Community Literacy

We are all apart of Communities that benefit us and teach us lesson and qualities. Some of these qualities will stick with us forever, while some will be lost along the journey.

Some of the communities that have affected my life the most are my family, my friends and the Society of Manufacturing Engineers or SME. I have learned priceless qualities from each one of these communities. I am going to talk about only one from each. From my family I learned one of the most important qualities that you can have in life, respect. Living with my five older siblings helped me learn this feature rather quickly. A quality that my friends affected greatly is my language and the way I act. I grew up with them so we all act very similarly; each taking a little from each other making our group what we are today. SME has taught me my business language and how I must act around superiors and bosses in settings like interviews and such.

All of these qualities have affected my life greatly and will help me succeed in life undoubtedly. I am forever grateful for these communities.

By Spencer Geissel

A Community That Marches Forward Together

By Brooke Baldi

Ladies and Gentlemen, under the direction of Doctor Richard Suk, we proudly present the most exciting band in the land: The Ohio University Marching 110!  Unlike most freshmen my first day of school I already had over 200 friends, I was a member of the Marching 110. A week before classes started at OU I was working with every other band member to make sure we were better than the best ever. During training week everyone had to give one hundred and ten percent; there was lots of sweat, some tears, and even some blood. At the end of training week I was sore in places I didn't know existed but I couldn't have been happier.

Before the Marching 110 I never considered spending cross long bus rides entertaining myself and those around me instead of listening to my iPod and I really never thought I would buy a two hundred dollar jacket for myself then proceed to cover it in dirt and mud. Now I wear my jacket with pride and I couldn’t image my freshmen year without being in the marching band.

It wasn’t until later in the school year I realized how important being in the band was to me. All fall quarter I had grown and became friends with so many people. Then in winter quarter the fun continued by playing for basketball games. I never considered myself a basketball fan, but just being there with the band surrounded by others just as emotionally invested as I was filled me with Bobcat pride. Once spring quarter arrived there weren’t any band events I could attend and my mellophone collected dust under my bed.

Until May 30^th: the Jam Session. For the last time of the academic year the whole band got back together to play one last time. We said farewell to the graduating seniors and played our hearts out. Just being with the entire band made me realize how much they meant to me. To my surprise I was playing songs I haven’t played in weeks entirely from memory and by the end my lips were completely numb.  I was reminded of what the band means to me. There is a spot on that field for me next year and I have to earn it. 

Cultural Influences Everywhere

People are influenced in so many ways. You could have been influenced from your parents who are not from this country. This could lead to several different beliefs and customs. It could also effect the way you speak, you could perhaps have an accent due to all of these influences. My entire family is from Pittsburg and because of this I have seen several influences that now effects my family.

For one, the Steelers come first in my household. Whenever there is a game on TV, you can bet were all watching it. My dad even got the NFL package from Direct TV so we would never have to miss a game. Even during the games, my entire family will be jumping up and down, screaming at the TV whenever something good or bad happens.



Another Pittsburg influence is "Pittsburghese."This is the accent that comes from Pittsburg and it causes several confusions because of the words used. Phrases such as "up air" and "'n-at" are some of the things used in my family. "up air" means up there and 'n-at means this and that.  Pittsburghese is widely used in Pittsburg and many of my family members use various forms of it.

Community Literacy Within A Major

Upon becoming a student at a college or university, one instantly becomes part of a distinct community among other students and staff. At Ohio University, this is no exception. Most of the students on campus have a special bond with one another, even among mere strangers. Whether it be distinct language or some form of inside knowledge such as how to act smart during "fest season," students at the school undoubtedly share something unique with each other. As a student at OU, I have witnessed first hand the discourse of such a community. While the student body as a whole is a strong community with its own cultures, if we dive even deeper into the community we can find a mixed array of interesting sub-communities that students become an integral part of. Examples could include sports, clubs, residence halls, fraternities and sororities, and many more.

One such sub-community that all students inevitably become a part of is that of their major. By choosing a particular field of study (or declaring as undecided), students almost immediately become involved with the discourse of an exclusive community. Majors of all varieties involve insider knowledge, values, specific language, and also outsider perceptions. I have often heard friends of mine who study biology, chemistry, and other science fields speak in lingo that sounds nearly foreign to me, yet is completely natural to them. The same can be said about any major/college on campus. When I discuss classes taken so far with my peers who are of other majors, I often feel joyful that I am not required to complete some of the difficult coursework that they have. However, I am sure they feel the same way about classes that I have completed which they see as being equally daunting.

