Works Cited practice (3/31/09)

Here are the citations my group (group F) did in class for the following…
Article: http://www.jstor.org/stable/4239135
Book: http://books.google.com/books?id=tw90vBmNKhEC
Website: http://circlek.iweb.bsu.edu/

Fleming, Linda. “The American SF Subculture.” Science Fiction Studies 4.3 (1997): 263-271

Rahn, Janice. Painting Without Permission: Hip-Hop Graffiti Subculture. Westport, Connecticut: Bergin & Garbey, 2002.

Circle K International. 6 April 2007. Ball State University. 31 Mar. 2009. <http://circlek.iweb.bsu.edu/>.

-Julia St. John

Acces World News (3/30/09)

After a while of searching through online resources, that Ball State’s Bracken Library offers, I finally found a few pieces that I will be reading and looking at for my fourth paper. One that stood out was a short newspaper essay about the relevance of the recent “Milk” movie. In Access World News, I found this essay because I was looking for a way to tie in the movie to my paper. It talks about people’s responses to the movie and how some older viewers thought gay rights issues were “over” but then their opinions were changed when they saw how many kids come out to see “Milk.” Gay rights is a rather large issue that the world faces today (their rights to get married, have kids, etc.) and I feel many kids in Spectrum are already facing the harsh reality of the lack of some of these so-called rights. That is why I want to talk not only about the movie but about this essay that shows a few reactions to it.
-Julia St. John

Here is a link to the "Milk" article.

paper 4 (3/23/09)

I just finished my assigned reading from Fieldworking for tomorrow’s class and have to say that as far as this fourth paper goes, it did not help me that much. However, the two pages at the end did. In high school, I was assigned to try out annotative bibliographies but never really knew why they were used. The description on page 414 really helped me see why I would want to work with one especially for this upcoming paper that will have at least 10 sources. I have not yet started on my paper but have thought about possible events/people that might be influential to my Subgroup (Spectrum). There was an apparently very accurate movie recently made about Harvey Milk and I am interested to find out more about it and how the movie and the man influenced the gay community. I have also been interested in gay pride events across the world and in researching how different countries feel about issues gay’s bring to the table (such as gay marriage).
-Julia St. John

interview for paper 3 (3/17/09)

Here are the questions I asked in an e-mail interview with Spectrum's VP and her answers...

Define Spectrum in your own words…
It is a GLBTQSA organization where people can come together to have fun, become educated and be safe.

Who chose the site for this show and how long has it been put on there…
I'm not sure about this one...it has been around for a few years.

What was your favorite part of the show…
I liked the story line the MCs did.

Were there any set-backs with the show and putting it together...
There are many aspects to the show and it takes a couple months to put together. But there were no set backs.

What story or stories are associated with the show/location…
There is no story associated with the show that i know of.

What rules surround the show and putting it together…
There are rules for the performers and you can find those online...
http://www.bsu.edu/web/spectrum/Drag%20Show%20Contract.html. But there are no rules for putting on the show.

What significance or meaning does the show hold to individuals in Spectrum or Spectrum as a whole…
The Drag Show is the biggest event that Spectrum puts on. It is our chance to raise money and give back to the community. The last show we gave the proceeds to the Indiana Youth Group. It means a lot to everyone in spectrum...the whole group really comes together to make it possible.

What part do you (or someone in your exec position) usually play in putting this show on...
The Vice President is in charge of the Drag Show...last semester that was Damon and this semester it's me. We take care of everything all the details, and then the exec boards back us up when need be. This semester i am trying something new by having a planning committee.

