Penn State, much like the Circle, is a center for innovation, education, and social growth. As newbies, both Mae and I came into these environments with excitement and anxiety. We had to quickly pick up on the cultural norms of each institution. However, while my experience at Penn State is more centered around adopting tradition, Mae’s experience at the Circle is more centered on adopting dogma. Nevertheless, there is considerable overlap between these two communities.
Penn State is famous for its school spirit. Despite being a school of about 46,000 undergraduates, there is a pervasive sense of community. The university prides itself on uniting students from around the globe. The international student from Japan and the State College townie both know the Alma Matter by heart. Like many t-shirts denote, We are ALL Penn State. Being a Circler is similar to being a Penn Stater in this regard. Dan, Mae’s boss, remarks that one of the most important slogans of the Circle is “Community First”. The Circle, like Penn State, encourages its members to become heavily involved in the community. In the same way I am planning to join THON, Mae can join a kayak club.
Where they differ is in respect to the value of independence. While both Penn State and the Circle encourage open communication, this communication is voluntary at Penn State. I have my advisers, professors, and peers, but I get to choose whether I want to communicate. At the Circle there is constant supervision in the name of maintaining transparency. This golden standard of transparency entails constant communication with superiors. The Circle guises its surveillance culture under its seemly utopian slogan “Communication.Understanding.Clarity”. In contrast, Penn State is a truly free environment in which students like myself can explore their interests and mature.
I love the way you use different slogans and statistics within your post to explain just how Penn State gets everyone involved. Also, the two links in the second paragraph were well put; they were relevant and helped me understand and see statistics more thoroughly. I certainly agree with mostly everything you’re saying in the blog. One tiny way I differ is how I shed a very negative light on the Circle’s transparency policy. It is only natural for me,as someone who isn’t really involved in social media and online transparency, to find the Circle’s ideology absurd and dangerous.
Your first post provided very interesting and unique commentary on this topic. The idea of the slogan “community first” being an integral part at both Penn State and the Circle is extremely accurate. There is definitely an overlap in ideology on these two campuses. Moreover, I completely agree with your comments on independence. It is true that here at Penn State there are many people to consult with, yet we are not forced into meeting with our various advisors, etc. Mae experiences the complete opposite at the Circle. This is a very interesting distinction to highlight. Overall, great work!