My partner and I chose to observe the Kansas State University Student Union. We thought this would be an interesting location to observe because any one can go into the Union. Cole and I expected to see many different personalities coming in and out. The Union hosts different events so we were expecting something to be going on. I thought of the Union as an institution that can also house other institutions. The Subway, Coffee House, and Restaurant inside the Union all act as their own institution.
When we got to the Union we decided to observe a little bit of each of the floors. We started on the main level. The area where the food court, Caribou Coffee, and Marketplace are. It was about three o’clock in the afternoon so there was a handful of people eating in the food court. The news was playing on one of the TV's and there were a few people sitting just to watch it. On the TV next to it a sports station was on. Even though this area of the Institution was meant for eating, a few people were there just to watch TV. They may have finished there meals already, or they just came to watch. Some of the people sitting at the tables were just on their phones playing games. Others came and meet up with friends to talk and catch up. The institution is designed as a place to eat, and work as a place to do homework and interact with others. Though you can interact with others, few ventured out to talk to the people at the other tables. Everyone was being respectful of the people around them and not meddling in other people conversations. Everyone minded their own business and left everyone to do their own thing. People know that once the walk into the institution they are to act a certain way. Though the Institution is meant as a building to socialize, everyone knows their limits before walking in. The Institution helps people practice the appropriate behavior in social situations. When you are inside the institution you have a manner you’re supposed to act, but once you leave you can act how ever you want. Institutions shape us into acting a certain way without us realizing it. “We form institutions and they form us every time we engage in a conversation...” (The Good Society). All kinds of people will come to this Institution but once they walk in they may find themselves acting my the value the Institution has made up. There are signs that state: no smoking,and no skateboarding. Though a number of people in the Union are smokers, they will abide by the rules of the Institution.
When observing the Caribou Coffee House, I did not see one person grab their coffee and throw it back at the barista. No one was walking around grabbing everyone else's coffee and drinking it. The institution has shaped everyone to act the way the institution needed, so that the institution could stay functioning. If everyone were to go crazy and go against the institution's ways, then the institution would not last long. If the Caribou customers acted against the norm of a coffee house customer, it would look poorly on Caribou. The institution would fail. And it is the same for the contrary. I Caribou did not function the way people are expecting it to function, then there would be no more Caribou Coffee. Caribou could run out of food, refuse to serve certain people, or start charging noncompetitive prices. We believe the Institution is to always act a certain way, but in reality it is not permanent (Wood 2013).
When we made our way down to the first floor, the mood changed instantly. The area was dirtier, there were less people, and the people acted differently. There were people talking loudly on there phones. One man answered his phone and got into an argument. He was loud and did not mind that he was in the middle of the union shouting at his phone. There were screens playing advertisements yet no one was watching them. At one point a person walked through singing out loud while listening to music through his headphones. The few people who were near looked at him but did not look surprised by the strange action. While things were quiet and nothing much was happening my partner and I wanted to try something that might be against what is expected in the institution to see how people would react. Cole took a wristband of his and sling-shot it into the air above us and let it fall back down. He did this a couple times and each time no one even noticed. As he would do it, I would look around to gather everyone's reactions, and no one would even look up.
Next we went to the basement to observe the bowling alley, and the Subway. There were a few people ordering food from the Subway, but no one really eating at the tables. But we hit the jack pot with the bowling alley. It was an institution observers dream. The bowling alley looked to be taken up entirely of a group of special needs adults, and people assisting them. When arriving at a bowling alley everyone knows you will need to put on the required footwear, and pick out a ball or two to use. While sitting there I noticed not everyone was wearing bowling shoes, yet the bowling alley clerks were letting it slide. The bowlers were not abiding by the rules of the institution but the institution was still functioning. The special needs people were also all bowling differently; each having their own unique way of bowling and it was often not the “correct” way. The bowlers were also socializing with everyone. They did not stick to their own lane, they would talk to everyone and encourage each other. The institution has rules in place for safety, and functioning reasons, but bent their rules a bit to fit the needs of the people who were in there.
After doing this observation I've come to the realization that when coming into an institution you change the way you act to fit in. You do what everyone else is doing so you fit in with the norm of the institution. If everyone were to go against the tide, the institution would not function as a whole. But if the institution is to change altogether to fit the needs of the people, no one notices unless you're in the outside of the institution. The Union as an institution helps us practice the rights and wrongs of being in a social setting. Unlike a Church, an institution where people can be around others who believe in the same things as them and act the same as them, the union is a place where people of different cultures, and religions are able to come and act civil and function together. The second floor, first floor, and basement all had a different vibe because different institutions generate different rolls. (Wood 2013) Though the Union is an institution itself, it also houses other institutions. The second floor had a coffee house, cafeteria, and market. While the basement had a restaurant and bowling alley. In the end all institutions have people act a certain way to keep the institution alive and functioning.