Sustainability on Campus

Paul Roussos
2/10/13

Sustainability on Campus

     The most naturalistic definition of sustainability is the ability to endure through our surrounding environment. Our surrounding environment may provide (in its most undeveloped form) shelter, fresh fruit from plants, or water from the rivers and streams. However sustainability in a more industrialized sense can be seen through the acts conducted in order to make society both environmentally friendly and conscious. One example seen on the Bellevue College campus is the abundance of recycle and compost bins located in almost every room or eating area. Students have no excuse to separate recyclables from compostable as they conduct their daily activities. The most stressed form of this practice can be seen in the cafeteria where large recycle bins scatter the room as students at almost every minute of the day or disposing of paper plates and aluminum cans. Another example of sustainability practices seen throughout the campus can be seen through ways in which students and faculty use forms of transportation. More environmentally conscious students may resort to riding a bicycle or taking a public form of transportation. Students may also resort to hybrid or electric cars as a way to travel to and from campus. These low emission vehicles cause little to no harm to the surrounding environment. To conclude, Bellevue College as well as the students that surround the campus can be seen practicing in multiple sustainability practices. Bellevue College in particular makes it one their number one priorities to be environmentally friendly and sustainable.  

Numerous bins are always readily available

Socio-Economic Class Notes - Paul Roussos

Paul Roussos
2/10/13

Socio Economic Class on Campus

     Social classes are prevalent at all times throughout our daily lives. It is an idea based on the stratification of people into separate groups of social status. The most commonly recognized classes are the upper, middle, and lower classes. Socio Economic Class diversity can be seen throughout many locations on Bellevue Campus. First there is the transportation options to which people of different classes are accustomed to. People of a lower class may be seen riding the bus, bicycle or other form of public transportation in order to arrive on campus. However people of a higher class can be seen driving personally owned vehicles. These students arriving in their own cars can assume to have easier access to economic funds in order to pay for gas and routine maintenance. Students on campus can also be extremely diverse in their socio-economic class. Visual representations of class could be seen through the accessories carried by students on campus. People of higher fortune may carry personal laptops. One can assume someone who owns a laptop also has access to higher levels of income compared to other students on campus. Less fortunate students may be seen conducting their work on public computers available in the library as well as numerous other computer labs spread throughout campus.

This is one of the multiple bus stops that can be seen on Bellevue Campus

The Student shown here working on his laptop can assume to have access to higher levels of income

Ethnographic Notes on Capitalistic Commodities - Paul Roussos

Paul Roussos
2/10/13

Ethnographic Notes On Campus

     Capitalism can be defined as a system solely intended for profitable gain by privately owned business that work with supply and demand. With an increase in demand for a product, production increases in order to compensate for the increased demand. The price of the item will also increase with higher demand. On the other side of things, when demand is low, production is also decreased as well as the price.

       Looking at the Bellevue Campus in particular, there are numerous examples of Capitalist commodities. When looking at the most highly demanded products for a school campus, you would look at the bookstore. The bookstore at Bellevue Campus is one of the biggest capitalistic sites for profit. Students can purchase school supplies ranging from pencils, notepads, rulers, pens, and calculators. Or they could obviously purchase their books for the coming quarter of school. Since the demand for educational books are so high, they reserve the right to increase the prices on the books. I myself have paid over a hundred dollars for a single book alone.
     Not only can capitalistic activity be seen through the bookstore but as well as the cafeteria on the Bellevue Campus. The Bellevue Campus sight makes food readily available at your convenience by having a specialized area where students are able to purchase a warm meal. Food items in the cafeteria range anywhere from sandwiches to hot and ready soup. Prices in the cafeteria remain high being that it saves the people the time and effort it takes to prepare a sack lunch as they try to make it to class on time.