HPIA
Hofstra Papers in Anthropology

Volume 3, Article #3, 2008

The True Social Experience of Hofstra University Students

by Sandeep Nair, Steve Orbon and Ashley Ratka

Introduction:

This paper will address the topic of student social interaction at Hofstra University. As with any ethnographic field work it is crucial that those conducting the research place their study within the context of its happening. This research was conducted at Hofstra University during the spring semester of 2008. It draws upon participant and non participant observations, interviews and background research conducted by the authors in an attempt to “describe and understand the social experience of students at Hofstra University.” This effort to understand students social experiences was developed while analyzing the over arching research problem of “why there is such a distinct divide between a satisfactory academic experience and an unsatisfactory social experience at Hofstra University?” From this it was concluded that this question could best be answered by addressing several underlying issues such as the one previously stated above as well as “‘What effect does campus geography have on student social experiences?’, comparing the experience of those who participate in First–Year–Clusters (FYC) to those who do not, and also attempting to answer the reoccurring question ‘Why doesn’t Hofstra care about me?’.”

It is quite obvious that the importance of understanding the true social experience of Hofstra students is invaluable in answering the problem of why they are dissatisfied with it. Through discovering who students’ are socializing with, what they are doing when they socialize, where and when they are having these social experiences and ultimately why they are doing all of the above, one can better comprehend the social tapestry that a student will encounter while attending college at Hofstra University. These social experiences can then be compared with those found at other college in an effort to measure the success of the university in this category of student expectation and satisfaction as well as make recommendations where necessary to help improve the social experience of University students.    

Background:

Hofstra University was founded in 1935 as a college of New York University, in Hempstead, Long Island. Later in 1937 it became its own independent college, begun as a non sectarian, coeducational institute of higher learning. Established as a commuter school, Hofstra was originally geared towards providing high school graduates from Long Island the opportunity to attend college without having to leave home.  In 1963, with the addition of multiple schools, the college changed its title to Hofstra University. This department expansion was complemented by a physical expansion of the campus itself. It was in the early 1960’s that the University ventured across Hempstead Turnpike and established North Campus. North Campus was created with the specific intent of providing the University with resident halls. With the building of the familiar residence halls, known as the towers, the University changed focus from being geared as a commuter school towards aspirations of being a nationally competitive University, with intent of drawing its student body from across the country. The north campus resident halls continued to expand over the next four decades with the additions of Nassau Suffolk, Colonial Square and the Netherlands dormitories.  

In fall of 2007, for the first time in its history, the incoming freshman class of the University was comprised of 50% non state residents, with 79% of the entire class living on campus, the largest percentages ever. For many, this transition of the majority of students coming from outside the metro area as well as the large percentage of residents to commuters, marked the tangible transformation the school had been yearning for since the 1960’s. The following is a breakdown of the racial makeup of the university for Fall 2007:

Non-resident aliens (2%)

Black, non-Hispanic (7%)

American Indian or Alaskan Native (1%)

Asian or Pacific Islander (5%)

Hispanic (6%)

White, non-Hispanic (66%)

Unknown (14%)   

In addition to this the following demographic information was acquired:

47% of 1st-time full-time freshmen were male.

53% of 1st-time full-time freshmen were female.

9% of male undergraduates join fraternities.

10% of female undergraduates join sororities.

With the apparent focus of Hofstra University transitioning from commuter students to resident students, there are certain social expectations that need to be addressed by the school. The collegiate social expectations of today’s generation have been shaped by multiple venues, such as movies, television shows and those universities that have been extremely successful in the social satisfaction of their student body, affectionately labeled as “Party Schools.” Along with the idea of on campus residency comes the idea of certain anticipated social experiences. In addressing this issue of student satisfaction it is imperative to mention some of the on and off campus changes that have occurred in and around Hofstra University as of late; for their effects on the student experience are crucial to understanding the problem of their discontent.

Whether universities are willing to acknowledge that most collegiate socialization revolves around the consumption of alcohol or not, does not change the fact that fewer places to gather over a pint of ale will most definitely have hard felt ramifications on the resident student body’s social satisfaction. Recently on campus the well-liked eatery Kate and Willy’s, located in the middle of North Campus, stopped the serving of alcoholic beverages to students of age. Before this change was implicated Kate and Willy’s was the only on campus drinking venue. In addition to this, several of the bars located on Hempstead Turnpike, such as the ever popular McKeeb’s, have been shut down, causing students to attend a very small number of off campus drinking establishments. This concept of limited social locations will be addressed in further detail later on in this paper. In addition to this issue, resident students at a university will have certain expectations of the dormitory facilities provided them by their college. In recent months the university has advertised the availability of off campus housing. This promotion of an off campus migration lends itself to the problem of there being a lack of good social experiences associated with the University. Hofstra itself is helping to change the location of social interaction away from the college. These issues, although different, are linked in the negative effect they have on student socialization at Hofstra University. In the following pages of this paper these issues, along with others, will be addressed and analyzed through ethnographic methods, with recommendations being provided as potential solutions.

Research Design Methods

In collecting our ethnographic data our research team actively engaged in social activities identified with Hofstra University, as well as activities unassociated with Hofstra yet attended by Hofstra students.  Our ethnographic field work included the Hofstra University campus as well as the surrounding institutions and residential living space not contained within the territorial definitions of the campus.  A large portion of our data was collected through interviews of students, faculty and staff with a stronger emphasis on the student perspective and their respective social experiences.  In interviewing specific individuals, from the ethnographic fields discussed above, our research team attempted to grasp the language of the students and also to understand and implement the right questions to ask during our meetings.

Our interviews consisted of both informal and formal discussions.  Informal interviews were unplanned and unscripted dialogue between the researcher and the student.  The purpose of the informal interview was to diminish the researcher-subject divide in order to gain valuable data.  The informal data was also used as a contrasting approach to the formal interview so as to reveal whether the collected data differentiated from each other because of the approach practiced.  However all informal interviews did disclose the purpose of the discussion and ultimately led to the recognition of the research, its purposes and the role of the researchers involved.  The formal interviews required an understanding of what the “right” questions to ask were in order to obtain the most significant information in understanding the perspective of Hofstra students.  Attempting to prevent steering the interviews in any way our research team attempted to derive answers from the students that most accurately reflected the students’ perspective.  The research teams’ opinions were absent from the formal interviews in order to obtain “sterile” data.  However the informal and formal interviews were chosen for practice based on individuals and to disrupt pattern making within the research project.  Not all interviews were strictly defined between the two approaches.

Participation observation on the ethnographic field did not necessarily entail discussion with the student involved in the various social activities witnessed.  Participant observation sought to record behavior between individuals and groups of individuals as well as recording individual actions within and in response to the environment.  In using participant observation, the research team attempted to understand the environmental factors influencing student behavior with our research team focusing heavily on the social environment such as group making, population demographics including race and gender, as well as organizational affiliations and individual autonomy.

Significant to our research methods was the literature the research team had accumulated and studied.  The literature allowed our team to learn understand how to go about ethnographic field research and also directed us in the type of data collection most effective for our specific research goal. 

(For examples of our research methods see Appendix A and Appendix B)

Literature Review

In order to develop key findings, it was necessary to examine the published studies of other scholars.  After conducting our interviews, and observations the team compared, contrasted, and expanded on ideas based on a broad collection of literature all revolving around the subject: college social experiences.  The selected works became important to our research process.  Many times the texts triggered new angles to view findings, or led us to the next step in the ethnographic journey.

