“Imagine If Email Could Power a Rocketship”

Imagine if email could power a rocketship,

Every meeting request fuel to take you into the sky,

That angry email from the other department giving you an extra boost.

Imagine if email could power a rocketship,

What wondrous adventures you would have sitting at your desk,

Traveling to the moon, a most magical place.

It’s not made of cheese, but rather of 2 hour lunch breaks,

And the man in the moon, why, he just poured you a beer!

Imagine if email could power a rocketship.

Imagine if email was a puppy,

With text, signature lines, and attachments so fluffy,

Why, you feel so loved, because email loves you.

Someone sent you a red exclamation point email,

Which urgently wants to lick your face and wag its tail!

Imagine if email was a puppy,

With organizational folders like ‘fetch,’ ‘roll over,’ and ‘good boyyyyyy,’

And you never delete an email, you just pet it all day long.

Imagine if email was a puppy.

Imagine if email was your favorite YouTube video,

Where buffering never existed,

And each new email notification was a promise of laughter.

Imagine that email about a budget or a discipline case

Was actually a Sassy Gay Friend video, because budgets are a stupid bitch.

Imagine if email was really just your favorite YouTube video,

And that invitation to a lunch and learn you want to delete,

Turned out to be videos about Earl Grey Tea and cute dogs eating people food.

You always moan when you get the email from your boss asking you to work Saturday,

But wait, that email is actually just a super cut of Tina’s moans,

Moans that are much better than yours, like Bob’s Burgers is better than Saturday work.

Imagine if email was actually just your favorite YouTube video.

A YouTube video of Captain Puppy piloting his rocketship through space.

Hey, look.  You got eight emails while reading my poem.

You should probably answer those.

Having presented at ACUI on urban campus communities with Pascha “Way too cool” McTyson, urban campuses have been on my mind for many months.  Having put the final touches on and being halfway through with ACUI Region VIII’s T-Around this summer, the topic has been on my mind even more so.

Day one, 7/8, we hit MIT, Emerson, and UMass Boston as part of our Red Line Day experience.  Day two, 7/16, will feature green line schools, like Wentworth Institute of Technology, the Tree House at MassArt, Emmanuel, Simmons (all members of the very intriguing Colleges of the Fenway consortium), and ends at Berklee College of Music.

In between all of my #NoBoston2024 rampaging on twitter, I’ve been trying to pay attention to the conversation around Boston about our urban environment. Particularly, after this last winter exposed a lot of discrepancies in basic transit needs for our communities, and now, with summer in full swing, how outdoor spaces are being utilized as we live in this big city of neighborhoods of ours.

“If the Red Line stops, we all freeze and die.” -Direct quote from Good Will Snowpiercer

I’ve had links and thoughts found later in this post in my draft folder for months now… but it was this tweet from @transitmatters that got me back on my game.  We are currently hosting the filming of the Ghostbusters reboot in town, and apparently, this is a thing…

Not holding it against Kristen Wiig and Paul Feig, but I’m definitely holding this against Boston and Massachusetts officials who day after day, leg session after leg session, pass the buck on making the T and our infrastructure top notch.

I need someone to blame when the Red Line or just shit in general breaks in this city.

So, the original tweet that got me going:

Read that sentence (+some more) again from this article:

…a dead street, laneway or plaza is the perfect petri dish for civic experimentation. It’s an opportunity to challenge citizens and businesses to come up with ideas for bringing that space to life…

Let’s just look at some of the pieces of this that are complete student affairs/higher ed buzzwords-

• ‘petri dish’= all my STEM student affairs peeps just perked up
• ‘civic’= isn’t that, like, the thing… where the students vote or something? or die? we want our students to be well-rounded global citizens… but you can never forget the local.
• ‘experimentation’= just replace this word with innovation… yeahhhh, there’s that tingly feeling you love.
• ‘challenge’=why isn’t the word support in this sentence as well… should I like… go up there and just edit it in? I don’t know what to do.
• “bringing that space to life”= campus center bruhs, how many meetings have you been in where you heard that exact, freaking, phrase? Exact. Phrase.

Buzzwords aside, that quote above from the article about urban placemaking in Adelaide has so much potential for those of us on urban campuses.  We all have those silent plazas, alleys, pathways, streets, forgotten on our campus, forgotten in the hustle and bustle around us and as the city continues to grow or shrink outside our campus boundaries.

If you need to get a sense of what placemaking is, this is a great article on it – although like most urban design concepts, everyone has their own ideas.  They nod to Jane Jacobs though, so I have to give them the thumbs up.  A basic idea of placemaking is this:

• Placemaking refers to a collaborative process by which we can shape our public realm in order to maximize shared value.
• …the thinking behind Placemaking gained traction in the 1960s, when PPS mentors like Jane Jacobs and William H. Whyte introduced groundbreaking ideas about designing cities for people, not just cars and shopping centers. Their work focuses on the social and cultural importance of lively neighborhoods and inviting public spaces.

