It took awhile, but Rosemarie was able to find a cozy spot on campus where she felt comfortable enough to spend time and do her homework. On the second floor of College Services, overlooking the campus coffee shop, she can hear a nice buzz of activity, but not being in it, it is not distracting. She is productive here, as well. The chairs are wide enough for her to be able to comfortably cross her legs – important for her to feel cozy – and the outlets actually work. In other spaces, the charger falls right out of the socket. Being an art major, she believes the wall needs some art work.

A very convenient spot to do painting homework is at the long tables right outside the painting room, second floor of the Art Wing. It is ideal for painting because it is near the bathroom, so water is easily accessible. Additionally, it is here where the outlets do not work – where the charger falls out – so it is challenging to do homework where a computer is needed.

Often other art students are there – so if you do not know the students, it may be hard to join one of the tables. Rosemarie is more outgoing than most students, so she just asks if she can join the group but realizes it may hinder some students from wanting to work at the tables. There are only long tables – no individual tables – in this area. The tables are too big to work at alone and too small to be anonymous. She sometimes sees individuals working at opposite ends of each other.

Rosemarie never participated in group work outside of class but she did notice traditional aged students co-working at the long tables. Being 10 years older than most of her peers, Rosemarie tended to work by herself. If she co-worked with another student, she was worried that she would take on the role of a mentor or social worker. This happened to her in one of her art classes and she kept reminding the student that put her into that social worker/mentor role that her own opinion was no more valid than the student’s own thoughts about the topic. Rosemarie was using this time at school to leave her prior identity as a social worker and move into her new artist identity.

When Rosemarie’s mother realized she was going to start taking classes at Midwestern Community College, she kept asking her if she had discovered the Japanese Garden yet. Being the winter time, she did not venture out right away. The campus also always seemed so deserted to her thinking that “not much was out there.” She finally got to see the Japanese Garden towards the end of the semester. She also noted how the dining hall was always closed. This added to her overall feeling of the campus being deserted.

Rosemarie feels fully supported in the painting classroom by her painting teacher, Roz. She believes that Roz has a strong interest in helping her learn and making sure she understands. A longtime painting teacher, Rosemarie appreciates how Roz individualizes her teaching. In fact, she connected with her painting teacher so much that she visited her art studio during an annual Open Studio event. Rosemarie brought her family members with her and loved how Roz really took the time to talk about her work and her process.

One of her issues about the painting room, however, is that it feels very crowded – too many students for the size of the space. The room only has one sink and there is always a long line during clean-up. She believes the room could use another sink.

To Rosemarie, the campus feels desolate. Feeling a sense of community is very important to her, yet it has been hard to find.  Describing the faculty offices as “tiny little cement boxes with no windows,” those were not conducive to community, either. There is not a single person in any of her photos – the whole campus feels empty and deserted. Her image of the closed dining hall communicates a place you do not want to be at all. When class is over, she most often sees students go straight to their cars. On days when she does not have another class, she joins them in the parking lot. Thinking about the rest of the campus, “If nobody’s there, why would you go there?”

Even though she knew it was closed, when Rosemarie tried to find the dining hall, she found it confusing. In fact, the campus layout is confusing. 

Rosemarie believes that it is important that the art students have their own building or wing. All of the classes and activities of the art department are in this wing, and there, she does not feel on edge at all. She likes to go to the art gallery and goes whenever she can. Where she felt a sense of isolation in most other parts of campus, the art gallery brought a sense of belonging.  She connects that sense of belonging to the professors. Her relationship with the professors connects her to the physical space.