Geography Graduate Office Rules

Place: Geography Graduate Office, Clippinger 100

Part I: Rulebook

We have divided the rules for the geography graduate office into 5 different categories. A taxonomic system has been made for the rules and their categories: A capital letter deals with what area/object the rule is about: S=Space/The Office; B=Belongings; O=Others in the Office/Colleagues. The lower case abbreviation deals with what the rule is doing/performing:  pro=protect; court=courtesy; app=appearance; func=functionality.

1. Protect the Space (Spro)

    i.  Lock the door if you are the last one to leave.

    ii. Only geography graduate students can be in this space to work on projects or hold office

        hours.

    iii. Outsiders can be in the space, but only accompanied by a geography graduate student.      

         (This rule does not apply to geography faculty and staff.)

    iv. Turn off the lights if you are the last one to leave

  
     Example of rule iii:

     

2. Protect Personal Belongings (Bpro)

    i.  Lock your desk before leaving

    ii. Don’t leave valuables unattended. When you do leave, lock your valuables in your desk.

    iii. Return books to the shelf you got them from

    

   Example of rule ii:

3. Courtesy to others (Ocourt)

    i.   Don’t use someone else’s desk space/computer without permission

    ii.  Don’t block walkways

    iii. Don’t yell across the room to others

    iv.  Don’t be too rowdy

    v.   Don’t invade someone’s personal space (don’t look over their shoulder)

    vi.  Don’t bring very potent food to the office

    vii. If you are a visitor, just walk into the office and find who you are looking for; don’t knock

   Example of rule ii:

4. Appearance of Space (Sapp)

    i.   Don’t litter; throw trash away

    ii.  Don’t write on walls and tables

    iii. Clean microwave if you make a mess

    iv.  Don’t leave old food in the fridge

    Example of rule i:

5. Functionality of the Space (Sfunc)

    i.   This is not a place to socialize, only do work in the office

    ii.  Check your mailbox regularly

    iii. Check your desk in case anyone put items on it

    iv. Be in the office during your office hours

  Example of rule i:

Part II: Discussion of Rulebook

The rules for the geography department graduate student office serve many purposes. Looking out for the well-being of those who use the space and the space itself are major themes of the rules. Most of these rules are unspoken, however there are a few that are made very clear verbally. The following paragraphs will explain the rules and their importance to this space.

        Protecting the space of the office (Spro) is listed first for good reason. This category deals mainly with access to the office. When graduate students are new to the department, they are given a key for the office door and are told that the office door must be locked if there is no one inside. This rule exists to keep people out who ‘don’t belong.’ These people are anyone who is not a geography graduate student, faculty, or staff from the department. This is likely the first rule that a new graduate student will know with regards to this space. This distinction of who belongs in this space and who doesn’t belong in this space plays a part as a ‘place-making’ activity as described by Cresswell (2004, p. 5). The action of exclusion and limited access for others solidifies the notion of the office as being a place for geography department graduate students. This in itself is a form of exercise of power. The haves and have nots in reference to access to the space  of the office make it clear that graduate students in the department have more spatial rights, which can be interpreted as power according to Pulido (2000), than undergraduates.

       To protect personal belongings (Bpro) is likely the second spoken rule category that newcomers to the space will hear. Those who belong in the space are assigned desks that lock, the sole purpose being for protection from theft.  As emphasized by Wood and Beck (1994), protection can take many different forms and purposes. As opposed to protecting the space like the first rule, this rule focuses on protecting objects that can be removed from the space in ways that are disruptive (theft) to those in the space. Protecting personal belongings is an inclination that goes beyond the graduate office into many other realms of peoples’ lives. This might be considered a convention, a practice ubiquitously known by society, as Wood and Beck (1994) describe.  As one might lock their car and their homes to protect their belongings, the office space affords personal belonging protection through a personal desk that locks.

        Courtesy to others (Ocourt) is a very important set of rules for the space of the graduate office. In order for proper function of the office, people need to heed respect for others’ business in the office. Many of these rules are drawn from personal experience. They perhaps would not have been thought out if someone had not stepped out of bounds, challenging the meaning and purpose of this space. Wood and Beck (1994) talk about children being oblivious to some rules of the home and thus calling attention to rules that wouldn’t be realized without being challenged by the children. Past experience in this office with people being loud, rowdy, and generally disruptive has made some of these rules like ‘don’t block walkways,’ ‘don’t yell across the room’ or ‘don’t knock on door to be let in’ into a clear reality. Like the children, some clearly childish behavior in this office has helped create these rules. Other rules like the one about smelly food and about not using others’ computers seem more natural and don’t necessarily need to be challenged to be known.

