Bumper Stickers and Summary

   One glance at someones car bumper can give you a introduction of that person in its own way. Walking through the dorm parking lot can give a person an idea of the kids that live there. While I was walking through the parking lot of Summit I noticed a ton of cars with political bumper stickers, which was very interesting to me. I say this because I wouldn't expect this age group to rep political stickers like that, but I guess they do, and with the election coming up I wouldn't expect any less. Another bumper sticker that was very common in the parking lot was Colorado State stickers. This I found pretty normal due to the fact that this is our new home and kids want to represent their school and show school spirit, which is not very surprising. This is expected anywhere with a school, no matter if it is a middle school, high school or college, people will always show school spirit.
   The second parking lot I walked through was Wal-Mart. This was a lot more diverse compared to the dorm parking lot, here you could find bumper stickers of all sorts. One of the first stickers I noticed was one of those ones that have the stick figures that represent members of the family and a little stick figure dog. I feel like this is the most common sticker I see no matter where I am at, I see it everywhere! Also while I was at Wal-Mart I noticed a few religious based stickers. The one I recognized right away was a sticker that read Coexist. This is a bumper sticker I have also noticed very frequently, seeing it on all kinds of cars, no matter where I might be. Then of course you get the CSU stickers on the back of almost every car, which is understandable being in Fort Collins, GO RAMS!

Summary

   In this letter a man by the name of Nathan Brown,  a Assistant Professor at UC Davis, shows his feelings about police brutality that has taken place on multiple UC campuses. He is writing this letter to the Chancellor, Linda P.B. Katehi, and he clearly is not happy. In the beginning of the letter Brown states that the police brutality that has occurred during the peaceful protests on UC campuses leaves no one to blame except for Chancellor Katehi. Brown also demands that the Chancellor resigns immediately for her actions and should take full responsibility for the students and facility that were injured. Brown is very clear in his paper that he puts the full blame of the police brutality on Katehi by stating "You" over and over again referring to the Chancellor and tells her she is "unfit to do her job". Brown is very strong with his thoughts and presents them very well in this letter and is very convincing to make this Chancellor sound fully responsible for the violence taking place. Brown ends his letter with his reasoning behind why he thinks Katehi should resign and presents it with authority and demands her to resign.

Sarah Foss: Bumper Stickers & Summary

Bumper Stickers:

     Bumper stickers are important in our society today, because they allow people to freely express who they without having to necessarily "push" their onto others. In America, bumper stickers can represent our country's diversity, morals and ideals. I saw many of these diverse bumper stickers in Fort Collins and Loveland. The content of these ranged from comedic, religious, and political. I found it interesting that there were so many stickers that directly contrasted others.
     While driving around CSU's campus and Downtown Fort Collins, most of the bumper stickers I saw were either political or religious. It occurred to me that the reason these bumper stickers had messages of this nature is because Fort Collins has such a high population of young people who are eager to share their opinions and interests with others. Most of the religious bumper stickers I saw had the "Coexist" logo. It is such an amazing feeling that people can freely express their opinions and beliefs in public, even though people will always have opposing views. I saw many bumper stickers representing the 2016 presidential candidates. Though not everyone agrees on who should be president, most are willing to except the fact that different people have conflicting views. These opposing views are part of what makes the United States so diverse.
   Moreover, Loveland has a much smaller population than Fort Collins does, so naturally, there was not as much of a diverse pool of bumper stickers to observe; however, I did see a large amount of "honor student" stickers on the back of cars. This told me that I was in an area near a middle/high school, but it also told me that there were many families building their lives in Loveland. It's quite incredible that so many conclusions can be drawn just from a visual representation like a bumper sticker.

Summary: Open Letter to Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi

Nathan Brown, a UC Davis faculty member, wrote this open letter to Chancellor Katehi for three reasons. Brown does this to express outrage due to police brutality, hold Chancellor Katehi accountable for this brutality, and to demand her resignation as chancellor. Throughout the letter, Brown communicates that Katehi's poor decisions and injustice ultimately caused her to be responsible for the brutality. He expresses that the violence that took place after the protesting was unjustified. He frequently goes back to his opinion that Katehi is responsible for all of this and should therefore resign. He claims that Chancellor Katehi's "actions express no concern whatsoever for the safety of our students" (127). After explaining this, he calls for her resignation because she is "unfit to do her job" (127).

Bumper Stickers & Summary

Bumper Stickers

Bumper stickers can be a great indicator of showing the certain qualities a community has. After wandering around a few areas in Fort Collins I observed many bumper stickers placed on cars. The most popular trend I took note of was how many cars had Colorado State University stickers. I also was able to group together many humorous and sarcastic stickers, as well as religious-focused stickers. There was a common pattern I picked up on where every time I saw family-focused and political stickers the license plates were generally out of state.

I looked at cars parked around Old Town where I noticed a lot of the classic stick figure family stickers, typically on SUVs with out-of-state license plates. This would make sense because Old Town is a great tourist area for family activities, whether you’re shopping, getting food, or letting the kids play in the water fountains. I assume these stickers were seen on SUVs because they are most idealistic for family transportation. Also in this same area I saw a few political stickers supporting or joking at US’s current political state.

