like they were with friends. One group of friends were laughing and it seemed as if they were catching up with what was happening in each other’s lives. Also, the students who entered Starbucks while I was observing came with other friends. They were not alone this time. I observed the same place twice, at two different times. The atmosphere changed and so did the socialization between people. Why? Once again, I can relate this back to each of the student’s schedules and how hectic each individual one can be. At night, there are not as many classes going on and a lot more students are free. Based off what I observed, I can also conclude that the students in groups at Starbucks had planned to meet. It was not spare of the moment. It was thought out and planned. (Crandell, 2011)

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<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: normal; line-height: 200%;">Finally, I interviewed students about their friendships here on campus. I asked them multiple questions. As freshmen how did you meet most of your friends? Did your friends change as your schedule and classes changed? Is it harder to stay in contact with your friends? As I listened, I realized my friendships here on campus were similar to everyone else’s. Many freshmen made new friends because they lived on the same floor or were on the same sports team. They seemed to be friends out of convenience and obligation. When I interviewed upper classmen many kept in contact with their friends from freshmen year, however they also felt how the dynamics in their friendships have changed. They had a harder time meeting up their friends because of their busy schedules and the differences in living arrangements. Several upper classman also stated that they had met more friends through clubs, organizations, and by getting a job. ======

<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">Conclusion
Rebekah Nathan, a researcher who conducted ethnographic studies herself said that, **“** If we allow people to choose from one hundred majors, and add in decisions like being in a fraternity, going out for a sport, or living off campus, we can see that even with the thousands of students at a state university, very few students will have created college paths that cross frequently. Even good friends who have chosen to live together will have different majors, different courses, different clubs, and jobs that define divergent paths in their day-to-day lives” (Nathan, 2005, p. 38-39). I found this to be true here at Bloomsburg University. Many people have made friendships because they had converging paths. As their paths changed so did the dynamic of their friendships. As I look at all the ethnographic data I collected, it is apparent class schedules, living arrangements, and our nature for convince can become dictators of our friendships. I have experienced this myself. I find myself calling and making plans with my friends. Trying to keep up to date with all that is happening in my friend’s lives. Our paths have changed and it now takes effort. Effort one must have to not allow the dictator <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">

<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 200%;">References <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Crandell, A. (2011). Personal page. Retrieved from http://sherry- adaptation11.wikispaces.com/Amy+Crandell. February 14. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Nathan, R. (2005). //My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student//. New York: Penguin Group, Ltd. <span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Unknown. "Quotes." //Find the Famous Quotes You Need, ThinkExist.com Quotations.// Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://thinkexist.com/quotation/life_is_change- growth_is_optional-choose_wisely/13961.html>. //<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">10 Common Misconceptions About College Life //<span style="font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12pt;">. Web. 14 Feb. 2011. <http://www.uc.edu/content/dam/uc/aess/docs/10_Common_Misconceptions.pdf>.