In the beginning stages of this journey our research seemed to be guided by two books.  Rebekah Nathan’s My Freshman Year: What a Professor Learned by Becoming a Student is the text that inspired our research team to design and apply the research methods that we used throughout our study.  Nathan, also known as Dr. Cathy Small, wrote this ethnographic study about her undercover experience as a college freshman.  Through her emic perspective she strived to explain what a contemporary undergraduate culture is.  Nathan coexisted with her “classmates” in all aspects of life.  Collecting data she observed students eating habits, dorm preferences, friend groups, and classroom experiences to list a few.  Applying much of Nathan’s use of participant observation we began to shape ideas ourselves.  Spending three hours a day in the cafeteria we, like Nathan, observed student activity taking thorough notes and compiling charts to depict what we witnessed.  Findings of Nathan’s that had the most impact were produced through student interviews.  Using this method we compiled targeted questions hoping to derive an answer to our research problem.  While Nathan shaped most of our interactive methodological approaches David Fetterman uncovered another method that we used in our data collection vocabulary.  The interviews provided the group with a plethora of data, but our subjects needed to be looked at in another manner.  Fetterman’s book, Ethnography: Step by Step outlined unobtrusive techniques such as watching subject’s physical appearance, and body language.  Clothes, perception of wealth, and student’s interaction became a prime focus of our studies.  Fetterman states, “In context, this information can generate hypotheses, partially confirm suspicions, and add another layer of understanding to field work (60)”.

Using all of these methods our team began to define a Hofstra student.  Pritchard and Wilson’s article “Using Emotional and Social Factors to Predict Student Success” shed light on how students present energy.  In other words how do they compose themselves in public?  Throughout this lead we ventured into the social area of campus and researched what students do in a typical week.  Where do they socialize in groups?    Taking the previous article into account we then sought the opposite realizing that all students cannot be the same. Hickerson and Bewg’s article, “Leisure Time Boredom: Issues Concerning College Students,” sparked an interest in what students do during their free time.  What do students do when scheduled events are not occurring.  Hickerson and Bewg found that most students said, "In my leisure time, I want to do something, but I don't know what to do". 

Following students, generally led us to find that free time is spent within the dorm rooms, whether that is hanging out with friends or alone.  In Boren’s article “The Campus as Hometown” we read that dorms should promote the feeling of home.  If Boren thought there needed to be a sense of community, did we find it at Hofstra? “Realizing the Educational Potential of Residence Halls”, by Mable and Schroeder spouted that the dorm room atmosphere has the most influential effect on student activity.  The sense of coherence a resident experiences within the dorms should give them the confidence to get involved in campus life.  Through this text we pursued research questions to find whether Hofstra dorms promote student activity.

The last works that we encountered we actually stumbled upon.  Neither fit into our initial perception of social life, but added a very interesting viewpoint.  Ellison’s article, “The Benefits of Facebook Friends:” Social Capital and College Students’ Use of Online Social Network Sites,” presented the notion that there is a large offline to online trend that is based on a geographically bound connection.  Ellison claims that new students use the database to meet new people.  Berg also states in “"Social Networking Technologies: A "Poke" for Campus Services,” that social networking technologies can serve a key role in campus activities and services. These articles began highlight feasible ways that our recommendations could be capitalized on.

Three Main Topics

From the data collected through observations, interviews and investigation our research group came to the conclusion that our examination of the social experience of Hofstra University Students would best be interpreted if we divided our focus into three sub categories. These three sub categories of interest, we feel, best touch upon the necessary components of analyzing the success of a college with student social expectations. They are: The students’ social environment, The social activities of the students’ and The influence of University traditions upon the student body.

As any Anthropologist will tell you, one of the most important features of one’s ethnographic research is properly investigating the physical landscape which their subject matter is immersed in. In the case of understanding the social experience of students at Hofstra University outside their academic environment, our research group has focused on several areas in and around the campus of the University. Our key places of interest include the on campus dormitories and some of Hofstra’s surrounding community. Since this research is being done about students by students the first hand knowledge acquired by our research team is very in-depth and reliable. This emic perspective, along with backing from interviews and observations will help to properly illustrate our findings and allow for a better understanding of the day to day experiences and interactions of students outside their academic sphere. Along with the mapping of the students’ social environment and issues that are exposed, we will also look at how individual students place themselves within the diverse tapestry of Hofstra’s economic, social and racial make up.

Along with thoroughly researching the social environment of Hofstra Students our team decided to also focus on investigating the social activities of students. The goal behind this was to better understand what it is that students are doing and why. As in any ethnography the true activities of the group one is studying may reveal some key issues that had not been previously addressed or recognized. Through this research we wished to attain information on who students were socializing with, what they were doing and ultimately why? This close study on the interaction of students at Hofstra was geared towards revealing the true face of their social experience. Were they satisfied with the extent of their social experiences? Were there unknown factors that limited or assisted their social experiences? Did the University itself play any part, good or bad, in the social experiences of its students? These were all questions we hope our research of the social activities of students would answer, potentially revealing to our client unknown issues that might be readily addressed.

Our final sub category of focus was that of University Traditions. The reason behind allotting a substantial portion of our research towards this issue was that its existence or lack thereof plays a great role in understanding loyalty in any ethnographic field work. Not only at most successful Universities, but in most successful societies, there is the occurrence of traditions. The role of traditions in the arena of college social satisfaction is its unifying quality that helps to link students and alumni to their particular alma mater. The importance of searching for established Hofstra traditions is to help measure how successful the University has been in the department of manifesting a cohesive school spirit that unintentionally also helps to create a more desirable social environment for students and faculty. Our team hoped to reveal any possible traditions that had not been truly established and provide input to our client with suggestions of how to better implement or create these sought after customs of collegiate academia.

I. ENVIRONMENT

Environmental Perception

In defining environmental perception as a main focus, our objective was to pinpoint factors that surround Hofstra students daily in order to study their affect on student social life.  By stating environment and refraining from geography we hope to invoke a sense of scenery rather than merely physical structures.  For instance, do students feel comfortable in their surroundings, does the campus feel friendly, and overall how would they describe Hofstra life? 

Socially seeking to understand how students perceived their peers and how they assimilated with them the research team began the interview portion of our methods. Throughout our informal interviews a few key words arose, one of these being a said “Culture shock”.  More than half of our interviewee’s stated to have experienced this culture shock when they first arrived at Hofstra.  Much of this culture shock was directly related to a “Long Island culture” as well.  To further define this finding we asked students to describe the typical Hofstra student.  We received words such as wealthy, Italian, Jewish, stuck up, impolite, busy, rude, self centered, spoiled, rushed, liberal, fake, party animal, frat boy/sorority girl.  One student stated, “At other schools people are normal.  Boys wear baseball hats with sports teams on them instead of spiked hair.”  This student in particular frowns upon the routine of men using hair products, and associates the practice with Hofstra.  Another student said, “Long Island culture is very selfish, and just unattractive.”  Statements like these were heard from almost all students who were interviewed.

To try and justify these comments we will reference the segment above where many students, when asked to describe the typical Hofstra student, said a frat boy or sorority girl.  According to the fall 2007 student demographics of Hofstra 9% of males join fraternities and 10% of women join sororities.  Why is Greek life perceived as the majority when numbers show it to be the minority?

