Assignment One Revision Three Location: Crown Commons

Lay 1

Assignment One Third Revision Description of the Location: The Crown Commons cafeteria is located on the second floor of the Student Union at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Upon approaching the entrance, guests are greeted and pay for their meals through one of two workers immediately outside the entrance. During these hours of the day, immediately after entering, the eyes are greeted by breakfast foods placed throughout the entirety of the Commons. The typical tater tot, hard-boiled egg, and French toast area is immediately to the right upon entrance. Throughout the buffet-style cafeteria itself are scores of tables, more than half of which are typically occupied by students of the university and their guests. Soda fountain machines are present in the back two corners of the area, close in proximity to doors that lead to outside tables. It is of special note that this area seems to experience the most interaction between different discourse communities throughout the figured world of the commons.

Summary of Intention, Rules and Conventions for Appropriate Behavior at the Commons: I intend to observe the figured world of a university cafeteria. Specifically, this observation will be taking place at Crown Commons in the Student Union. In this figured world, people come to work: to cook, to clean, to maintain, and so on. It is a place of high-speed interaction maintained while balancing the integrity of the business, which includes sanitized tables and silverware, proper handling of food, and day-to-day changes in the work environment. Crown Commons is also a location that crowds from nearly every background and purpose come together, whether intentionally or unintentionally. It can be an eating establishment just as well as a place of study or a place of face-to-face communication; the purpose depends on the visitor! Appropriate behavior in the commons in the context of the professional staff encompasses quick and effective communication; it is likely that no two employees will be seen conversing for longer than a few seconds for this reason. The overall behavior in the commons is simply corollary to this stated form of communication. While body language of the staff may give off an

Assignment One Revision Three Location: Crown Commons

Lay 2

air of curtness, it is the result of the nearly instantaneous interactions that must take place for the cafeteria to succeed. I will observe discourse communities (all with their own goals by definition) such as the cooking staff, maintenance and janitorial workers, and many more simply given the nature of the location. I will be much more likely to isolate one or two as the semester proceeds. Actors: Cooks/Food Preparers These are the workers one would typically see either bringing food from the preparation area, actively cooking in the common area itself, or laying out food ready to be consumed. Maintenance Staff - Among these actors are all the people who can be observed actively maintaining the facility of the Crown Commons. Maintenance of drink machines, light fixtures, etc. are jobs one would see this group performing on day-to-day as well as asneeded bases. Custodial Staff Everyone and anyone performing any form of sanitization and/or general cleaning. This goes from those who wheel the carts soiled table to soiled table to the ones seen behind the glass barriers wiping down surfaces with disinfectants. Students entering and exiting The riff raff that provides the consumer basis for the success of the Crown Commons. Extremely diverse demographics regarding gender, age, and ethnicity are definitely present, but they all share at least one common aspect: they get hungry. Artifacts: -Dishes and silverware: These as well as the items below this portion are artifacts that act as motivation for communication between discourse communities, as clean dishes, silverware, and cooking vessels are vital to the continued success of the Commons. -Soda fountains -Large ovens -Lines of students with plates: This phenomenon in addition to the items listed below is nearly always indicative of a busy day at the Crown Commons, and thus, indicative of a

Assignment One Revision Three Location: Crown Commons heightened need for communication and accelerated literacy practice utilization among members of the above listed discourse communities. -Serving counters -Cleaning carts

Lay 3

-Overarching concept of safe and effective preparation, delivery, and cleanup involved in feeding thousands of people over very short amounts of time Discourse Communities - Groups of people working toward a common goal, with certain literacy practices that are comprised of verbal and nonverbal, as well as explicit and implicit actions and communication that streamline the communitys efforts toward this common goal. Food Preparation: This community communicates on a basis of necessary actions involved in unpacking, preparing, and placing the food out to eat. As such, this community seems to communicate through shorter and disconnected dialogue. Custodial Staff: The custodial staff seems to be much more of an interpersonal portion of the workforce at the Crown Commons, given the nature of their moving around throughout the day to perform their jobs. Students at the Commons: Incredibly wide range of goals and underlying discourse communities throughout this group; here, this group will be treated as the general consumer of the business for the sake of simplicity and avoiding thousands of special cases that would need to be covered.

Observation One Thursday, September 5, 2013 Time: 9:20 AM - 9:53 AM

Assignment One Revision Three Location: Crown Commons

Lay 4

(9:20 AM) Upon first walking into the commons, I wait for my turn in line as I attempt to get a plate. A member of the custodial staff passes by me with a cart and begins what appears to be quite a humorous discussion with another member of this staff. (9:20 AM - 9:32 AM) During the typical walk around the Commons to collect my food items, I intentionally slow down to observe interactions among the two workers at the international foods area. They seem to be very set on getting their jobs done; eyes are down on the food, and it seems that the communication that does take place is both minimal and necessary. (9:32 AM - 9:45 AM) After being seated, I begin to eat my breakfast as I sit within thirty linear feet of the left-hand drink area in the Commons so as to observe the seemingly high concentration of outwardly personable members of the workforce. I observe bits and pieces of a conversation between two maintenance personnel as they worked (unable to tell exactly what they were doing) and discover a very apparent openness between the members of this specific community through the light-hearted nature of the exchange. (9:45 AM 9:50 AM) I get up to place my now dirtied dishes on the mobile tray rack in the Commons. Hanging back and pretending to check my phone, I try to listen through the noise of the machinery, to conversations taking place in the back, to only the avail of the knowledge that it is obviously necessary to speak at a significantly higher volume for these particular workers to communicate effectively. (9:50 AM 9:55 AM) - I sit down at a table nearer the entrance of the Commons so as to observe the students entering for breakfast. I observe many groups, large and small, diverse and maybe not so diverse, but they all seemed to physically meander throughout the cafeteria in a similar fashion. There is a particular clockwise motion to the students, which affects the flow of the working discourse communities as well.

