Susan Aiello
David DiSarro
English 104
2 April 2009
Research Proposal
Title:
Lafollette Dining: Tension Among Employees
Rationale and Purpose:
I chose this subculture because of it being so close to where I live. Having the Buffet being right downstairs from my room makes it that much easier to get to and observe. On top of that, I can get dinner while I am there. Also, the fact that I am an insider has been a huge factor. I started working for Lafollette dining at the beginning of second semester. To be honest, I wasn’t planning on working for any of the dining halls here at Ball State. It was really my last resort if I couldn’t find a job elsewhere. Sure enough, after many failed attempts to obtain another job, Lafollette dining was all that was left, so I took the job. I have not regretted working for Lafollette dining because it truly has been a great job. I got to pick my own hours and on top of that dining service employees get paid more than any other job on campus. Also, I have met so many great people. It definitely makes it easier for me to interview the employees because I know them on a more personal level. Ever since I started working there, I have been able to find out more information behind the scenes of the different rules, rituals and behaviors then I would have otherwise as an outsider.
Also, I have no fixed positions that would affect me being there, so that is another reason why I chose this site. If I were to have chosen to explore the Ball State’s football team, I would have had some fixed positions. One factor would have been my gender. Being a female and observing an all male team and staff would have prohibited me from certain areas and it would have been more difficult for me to relate. However, at the buffet none of my fixed positions would affect the employees because everyone there is of a different age, race and gender. I know there is part- time college students who work there, elderly women and males, middle-aged women and males, and on top of that their all of different ethnicities.
The purpose of my research is to inform others on my subculture and to know what it is like to be apart of the subculture. I want to give my reader’s an idea of the pros and cons many of the employees face within the subculture and what they do on a daily basis. More specifically, I want my readers to know that within the Buffet each room is divided by walls, so it separates one room from the other. Depending on where you are working you are constantly competing with the other rooms. Everyone within their area is friends with one another, but when outside of their room it is a whole different story. As I began to talk with some of the workers I questioned them about their job and they went into greater detail and talked about other workers from the other areas and how they weren’t doing their job. This showed me how divided they really are and how the layout of the Buffet really puts a barrier between each group of employees. This is important to know because these physical barriers explain for certain behaviors and rituals.
Contribution:
All together from my research, observations, reflections and interviews, I hope the community develops a better understanding of what goes on within the dining halls and eventually venture out and try some of the different dining services on campus. Not only venture out and try the different food, but maybe develop an interest in working at one of the dining facilities here on campus. I also hope that all the stereotypes and misconceptions that people have will no longer exist and that they will be able to see a different side of Ball State dining that they didn’t know before. I know many people believe that the Buffet isn’t healthy or sanitary and that some of the employees aren’t friendly.
In addition, I hope that all my information going on the web, the community will be able to utilize my site and research to help them with a similar project. Throughout the research process I struggled to find academic sources and my site will definitely help those who need more information. At first, it seemed like the more I researched the farther away I got from my original search. Part of the reason why I got so frustrated with not finding any information was because my topic was so narrow. Once broadening my topic, I was able to obtain more information.
Research Question:
Ever since the beginning of my research process, I have been geared towards getting rid of the stereotypes associated with the Americans Buffet in Lafollette. As I conducted more interviews and observations, I began to notice that within the subculture there are physical barriers between the employees. Not just between student and non-student employees, but between non-student and non-student employees as well. This led to my research question, which is what goes on behind the scenes that outsiders are not aware of and how do physical barriers affect not only the relationships amongst employees, but their rules, rituals and behaviors?
Hypotheses:
Already, through surveys and interviews, I have found that Ball State students have many stereotypes and misconceptions towards Lafollette dining such as unhealthy food and that the food is not sanitary. I expect to find that the Health Department is ultimately in charge of regulating the quality of food here on campus, but as far as decision on what food is to be served is up to the chef.
Literature Review:
When I first began my research, I had a hard time finding academic research because my topic was so narrow. I was trying to find information regarding Ball State dining, which did not bring up any information. Eventually, I broadened my topic to campus dining and researched different topics within that topic such as food preparation workers, chefs, dining halls, health violations, etc. After finding all of my sources, I have found a connection between some of my academic and nonacademic sources. That is why I chose to organize my research topically.
The Buffet is very diverse and there are many cultural differences amongst the employees such as race, gender, age, etc. An article I read, “West Virginia U. dining halls teach student workers life lessons,”focused on the employees and their reasons for working in the dining halls. I have found through my surveys that many students at the Buffet who are currently working there said that they are working in Lafollette because of its convenience and location and it is the same reason at the WVU. It is also a great way to meet a diverse group of people as well, which I know many of the students here on campus have developed several friendships just by working at Lafollette.