We must reference another keyword from our interviews to explain this peculiarity.  When interviewed all but one student claimed to be below or barely in the average economic status of the typical Hofstra student.  It seems that students are picking up on a perception of prestige goods.  Prestige goods are items that are noticed due to their uniqueness.  In this case the items seem to be material and catch student attention because of their expensive value.

Our finding is that students feel alienated from a said “Long Island” culture because of their perception with the economic landscape.  While the significant minority contains prestige goods, these individuals stand out to the majority and induce a feeling of “I’m below average” among the majority.  As Schroeder writes about a social environment, “It is the coherence, the consistency, the ‘atmosphere’ that makes its impact on development,” (Schroeder 109),  While the demographics will show that student perception is skewed, that fact will not change students views pertaining to their peers. Without Schroeder’s three factors the majority of students do not feel that Hofstra is the place for them to develop in, and call home.

We realize that how students judge their peers is not a problem that can necessarily be solved.  When student A sees Student B driving a new car, Student A may still feel slightly less endowed.  We can, however, improve upon the majority of the student body feeling a part of the average.  Our group recommends that in order to level the playing field, Hofstra should utilize the popular online social network site entitled Facebook.  It is a large community that in 2007 had more than 21 million members and was used at over 2,000 United States colleges.  The site is able to encompass a diverse population of people and connect them into one common social group.  Users never feel that they are lesser than another user.  It is easy to associate with “friends” that have similar interests and organize groups into which the user feels the sense of belonging.  According to Ellison, “Students reporting low satisfaction and low self esteem appeared to gain in bridging social capital if they used Facebook more intensely, suggesting that the affordances of the SNS (social network site) might be especially helpful for these students,” (Ellison 16).  Before entering freshman year, orientation staff could organize a Facebook event that invites all incoming students to meet.  Through such a group students could mesh with others who live within close vicinities, and gain a comfort zone before entering a foreign lifestyle.  A forum for students to post questions, meet friends, and start similar interest groups would help all parties enter Hofstra in an equally knowledgeable manner.  “Because bridging social capital provides benefits such as increased information and opportunities, we suspect that participants who use Facebook in this way are able to get more out of their college experience.  The suggestion that Facebook use supports a “poor get richer” hypothesis, as opposed to the “rich get richer” findings,” (Ellison 22) Ellison writes.

A large aspect of Hofstra’s social community incorporates the dorms.  As the university is making its way from a largely commuter based school, to a school that 50% of out of state students call home changes need to be initiated.  Most complaints obtained through our interviews referenced the quality of the campus housing.  Socially students voiced concerns that Hofstra doesn’t really want them to interact on campus.  They claim that in the past, when they have tried to accommodate friends, their gatherings were always broken up.  Most of the time they were forced to separate due to noise complaints; this happening even on a Friday or Saturday night.  Union college seems to have developed a new program and exciting outlook within their residential communities that gives the impression of a university promoting social events students actually enjoy.  Here is an example of some of there activities according to Farrell in The Chronicle of Higher Education:

Along with purely social events like speed dating and an annual Erotica Night, complete with pornography-reading contests and condom giveaways, Minerva houses also feature lectures by Broadway directors and performances by classical-music groups like the Emerson String Quartet. Faculty members are starting to lead more activities, too. Every Friday at noon at the Green House, for example, a group of students and professors grab their guitars, mandolins, and violins and gather around the piano to jam.  In the spirit of keeping the houses informal and relaxed, there are no residential advisers or faculty members in residence. Alcohol is allowed in the houses with little monitoring… Ms. Benack says administrators would be disappointed if students did not consider the houses a place to drink and socialize (34).

While these kinds of events may be looked at as taboo, they are the events that perk student interest.  While rules and regulations need to be enforced, events that are worthwhile need to be provided as well.  Give students a reason to leave their rooms on a Wednesday night, and they will be satisfied.  Due to the fact that students have a lot of trouble hanging out with their friends on campus, a pattern of upperclassmen diaspora has developed.  After freshman year most students give up on the worn out dorms provided by Hofstra and choose to life off campus. 

Through research our finding has been that there is dissatisfaction with University dorming because it is outdated, inefficient, and too expensive.  Students would rather live up to twenty minutes away (such as Beth Paige or Jones Beach) than on campus.  Even the University has added an online component to advertise off campus housing on their main website.

Since Hofstra is becoming a main attraction for out of state students, sufficient dorming is an issue that needs to be addressed.  To keep drawing this new pool of students, the university will need to meet the standards of its applicants and provide a functioning living space while they are away from their homes.  David Boren writes, “Every decision should be made with a goal of increasing community. Outdoor spaces and gardens with benches need to be designed to function as inviting outdoor "rooms" to bring people together for conversation. Residential dormitories need to become homes,” (Boren).  Without the sense of ownership over ones room a student always feels like a guest.  The inability to have friends over easily, relax within a space that you feel safe and comfortable doesn’t promote a social environment.    Our group further recommends that the University continue its trend of promoting off campus housing.  We would like to go as far as to suggest that Hofstra itself purchase more of the housing that surrounds the campus.  This tactic would create more living spaces and help the school to grow.  With more students accommodated off campus, more spots would become available on campus.  These openings might allow Hofstra to accept more incoming students.  Increasing the student population could only benefit the University.  Other schools, such as Syracuse, seem to have allotted housing that buffers the campus, and the community also serving to extend student social life.  Another positive outcome would be more involvement between the community and the University, and less of a disconnection portrayed by the Iron Gate that seems to seal the campus in from its neighbors.

Now that we have discerned ways in which some of Hofstra’s features either promote and/or hinder the typical student social life, we must define what the typical student social life is.

II. SOCIAL EXPERIENCE

The Hofstra University Social Experience

The disconnect between Hofstra's academic and social experience will be identified in this paper through the definition of Hofstra students' social experiences and the reasons why the study may have been led to present an unsatisfactory social experience at Hofstra University.

Through interviews, both formal and informal, our research team had learned what Hofstra students considered a social experience.  Identifying the social experiences as activities of engagement, our research team attended various social activities and events to capture the perspective of a Hofstra student through participant observation.  By learning and understanding Hofstra students' definitions of a social experience, the research team began to employ the language learned and went on to participate in what Hofstra students do for a satisfactory social experience.  Social activities, especially when referring to evenings and the weekends, are also typified by alcohol consumption.  Hofstra students, as evidenced by the collected ethnographic data, associated social activities by specified location.  Possibly derived from the stereotypical image of an American college experience, Hofstra students employ this image as a model for a more than enjoyable social activity, but an expected social activity.  “Why college kids drink at all is essentially no different from the way it’s always been.  In the microcosm of college life, the need for friendship, support, recognition, and some respite from the perceived tensions of academic, athletic, social, and sexual competition is palpable. To drink is to break the ice, to oil the engines of sociability to enhance confidence, and to stifle inhibition.” (Seaman 115)  The various locations of social activity as recognized by Hofstra students interviewed for this study are the Hofstra campus itself, the local bars in close proximity to the Hofstra campus, off-campus housing where parties are held and finally in New York City.

