How student interact in the dining hall

An Observation: How Do Students Interact at the UWA Cafeteria?

Student’s Name

The University of West Alabama

An Observation: How Do Students Interact at the UWA Cafeteria?

I joined many students along with faculty and staff in The University of West Alabama (UWA) cafeteria, September 4, 2014, for lunch. The cafeteria where I did my observation is a large open setting with a variety of seating arrangements. Some tables are long and pushed together. They will seat up to 20 people. Other tables are smaller and will seat around four to six people. There are booths and bar like areas to sit at. The food lines are arranged in basically three different horseshoe areas against the far back wall of the cafeteria. The pizza and fried foods are located to the right of the cafeteria. Then you have the salad bar against the wall which separates this area from dish disposal and trash. The next food station is what I call the “Hot Meal”. This area serves more of a home cooked meal. Today I had a choice of meatloaf, carrots, collard greens, cornbread, or chicken spaghetti or chicken alfredo. The next area is more of a stir-fry area. There are many Asian international student on our campus, and this area seems to be a favorite of theirs. Drink machines are located throughout different area of the cafeteria, and there is one main station in the middle for deserts.

I began my observation the moment I walked in the door to the cafeteria. Students were in line to pay for their meal at the front door. Many of them were talking to students in front or behind them. I even saw one student talking to one of the faculty members while in line to pay. Once I paid, I then went to the center of the food court area and got in line at the “Hot Meal” station. I would say this was by far the longest line. Students were talking to each other in line. Others were listening to music through headphones or earphones. I even saw two students dancing while waiting.

I got my meal and chose a spot in an area that had a good view of students all around me. I sat in an area that was heavily populated with students although there were many faculty and staff eating too. Students were sitting at the different styles of tables. One male and female student were sitting at a booth. Four male students were sitting at a booth also. A group of male and female students were sitting at a round table of five. There was a bit of a mixture of gender. I did notice that most of the girls were sitting together, and most of the guys were together. It would also say that it was very racially segregate. There were approximately two or three tables where different races were represented including the Asian international students. Students seem to sit and interact with those they knew really well or with those they were most comfortable. They did not go up to strangers and sit with them or attempt to make new friends here in this setting.

All the students were casually dressed. I did not see anyone in what I would consider dress clothes or professional clothing. The main clothing of choice was t-shirts and shorts. I would say 90 percent of both genders were wearing a t-shirt of some kind with a pair of shorts. Several of the guys were wearing baseball style caps and even a few girls also. However, I did notice that several of the Asian girls were wearing short skirts with t-shirt or button down blouse, but the outfits were still very casual. Most of the students had book bags with them, as they were in between classes.

As I looked around everyone seemed to have a smartphone in hand or close by on the table within reach. Again, students are listening to the headphones even while sitting at the table with friends. I did notice a few students eating by themselves, and of course these students definitely had on headphones. A couple of students had IPads on the table either reading or surfing the Internet. There are several televisions in the cafeteria, but I did not notice anyone watching them. The students were preoccupied with conversations or an electronic device in front of them rather than the televisions on the wall.

I enjoyed my time in the cafeteria observing and learning more about our students. I definitely believe students want to stay connected with each other at all times. They do this though face to face interaction still. However, much of their communication is done through smartphones with programs and apps such as Text Messaging, Snapchat, Facebook, Instagram, and many more. Students must feel engaged at all times these days. Making myself aware of this could lead to some changes in the way we attempt to communicate with our students. For instance, students do not necessarily read email anymore, but they might read a text message sent to their smartphone. I also noticed that students do not get out of their own comfort zone on their own. For students with cultural difference, it may be hard for them to fit in with other groups of students. I would suggest making sure there are ample opportunities for the students of all diversities to work on projects and interact with one another whether this be academically or socially. I knew several of these things, but I did not pay attention to how segregated students were. I also knew electronics were a huge part of today’s society. We cannot function without them, but I didn’t realize just how much and how many until I literally started counting them today. This observation has been a bit of an eye opener for me.