The second area I looked in was a parking lot on the University’s campus. This student dominated parking lot was filled with school affiliated stickers. Along with all the stickers displaying love for CSU were stickers centralizing beliefs and morals. There were many Coexist stickers. I believe these common themed stickers really identify the type of students CSU has. Students who are accepting of everybody and carry a strong passion for their school.  

Open Letter to Chancellor Linda P.B Katehi Summary

Nathan Brown is an assistant professor in the English Department at the University of California Davis campus. He was clearly showing his anger throughout the open letter written to the Chancellor, Linda P.B. Katehi. Brown begins his letter by stating that the chancellor’s foul decisions has caused injustice on campus. He explains how the students took part in a peaceful protest regarding tuition increase and police brutality from a prior incident. Under the Chancellor’s control,the students were violently removed by police officers resulting in injuries and hospitalization.The protesters did not warrant for this type of behavior. Brown expresses his outrage and puts the blame on Chancellor Katehi. He further explained why Chancellor Katehi should resign her position. He describes how she is “unfit to ensure the safety of students at UC Davis.” as well as her being a “threat” to the student’s safety.

The Doors of Physics Professors

Overall, the content on the doors of the physics staff was nothing surprising. As with most teachers, their doors include pictures or articles related to their field along with related humor. Still, extrapolated trends present more information about the physics department staff from their doors. One such trend is that most of the staff is interested and involved in particle physics. This can be seen from posters of well-known particle physics laboratories, laser table labs, and articles about staff involvement in neutrino research at the subterranean particle detector in Japan (involved in Nobel prize winning projects). Another commonality is their sense of humor. Most of the posted comic strips are about “lay” persons poor understanding of physics and math. These are clear from the included pictures. Yes, I took pictures. 

However, there is content that stands out from the rest of the department. One staff member posted data plots from experiments (clearly an experimentalist and not a theorist). Someone else posted nature pictures, and a little bit of political humor. These unique expressions say more about the individual because of what they put on their door. In short the doors are pretty accurate representations of staff interests. In the physics wing you can find a wall with all staff photos including their name and specialty. Comparing the two shows that many are involved in particle physics research, and theoretical. Comparing this to the doors one can also tell who is an experimentalist and who is a theorist. A theorist is someone who postulate possible hypothesis or phenomenon, and the experimentalists are the ones in the lab usually proving or disproving said postulates. 

Switching gears to a “Key-Point” summary of “Open Letter to Chancellor Linda P.B. Katehi.”

The letter by Nathan Brown is written in response to campus events at UC Davis. Directed to Linda Katehi, Mr. Brown writes that she is not fit for UC administrative work due to what transpired. The author starts his letter by stating his position and value at UC Davis, and briefly stating Linda is not. The writer then elaborates why he is writing the letter to her. Because Nathan Brown was “outraged” by the situation, holds Linda accountable for the fallout, and requests her resignation. Mr. Brown then describes the situation that lead up to the letter. Peaceful protesting of tuition hikes and police brutality, organized by the author, was the target of police brutality, and it was ordered by Linda Katehi. Explaining the pain that staff and students involved had endured, Mr. Brown calls Linda out for the unnecessary call to arms. Adding how even some of the staff assaulted are nationally respected writers. The author continues to explain how another peaceful protest was organized in response to these events, and how they were also treated in the same manner by UC administration. Nathan Brown concludes his letter by stating how despite Linda’s professed value in student safety she is a direct threat, and demanded she resign for her actions.

Faculty Doors David Kimmey

What people choose to put on public display can say a lot about the individual.  As I am an engineering major I decided to go to the engineering building to learn more about my professors by examining what they had posted on their doors.  Most professors had very little on their doors.  None of them had comics and if something was posted on their door it was usually regarding office hours.  This could represent that perhaps the engineering faculty is less open about their personal lives.  It is also possible that they are trying to convey a certain level of professionalism to their students.  However it is also likely that it could simply be policy or customary to not place decorations or comics on their office doors.

Since looking at the professors doors may have been somewhat inconclusive I decided to look at the various bulletin boards throughout the halls in the engineering building.  I specifically looked through the mechanical and the electrical engineering hallways.  These boards are open to the public to post to.  While it may be hard to determine who posted what, these boards still reveal information regarding the engineering culture at CSU which is a reflection of the professors in charge.

A vast majority of what was posted had to do with study groups.  It is likely that a lot of these posting were made by students and student organization.  This shows that the engineering culture at CSU understands that the coursework can be challenging and is supportive of other students.  There were a variety of postings, some serious and some a little more comical.  Whether they referenced a funny quote, star wars or simply gave information on a study group they all left an impression that help would be given if it was asked for.

A great deal of other posters had to do with various clubs and projects that occur through the department of engineering.  Both the electrical and mechanical engineering departments had up pictures of different projects (primarily senior design projects).  Various other honors groups or engineering clubs also advertised themselves on the walls throughout the engineering hallways.  This demonstrates how the college of engineering encourages students to get involved in a engineering club or activity.  This probably allows for more hands on learning which ultimately enriches the students learning experience.

