Now Playing: THE ESSAY BEHIND THE SURVEY
The True Story Behind An Ethnographic Analysis of
Student Homogamy to Individualistic Taoism
at Brevard Community College-Palm Bay Campus
The phenomena of Student Homogamy to Individualistic Taoism (S.H.I.T.) at the
B.C.C.-Palm Bay campus is a concept based on rejecting hatred, intolerance, unnecessary
violence, and instead, embracing the ideals of harmony, learning and the notion that as an
individual, you alone are responsible for your undertakings and interactions with others.
Sounds pretty noble at face value. The reality of the situation is that the entire
concept was created as a farce in order to explore student responses to a series of
questions regarding their studies. The concept, complete with a bawdy acronym, was a
secondary by-product of the actual intent of the study.
I spoke to twenty-five students, explaining the concept behind “S.H.I.T.” and
asked them to fill out a survey with questions ranging from stances on the concept of
S.H.I.T., personal information regarding age, sex, reasons for being in school, extent of
previous schooling, skipping class as well as which brain “type” they considered
themselves (KRAMCO).
The results surprised me. An overwhelming majority of those surveyed (84
percent) supported the concept with one student going as far to say: “ Look, it’s really
hard to ignore (S.H.I.T.) when it’s right there under your nose... it’s one of those things
that we all need to work on, although it is easier if your classmates are right there with
you doing it as well” (qtd. in Kramer 2).
A nominal 16 percent of the students stated they were against the concept with
one student giving his heartfelt observation, not realizing how on target he really was, “to
me, this (S.H.I.T.) is really just a pile of crap!” He felt the concept was a “left-wing
value being pushed by liberals” (qtd. in Kramer 2).
Only two people actually questioned the veracity of the entire concept; one, a
student who described themselves as an ageless blonde, bird-brained student who
previously attended the School of Hard Knocks, that was undecided about their sex and
skipped class out of spite even though they were ordered to attend school by the courts,
the other, a sapient professor of English from whom I got the distinct impression that he
was “on” to my “study”. Clearly, both realized that the S.H.I.T. concept was indeed that.
Even with the professor’s vocal challenge after an unexpected public airing of my
“study”, students in his class still came to the defense of S.H.I.T. as a viable, legitimate
concept, attempting to explain their perception of the faux theory. It warmed the cockles
of my heart to watch my fellow students come to the defense of my creation. I felt like
invoking Dr. Frankenstein’s famous movie line, “It’s alive!” The only thing missing was
the lightning.
In preparing for this study I contacted Donna Lake, an analyst with the Data
Resources Department at Brevard Community College in Cocoa, Florida (Kramer 2). I
wanted information on the student breakdown of the B.C.C-Palm Bay campus and I
found out that:
* The average age of all students at the campus is 25.9 years.
* 64 percent of all students are under the age of 24.
* The average age of a first-time student is 19.6 years.
* 10 percent of all first time students are over the age of 24
I also spoke with an academic advisor at the BCC-Palm Bay campus who took the
tact that older students had more “maturity” and were not as “intimidated” when it came
to choosing a course of study yet were “not necessarily” any more committed, than
younger students, to their studies (qtd. in Kramer 1). The analysis of this survey bears her
out.
What I did establish from the study was that a majority of students surveyed, 84
percent, were seeking a degree and over half, 56 percent, had some previous college
experience under their belts. Combined with the fact that 76 percent of the students
surveyed either expressed that they don’t skip class (40 percent), or do so only when
required to go to work (36 percent), a picture emerges that, a majority of the students are
serious about their educational careers (KRAMCO).
Even with the faux concept taken on face value as a legitimate offering, a
whopping 84 percent of those students surveyed agreed with the idea of rejecting hatred,
intolerance and unnecessary violence choosing instead acceptance of harmony and
learning as a pathway in their educational pursuits (KRAMCO).
To me, that speaks volumes and provides a snapshot of student values at the
B.C.C.-Palm Bay campus, faux concept or not. Clearly, the results of the survey cast a
favorable light upon the students who took the time to respond to the inquiry. My only
hope is that this small sampling is indicative of a much larger movement towards a
positive social consciousness. I remain optimistic and upbeat at the potential possibilities
of this mindset. I think it is safe to say that as a country we are past due for a real
S.H.I.T. movement that we can all be proud of.
A website has been setup containing the survey and it’s results and can be
accessed at: www.angelfire.com/apes2/mongomingusfl.
Works Cited
KRAMCO Survey. Home page. 1 May 2005. 2 May 2005
https://www.angelfire.com/apes2/mongomingusfl
Kramer, Neil. “Journal.” Essay 5 (2005) : 1-3