Western Campus Through the Eyes of Main Campus

This topic submitted by Ryan Rounsfull, Mallory Meyers, Logan Luzader, Katie Longenecker ( longenkj@muohio.edu ) on 12/10/03 .

Natural Systems 1 Syllabus---Western Program---Miami University

Abstract

Do stereotypes dictate the perceptions that Main Campus students hold toward Western Campus students? We will be conducting a number of surveys on both Western Campus and Main Campus Students to gain insight into the stereotypes that main campus students use to categorize Western Campus students and whether those stereotypes are justified. These stereotypes may affect the reputation of Western Campus for incoming students and might drive them away from the Western College Community.

Introduction

ÒWe all use stereotypes, all the time, without knowing it. We have met the enemy of equality, and the enemy is usÓ (Paul 1). Stereotypes create significant barriers between social groups, creating negative images of the opposing group, whether or not the images are true. As members of the Western Campus community, it is evident that there is a clear separation between main campus students and Western Campus students. Prior to meeting a group of people, prejudgments and contrived notions based on second-hand information cloud oneÕs expectations. Before arriving at Miami University, the entire group, as well as many of our fellow peers, were well aware of the ÒdifferencesÓ between the two campuses. We quickly discovered that many of the rumors were a stereotype, merely Òa standardized mental picture that is held in common by members of a group and that represents an oversimplified opinion, prejudiced attitude and uncritical judgmentÓ (Merriam- Webster). Our purpose is to discover what stereotypes main campus uses to define Western Campus, and if these stereotypes are justified.

Our prediction is that we will encounter many of the same stereotypes we were introduced to before beginning our college life. Although some of the stereotypes may be true, it is our feeling that many main campus students form opinions without personal experience with Western Campus. Surveying both Western Campus and Main Campus students will allow us to prove though many of Western Campus students see themselves as having distinct characteristics; they do not possess all the negative stereotypical characteristics described by main campus students. ÒStereotypes are frequently negative, and because a culture bases its actions upon beliefs and values which characterize the cultural mindset, negative stereotypes can be associated with actions of an exceedingly negative, harmful nature--ugly emotions and even worse behaviorÓ (http://www.serve.com/shea/stereodf.htm). As victims of this Western Campus stereotype, it is in our interest to explore the differences between the two campuses and the legitimacy of Western Campus stereotypes. Stereotypes of a typical Western Campus student include thrift store clothing styles, reflecting their unique personality. Main Campus students are usually considered to dress in a preppie style, attempting to blend in rather than to stand apart from the crowd.

Relevance and Background Information

Due to the fact that we are Western Campus students, we would like to gain insight into Western Campus stereotypes. We are also interested in whether Western Campus stereotypes change with the age of the experience of the surveyed individual. Our experiment deals with stereotypes related to social groups within the educational environment. Many studies, as well as books and articles, have been published which focus on social stereotypes and resulting behaviors.

People deal with stereotypical behavior in their lives every day. Yet, most of these people are unaware of their biased behavior, as many individuals struggle with the concept of stereotypes. In Jennifer KatÕs study concerning group socialization, she infers that individual personality traits drive people to connect with certain social groups. By conducting a survey that focuses on personality traits of Miami University students, it will be easier to understand the distinct divisions between Western and Main Campus.

Division of social groups is often a result of categorical thinking, which is a building block of social perception and division. A major aspect of categorical thinking is the division of social class. Audrey BrashichÕs article ÒHow to stop being a people pleaserÓ explains that social class division is largely a product of high school interaction. Accordingly many high school students carry these social class divisions along with them to college. These pre-established social divisions have a huge impact on the social group that a student will be affiliated with once they reach the college level. At the college level, many students belong to various social groups that in turn form a link between broader, opposing social groups. Thus, it is possible that the stereotypical behavior offers increased interaction with various subgroups throughout the community.

On the other hand, these prejudices often have a negative impact and are based solely on the appearance of the opposing social group. Competition arises between opposing social groups as one social group attempts to dominate another, giving one group a sense of power over other cliques and subgroups. Many stereotypes begin with small groups and spread through lines of friendships, soon containing a large mass of people. Demographics also play a key role in the personality of a certain individuals leading to perhaps unjustified stereotypical behavior.

In addition to these journals and studies, we found other websites that discussed stereotypes and prejudices. Sometimes stereotypes can become such a problem, causing such divisions, that violence becomes the result. In a domino effect, stereotypes lead to prejudices, prejudices lead to bigotry, bigotry leads to violence, and that violence could result in something as extreme as genocide. (http://www.remember.org/guide/History.root.stereotypes.html). Stereotypes can affect your judgments of individuals, lead to discrimination, hurt academic performance, cause group members to try to 'fulfill' the stereotype, damage self-image, affect memory, then eventually lead to violence. (http://racerelations.about.com/library/weekly /blstereotypes.htm). Even though we are not studying prejudices on such a large scale, it is important to know the effects of stereotypical behavior.

Stereotypes force a simple pattern upon a complex mass and assign a limited number of characteristics to all members of a group (http://www.serve.com/shea/ stereodf.htm). Several websites we found included information about previous studies and surveys conducted on stereotypes of social groups among young adults of high school and college age. We used these studies as a guide in conducting our own experiment.