An article from the Daily Newspaper, “Ball State U. dining services give 75-cent raise to employees,” talked about how the number of students working in the food dining industry has significantly increased since the year before and this was due to the seventy-five cent raise given to dining hall workers. Currently, student employees make $7.05 compared to non-student employees who make up to as much as $12.30 an hour. So in the end, Ball State Dining is saving money because the more students being hired means there is less of a need for non-student employees. They are getting more for their money. This brings me to the debate of student versus non-student employees. It just shows how diverse it is within campus dining halls and how age plays an important role.
At the University of Maryland, the Residence Hall Association was trying to encourage Dining Services to hire more student employees and give them priority over non-student employees. Dining Services told them if they did have enough student employees, they would eliminate the non-student employees. I liked this article because it directly relates to my subculture and the employees within the Buffet. If student employees were to take over, many non-student employees would lose their jobs, but at the same time it would save the University money once again. After talking with one of my informants, who is a non-student employee, she suggested that there is some envy towards some of the student workers. Also, since many of non-student workers have been working at the Buffet longer, they feel like they have more of an authority over the students and that is the reason why they tend to treat student employees unfairly. This explains the barriers that the employees face within my subculture.
Description of Community:
Like I mentioned earlier, my subculture is a very diverse group. Not only are there employees of different ages, but different sex and race as well. This group of people work together to help prepare, clean, cook, and cut food for Ball State students. There are over 125 student employees that work for Lafollette Dining alone. Each day, a new student is added to the employee’s list. As an employee, there are certain rules, rituals and behaviors that must be followed. For example, when it comes to apparel, employees must follow a certain dress code. They are suppose to wear a red shirt (which employers provide), black shoes, black pants and a hair net. Also, a name tag must be work at all times. Keeping the buffet clean at all times is a ritual that is performed everyday. At the buffet it is all about the customers and behavior is very important. Staying on task and getting the job is essential. To become a student employee, it is required that you go to a training session, which lasts about two hours. Basically, you go over the employee’s manual and learn the different sanitation procedures. If you work at the cash register, it is required that you take and pass a cashier’s class. Training required depends on what position you are applying for.
Placement in Culture:
At the beginning of second semester, I was looking at my subculture from an outsider’s point of view. I had many stereotypes and preconceptions towards Lafollette dining. I rarely went to the buffet because I didn’t care for the food and I believed it to be a dirty environment. When I went there for dinner my food was cold, and it reminded me of the cafeteria food I had in middle school, which in fact, never made me want to buy lunch at school again. I assumed that the employers didn’t care about the customers and that they were there to get their pay check every week and that was all that mattered. But once I actually started working at the Buffet, I came to see the Buffet from a different perspective. I started to go to the buffet more to eat because I became more aware of what goes on and that it is cleaner than what I thought it was. Also, there is a wide variety of food to eat, unlike the other food places in Lafollette that have the same exact food everyday. Once, I started working at the Buffet, I found the more I worked the more I became part of the subculture. Most Recently, I have been able to develop personal relationships with most of the employees and have developed a good idea of how things work. I came to this understanding not only from working there, but also from the interviews I have conducted with some of the employees, surveys that I have sent out, and many of observations.
Interview Questions:
When conducting my interviews, I chose to interview several of the employees who currently work in the Buffet. By interviewing informants within my subculture, it has helped me to gain a better understanding of what they do on a daily basis and their beliefs regarding the Buffet subculture.
1. How long have you been working at the Buffet?
2. Why did you choose to work at the Buffet?
3. What training or education is required to work at the Buffet?
4. What do you like most about your job?
5. What is the hardest part about your job?
6. What stereotypes do you think are associated with the Buffet?
7. How do you feel about student versus non-student employees?
8. Do you think the Buffet has a healthy selection of food?
9. What are some regulations and rules that must be followed as an employee?
10. What assumptions and preconceptions are there towards the Buffet?
By asking questions regarding certain stereotypes and preconceptions towards the Buffet, I was able to obtain an outsider’s perspective. Having an outsider’s perspective will help me to connect with my readers more regarding this issue. Knowing some of the basic questions like the hardest part of an employee’s job helped me to understand that every employee struggles with something different and could easily connect with why there might be conflict between student and non-student employees.
Procedure:
So far, I have conducted several interviews and surveys that has helped me develop a better understanding of my subculture; however, I still plan on interviewing several more informants and I also hope to find more academic sources to help support my research question. Once I have finished with all of my findings, I think I will be more equipped and have a better understanding of my subculture to complete my mini-ethnography.