Satisfactory social activities that occur on campus tend to be dorm parties where alcohol consumption occurs but is not condoned by the university.  The students involved, especially the residents of the dorms, risk punishment and eviction on repeated offenses.  Off-campus parties take place in off-campus housing sought out by students as an alternative living to dorming on campus.  The students who attend these parties must leave Hofstra campus either by walking or driving and is accessible by both residents and commuters.  However if the house party is not in walking distance a vehicle is required to travel to it.  Accordingly the student commuter experience was different from that of the resident student. Commuter students continue to develop close relationships established during high school. 

            There are opportunities for social engagement on campus through various Hofstra sponsored or supported events and activities.  Hofstra hosted sporting events and Hofstra supported university club activities form the alternative on campus options for students to engage in.  However from the events attended by the research team, the team witnessed relatively low student attendance in comparison to equivalent events at Syracuse University, the contrast University studied in this research project for comparative analysis.  A member of this research group attended a Hofstra University Lacrosse game hosted by the university against John Hopkins University.  The research team also attended Hofstra supported student organization led events such as Hofstra's Earth Day and Hofstra's Day of Diversity.

Hofstra students attend the local bars just outside of campus in some cases just a few blocks away.  The specific local bars mentioned by students as the most frequented are The Dizzy Lizard Saloon, Nacho Mama’s and Chrebet's.  Chrebet's shared a block with Hofstra's south campus parking.  The Dizzy Lizard Saloon and Nacho Mama’s are establishments owned by a shared owner, Nacho Mama’s being the newer establishment.  If a student has the ability to travel further away, usually students with vehicle access, Tin Alley's on Stewart Avenue is another bar option.  Hofstra students also opt to travel to New York City on weekends to engage in social activities such as eating out at New York City restaurants and bars, as well as attending concerts held by popular musicians and the various New York City museums.

Analyzing the data collected in order to define, understand and perceive the Hofstra social experience reveals that Hofstra University students do not lack a social experience attending Hofstra, instead students' social experiences are unrelated to and separated from Hofstra University physically and occasionally emotionally.  This disconnect accounts for the study's apparent reporting of a seemingly unsatisfactory social experience especially in relation to Hofstra University the institution.  The data suggests that the enjoyable or satisfactory social experiences are disassociated from Hofstra.  Hofstra does not play a role in the preferred social activities of students, despite the possible preferred locations for social activities that exist in being relatively close proximity to the campus.

Part of the expected social experience inherent in the image of an American college experience is the oft irresponsible consumption of alcohol.  Alcohol consumption is believed to illicit and contributes to an enjoyable and what students term as “pleasurable” social experiences.  Though this is largely the case with Hofstra students, not all student seek out alcohol consumption or establishments that serve alcohol as an ideal social practice.  However this is not the only expectation for Hofstra students.  When reflecting on the tour experience given to students at the time of deciding to attend Hofstra University, students feel they have been sold a school that did not live up to their expectations.  In continuing students recognized the academic rigor of the school and was satisfied or expected the workload to be as such yet the social experience was severely lacking from the accounts of students interviewed.  Majority of students felt as if Hofstra University had deceived the respective students on the college experience Hofstra was advertising through on campus living and its the campus' proximity to New York City.  Students instead realize through experience the physically restrictive structure of the university from the cold hard steel fences to the long bus waits or lack of running buses to specific locations.  Including time restrictions such as the closing of all eating facilities even those held in the student center are recognized limiting factors instituted by the university.

Students who chose not to attend the local Hofstra bars, namely The Dizzy Lizard Saloon and Chrebet’s noted cover fees and drink pricing are part of their reasoning not to attend the local bars.  Students feels exploited by local bar and note that relatively few bars in the New York City, also providing a greater range of options, require a cover fee.  Essentially students felt that The Dizzy Lizard Saloon and Chrebet’s where taking advantage to their proximity to the school and were bleeding the student’s dry.  Though it may be fair business practice, the image of an exploitive near campus establishment providing one of the few options for social engagement reflects poorly on Hofstra University.  The blame for the few number of choices is usually redirected to Hofstra and its inability to offer deals with the local bars or provide transportation for Hofstra students to attend other sites of social engagement.  This failure to provide options perpetuates the image of Hofstra University trapping its students within the territorial borders that define the campus.

These restrictions to mobility created a sense of Hofstra as an inward looking island of itself, with perfectly defined borders lacking a gradation of separation between the University and the surrounding environment.  Isolated Hofstra is overtly fenced in by cold steel separated from its surrounding neighborhoods in order to prevent students from escaping campus and ‘claimed’ as a security measure to prevent the non-student neighborhood community members from entering the campus or at least that is what is perceived

Equal to Hofstra's physically limiting structure and security policies are Hofstra's lack of services for students, such as student discounts at certain business establishments and the limited frequency of bus stops, stop locations and running hours which adds to the essential problem realized by the research:  Hofstra does not provide enough options for its students.  The social options in connection to Hofstra are limited to on campus student led organizations as well as to few and far between campus wide events.  Hofstra doesn't provide enough travel options for access to New York City as well as to local Long Island attractions such as Nassau Coliseum and Roosevelt Field Mall or hubs of travel options such as Hempstead, Mineola and Jamaica train and bus stations.

The Syracuse University Social Experience and its relation to Hofstra University

To understand the perspective of Syracuse University students in reference to their known sites of social engagement, the Syracuse research team from Hofstra engaged in the social experiences of Syracuse University students.  To discover these sites of social engagement in a relatively short time required a large amount of interviews in a short time in order to quickly understand the language of Syracuse University students as well as to find where students go to “have fun.” 

As a member of the research team that went out to do an ethnographic study of Syracuse University students on the Syracuse campus and its connected sites of social engagement, Sandeep discovered through Syracuse University students the comparative differences between Syracuse University and Hofstra University.    Local eating and drinking options include Maggie’s, Faegan’s, and Chuck’s all located around Marshall Street where the majority of students referenced as popular site of social engagement.  Crissy a 5th year Architecture student interviewed on the Syracuse quad on the 18th of May 2008 expressed that “Marshall bars are usually filled with Syracuse students” specifically naming Chuck’s, Faegan’s and Maggie’s.  These sites were where the team frequented, including the campus itself, to understand the Syracuse experience.  Attempting to compare Syracuse University to Hofstra University various reactions were recorded.  When brought to the attention of students that Hofstra was literally fenced in, a Syracuse university student expressed momentary shock.  She and many other Syracuse students interviewed were surprised a university would be structured for immobility especially when compared to Syracuse University’s bus system which students at Syracuse did not complain about.   An interview with two people, Kelly and Andres, in Maggie’s on Marshall Street at 7:10pm on the 18th of May 2008, revealed the difference between the two schools.  Andres who had grown up in Hicksville Long Island had attended the local Hofstra bars when he would go home to visit family in Hicksville “Hofstra’s one Hempstead Turnpike strip can’t compare to all the places available to Syracuse University.”  Andres essentially expressed the Hofstra problem, the lack of options.  Though clearly not an objective reviewer of the two sites, Andres grasp of the problem that most Hofstra students express in one way or another is a telling sign of how explicitly vacant the options are for Hofstra students.