Specific Research Design

In order to evaluate Western stereotypes, we have prepared an in depth survey. This concise ten-question survey poses a variety of questions, some that give basic information on the surveyed individual, and others that take a closer look at the stereotype issue. We plan to conduct at least 50 surveys in order to obtain a variety of information and accurately represent the population studied. By compiling the gathered data, we will be able to draw conclusions on our experiment.

SURVEY SAMPLE (SURVEY CODE) 1

1. School year: first year second year third year fourth year other

2. Are you a Western or a main campus student? Western Main

3. Average amount of times on Western a week? None 0-1 1-4 5 or more

If yes, in what way is the majority of that time spent? Circle One

Academics Socializing Recreation Employment

4. Do you have any western campus (WCP) classes? Yes No

5. Do you have any friends involved in the Western Program? Yes No

6. When you think of the students on Western Campus, which of the following words
come to mind? Circle all that apply.

Weird unique popular trendy rich thrifty
Preppy Hippie friendly relaxed uptight stuck-up
Liberal conservative opinionated homosexual normal self-centered

7. Would you or have you ever wanted to live on Western Campus or be part of the Western program? Yes No

8. Do you think there is a difference between Western Campus and Main Campus?
Yes No

9. Have the stereotypes you have heard of Western Campus students been (positive or negative)? Circle one.

10. Have the majority of your encounters with Western Campus students (confirmed or contested) the stereotypes that you have heard? Circle one.

Materials and Methods

By conducting a survey we will be able to obtain percentage values that will either support or refute our hypothesis. Group members will randomly pass out surveys at Shriver during breakfast, lunch, and dinner over a period of three weeks. By structuring the surveys in this manner, we hope to achieve a variety of responses from both Western and Main campus students. In total, 125 surveys will be distributed during the three-week time frame. After all the surveys are completed we will separate the surveys into Main Campus and Western Campus responses. We will then tally the results for all the surveys and compare the data between the two campuses. Due to the topic of our study, the data we will collect is based on biased opinions of those that we survey. Because we are working with human thoughts and opinions that are not based on fact, we did not feel it would be appropriate to use a highly strict form of statistical analysis. Rather, we plan to sort and compile the data and arrange it visually by using graphs. This will allow us to find trends and patterns that occur in the data and see if they parallel to the trends we hypothesized. In order to involve the class in the experiment, each student will be given a sample survey in order to understand the types of survey questions that we used in our experiment.

Sample Survey Results:
Before finalizing our survey template, we conducted several sample surveys in order to analyze the results and determine if we needed to make any improvements on the questions. Many of the results were parallel to our predictions. Of the main campus students surveyed, many of them spent little or no time on Western Campus, but for those who actually visited Western Campus did so for a variety of reasons. Main campus students surveyed had few friends on Western Campus and popularly described Western Campus students using the following words: weird, unique, thrifty, liberal, opinionated, and homosexual. None of the Main Campus respondants had any desire to live on Western, recognizing the differences between the two campuses. The stereotypes they heard of Western Campus were all negative, yet their personal encounters with Western Campus students contested many of the perceived stereotypes. We intentionally surveyed both Western and Main Campus students to see the differences in the perceptions they have. In contrast to the Main Campus respondants, the Western Campus students displayed opposing opinions regarding Western Campus student characteristics. The words they used to describe themselves were similar to the words Main Campus students used, yet none of them carried negative connotations. Western Campus students also believe a difference exists between the two campuses, yet once they had the chance to live on Western Campus, the differences no longer created a barrier.

Research Timeline
Week 7 (October 5 Ð 11): Turn in research proposal and discuss survey methods in depth.
Week 8 (October 12-18): Exam, continue survey preparation, conduct sample surveys
Week 9 (October 19- 25): Hand In Lab Packets
Week 10 to 13 (October 26 Ð November 22): Conduct Survey
Week 14 (November 23 Ð 29): Compile survey data
Week 15 (November 30 Ð December 6): Statistical Analysis

Western Campus Survey Results

1. Of the people surveyed:
62% First year
19% second year
13% third year
9% fourth year

2. 47 total Western Campus students were surveyed.

3. Of the people surveyed:

0% spent 0 hours on Western Campus
4% 1 hour
13% 1 to 4 hours
85% spent 5 or more

10
66% used the majority of their time on Western for academics
26% socializing
11% recreational
0% employment

4. Of the people surveyed:

98% had a Western campus class
2% did not

5. 100% of the people surveyed have friends on Western Campus.