College of Business students at Ohio University are a terrific illustration of community literacy within a major. Business majors are group of their own, with a slightly different set of values than other students. Personally, I am a finance major, and have therefore experience the discourse of the business community. Like the science students previously mentioned, those who are in the various business majors have a certain language between each other that is unlike others. You will often hear those in the business field speak of the "cluster": a group of time consuming courses and outside work that all business students must take and complete in a single term. It is a quarter/semester that OU business students often dread. Business majors are also one of the few types of students who could tell you what MIS stands for.

Copeland Hall: home of the College of Business

Being a business major sometimes involves outside perceptions from other students. To a lot of people, a business student involves walking around in a shirt and tie, writing resumes, and studying economics. While these are al important aspects of completing the major, it is much deeper and more involved than that. What others may not be fully aware of, is how writing in the professional world differs from typical academic writing. Writing in the business field requires an individual set of skills including distinctive writing formats. For example, writing a schematic report was something new I had to learn that varies greatly from the typical MLA reports that I was used to.

Taking the various business courses at OU as well as interacting with other business students on campus has been crucial in becoming literate amongst the community. Through my studies in these classes, I have been able to learn and adapt to the community's language and values. The community literacy is benefiting me by preparing me for my professional career. It is also helping me to become adequate in the communities that I will be a part of in the future. Experiencing the discourses of a particular major has many positive effects on an undergraduate student. It is encouraged to actively participate and become literate in the community of your major, regardless of the specific major chosen.

My Musical Discourse

Friends in Distraction playing out on Court StreetPhoto Credit - Elizabeth

     

Walk around Court Street some weekend night, and chances are you’ll start to hear the strumming of guitars and singing in the distance. As you walk towards the sound you see a guy dancing around on the sidewalk, jumping off of benches all while singing songs he wrote while playing his black acoustic guitar. His name is Dan, and he’s the leader of the band Friends In Distraction. To the right of him would be Garrett, he sings and plays guitar in the band. In between the two of them, I’m sitting on a bench pounding on a djembe, playing stuff that should be on a drum-set on a single African hand drum. We’re just one of the many little groups that plays around on the street and in coffee shops and bars in Athens.

            When I arrived at Ohio University, I found a community of musicians that I never really thought would have existed. I also never would have thought I’d be a part of it, I thought I’d finished playing music once I’d gotten out of high school. This little community, the one that I’ve come to know at least, mostly hangs out at Donkey and Front Room Open Mics. It is this little network of people who play, but also people who come to watch and listen, which makes it really fun and interesting. This is how I came to meet my band-mates, and how I got into playing music nearly every weekend with them under the name Friends In Distraction.

A performance at the Union. Photo Credit: Cassie

            The thing that really interests me about this musical community is that there are a lot of students here at Ohio University who are great songwriters and performers. Not just that, but a lot of them want to collaborate and play with each other, or even just watch each other play just to hear new things. Playing music is a way to have fun with one another, because it is something that the players get to create with each other. Not just that, but then they get to share it with friends and 

others who come and watch, whether it is somewhere 

on 

A FID show at Donkey. Photo credit Abby

Court Street, an open mic performance or a full set at the Union.

            Being a part of this free form kind of musical community has been a great experience because it has taught me to be more comfortable with doing things in public I would have never considered even just a few months ago. It has also introduced me to a lot of really cool, open-minded people who are great communicators not just when they play music but outside of it too. They’re something that I aspire to, and something I want to share whenever I get to drum with one of them somewhere. This has been an experience that I absolutely love to be a part of, and hopefully I’ll see you out on the street sometime. It’ll be fun, because that’s the point of all of it really.

Academic Community Literacy

By: Doug Sidwell and Zach Robbins

INTRODUCTION

All through out high school you hear about how challenging college can be.  Most high school students don’t know that the transition itself from high school academics to college academics.  For students to be successful in this transition they must pick up new studying habits and techniques.  With that said, there are some conflicts that take place and can hinder the academic experience.  To give evidence of how this transtition works and affects the student, Doug and I wrote our very own experiences.

ZACH

            In high school I never struggled academically.  But I still was nervous that college might be too tough for me.  I knew that if I was going to succeed then I would need to change my study habits.  I wouldn’t read a book in high school, but now I read as much as I can because my family has high expectations for me.  Academics are very important to my future, and many people criticize this university and say it focuses too much on extra curriculars then it does on preparing students for the future.  I couldn’t disagree more.   I have learned a great amount in every class I have been in, and the school of accountancy ranks in the top of the country in job placement after graduation.  I may not get straight a’s throughout college, but I will be more then ready to tackle my future endeavors.  Not only have I become smarter by hitting the books, but I have also learned how to balance my outside personal life with my time consuming academic life.  Ohio University has given me the best opportunity for me to achieve my dreams while learning life lessons along the way.