Observation Two Monday, September 9, 2013

Assignment One Revision Three Location: Crown Commons Time: 12:15 PM - 12:48 PM

Lay 5

[I have demarcated this observation into two large chunks, as I feel that these were two distinct experiences in one visit to the figured world.] (12:15 AM - 12:30 AM) Ready for lunch, and thus, French fries, I immediately take a right after entering the Commons. It is here that I notice the high activity level behind the serving counter. Chairs are conveniently placed adjacent to this corner of the Commons, so I take a seat within earshot of the workers. They seem to exit and enter the back kitchen with great frequency as a result of the students high rate of consumption during this time of day, so I hear both snippets of ongoing conversations as well as abrupt, strictly-business exchanges. As I listen and watch, I notice that on occasion two workers will come out while one or both of them are carrying trays of food; these are the food preparers, and it seems that deeper friendships exist between these actors compared to the other members of the figured world. Conversation topics ranged from one preparers inability to consume hot sauce despite his love for it to the results of the universitys last football game. (12:30 AM 12:48 AM) At this point in time, I move to the opposite side of the cafeteria. It is here that I become interested in observing the intersection of the two discourse communities of the workers of the figured world and the patrons of these workers - in this case, the students. Upon restarting my observation with the aforementioned context, it is nearly instantaneously that I become aware of the social barrier between these two groups, despite their interdependence. Sanitary staff wheel their carts through large bands of students who dutifully step out of the way, though no words are actually verbalized by either party. It is a silent yet mutually beneficial relationship between the two groups.

Observation Three Tuesday, September 10, 2013 3:04 PM 3:35 PM

Assignment One Revision Three Location: Crown Commons (3:00 PM 3:04 PM) This was time I spent getting food; though I do not include it explicitly in the observation time range, it was important that I noticed an extended conversation taking place between two female members of the cleaning staff.

Lay 6

(3:05 PM 3:17 PM) As I sit eating my food, the above conversation is ongoing. I hear discussion phase in and out of varying topics, which included time at work today (Glad Im getting out early today), flippant and friendly discussion (Hows Gabby? / We dont talk about Gabby.), and so on. Just as I am about to stand to get seconds, I notice a man wearing a button-up shirt complete with tie and a Chartwells nametag.

(3:18 PM 3:29 PM) I stay seated and listen to the revealing conversation between who I now know possesses an upper-level management position and two previously mentioned cleaning staff. The discussion starts off with the typical friendly, introductory discourse of associates. However, Im taken by surprise when he begins discussing his concerns about how their days were progressing. (This is definitely an excellent example of arguably the most complex literacy practice I have observed taking place in the Commons. Here the management technique of discourse varies from the other workers, engineered toward the purpose of furthering the status of those on the managers shift.) His choices of words seem to be much more deliberate than before, nearly demanding their personal insight on the efficiency of their coworkers with a smile. After the conversation comes to head and finally disbands, the two women quickly rekindle their much more personable conversations. It seems that the intersections of the different tiers of discourse communities yields interesting developments in terms of the previously mentioned shift in literacy practice while blurring the lines between which actors roles and which artifacts are pertinent to the current discourse. I assume at this time (3:21) that one worker has left due to the end of her break, leaving the other alone at the table with half of a salad. I decide that now would be an optimal time to conduct an interview, so I stand up and ask the woman (now Angela) if I could ask her a few questions about her job. She accepts. (3:30 PM 3:35 PM) - Interview with Angela, member of janitorial staff 1. How long have you worked at the Crown Commons?

Assignment One Revision Three Location: Crown Commons -

Lay 7

Angela: Since the beginning of this summer. I had to take a break for about a week because of some health issues, though.

2. What do you think of your time here so far? Angela: Honestly, its pretty good. Everyone is laid back enough to crack a joke with you while managing to get things done. 3. What sorts of things do you expect to see on a day-to-day basis? Angela: Anything and everything, really. So many people are in and out of here all day that you kind of learn to expect everything broken plates, packed tables, and always something to be picked up from underneath a table. 4. How involved do you feel with the workers around you? -Angela: Very involved, actually. With my line of work, we sort of have to be constantly talking if theres a dirty table and one of us is on the way to refill, well call it out knowing itll come right back to us in the next few minutes. 5. What is typically your high point of the day and why? Angela: Theres one thing that gives me a good laugh almost every day when I come in to work seeing all the tables and the floors and even the serving counters and theyre clean! They wont look like that again until twenty minutes after we close each night. 6. How do you feel your workplace has been changing over the time you have been here? Angela: Ive only been here for a little while, but you do see people coming and going, some of them switching jobs but staying with Chartwells. It really doesnt change too much; friends always come by to eat, too, so theres always a way to talk to the ones you want to. Even people who move on to other jobs off campus still come by, so at least you never lose those connections.

Assignment One Revision Three Location: Crown Commons 7. Have you noticed any social groups forming among any of the workers at the Commons? -

Lay 8

Angela: Oh, yeah, absolutely. Everyone basically sticks to their teams, you know? I guess you could say we act like a family, too, and thats really how we work some of us annoy each other sometimes or most of the times, but we still get it all tied up at the end of the day. Guess we all just want to get home at that point, anyway.