6. Of the people surveyed:

32% associated the word ÒweirdÓ with Western campus
64% Òunique
15% ÒpopularÓ
13% ÒtrendyÓ
6% ÒrichÓ
11
45% ÒthriftyÓ
2% ÒpreppyÓ
40% ÒhippieÓ
62% ÒfriendlyÓ
53% ÒrelaxedÓ
2% ÒuptightÓ
6% Òstuck-upÓ
49% ÒliberalÓ
13% ÒconservativeÓ
43% ÒopinionatedÓ
21% ÒhomosexualÓ
17% ÒnormalÓ
9% Òself-centeredÓ

7. Did not apply to Western Campus Students

8. Of the people surveyed:

66% said there was a difference between people on Western and Main Campus
34% said there was no difference

9. Of the people surveyed:

72% said the stereotypes they heard were positive
28% said negative

10. Of the people surveyed:

51% confirmed the stereotypes
49% contested the stereotypes

Main Campus Survey Results

1. Of the people surveyed:

42% First year
18% second year
24% third year
13% fourth year
3% other

2. 76 total Main Campus students were surveyed.

3. Of the people surveyed:

51% spent 0 hours on Western Campus
17% 1 hour
26% 1 to 4 hours
5% spent 5 or more

35% used the majority of their time on Western for academics
22% socializing
37% recreational
6% employment

4. Of the people surveyed:

22% had a Western campus class
78% did not

5. 42% of the people surveyed have friends on Western Campus.
58% had no friends on Western Campus

6. Of the people surveyed:

55% associated the word ÒweirdÓ with Western Campus students
46% Òunique
4% ÒpopularÓ
11% ÒtrendyÓ
3% ÒrichÓ
20% ÒthriftyÓ
3% ÒpreppyÓ
34% ÒhippieÓ
29% ÒfriendlyÓ
20% ÒrelaxedÓ
7% ÒuptightÓ
4% Òstuck-upÓ
47% ÒliberalÓ
7% ÒconservativeÓ
17% ÒopinionatedÓ
30% ÒhomosexualÓ
8% ÒnormalÓ
5% Òself-centeredÓ

7. Of the people surveyed:

13% wanted to be part of the Western College program
87% did not

8. Of the people surveyed:

82% said there was a difference between people on Western and Main Campus
18% said there was no difference

9. Of the people surveyed:

16% said the stereotypes they heard were positive
84% said negative

10. Of the people surveyed:

53% confirmed the stereotypes
47% contested the stereotypes

Conclusions:

Our results did in fact follow a similar pattern to what we expected. We anticipated the surveys to reveal many of the same stereotypes we were introduced to before we arrived on campus. Question number six on our survey asked students to circle words they associated with Western Campus students. When we created our survey, many of the words we used stemmed from the perceptions we were introduced to prior to coming to Miami University. Some of those words we negative, and some were more positive. We found that the same words we heard as stereotypes, such as ÒweirdÓ, ÒhomosexualÓ, and ÒhippieÓ, were more popular words circled among Main Campus students when compared to Western Campus students. Both groups of students circled words such as ÒuniqueÓ and ÒthriftyÓ. Words such as these may be used to distinguish the differences between Western and Main Campus, but they do not carry the same connotation as words such as ÒweirdÓ. We also discovered how little the majority of Main Campus students spend on Western. Over half of the Main Campus students surveyed spend no time at all on Western Campus. Thus, many of the Main Campus students had few contacts or friends to base their stereotypes on. Part of our hypothesis was that Main Campus students would have unjustified stereotypes due to the limited contact many of them actually have with Western Campus students.

Our results reveal that the divisions of social groups within the Miami University campus are directly parallel to the divisions discussed in the journals. According to the studies, many stereotypes that exist on college campuses are a product of high school behavior. A large majority of those we surveyed were first-year students, fresh out of high school. They are used to the social habits and divisions created in high school and unfamiliar with the different academic and social groups. Consequently, they are more influenced by stereotypes they encounter. The fact that the freshmen are not as experienced with the campus and that the age levels of those surveyed were so unbalanced may be a source of error in our results.
We had numerous sources of error in our study results. Probably one of the most crucial errors was the fact that surveyed individuals failed to carefully read and follow the directions. In other words, students circled more than one answer for various questions that specifically asked for only one answer, throwing off data results. Another source of error was the possibility that students did not understand all of the descriptive words, or people interpreted the meanings of the words differently. In the future, if we were to change that portion of the survey it may be helpful to provide specific definitions or examples of the descriptive words. Finally, many of the students who listed themselves as Western Campus students are merely freshman architecture or Interior Design majors that are involved in the western program for the first year, fulfilling their academic requirements. Thus, these students may not be an accurate representation of the true sentiments of a Western Campus student.

For further investigation it would be extremely helpful to compare the statistical values of our experiment to the actual populations of the various campuses. This would allow our group to draw specific conclusions on factual information rather than only on human opinion. For example, many Main Campus students listed that they felt many Western Campus students were homosexuals. It would be interesting to find out exactly how many Western Campus students are in fact homosexuals, and compare that value with the statistical data from our survey. We feel that an investigation such as this would prove that many of the Western Campus stereotypes are indeed misconstrued images. After completing this experiment, we feel the information we have learned would be extremely useful to prospective students who are considering the Western College program. They would be able to see first-hand that many of the negative rumors they may hear about Western Campus are stereotypes that are not justified. These stereotypes of Western Campus are merely perceptions of opposing social groups that have limited contact with the students actually in the program. Instead of being scared away by the rumors, they would learn, just as we did, to refute the stereotypes and embrace the diversity Western Campus brings to Miami University.

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