 

 DOUG

Making the transition from high-school academics to college academics took me a while to get used to. In high school I didn’t really take it as serious as I should. I didn’t study or push myself to be the best I could be but I got by and did pretty well. However, the first couple of weeks of college sure gave me a wakeup call. I progressed from one community discourse to another that was entirely different than what I was used to. I realized that in order for me to do well and to avoid academic probation I needed to push myself to develop good study habits and good time-management skills as well. I realized that teachers and my parents wouldn’t be here to get on back when I start to slack. These are the two most important things that you need to have coming into college or you need to develop them quickly in order for you to succeed because if you try to get by on only your smarts alone, you are wasting good money my friend.

CONCLUSION

As you could see we both have had challenging but successful transitions from high school academia to college academia.  People will always look down on the academics of Ohio University, but if taken seriously, your classes and teachers will fully prepare you for your future.  All it takes is a little time management and effort.  In conclusion, the changing of academic community literacy should not deter any high school student away from trying to be a successful college student.  

Dark Faces In White Places

Coming from New Jersey it was expected that there would be many ways in which I would have to adjust to the new communities that would surround me. I had expected the roommate conflicts, time management issues, and difficult journalistic challenges, but I never knew that discourse would be my keys to evaluating my developing literacy in this community. The community that I feel like I am a part of is the discourse of attending Ohio University as an African-American student living in and attending a predominately white university.

Ohio University as a whole has a very unique discourse. It includes subcultures based on race, religion, location, and even educational choices. People view OU in a very one-dimensional way, and my time at this school has introduced me to communities, like the multicultural one, within the OU discourse that challenge this single dimension. Although the university tries to promote diversity on this campus it has not achieved much past the physical presence of minority students, and the frequent opportunity to have their pictures plastered on brochures, programs, and websites. It has been difficult to find an identity in the social aspects of coming to college that blends my connectedness to the black community with my desire to integrate with the overall student body as just a student and not a “student of color”.

Existing in a community where I didn’t share much of a common ethnic background carried over into my collective dormitory living experience. Being a minority in a very forced atmosphere I encountered people who had had little to no exposure to this kind of diversity, and even less instruction on how to deal with it with tact. For example, living with people who still feel it appropriate to refer to me as “colored”. Many of my experiences as a minority student makes me realize that we may not have come as far as we have thought, but the university attempting to address it; the dorm experience is most likely only a microcosm of experiences at large in the world.


In my experience the multicultural community operates separately from the communities of non-ethnic background. The goal seems not to distance ourselves, but to create a sense of community with people who understand the difficulties of not being heard or understood by most of the population at Ohio University. I never had the experience of being the single and only person of color in a classroom until I came to OU. Having a community of people that can relate to this feeling and understand this minority discourse without having to be preached at about diversity is also comforting. Not to say that the community on campus is like a big happy family, but it seems like an easier and more accepting transition to make as a younger student than trying to formulate a relationship with students who don’t look like yourself. It may seem kind of strange that people are more willing to make contact based solely off of race, but in this community as a whole its not uncommon to smile, wave, or strike up random conversation with another multicultural student just because they are one of the few ethnic people that you encounter in the day.

Language is an interesting thing at Ohio University because much of the discourse is centralized around the ways in which we communicate. Being able to understand other people and be understood in return is a major function to be successful in this community. Learning the dialect of the Ohioan culture proved difficult at times. This form of language builds a sense of community because when I got it down, I gained access into an exclusive group of people that I had felt foreign to during my arrival to OU. This same power of language can also break down a sense of place and community because of its ability to exclude people. The multicultural community here is small, and our specific cultural language make our community close but excludes us at the same time from the majority of white students on campus. Certain parts of language in general develop from communal experiences and for people who do not share similar backgrounds or experiences then their ability to do more than sympathize with that community is blocked. I had to use language as a minority that so that I can build relationships with people that run deeper than individual parts of my identity.





Knowing this discourse matters because this knowledge will help me to make the most of the next four years of my life. This exploratory year in college culture has opened my eyes in a way that I could not have experienced in my home discourse. I would say any situation that makes me more informed is a positive effect on my life, but learning the community literacy has opened my eyes to some negative things that I have had to interact with. For example the way our university represents itself in the yearbook as well as recruiting commercials completely ignores the multicultural community, as if this particular part of the OU discourse is non-existent. But, I think that the realization of imperfection is the most major part of community and personal growth.

By: Adrienne Green