In comparing events between Hofstra and Syracuse, the research team not only attended the local bars but sporting events such as the lacrosse game as well as spending a night away from campus at the mall and Syracuse’s closest city like atmosphere: Armory Square.  The lacrosse game was hosted by Syracuse in the Carrier Dome, a large dome arena that was claimed by a Syracuse University student named Will, to house support 45,000 audience members.  The game itself was between Syracuse and Albany, with Syracuse being on a 8 games winning streak prior to winning this game with a score of 10-5.  The game occurred on the 18th of May 2008.  The attendance at the game, as the board revealed, was 5,420 persons.  Ralph, one of the many security guards, said “more people attend basketball games and football games but this is a good turnout for lacrosse.”  In comparison the lacrosse game witnessed by research team member Sandeep at Hofstra was significantly smaller.  The John Hopkins vs. hosting Hofstra University game which Hofstra won was contained in an open arena during heavy rains.  Though not an official number the number of people who attended the game was less than 500 and hardly any of the audience members were Hofstra students.  Noticeably there was a gap in ages as most attended were either older people who may or may not have been family members and high school students associated with high school athletic organizations from Long Island, as their clothing indicated.

Recommendations for transformation of the Hofstra social experience including the following: Hofstra University bringing back an on campus drinking establishment (Kate & Willy’s).  The reasoning behind this is for the university to acknowledge that drinking is part of a student’s social experience but also to show support for the student population in providing a safe location that doesn’t risk drinking and driving incidents.  Hofstra can instead of trapping students in; can be perceived of as providing shelter for students.  In Barret Seaman’s Binge a shift in drinking had occurred due to strict prohibition of alcohol on campus.  In Seaman’s text he quotes a Stanford undergraduate John Bravman “…it was mainly about beer.  Over time, there has been a clear shift to hard liquor.” (Seaman 112)  Seaman suggests that in restricting access to alcohol, students aim to consume hard liquor in order to sustain a buzz throughout the evening if they could not obtain alcohol later and that hard liquor was easier to hide. 

Hofstra is clearly not a major sporting school like Syracuse University.  However Hofstra can take steps to provide Hofstra related sporting events as viable and sustainable social options through creating ties with Nassau Coliseum, a good walking distance away that can be solved by a Hofstra bus to Nassau Coliseum.  By linking Hofstra University to Nassau Coliseum, Hofstra can provide a legitimate connection to the campus.  This research team also suggests enhancing this possible relationship by Hofstra provided student discounts for its students.

The Hofstra bus itself must provide increased bus stop frequency, more stops and increased bus lines.  Another possible transportation bridge that could decrease the gulf between Hofstra University and New York City is for Hofstra to provide discounted Metrocards.  Hofstra refunding a percentage of Metrocard costs or eveb providing cards with a set limit of rides throughout the semester would give students a sense of Hofstra provided entitlement to New York City and so neutralizing the inaccessibility that most students have complained about.  Hofstra should also engage in the local environment providing social activities that extend beyond the borders of the Hofstra campus and institutionalized academia (though possibly facilitating in resume building).  Reaching out into the surrounding communities would also enhance the student’s application of theory in academia to practicality of work while being connected to Hofstra.  Hofstra needs to break down its borders as it provides an increasing range of options for student participation.

III. TRADITIONS

Collegiate Traditions of Hofstra University.

One of the key pieces of any culture that an anthropologist, conducting ethnographic research, should make note of is the reoccurring happenings of certain events or patterns by the researcher’s subject matter, better known as Traditions. The accepted concept of “tradition” is that which defines it as a long established action or pattern of behavior in a community or group of people, that has been handed down from generation to generation. These customs serve an important role within the groups they are found in. That role is to help unify the members of the group together by giving them a shared experience. These shared experiences can be anything from the utterance of words, to participation in an established ritual. The collegiate communities of American Universities are no different. Those Universities that have successfully established unifying traditions have also been successful in linking their students, faculty and alumni to their institution and creating what some like to label as “School Spirit.”    

Through our non-participant observations, participant observations and interviews our research team continually sought to identify any apparent universal Hofstra traditions. From our non-participant observations of on campus dining areas (Student Center Cafeteria, Netherlands Cafeteria and Bits and Bites) very little was concluded in the instance of this topic, for observing social patterns while students eat was not the most promising area in which to find established universal traditions of a large University. Once this method had helped us to launch a more focused means of acquiring our data, mainly the development of our thirty eight question interview, we moved on to a more in-depth exploration of the heart of Hofstra student socialization.

Through our interviews we attempted to answer the five W’s of student socialization at Hofstra University; who they were socializing with, what they were doing, where they were doing it, when they were doing it and why they were doing it. All of the questions of the interview not only helped to give us a more detailed understanding of the social life of a typical student but helped to reveal certain reoccurring patterns in student thought, action and participation; all key in illuminating established and non-established traditions throughout the university’s student body. From these interviews, it was made clear to our research team that Hofstra University had very few occurrences that would qualify as real University traditions.

Most of these few reoccurring patterns, observed and marked in our research, revolved around students partying and alcohol consumption. Two main actions, which we loosely deemed as “traditions”, were the weekly observance of “Happy Hour” at 4pm on Fridays at the local bar The Dizzy Lizard (aka Dizzies) and the apparent stopover by students to Dutch Treats on their lengthy journey back to their dorms after a long night of drinking. In further explanation, Dutch Treats is a sort of food venue located in the middle of north campus that is open 24hrs a day¹ and provides anything from a sandwich and a bag of chips to ice-cream and beef jerky. Along with these two customary practices that seemed to be revealed to us, we also noted that members of Fraternities and Sororities mentioned participating in events such as the Homecoming Parade and Greek Week as reoccurring activities in their social life at the university and therefore were taken into consideration as potential traditions.   

Analysis of Data

After the collection of data from the interviews, participant and non-participant observations, we analyzed those reoccurring patterns to see if they fit the description of true University traditions. Were these occurrences universal happenings? Did they link students to the University? Were they a unifying factor in the socialization of students? The answer to all of these was clear and resounding NO.

In the case of the weekly attendance of “Happy Hour” at the Dizzy Lizard there is no evidence to suggest that it was a “Hofstra Tradition.” The lack of participation by a majority of the student body would also lend itself to the idea that it was not a universal ritual. Also there is the fact that observance of Happy Hour after a long week of work is not an occurrence that is limited to Hofstra University. All around the United States people leave work early on Friday afternoons and head down to the local bar for a few drinks with their friends to initiate the oncoming weekend. Just because it occurs at The Dizzy Lizard for Hofstra Students does not qualify it as a tradition. The fact that it involves alcoholic consumption at a private off campus venue where the drinking age should be enforced, also limits those students who are able to participate and thus negates the unifying and linking effect that is desired by tradition.

The apparent ritualistic stop at Dutch Treats, before returning to one’s dormitory after a late night, sounds very close to what one might think of as a Collegiate tradition. Just as in several cultures the sharing of the experience of food consumption can be a unifying occurrence. Add alcohol into that equation and the possibility for it being an amalgamating incident heightens, but the stumble to this convenient food venue is not a University Tradition. The reason for this journey of munchies satisfaction not being a student ritual is, for starters, the fact that it is not a shared experience by all. Not all students make this journey, and not all students are inclined to, either due to the location of their dorm on campus or the fact that they don’t live on campus to begin with. Also the timing of this occurrence does not allow for it to be a unify experience for those who do take part. Being Open 24hrs a day¹ allows students to stop by literally whenever they want, which causes for a lack of universal attendance and therefore a lack of a shared experience, which is what a collegiate tradition is supposed to be manifesting.