-Julia St. John

editing paper 3 (3/16/09)

Over spring break I looked over the first draft of my third paper quite a few times. However, I did leave the ending paragraph for this week (the first week back). This was mostly because I saw that it would need work all on its own after reading it (in the introduction and conclusion exercise we did on the Thursday before break) aloud to me group. I have just finished spending a few hours on it and minor corrections throughout the rest of my paper and can now say that my third paper, as a whole, is significantly better. The only other major change that was made, however, was the addition of an interview and a works cited. I was always planning on having these items in this third paper, but after I finished peer editing my group mate’s papers, I remembered that they were essential to this particular assignment. I conducted this interview through e-mail as I normally do because I find it is easier for the interviewee to have more time and be able to write out exactly what they would like to say.
-Julia St. John

Interview question for paper 3 (3/4/09)

(For these questions, I asked the interviewee to think of the drag show that happened in the first Semester of this year)
Define Spectrum in your own words…
Who chose the site for this show and how long has it been there…
What was your favorite part of the show…
What story or stories are associated with the show/location…What rules surround the show and putting it together…
What significance or meaning does the show hold to individuals in Spectrum or Spectrum as a whole…
What part do you (or someone in your exec position) usually play in putting this show on...
What did the money from the raffle/performers go to…
-Julia St. John

1st paragraph to paper 3 (3/4/09)

It has been said that you make your own fun; that it shouldn’t depend on where you are. Although this is true for some, the members of Spectrum had to have the perfect location for their annual drag show to ensure fun for its audience. This group specially chose Ball Gymnasium to hold this event and much preparation went into making the sight, sounds, and textures just right. Another location that Spectrum sees as a sacred place is their meeting place. Although this location has changed in the past and is also not a set location, wherever this group meets is seen as a safe place every Thursday night. Their meeting place of choice is the Multipurpose Room in the Student Center. However, when I went to do an observation is when I found out that their room is subject to change. The room had been changed from the basement to the second floor in the Forum room. Although Spectrum has asked Ball State to give them a permanent meeting room, the board has not yet found a place this group can eternally call home. Therefore, every week, Spectrum’s executive board must try and sign up to use the Multipurpose Room. But if someone else has booked it, then they simply move to whatever room their assigned in the Student Center and inform the people who come to the meetings through signs by each entrance. Both locations, the meeting place and the annual drag show, are very important to Spectrum; places that any Ball State student should be able to come and feel welcomed.
-Julia St. John

location description (3/3/09)

Sight, sounds, smells, textures, and tastes. Not all of these things are ones that I observed at the location (Ball Gymnasium) that gave Spectrum a place to hold their annual drag show. I did, however, observe most. For example, there were many things to see even before the show started. The actual performance was held in the gym (as one might imagine) so when you first walk in you see four sections consisting of hundreds of brown chairs. Between these sections, there were aisles not only for spectators to find their seats but also (during the show) for the performers to walk down and interact with audience members. At the back of the auditorium, there was a raffle that held many prizes that were announced and given to the highest bidder after the show. And at the front, the black stage could be seen with one spot light in the upper left corner, flower pots lining the front of the stage (for people to put money in as different performers came up), and a sign in the middle of the curtain that is at the back of the stage. Seeing as I walked in toward the starting time, I came in to the sound of lots of excited people. Some catching up, some talking about the show, there were chairs moving and people asking us to take our seats.
What does all of this mean? It means that Spectrum obviously put a lot of time and energy into this show. To get a raffle started (from donated things from different places), set up all the chairs/stage, and just generally organize this event took a lot of pre-planning. This event means a lot to this subgroup and they took the time to ensure others would enjoy it too.
-Julia St. John

location of paper 3 (3/1/09)

I have not yet decided which Spectrum location I will write on yet. I know that I have to soon, but I have been e-mailing Ms. Murray back and forth and am now only waiting on her reply to let me use Spectrum’s drag show in Ball Gym as the topic for my third paper. Although this show was at the beginning of the year I can still vividly remember it (to describe it), there are pictures on Spectrum’s website of the event, and this show means a lot more to the subculture than either room in the Student Center. Spectrum is hoping that sometime next year they will get a room of their own to decorate and do with as they please for their meetings but for right now, they have to deal with the changing schedule of the multipurpose room. The drag show involved not only members of Spectrum but also a few professional queens. At the actual location there was a stage, hundreds of chairs, drawings for different prizes, and much more.
-Julia St. John