Fashioning the Body: Versions of the Citizen, the Self, and the Subject

My group observed A dorm.

From the outside A dorm is not much to look at. Like many buildings on campus it has a 70's style, tall, boxie, cement, with roof that's a lovely shade of rust. Every floor has a balcony. There was not much activity around the dorms. We saw two guys walking by, both appeared drowsy and bored. There are many bikes locked up outside the front doors. When first entering the building, our attention was drawn toward the stair way towards the basement. The walls are covered in a mural and there is a public posting board. There were people wondering around at the bottom of the stairs with green T-shirts that said "RAD service" on the back. Many of them carried keys and rubber gloves. We took note of the fire escape sign by the elevator. It indicated that a person should not use an elevator during a fire and should take the stairs instead. We wondered what someone in a wheel chair should do. Inside the elevator we noticed that the lights had "Evergreen" carved into them. We could not go above the second floor. The second floor's hallway went around in a loop with offices off to the side. The building appears very old, because the varies tubes are exposed on the ceiling. The walls have bulletin boards and announcements. We noticed some graffiti on the wall next to the elevator, a 4 and a backwards N. Why would someone make graffiti like that?

One thing that we took special note of was the evacuation procedure, which seemed to be written for people with apsolutely no common sense: 1. Alert all occupants in your room, or vicinity. 2. Close doors when leaving room. 3. Check Exits to make sure that they are available. 4. If possible Do not use elevators for evacuation. 5. Make check of occupants when outside fire area.

My group decided to venture to A Dorm- the freshman dorm of on-campus housing. None of us had even inhabited this space, so it was a new experience for all of us to evaluate.

We paused in front of the building for some observation as well as to sketch the building. As it was around 11am there was very little activity happening while we were there. We entered (on the second floor) and took note of our immediate surroundings.

There were three bulletin boards covered in public postings for bodies to read, benches for bodies to sit on and elevators to move bodies between floors. There is an Academic Learning center there, a water fountain and a trash can. Obviously not an area that bodies spend much time in but rather a transition area. We observed that the floor was set up in a square layout with the center being dedicated to a stairwell to venture to the first floor.

Looking down this area was not very welcoming, what we could see of it, seemed to be dedicated to maintenance rather than the student body at large. We decided to travel to the third floor and put the elevators to use. Before we did so we observed a sign on the elevator which was dedicated to instructions of behavior in case of fire. There were three circles enclosed in representative flames. Within these three circles were illustrations, one of a hand pushing elevator buttons with a slash through it on the left. In the center a person (seemingly male) walking down stairs and on the right a person (again male) in an elevator with a slash through it.

My group ventured to the bus stop located next to Red Square.  The bus is identified by a sign that is attatched to a light pole.  It has writing and symbols on it.  The buses enter a circular driveway, or "loop".  A cement curb surrounds the drive with a patch of bricks that run along the curb. 

The sound of the buses engine is heard as it sits and waits for passengers to board.  On the front of the bus there is a digital scroll, it tells you where you're going, and identifies the bus that is taking you to your destination.  The bus's lights are on as it sits and waits.

People enter the bus shifting through their belongings to find their ID/money.  They step on and up the steps to greet the driver.  I observed in the actual "bus stop".  There were two actually.  They are like glass cases for people.  They have three walls of glass, and metal frames that create an open box with a bench for passengers to wait.  One person entered to wait for the bus, and looked at the bus schedule this person left to go talk to the driver about where she will end up. 

Every few minutes, a voice from a speaker tells you what bus you're taking and where you're going.  Next to the bus stops there is a phone booth, with a phone book, and next to the booth is an emergency phone.  The wind is herad through the trees, and a puff of air noice is heard as the bus exits slowly.  People pass by, sometimes stopping to look at bus times.

Along with these observations, I drew diagrams of the loop, and the signs and symbols I saw there.

First of all, the term "beauty parlor."  I would like to explain what this title means.  "Beauty Parlor," a mere code name is used to elucidate the uninteresting term, “Seminar.”  This is where students come together and discuss reports from the world outside the program.  In beauty parlors, gossip and knowledge are exchanged amidst the bustle of hair clippers and dryers.  A classroom environment can be viewed in much the same way, but with zippers and flyers.   Haha.  Ok, I had to throw that rhyme in there.  Anyways…seriously though, students in our beauty parlor are expected to come together, sharing bits of the outside world with fellow classmates, etc.     Cool concept.

Ok, now to the real business; here's the low down of the locker room excursion:

Alicia (my bestest), Morgan, and I headed over to the “Women's Locker Room in the “College Recreational Center.” We walked through the main door and headed down a drab, gray hallway, passing the "Men's Locker Room" off to the left.  We then get to the back of the hallway and see a desk where you rent things (lock, or rock climbing shoes, etc.).  We wonder why this desk is back near the Women’s locker room.  Why wasn’t it placed in the center of the locker rooms, or before both sexes’ locker rooms?  We continue on our journey through two huge metal doors, veer off to the left (walls add more privacy I suspect).  Then we make our way into this domain and see rows of lockers parallel to one another, creating hallways.  The lockers were these metal boxes that personal possessions were stored and locked away.  People were apparently expected to leave their outside world; their being in this metal container, while they become someone else, in a sense.