In the case of the Greek life “traditions”, such as the Homecoming Parade float and the Greek Week team challenges, the mere fact that they are limited to member of Sororities and Fraternities does not allow them to be Universal Hofstra traditions. When one looks at the figures slightly less then 10% of the entire student body is involved in Greek life. That means that over 90% of the student body is not sharing in these events. This holds true with all independent organizational rituals at Hofstra. Yes they may have their own reoccurring events, customs and happenings but those traditions are partial to those particular organizations and do not allow themselves to be a unifying factor for the entire university’s student body.

Recommendations

In almost 100% of our interviews students commented that they did not believe Hofstra University had a strong community. Many students followed this up by explaining that there was severe lack of that all powerful and unifying entity in which a school needs to be successful, “School Spirit.” It was from this reoccurring outpour of dissatisfaction that our team concluded that we needed to delve into this subject more extensively. Our answer to this apparent lack of “School Spirit” was, as stated in the previous pages, a lack of School Traditions. In the case of this research project it was not only our task to identify certain issues in which the University appeared to be having a negative sway but to find potential solutions to those issues. 

 In searching for ways to help the University begin to create or accentuate events that may manifest into Hofstra traditions it was clear that our team had to look at other schools that seemed to be successful in this area. When looking for Universities to use as examples we found that we didn’t have to go far from home. One of those schools used in our research was none other then Hofstra’s own Long Island rival Stony Brook University. At Stony Brook University there has been some ground breaking success in revitalizing that college’s “School Spirit” and sense of community. One example of this new approach to helping build a bond among the student body is a new event that the school faculty hopes will become a lasting tradition, and it is a simple one. The new “Red Fridays”, Stony Brook’s colors being primarily red and blue, is an attempt to invoke a “Spirit of the Campus Community.” On this day all Stony Brook students are encouraged to wear something red. The schools faculty enthusiastically supports this idea, stating that “Wearing red unites the campus and generates pride among faculty, staff, students, and alumni… That’s why ‘Red Fridays’ is such a terrific concept. It brings us all together in a show of pride for the University.” This concept is a clear way to show how uncomplicated it is to help unify a student body.

Maybe having a designated day to sport school colors isn’t exactly the full or best answer to this issue. For more in depth traditions our team looked at colleges and universities such as Dartmouth, Sienna, Rutgers and Villanova. In the case of Dartmouth, which is a school with a long and rich history of traditions and school pride, some of the more unifying customs we researched were those of the class bonfire and winter carnival. The concept of the class bonfire is one where the students and faculty construct a tower of wood with the freshman class’s year perched atop it. On a specific night the entire class meets, forming a ring around the tower and watches it as it is set alight. This blaze literally welds the class together as one entity and serves as a way to unify them together for the next three years of their college experience. The fact that this tradition is for the most part unique to Dartmouth also helps it to be a shared experience only found at that particular school. The Winter Carnival does the same thing on a larger scale. It allows all students to participate in a day of fun events, food consumption and snow sculpting in order to better solidify their school unity.

One of the more predominant events that most socially successful universities have in common is some sort of Spring Festival. At Sienna, Rutgers and Villanova, these events are the focus of most students Spring semester. The purpose of this event can be perfectly explained as it is on the Rutgers University official website:

“RutgersFest is a daylong cultural event which takes place outdoors on the Busch Campus Recreation Fields near the Soccer/Lacrosse Stadium. RutgersFest is designed to promote Rutgers College spirit through student organization participation with activities and entertainment throughout the day, culminating with a free concert and fireworks at night. It is a chance for students to experience one last major social event with the Rutgers community in an effort to celebrate the end of the academic year and relax before finals.”

Through all of our research these types of University Festivals (RutgersFest, NovaFest & SienaFest) are perfect examples of where colleges have been successful in satisfying their students’ needs for social activity. Therefore our recommendation for solving the problem of a lack of school spirit is the creation of a Hofstra Festival, something our team as labeled as “Hof-Fest”, in which the University would provide on a Saturday towards the end of Spring Semester a day of food, entertainment and activities open to all students of the University. The key components to an event such as this one would be free musical entertainment by one or several well known performers and food and drink availability for all, taking into consideration all the different dietary needs of the diverse members of the student body. Regulated alcoholic service to those of age would also help encourage student participation. Also activities that college students would enjoy, such as dunk a professor or some other event that would involve the interaction between the administration, faculty and student body would help promote a lasting bond that would help foster espirt de corps for the University population. The most important element to the success of attempting to make this event into a tradition is proper and effective Advertising! Students not only need to know about it, they need to be encouraged to come. The school recently had “Musicfest” which was a day of musical performances provided by Hofstra Concerts. Although this was a successful event with around 2000 participants, it could have been even more successful if it was advertised to the student body more effectively.

Another recommendation that our team has compiled is the returning of Kate and Willy’s to being an on campus drinking establishment. This would open up the opportunity for this on campus venue to be the destination of those attending Happy Hour on Friday afternoons. This would directly link the University to the enjoyment of the student body and help to create a sense of loyalty to the college due to what would be interpreted as an attempt by the school to help assist students in their fun and socializing rather then inhibiting it. Also in our research our team found that there was a constant complaint about travel to and from New York City via the Long Island Rail Road. A small recommendation that we propose is the acquisition of a ticket deal for students by the University with the LIRR that would allow for Hofstra Students to ride a certain train back from the city for cheaper. This would allow for several students to share the experience of riding back from the city late at night together and would also help encourage other students that have not endeavored into the adventure which is New York City because they would feel comforted by the fact that they would be surrounded by their fellow classmates on the journey home to Hofstra.

All of these issues dealing with the invention and establishing of traditions at Hofstra University share the same theme. They involve not only allowing the opportunity for all students to participate in Hofstra specific events but also encourage this participation. The truth of the matter is that no University will be able to non forcibly get 100% of its student body to join in on events that are looked upon as tradition, but the possibility for 100% participation still needs to be present, and this is achieved by holding events that are not limited to particular groups or organizations. If Hofstra University truly wishes to create such customs then it needs to look at who it is, who its students are and what they truly desire. If it sincerely does this the possibility for the creation of unifying experiences is limitless and Pride just might be brought back to the Pride.

In Conclusion:

After reviewing all of our key findings we can say that Hofstra students are socially satisfied, but this satisfaction is not associated with Hofstra University.   Most of what students find socially pleasing is found off campus.  Those events that are held on campus are not thought to be promoted by Hofstra. The majority of students on campus feel as if they are in the minority.  A notion of prestige goods and a “Long Island” culture are the factors that create a feeling of estrangement among the student body.  The online social community, Facebook could help bridge the gaps that students feel between one another.  Facebook can be used to create an equal and a less intimidating way for people to associate with one another under the name Hofstra.  University dorms are inefficient and do not induce the feeling of a place where hanging out is acceptable.  Public safety and RA’s need to take into account the fact that this is one of the only locations that students can securely form gatherings.  While the dorms need to be up to date they also need to allow their residents to feel at home in their rooms.    The university could also purchase more off campus housing in order to extend the social community.  This would help integrate the neighborhood while opening up housing options and creating more social opportunity.  The majority of students at Hofstra get the feeling of being exploited.  Local bars charge expensive cover fees and New York City is not as close as first advertised.  While students go to the bars, mainly because it is one of the only social options, Hofstra could arrange a partnership to accommodate this activity.  For example every Wednesday is Hofstra night, and students get in for free.  Pertaining to New York City, much praise would be given if there was a discount provided on the LIRR.  Hofstra could even set up their buses to run more frequently to the train station so that it becomes more accessible.  Focusing on the finding that Hofstra does not have any traditions, they need to be created.  It cannot be associated with just one class, but should be a campus wide energy.  School color day, bonfires, a New York City “Hofstra” train and especially a large scale “Hof fest”, we believe could really solve this void.   All of our findings and recommendations on the student body we believe can conjoin the social experience that Hofstra students experience with the University itself.  Hofstra University does not need to create or produce more appealing events, it merely needs to seek out the ones that are already successful, to enhance and become a part of them.  This will give students an all encompassing college social experience.

