Story of Helen-The Residential Ghost

While studying in the lounge you can expect to hear a multiple array of noises. Some of these noises are keyboards being typed on, pencils being drug along notebooks, music faintly escaping the headphones of the girl next to you, and even sometimes Helen. Helen is the residential ghost of Knotts Hall. There are a number of stories of how she came about to be here but the one I was told was this one. Helen was a student here years ago studying to be an elementary school teacher. One night her boyfriend came over to help her study for an exam. It came to be that they got into a fight and her boyfriend killed her, or so some think. No one knows if she was actually murdered or if she killed herself. The story goes on to say that Helen still walks the halls and hides in the bathroom and study lounges. Some girls say they have been in the study lounge late at night and heard scratching noises on the walls and tables. Others have heard the door close when no one was coming in or out. Some of the girls that live on the floor have tried to organize a sleepover in the lounge to see if they can see or hear Helen, but it has always fallen through.

Interview with Amy for Third Paper

My next interview was with Amy, a girl who lives down the hall right next to the study lounge. I asked Amy if she liked living right next door to the lounge. Amy replied by saying, “Yes and no. Yes, because it means that I only have to worry about noise coming from one neighbor. No, because I have heard some weird stories about Helen and also because there is always someone walking by my room to get to the lounge. I’m not a big traffic person.” I then asked her if she has ever experienced anything out of the ordinary while in the lounge. She answered me by saying, “Yes! It was my nineteen birthday and I was in there studying for a math test when eight of my friends came barreling in with little squirt guns shooting water at me! It was quite funny and a nice relief from studying.” My last question for Amy was how important did she think the study lounge was. Amy replied, “I think the study lounge is really important. There are a lot of girls, including myself, who can’t study in their room because there are too many distractions. We also use the lounge to get away from people, like roommates, and girls that annoy us. If my roommate has a friend over that I do not care for I just go sit in the study lounge and get on my laptop.”

Interview with Kesha for Third Paper

I asked Kesha if she has ever noticed the smell coming from the study lounge and if so what she thought of it. She responded by saying, “Yes! The smell is horrible! It is like walking into my grandmother’s house in July!” I then asked her if she has ever heard anything weird in the study lounge that could potentially be Helen. Kesha said, “No, not really. I do not think I believe the stories about Helen. It is probably just a story to scare the freshman. Although I have heard she messes with the service elevator sometimes. She takes the elevator to the top floor when you want to go to the fifth or sixth.” Another question I asked Kesha was if she thought the study lounge was a good place to get some work done. Kesha answered by saying, “Yeah, it is okay. It is pretty quiet for the most part and there is nothing in there to distract you. Plus, if the resident advisor walks by and sees you studying she will give you KE Cash.” For my next question I asked her to explain the KE Cash. She said, “KE Cash is fake colorful money given to the residents for doing something good, like studying or helping someone out. At the end of each semester there is an auction where you can spend your KE Cash at.”

Introduction of Third Paper-First draft

Study Lounge Observation The study lounge on the fifth floor of Knotts/Edwards in Lafollette Complex is probably not thought of as one of the most important places on campus. To the girls who live on the fifth floor, however, it is. This room is the central meeting place for the whole floor. At the beginning of the year it was a room where all the girls came in together to play games to get to know one another. Now it is a place where they can go to get some quiet time to study, to get away from their roommates, and even talk about a crazy Friday night on a Saturday morning.

second observation

I went back to the study lounge on the fifth floor of Knotts/Edwards today to get some more information for my paper. I sat on one of the old green couches in the corner and watched the girls during social hour. At first the lounge was empty, quiet and hot, smelling like an old man had lived there for years. After about fifeteen minutes four girls came in through the door and sat down at the first table they came to. One of the blonde girls set down a game called Monopoly and said "Who wants popcorn?!" The girl then left to make popcorn i assume. While the popcorn girl was gone the others started setting up the board and handing out the fake slips of colorful money. About five minutes later the blonde girl returned with a freshly popped bag of popcorn, go figure. the smell quickly changed from musty old man to salty and buttery popcorn. Although this was a nice relief for my nose, it made me rather hungry. As the girls got to playing the game it became increasingly more intense. The girls would randomly shout and start laughing or even arguing at times. A few other girls walking by the study lounge would stop in and see what all the shouting was about but then soon leave after getting bored with the on goings of the game. After watching these girls play for twenty minutes I decided to leave and continue my observations later.