On poster that I found was interesting a poster for Beta Night Club in Denver.  I found that this poster was in almost every hall that I went into.  Perhaps the college of engineering is attempting to make engineers more social as well!

These public boards make it hard to determine who is responsible for posting what content.  However I think that these few observations can be used to draw some conclusions about the engineering culture as a whole.  It appears that engineers are ready to help each other academically and enjoy getting involved in extracurricular clubs but they still no how to go out and have a good night every now and them.

Summary pg 123-127

The open letter to the Chancellor of UC Davis is an interesting read that deals with the police brutality that occurred on the UC Davis campus when students were protesting the increase in tuition and various other issues.  The author of this letter Is Nathan Brown who is a professor at UC Davis.  I think that this is important because it shows that even the faculty at UC Davis are upset by this issue.  It is also important to note that Mr. Brown does not hold the police as responsible for the incident as he holds the chancellor.  Mr. Brown even goes far as to say that the chancellor is the "Primary threat to the safety of students at UC Davis" (p127).  While this open letter is very important it is important to note that this is a short letter that does not fully disclose all of the events that occurred that day making it hard to come up with a fair un-biased opinion on the event and the letter.

The many characteristics seen from a parking lot-Jake Romano

While out on my endless search for pokemon, I came across very interesting cars with some interesting messages. I have alway loved bumper stickers I feel its a good way to show who you are and still let you be semi-mysterious with the rest of the world.

From school spirit to politics, there are many way to describe oneself without be actually verbal with them. One car here in summit hall's parking lot let me to believe that this person was a sport fanatic. This person had a lacrosse sticker, avalanche sticker, and of course the typical broncos logo(ew). This person seemed to also have a lot of school spirit. With their big CSU ram on the back gave me a little hoo rah! Not to assume that we went to the same high school but they also had what looked to be the Grandview wolf logo as well. This person no matter who there are I could see myself liking. A lot of their sticker hit me too because I love sports and have a lot of school zeal. They seemed to be a college student in athletic or just focused on them and/ or my neck of the woods back in Aurora.

But while off campus around the fort fun area, I happened to lay eyes on yet another interesting bumper. This bumper was quiet different from  the one here on campus. From first look it looked like the bumper of an adult. They had a political stick saying " I petty the liberal fools", from that i could say this person either supports more of a conservative point of view or they just like messing up Mr.T quotes. After seeing that I was very turned off from the car but I continued to gaze on. Pleasantly To my surprise is saw another political sticker, this one saying " I apologize for my husband he isn't a "JackAss" just more conservative." This made me laugh and a little more interested again. They had a couple sport stickers as well and a cancer loop. This couple may at first might have put me off but by the end of examining their car I think i could at least have a interesting conversation with. 

In conclusion, I feel even a slight span of area peoples beliefs and how the express themselves very. I feel also there is for sure way more aspects than just area that may play a factor in how people put themselves out to the public. Clearly age had a lot to play. Going form a car based on solely sports and school to one more revolved about politics. I feel there is probably many more factors that can contribute. I think people are also unique in there own ways and a bumper or the whole back of their car is a good canvas to spew their feelings and tell their own story.

Cole Watkins

As you walk through a parking lot, you can learn much about the patrons of that lot through the bumper stickers that adorn so many cars today. When I was leaving work at Miramont Fitness, (a rock climbing gym) I noticed some stickers that all had a common theme. A lot of the cars were sporting stickers that all seemed to center on the outdoors and climbing. While this is not necessarily surprising I do believe that this says a lot about the people who are attending the gym. It seems that the typical climber has a focus on conservation of the environment. That isn’t to say though that these were the only bumper stickers I noticed, a lot of stickers also seemed to be sarcastic or making a joke of something. This leads me to believe that the people who would regularly attend a climbing gym might be more light-hearted by nature.

The second parking lot that I toured through was the Ram’s Village Apartment Complex parking area. This student dominated housing area had many bumper stickers that all focused around the theme of CSU and its affiliations. On these student’s cars were also many stickers that focused around exercise and completion of races or events of the matter. I believe that these two common sticker themes really embody what a lot of the students on CSU’s campus have in common; a love for the school we attend as well as being driven to be active and adventurous simply because of the geographical location we are in. Fort Collins has a wide variety of activities for students and it seems that the interest in these various activities can be clearly seen on their cars.

Open Letter Summary:

The main point of this letter written by Nathan Brown, an assistant professor at UC Davis in the Department of English, is to call for the resignation of the University Chancellor Linda Katehi. Nathan Brown begins by explaining the injustice that occurred to the UC Davis students peacefully protesting the police brutality. He goes on to explain that the students were organized in a peaceful rally he helped set up when under the authority of Chancellor Katehi the students were forcibly removed from one another and pepper sprayed to end the event. Nathan Brown expresses his outrage at this and makes it clear that he believes Chancellor Katehi is the one responsible for this organized brutality that occurred to her students on the campus property. He explains that he believes that Katehi is the greatest threat to the safety of the students regardless of the fact that she expresses concern for their safety.  He concludes his letter by pointing out the hypocrisy demonstrated by Linda Katehi and calls for her immediate resignation.