At first, I was very nervous to ask someone for an interview; I’m not good at approaching strangers, so asking to talk to someone whom I had no relationship with was off of the table for me. I am fortunate to be a part of a large organization on campus that is filled with students who are always willing to help each other out - it’s very common for someone to post in our Facebook group looking for help with a project or asking us to take an online survey for class. So, I made a post in the group explaining the nature of my research project and asking if anyone would be interested in sharing stories and insight about their experiences at Schine Dining. Knowing the individuals in the group, I added a touch of humor to the post by describing my …show more content…
I noticed the racial makeup of Schine Dining as well in my fieldnotes and I found it to be a driving force in many of my observations and crucial to the culture of the space. After talking to my group, I realized that they did not focus on this as much as I did, if at all. I hope that they get the chance to read through my transcript and understand what someone who goes to Schine Dining everyday knows to be true about the environment. Diversity, integration, and/or segregation are a big part of the sociological story of an area, and it would be unwise for us to not include that as a major part of our findings. My respondent also pointed out how exclusive the food options are in Schine. She prefers to eat gluten-free and there are no healthy options for her besides sushi and salad. It’s very hard to eat well in general in Schine - most of the food is “fast food” like pizza, breakfast sandwiches, chicken fingers, and quesadillas. She pointed out that, again, the only healthy meal options are sushi and salad. Schine does sell fruit and vegetables, but those alone are not a balanced meal. If Schine wants to establish itself as a place for students to fuel up in between classes, then they should offer healthier, more inclusive options so that everyone can enjoy the food and feel energized after eating. I didn’t write about this too much in my fieldnotes because I did not spend a majority of my time in the food court, so it was beneficial for her to bring it to my