Appendix A

Group A: Hofstra University Cafeteria Observations.

Wednesday February 27, 2008

Ashley Ratka: Bits & Bites Cafeteria

Sandeep Nair: Netherlands Cafeteria

Steve Orbon: Student Center Cafeteria

Summary:

As a group our first day of cafeteria observations produced mixed results. The observations were conducted roughly around common hour on Wednesday February 27, 2008. In the case of the Netherlands Cafeteria the observation was conducted around from 10:03AM-11:00AM, which might account for the lack of student activity. The student activity reported in Bits & Bites was minimal as well with most students sitting by themselves and talking on their cell phones. There was, however, the most faculty members present in this cafeteria. Faculty interaction was strictly with other faculty members. In the student center Cafeteria there was a high amount of student activity. This observation was conducted from 11:15AM until 12:05 PM. Groups sizes in this cafeteria ranged from one to seven people. In this observation there was a distinct racial divide in the groups that formed. Also there appeared to be no faculty members present throughout the entire Cafeteria.

Ashley Ratka: Bits and Bites Cafeteria

• Amount of students present in this Cafeteria was very small

• Most students sat alone either at a table or booth, most on their cell phone

• There was a large number of Faculty present only interacting with other Faculty members.

• Only students that interact with other students in groups arrive with these people. There is no meeting up.

• After getting food they leave individually.

Sandeep Nair: Netherlands Cafeteria 10:03AM -11:00AM

• Seemingly Caucasian male watching T.V. alone, eating then left.
• [10:05] Two Caucasian males sitting together, eating, left together
• [10:05] Two Caucasian males and one Caucasian female sitting together, eating then left. (Group A)
• Between 10:03AM and 10:07AM around 10 persons entered and went to get food at the food service area and then left without sitting down to eat the food/drinks they bought.
• [10:07] One Caucasian female sitting to eat alone (as she spoke on her cell phone) and watching T.V. (CNN) -> is met by another Caucasian female who sits at the table. (Group B)
• Six Caucasian males seemingly unassociated with each other enters to buy food/drink.
• [10:10] One ROTC Caucasian male sitting alone, eating. -> another Caucasian male sits with ROTC male with drink
• One seemingly African American female sitting alone, eating.
• [10:13] Two Caucasian males enter and exit together with food/drink
• Another Caucasian female greets and joins the two seated (Group B) and eating.  They talk about eating or dinner last night.  This group only in room seated at the time of record taking. [10:15am] Talking about school work, mentioned extra credit and the library.  Mentioned freshmen dorms.
  • [10:27] Last two females leave together.  Walking towards Dorms (Netherlands North)
• [10:24] One Group A Caucasian female (first to sit & eat) left the group.
• [10:24] One Caucasian male seated himself under umbrella table.
  • [10:30] Only student seated and eating at time of recording. Gets more food.
  • [10:37] Male finishes eating, gets up and reads various posting on walls of the cafeteria.  Spends considerable time at the ‘Nutritional Corner” wall – leaves cafeteria
• [10:24] One Caucasian female entered and exited, bought food/drink. 
• [10:30] Cafeteria staff talking amongst themselves as they work.
• [10:39] Group of seven enters. Sit together at one table in far South corner, near windows.  Four students, three ‘caretakers’.
  • Possible students with learning disabilities and/or mental handicap of some kind.
  • All students were white bib-like coverings as well as clear plastic gloves.
  • ‘Caretakers’ (3) are all females 30+ or appear so.  Directing students
  • Students (4), one female, three males.
    • One male pushing around some kind of broom
    • [10:48] Other students are being directed by caretakers in table arrangements and cleaning
  • Three  more joins group, two male students and one female caretaker
  • [11:00] Group moves to northern half of cafeteria
• One Caucasian male enters and heads to food service area, then leaves
• One Caucasian female enters and heads to food service area, then leaves
• [10:53] One Caucasian male enters to food service area, leaves at [10:56]
• [10:54] One Caucasian male enters to food service area, leaves at [10:56]
• One Asian male enters to food service area
• One Caucasian male enters to food service area, leaves [10:58]
• Male/female Caucasian couple enter to food service area [10:56]
• One handicapped females enters and goes to Restroom
• One Caucasian male enters to food service area, leaves [10:57]
• One Caucasian male enters to food service area, leaves [10:58]
• Various people head up stairs outside of cafeteria
• [11:00] Larger amounts of students start arriving, possibly from classes in basement

I leave ethnographic field otherwise known as Netherlands cafeteria.

• Most people entered just to receive food/drink.  Most people arriving at this time were Caucasian.  Netherlands is supposed to be a First Year student area but no one stopped me (a senior) from entering the cafeteria and I didn’t pursue any one individual to certify if they were a First Year student or not.  Most people sat alone aside from three groups mentioned who all came to eat together and then disbanded or left together.  Only one person used a cell phone, a female of Group B otherwise most people interacted strictly with their food or watched the television broadcasting CNN for a few minutes.

No one approached me nor each other.  Most people kept to themselves and most only came to acquire food from the food service area.  The cafeteria staff talked amongst each other only when the cafeteria was empty.

Steve Orbon: Student Center Cafeteria 11:15AM-12:05PM

West Cafeteria

• Clear separation of Race among the tables. Caucasians, African American, Hispanics, Asians for the most part all sit with people of the same apparent racial background.

• There are two groups, no more than three that include diverse racial backgrounds.

• Although these groups are diverse they still seem to be linked by similar styles.

• There are three persons sitting alone (two males one female), all Caucasian.

• There are three groups of African American students which from time to time interact with each other.

• There is one group of mostly Hispanic students that do not interact with anyone outside of their table.

• There is a pair of two Muslim females that keep to themselves.

• There are five tables of all white students forming roughly eight different groups. All of these groups keep to themselves and rarely interact with any one outside of their crowd. 

• There are no apparent Hofstra faculty members present in the Student Center Cafeteria.

• There is a high level of social interaction within the groups, mostly conversation. Very few students in this cafeteria are on their cell phones at any given time.

• Through out the observation Students of all kind keep flowing in and out of the Cafeteria. The most distinct groups are those of Frats and Sororities and their pledges.

• Most girls in the same Sorority have a similar fashion appearance, wearing a oversized hoody, usually with their letters on it, sweatpants or jeans tucked into their token Ugg boots. They all also have large sunglasses and a big bag that they carry on their shoulder. The Female pledges all wear similar formal outfits, usually consisting of black pants shirt and high heals.

• Most guys in the same Fraternity dress the same, the usual uniform being a jacket with their letters jean and sneakers and a cocked hat. The male pledges also wear formal wear usually consisting of black dress pants, black dress shoes, a matching collared shirt and matching color tie.

