Writing at Home
We are surrounded by writing everywhere we go.
Walking around the third floor of Hitchcock, I see the numbers 368-3333 written on all of doors and the bathroom walls. The RA on our floor wrote this number on everybody’s message board so that we can always reference it and have no excuse not to call the number if we are ever in trouble. So what does this say about student life at Case? To me, it’s a sign that the student body and faculty care about us and want us to be safe. So why is it that crazy pictures and funny words surround the Case emergency number on the message boards? I feel that it all comes down to self image, as Case Western wants to be seen as a safe, caring school while the students have a different image in mind.
The first thing I see when I walk up to my floor is a big poster titled “Why Not to Skip Class,” which explains how a student can easily burn cash by not attending class. There are dozens of fliers around Hitchcock that are all devoted to finding a job, playing a sport, rushing for a fraternity, or joining an organization. For one thing, residence hall directors clearly want us to be involved and make the most out of our Case experience. But furthermore, I think these signs say something about Case students, and how being involved is very important to every one of us. Being students at Case Western, we all value our education and the posters around our dorm further exemplify how academics are important aspects of our lives.
There is a sign in all of the stalls of the bathroom about sexual assault and what to do if ever in the situation. By placing it right in front of the toilet, we are all forced to read it. I asked my roommate what the poster said about Case, and she said “it shows that the Case faculty simply cares about its students. They are not implying that we are all prone to sexual assault sooner or later, but that we always have somewhere safe to go. They want us to feel like we are at home, a safe home.” I support the idea that Case values its community and wants students living in the residence halls to feel comfortable at Case, while being involved and actively engaged in academics.
When students, on the other hand, are given the freedom to write things around the dorm, they have a different image they want to portray. Rebekah Nathan suggests that while “the formal culture stressed advice, academics, and warnings, informal culture stressed sociability, fun, and humor” (23). I agree that us students (the “informal culture”) value fun just as much as we value our education. This explains why a floor mate drew two shot glasses on my message board, or the girls across the hall have an obscene picture drawn on theirs. Our culture at the residence hall is to be engaged in learning while also having fun. I feel that because everyone at Case is a good student, we all take the extra step to show that we know how to enjoy ourselves as well. According to me, the writing that surrounds my residence hall shows to aspects of our Case community—a serious, academic side and a spontaneous, youthful side.
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