Each week, Amy examines a small group of students in order to understand the individual Dartmouth experience as part of a whole. This week, Amy takes a look at the social structures of the library.
So it looks like somebody's actually reading my column! I know I must be doing something right when the GGMM makes snarky comments about me. And though I haven't gotten into a rap duel with Scott Henning yet, I dream big.
This week though, given that it's almost finals times, I've got other things to worry about. I have mountains of work piled up: hundreds upon hundreds of pages of reading to do, thousands of words to write and a couple of exams to boot.
You see, during the term, I generally hide out in my apartment to do work. I go to class, go to the gym, grab lunch, come home, relax for a bit and then I start thinking about what's due for the next day. I think about working at my desk until I realize it's far too cluttered with hair products to be a productive workspace. So then I do the only logical thing left: unplug my computer and hop up into bed.
I know doctors say that you're only supposed to use your bed for sleep and sex, otherwise your brain gets confused and you find it harder to do the things you're supposed to do there (i.e. sleeping and getting down).
But when you live in a room that's about 12 feet by 10 feet, there aren't many choices. And since I'm not getting any, and have problems sleeping already, there doesn't seem much harm done.
Sometimes when I'm super-adventuresome, I move into the common room. And then, at finals time, I actually do the unthinkable: I go to the library.
I spend the first couple days on the infamous First Floor Berry. I come equipped with headphones, piles of notes, study guides and an appetite for people-watching.
When the situation gets dire, I retreat to the bowels of third or fourth floor, but those gleaming, fleeting moments of facetime on FFB almost make finals period enjoyable.
But what if I actually spent most of my study time on the biggest place to see and be seen on campus? I talked to Erik Newman '09, who is such a regular on FFB, he should have his own spin-off show.
Strangely enough, though, when I contacted him for this interview, Erik was actually on third floor Berry. (Apparently, he moves to the higher floors when he has more serious work to do. Looks like we have something in common after all.)
We shuffled our way down to Novack and sat down in two upholstered chairs for a heart-to-heart.
Erik said he spends about one to three hours on FFB daily. His reasons behind studying there are pretty straightforward.
"I study on first floor Berry because I'm not cool enough to hang out with 'facetime-y' people, but at least I can study next to them," he said.
I asked him to explain the demographic.
"Athletes and uh, girls?" he said.
Then I asked Erik about the type of work he gets done in such a stimulating environment.
"A lot of blitzing," he explained. "Working on my social status, that sort of thing."
We got sidetracked. People walked by, Erik told a science joke. (Platinum and Silver are sitting at a bar. Gold walks in. Platinum says "A-U!" We both laugh.)
Erik then picked on my journalistic style.
"This is a farce," he said. "A mockery of the journalistic process!"
He then compared me to Walter Cronkite. I'd like to think I have better fashion sense.
To prove him wrong, I continue to ask the hard questions. So when does the shift from daytime productivity to evening facetime occur on FFB?
"Probably when practice gets out," he said glibly. He hesitated. "I'm going to get the shit kicked out of me."
I encourage Erik to think positively and ask him about FFB at finals time: my domain. He said he tends to avoid FFB during that time. I pointed out that I normally see him then.
"I move to the periodicals, which has its own facetime during finals," he said, adding that he gets the advantage of walking through the first floor whenever he chooses. And just to note, the periodicals room is the room behind the News Room, for us library newbies.
"I'm always very excited for finals time, because, you know, I'm usually the one holding down the fort [in the library]," he said. "I'm like a brother at a not-so-sweet frat, and once a term we have a week-long party. And I'm the brother who gets to go behind the bar to give beers to '12 girls."
That's fine with me, Erik. Just as long as I can get on table this finals period.