• In both cases these groups usually do not interact with anyone outside of their group and only enter the cafeteria to retrieve food and drink and head downstairs to the cafeteria in the basement where most Greeks (Fraternities and Sororities) eat.

• It is interesting to note that these organizations use outward appearance to distinguish themselves from the larger population of the school as well as a means of distinguishing their new incoming members.

• During this observation period there also seemed to be a lack of athletes present.

• All janitors and school workers either sat alone or only with fellow workers while on their break.

East Cafeteria

• The findings on the east side of the cafeteria were similar to those on the west

• The majority of students on this side were Caucasian, with several small 4-5 person groups forming all throughout the cafeteria.

• There was, among all the Caucasian groups, one table of Asian students, about 7-8 members, all cluttered together at one table.

• So even though the diversity on this side was much less, mostly consisting of just Caucasians and some Asian students, there was still a distinct racial divide in who sat with who.

West Cafeteria Groups:

A) African American Males & Females

B)African American Males & Females

C)African American Males & Females

D) Caucasian Males & Females

E) Caucasian Males & Females

F) Caucasian  Females

G) Caucasian Females

H) Caucasian Males

I)  Hispanic Males

J)  Muslim Girls

K)  Mix (Caucasian & African) Males & Females

L) Mix (Caucasian & Middle Eastern) Males

M)  Mix (Caucasian & Middle Eastern) Females

N)  Mix (Caucasian & Hispanic) Males & Females

O) Single Caucasian Male

P) Single Caucasian Male

Q) Single Caucasian Female

 

Appendix B

Steve Orbon                                                                                                  March 10, 2008

Sandeep Nair

Ashley Ratka

RESEARCH INTERVIEW

• Note for all interviewees:

            -Gender

            -Grade status

            -Race/ethnicity (if not found during interview then ask)

• How would you place yourself within the average economic status of a Hofstra Student? Below, in the middle, above?                           

• Describe a typical Hofstra Student?           

Part One:

            Describe to me what you believe to be a good college social experience.

            Describe to me what your average social experience is, here at Hofstra.

            Do you belong to a Club, Frat/Sorority, Sport?

When you started here, how did you meet your friends?

Can you list your friends and how you know each of them? (At least your five closest friends)

Are all of these friends in a similar or different group?

            How often do you go out with each of these friends?

            What do you do when you hang out with them?

            Do you and your friends typically stay in the dorms to hang out?

If you and your friends go off campus for a social event, where do you go and what do you do.

Does having a good time when you go out include having your friends being there, or does their presence not matter to your enjoyment?

           

Part Two:

            Describe last week, was that a typical week for you?

            How often do you go out with friends in a typical week?

            When your not in class what would you say you spend most of your time doing?

How many school events did you go to this year?

            Were these events mandatory?

            Did you enjoy these events?

            Do you feel like there is a strong sense of community here at Hofstra?           

Part Three:

            Which friends are you closer to; college or high school?

            Why are you closer to them?

            When, why, and/or how did these friendships really develop?          

Who do you consider to be your lifelong friends?

            Did you have close friends in high school?

            Did you have a good high school experience?

                        If so, why would you say it was good?

            How often did you hang out with your friends in high school?

            How often have you gone home this semester, and why?

Name the friends you see yourself staying in contact with ten years from now and whether they are from grade school, high school, or college? 

Part Four:

            Why did you want to come to Hofstra?

            Were you ready to leave home?          

            Do you think there is a distinct Long Island culture?

If yes, is it a positive or negative influence on you?

            Do you think there is a distinct Hofstra culture?

                        If yes, is it a positive or negative influence on you?

            Depending on the person:

                        Describe how you transitioned to living here on Long Island.

                        How do you think an out of state student would perceive Hofstra?

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            http://www.sunysb.edu/

 

Group A

FINDINGS AND RECCOMENDATIONS

Problem: We seek to describe and understand the average student’s social experience here at Hofstra University. 

• Students feel alienated from a said “Long Island” culture because of their perception with the economic landscape.  While the significant minority contains prestige goods, these individuals stand out to the majority and induce a feeling of “I’m below average” among the majority.

- Facebook is a growing online and community and should be utilized by Hofstra to plan and advertise events.

-Facebook has more than 21million registered members

-Facebook in 2006 was used at more than 2,000 United States colleges

“We suspect that Facebook serves to lower the barriers to participation so that  students who might otherwise shy away from initiating communication with or responding to others are encouraged to do so through Facebook’s affordances.”

• There is dissatisfaction with University dorming because it is outdated, inefficient, and too expensive.  Students would rather live up to twenty minutes away than on campus.  Even the University has added an online component to advertise off campus housing on their main website.

- Hofstra could purchase more of the housing surrounding campus in order to create living spaces and involve the surrounding area.  Other schools seem to have allotted housing that buffers there campus to extend student social life.

     • Students are satisfied with they’re social experiences.  Student social experiences, however, do not involve Hofstra because most of what they do occurs off campus.  When students try to gather to hang out, large groups are always broken up by public safety.  Hofstra is not promoting a social life but hindering it.   

    • Hofstra creates social events but not the kind that appeal to students.  While structure and opportunities are good most students want the chance to organize their own social life.  They join clubs/organizations, sports team, or Greek life for these opportunities.  Hofstra events are not seen as fun because they are in too direct an affiliation with Hofstra administration.

-Since students go to off campus bars, a bar should be brought back to campus.                       Kate and Willy’s used to be an on campus drinking establishment.  Transitioning this space into a club on weekends would keep students on campus.  There is no way the university would not benefit from associating the way students enjoy social experiences (bars) with Hofstra.  Most students when asked what kind of social life school Hofstra is respond, “It’s a bar school”.

- Develop and affiliation with the bars so that students feel like they are being accommodated and not exploited by high cover fees.

- Since Hofstra does not have big name sports teams we could adopt Nassau Coliseum as our sport fanatic fan base.  An allotted section in the arena for only Hofstra students would create a sense of spirit.  For the Hofstra games that are well attended such as basketball, a known pre game tailgate could become a great bonding experience where alumni, proud parents and students all rally together in excitement for their team.

• Hofstra lacks a community because there is a lack of traditions that bond all students.

-Since happy hour is a well attended event Kate and Willy’s could bring a happy hour to campus for the 21 and over crowd.  It is in a convenient location on campus and serves food.

-During finals week the University should provide 24 hour catering such as free coffee and snacks in the library.  This would give students the feeling that Hofstra wants them to do well.  Commuters would possibly go out of their way to stay and study with groups on campus (a make finals fun methodology).

-Start a school color day in which all students wear for example: blue and yellow on Fridays.

- Have a class bonfire.

- Create a NYC train in which there is a discounted or free ride once a week for students to travel back from the city together.

-Hofstra Concerts as of last year started musicfest.  This idea could be turned into a perfect Hofstra tradition.  Most schools have some sort of ‘fest that students look forward to all year. Musicfest should be expanded to a Student Activities run event in order to increase the budget.  “Hof fest” could be held as a campus wide event.  A popular performer could be hired to perform in the stadium free of charge for all students.  Other activities and contests would be carried on throughout the day.  Surrounding students houses would most likely throw parties in honor of the day.  This would be the sort of event students would go out of their way for, to attend.

Hofstra Papers in Anthropology

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