       The appearance of a space (Sapp) can have a drastic effect on how those unaccustomed to the space view it. If a space is attractive and well kept, others understand that work has gone into that space making it valuable to someone or something. On the other hand, if a space is dirty and neglected, outsiders view the space as insignificant even if the space is highly cherished. Simple rules requiring trash to be thrown away or not writing on tables are important to enforce, especially in a public setting like the geography graduate student office. When outsiders come into the office, whether it is undergraduate students or faculty members, the space should appear clean and presentable. With these rules left unchecked, the office would not only decline in appearance, but visiting bodies would assume that leaving trash on the floor or leaving the office in disarray is perfectly acceptable. The Wood and Beck (1994) article uses the phrase “when in Rome, one does as the Romans do.” Wood and Beck’s statement can be applied to the appearance of the graduate student office. Keeping the space clean and orderly transmits an unspoken message to visitors. Visitors will understand that in “this” space, they are to clean up after themselves in order to keep the appearance of the office in check. How spaces outside the confines of the office appear or function does not govern how the graduate student office functions. 

Example of the appearance of a space deteriorating

Spaces perform a function (Sfunc) for those that inhabit them. The geography graduate student office provides a convenient workspace for graduate students to conduct personal studies or meet with other students for academic purposes. Functionality plays an important role in this space.  Graduate students enter this space with a professional mindset. While inside the office, personal endeavors take a backseat to academic undertakings. If the functionality of this space is thrown out of whack, the office will lose its credibility as an academic establishment. To outsiders, the office may seem like a crammed room full of large cubicles. To those that occupy those cubicles, the space has been given meaning. As Crestwell (2004) denotes in his article, what other students and faculty members see as simply a “place” inside Clippinger Hall, geography graduate students define as a space to enrich their minds. 

Two girls making the space function for their needs

Part III: Connection of the Rulebook to Society

Overall, the rules for the geography graduate office help to keep order and peace within the space. These rules represent the laws and regulations within our society that allow citizens to roam about the world with basic rules to obey. These rules help society to function in an orderly fashion. Without rules, our lives would be chaotic; people would be able to do whatever they wanted because there would be no consequences for their actions. Can’t imagine a place like this? Well, for all you fellow Marvel geeks, just think about the place of Knowhere in Guardians of the Galaxy. In the movie, Knowhere, is a place in the universe that has no laws, rules, or restrictions. A person needs to be alert at all times, as there are thieves and trash/litter everywhere. There is no order or organization in the “town;” it appears very chaotic. Without rules and regulations, our society cannot function and keep citizens safe, much like the rules for the geography graduate office keep its occupants, their belongings, and the space protected and functional. We certainly would rather be in a place like that instead of being in Knowhere.

Knowhere, from Guardians of the Galaxy

      These rules to the geography graduate office can also relate to an issue within American society and government: border control. According to the Homeland Security’s website (http://www.dhs.gov/border-security-overview), boarder security protects “our borders from the illegal movement of weapons, drugs, contraband, and people, while promoting lawful entry and exit.” This can be related to rules that are categorized as “protecting the space (Spro).” It is almost as if the geography graduate students are border control, as they and their superiors are able to grant access to the office; similar to how border control security and their superiors grant “outsiders,” or non-American citizens, access to the country. This is done to help protect the space from outsiders or prevent any illegal activities from occurring the space. Border control is a big issue in our society and those wanting stricter regulations have many reasons for this viewpoint. One common reason is that we need to protect our economy and job market, as illustrated by the protestor below:

      

     People who use this argument, are trying to protect something they believe belongs to American citizens, much like one of the rule categories is devoted to protecting the graduate student’s personal belongings (Bpro).  Thus, people are being kept out of the space, or country, in order to protect the “belongings” of those already granted access to the area. Further, the previously discussed website, states border control “is essential to homeland security, economic prosperity, and national sovereignty.” This idea correlates to the rules that are in place to maintain the appearance (Sapp) and functionality of space (Sfunc). According to the border control, it is their job to make sure the country functions smoothly without disruptions to our economy, security, and sovereignty from “outsiders.” Further, by keeping out potential threats to our country, we are maintaining an appearance of “American culture” and the many freedoms the country stands for, similar to maintaining the appearance of an educational space in the office.

       (Disclaimer: these viewpoints of others do not reflect the viewpoints of any authors of the blog.)

        By keeping out illegal immigrants from the country, there is a clear “us v. them” idea. We group people into being American and non-American; if they do not fit into the “American” category, they are labeled as a potential harm to society’s way of life. Although border control is meant to protect the country, much like rules are in place to protect the office, it creates a marginalized space where only people who fit a certain criteria are allowed in. Those in powerful positions decide whether or not outsiders are granted access into the space/country, while those affected by the laws have little say in their fate.