First Observation

Detail categories of first site observation...

Sight: -green 60's carpet with brown diamonds weaved into it.
-lots of green couches,loveseats, and chairs that line the walls
-five tables with four chairs around each of them
-one clock hanging by the door
-there are two fans
Sound: -you can hear girls typing on their laptops
-sometimes girls have their headphones turned up rather loud
-the fans humming
-the door swinging open
-the lights sometimes make a humming noise
Smell:-it smells like a ninety year old man's house.old and dusty.
-sometimes someone will bring in popcorn and that smell fills the room

I might have to go back and observe and take notes on how the girls act while in the study lounge, both when it is study hours and when it is social hours. I need to take notes on what the girl's habits are while studying.

The study lounge on the fifth floor is not very big at all. It always smells like old man and is probably the most outdated of all the study lounges. The carpet is most likely from the 60's with it's green and brown diamond pattern. It is always hot in there due to no air conditioning. The fans help a little but only for the people the fans are facing. The noise in the study lounge is very minimal. All you ever hear during study times are keys being touched, faint music coming from headphones, and the humming of the fans and lights. When it's not study hours you will find girls in there eating together and even playing games. Also, the floor holds meeting in there once a month to discuss important floor decisions and problems and plan floor activities.

Ideas for Paper Three

The next paper I have to write is about a place that is important to my subculture. I have to go to this site and observe and maybe even do some interviewing while I am there. Going there a few times will definitely give me more information than just going once. There are a couple sites I think would be good for this paper, the study lounge on the fifth floor, and the 6th floor study lounge. The fifth floor study lounge is where all the girls from this floor go to study and sometimes play games. There are lots of couches and chairs that line the walls of this room. The six floor study lounge is much bigger than the fifth floor study lounge. It covers the entire sixth floor on one wing. The girls go there to have meetings, study together, and play games if no one else is up there.

First Interview with Kesha

My interview with my roommate, Kesha.

Question: What do you like most about living on the fifth floor of Knotts?
Kesha: "I like how the girls mostly get along and no one tries to start problems. I also like how the girls that live right next to you become your best friends.That's nice."

Question: What is the worst thing about living on the fifth floor?
Kesha: "The worst thing would probably have to be the fact that the RA at the end of the hall doesn't really like me that much. Oh, and I don't like the quiet hours thing."

Question: What do you like most about Lifetime Movie Nights?
Kesha: "The best thing is probably the food. Everyone brings mass food to share and we always have a blast."

Conclusion-Paper One

I want to study this subculture and this site because it’s where I live and where a lot of my new friends live. I never knew it could be so interesting to just sit at the end of the hallway and watch what all goes on in one little hallway. It really is like a tiny little community stuck inside of a building. Also, studying this subculture will be another way to learn more about the girls I live with and how they interact with each other. Studying something I am apart of just makes sense and I want to tell people how great it is to be a part of a community where everyone has something to share or teach you.

Conclusion-Paper Two

The artifacts I have discussed serve an important purpose within the subculture. They may be small things to most people, but the fifth floor girls really appreciate them and have fun with them. Without the television in room 526 no one would have Lifetime Movie Nights, or just the random walk-in TV show marathon sessions. If the bulletin board was not there, there would not have been an awesome ice-breaker or a helpful place to go for advice. These artifacts connect the fifth floor girls of Knotts/Edwards Hall. These artifacts are more than just objects, they are an important part of the core of our friendship.

Introduction-Paper Two

There are many items in the subculture I am studying that would be considered important artifacts. They all have a special meaning to everyone in the subculture, even though they may seem like ordinary artifacts to people outside of the subculture. An object does not have to be an old piece of history or a shard of pottery to be an artifact. An artifact in a subculture can be something as simple as a television, a bulletin board, or even a movie that you watch on the television. In my subculture of choice there are two different artifacts I will talk about.

Introduction-Paper One

Knotts Hall, fifth floor, that’s where I live. I am part of a subculture that is my community, my floor in Knotts Hall. The girls on this floor are extremely friendly, towards certain people. At first glance everyone seemed nice and I thought we were all going to be friends and no one would form clicks like back in high school; I was wrong. Everything about this subculture changes on a daily basis, from friendships to roommates.