Social Facts: TRUST
ASSIGNMENT #1
In the fall of 2005 over one hundred people gathered on the fourth floor of NYU's TISCH building for the Orientation of ITP. As people looked around the room there seemed to be very little in common between these people. It is also important to point out that almost no one had any idea of what exactly Interactive Telecommunications were. "Is that, like, phone systems?" I heard someone say. After staff introductions the class, as a whole, was asked to stand up, separately, say where they were from and why they were there.
At first connections were made geographically and in many cases language, those from New England noted the yankees, and the same for Korea, South America and beyond. The next cause for connection was similar interests; video, sound, literature, dance. I am not sure if this was true for everyone, but I was vastly impressed by the diversity. As though somehow I had signed up for six figures of debt for reality television. The last part of our own introductions, after we had told where we coming from, was to say where we were going. It was at this point that the network secured between everyone in the room. Not a single person had any idea.
This was the class of 2007 and it had just begun. Over the course of the next semester people began to meet and friendships were made. For the most part however, the first semester consisted of sporadic events, punctuated by dramatic events, such as the Applications presentation. Certainly there were many satellites in this group, but for the most part there was interconnection. This phenomenon continued to develop throughout the year. What was interesting from the outside came word that this class, this group, had a cohesion unlike any other. From within the group this was impossible to see, of course, but for many I think it was internalized and secured the bonds.
In terms of damage to to the network there were few events. On two occasions, for which I am aware, either intellectual property, or entire projects were hijacked by classmates. I think feathers were ruffled and boundaries established, but for the most part the class floated on. There were, of course, the establishment and destablishment of relationships, but with little affect. My own circumstances found me in a group with what is, and has been the only since first semester, class couple. Weeks before our final project in Physical computing was due, and deadlines loomed, I suddenly felt as though I had been voted off the island, or that my opinions or concerns suddenly had no bearing. As it turned out they had started dating, and hadn't told anyone, and perhaps even themselves. We finished the project nevertheless. For myself, this was professional school and therefore everyone would be treated as such, and has remained so. I do not know how this has effected my interactions.
And then came the Spring show and summer, and the class, for the most part disappeared. I was one of about ten hold-outs who spent the summer in Manhattan. It was especially interesting to me, to have this cohesive group suddenly disperse, and for the next three three months I largely had no contact with anyone not in the area. I would hear news of their adventures, or misadventures, and many of us, who were still in town, continued our weekly Thursday night discussions.
In the Fall nearly all of us returned, even the four separate people who had discussed with me, in the spring, not coming back. Three people departed for their careers, either because of undeniable job offers, or because they no longer could rationalize the expense. For the most part the class returned stronger than ever, and what is more amazing is that everything picked up exactly where it had left off, as though no time had passed at all. All of the doubts and concerns we all shared seemed to disappear in our reunion. Through our collective enthusiasm we were reminded of all the reasons why we were at ITP.
What was unique in those first few weeks was that an additional class had been added, and one had graduated, we were now the upperclassmen, and there were fresh new faces. The surprise lasted for most of the semester. I heard often the consensus, that everyone looked so young. Many of us, I think, wondered if we were as naive then. The change further strengthened the bonds within the class, as there were suddenly outsiders. An interesting result to this was exclusion. On many occasions, I heard reference, from the first years, to the impenetrable second year class. At the time I thought it was just too early in the semester, and I wondered if I too felt the same way. However, as that first semester of our second year came to a close, what occurred was polarity. Which has introduced a phenomenon that was hereto unheard of, and that is having competing Thursday night social gatherings, though the two bars were on the same street, and a few doors down, one was for our class, and the other for the first years.
One of the factors that accelerated this change was the devolution of the list-serve. A forum nearly all of us had regarded as our social connection online, evolved. The change led to further separation as many voices that would start, at this point in the year, to speak up, now remain silenced. This trend may fade, and in many cases it has.
It is nearly impossible for me to compare this year with the last because I am too involved and therefore have a biased opinion. However, we are now four weeks into the final semester, or the second depending, and it does seem as though there is integration, there is certainly induction as the source and greatness of ITP is finding out, and helping to, make dreams happen. However there is one detail that illuminates fully the integrity of our class and that is that this week, three of the people who have left ITP, and our class, will be hosting our Thursday night social, perhaps a testament to our mesh, but it will be interesting to see how this is received by the first years.
What I think of suddenly now if I wonder how many interclass projects have been created. I can think of one, which there has to be more, wasn't there last year? Though I realize that this is the semester that changes, but I do believe this will be an apt reflection. I have heard from more than a few that our second year network was too connected, and what I believe has happened is that the now first years have stopped trying. It is very important to point out, however that we are at the crux of the semester where nothing yet has played out, and won't for many weeks yet. The forecast though it looks impending, I have an ungrounded optimism that these issues, events and separate networks, will disappear, it is as though the power intrinsic within ITP is greater than ourselves. Which is interesting in itself.
In this group, being that of the whole ITP, and not the two classes, if I could change one thing, I would have a party. What I believe this party would provide is the social integration that I believe has slowed. Initially I thought it should be elsewhere on campus, but in review I think it could happen on the floor. What I propose is one night a year, ITP allows for an on floor party. Unlike the social on Friday's this would be a collective, BYOB with no time limit. One of the weaknesses of the current social is that the pizza is usually all gone in five minutes, which makes for a short party. I see this event the complete responsibility of the ER staff, and I see the event as a collective integration. In terms of the ER staff it would allow the students to realize that they too are students and share as much collective responsibility as everyone else. I believe additionally that this event would include everyone at least for a time, whereas many of the events off campus involve a group around thirty people. This may not be the solution but it very well could alleviate many of the problems presented for the future. I also realize that at some point in the past this was attempted and bad apples spoiled. To this I would say that for every mistake, a solution can be found.
I don't expect our class to hold on as tightly to this group once we graduate, but I do know that without a doubt it will last forever.