This study centered on the Student Government Association organization at Frostburg State University, a member of the University of Maryland Public Colleges & Universities. On a campus of approximately 4,900 undergraduates, the SGA is complied of 28 members. Out of the 28 members, the organization is divided into On & Off Campus Senators, and the Executive Board. Members of the executive board, like the President, Vice President and Secretary, must collect signatures from students to endorse their candidacy in addition to sitting down with the previous executive board for several interviews. To become a senator for the school year, an individual must turn in an application and then interview with the incoming executive board. Frostburg State’s SGA prides themselves on having a diverse membership, from ethnicity and gender, to involvement and educational path. I chose to observe the Student Government Organization for several reasons. To start, they are
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She writes that a successful ethnography offers an explanation found in patterns of behavior, but often not a pattern you expect to initially find. Over the 2017 Spring Semester I observed the Student Government Association seven separate times. Out of those seven, six were general body meetings with the final observation taking place during an executive board meeting. For my first few observations I studied the group as a whole, and week-to-week I compared their behavior and actions. As the weeks continued I took detailed notes of each individual, when they spoke, how they spoke, and what body language they used. Ladner suggests that there is “no such thing as purely random events, people are sentient beings who make their own decisions”, so as the weeks went on I tired to find the meaning behind they way they were
She writes that a successful ethnography offers an explanation found in patterns of behavior, but often not a pattern you expect to initially find. Over the 2017 Spring Semester I observed the Student Government Association seven separate times. Out of those seven, six were general body meetings with the final observation taking place during an executive board meeting. For my first few observations I studied the group as a whole, and week-to-week I compared their behavior and actions. As the weeks continued I took detailed notes of each individual, when they spoke, how they spoke, and what body language they used. Ladner suggests that there is “no such thing as purely random events, people are sentient beings who make their own decisions”, so as the weeks went on I tired to find the meaning behind they way they were