So, you can see, this ideal fits right in with the higher ed/student affairs/campus center/student union ethos, creating spaces on campus that reflect the values and culture of the people using it and travelling through it, and that makes those spaces inviting, inspiring, and important.

Who are our partners in this?

Local orgs, we gots lots of them in the city.  Museums, cultural organizations, playhouses, adult education centers.

Facilities and campus safety.  Do you really think facilities wants to stare at that boring brown wall in that alley anymore than the students who pass through it do?  Campus safety would be thrilled if spaces had more activity or ‘more eyes’ as Jane Jacobs put it.  Uninviting spaces and thoroughfares means less usage means more risk of a dangerous situation getting out of control because no one else is around.

Local governments. They may have money. They may have ideas. They may have a larger plan you can tap into. They may have more resources.  They want to deal with you on something other than the noise violation your concert created last week on campus.

Students. Faculty. Other staff. Duh.

As the Project for Public Spaces suggests, placemaking needs a lot of different perspectives involved to be successful, because you are looking at a place at large, not at specific pain points that can be addressed by one profession.

Placemaking with pinecones is a terrible idea, little Sonic Hedgehog guy.

You’ve got to be willing to make small steps too.  That is the one struggle I’ve always found on a campus, is that students want wholesale change now, if they still have that 4 year view rather than a legacy view.  We’ve got to help in navigating that, channeling that, and ensuring that little by little, bit by bit, these underused pathways or plazas on our campuses, where space is so critical, are transformed, making life and the physical experience better for each person that passes by.

What form does this take? I don’t know… performance spaces, artsy fartsy walls/alleys/pathways, democracy plazas, road usage on campus that prioritizes the pedestrian and the bike rather than the car (this is a huge problem at MIT).  Its up to you. I hope you share some of your ideas with me from your own cities or campuses.  I don’t know, put up some guerrilla signage:

Cars are boring, loud, and car-y. Patio seating and humans are better. Can you put more humans in places where cars are? If so, do it.

Put up some signage on campus; point students off campus into the city or make sure they walk rather than drive.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to go think about what we can do on our campus.

I hope I can continue to blog some more on topics of the the campus and the city, including posts with thoughts from books on transit like Straphanger, some thoughts from the ACUI Region VIII T-Around, etc.  There are some issues bugging me on MIT’s campus regarding pedestrian experiences, and while I have no idea what I’m talking about from an urban design standpoint, I hope I make some sort of sense.

Can we talk about how MOOCZilla is our friend, not our enemy when it comes to the future of higher education? While this awkward lizard may not be the most accessible or equitable lizard out there, he’s a lot better than Debt Kong or Inflated Grade-ra (please don’t actually try to hold me to my metaphors).

But, in the midst of edX growing, Arizona St going digital first year and Starbucks caffeinated, do we really yet know what it means for the physical meat space campus? I brought this up at last years ACUI annual conference (insert shameful self-plug here), and I think it merits much more discussion within our associations and very much in ACUI.

Here’s why.

I’m on a group email that fields most of the event questions for campus users and outside organizations, and this exchange, answered by my space colleagues who handle much of the main event space reservations, showcases what we are looking at down the line.

email from an interested party for a wedding in our chapel, which is ONLY avail to direct members of the MIT community. this person is not.

email from my very awesome colleagues.

Now, the chapel is a special case, and is available to only the MIT community for use, but expand this idea a bit, and we really really need to be looking at: how do we get ahead of the curve and offer the opportunities for interpersonal connection and learning that our physical spaces provide to our online users?

How does our on-campus work and the college union ideal/out-of-classroom experience translate online to ~10k+ learners that complete per course?

Mr. Morpheus, again, as I’ve told you before, you can’t just come in from your MOOC and have an event in the Ballroom… you have to reserve the space. (also, DAMAGE BILLING IN THIS WHOLE SCENE).

The MOOC language, once they were roundly mocked and ridiculed for their epic drop out rates, shifted, calling participants ‘learners’ rather than ‘students,’ underlining the fact that overwhelmingly, MOOCers (MOOCies?) were coming to MOOCs for specific bits of knowledge, rather than say, the entire 8 week course.  And that’s fine.

I am a MOOC statistic.  I cannot get it done in a MOOC.  I need to be sitting in the classroom, having a history prof drone on at me. That’s how I learn. That’s what I love. But am I anti-MOOC. Naw. Nope. Think they’re great… if we can figure them out and do them better.

So then, how are we going to shift, as space managers and event advisers?  Yes, I know our staffs are working 50 or 60 hour weeks.  Yes, I know we don’t even have enough space as it is.  Yes, I know we got bumped down the capital planning list again so students can get their Dunkies right by their lab.  But, if we don’t talk about this now, we are going to be left behind, and the next iteration of the college union idea will be gone before we can even grasp it.  We will be left in the dust by the rest of the academic world (which is really hard to do), and once again, faculty members will call you names in the coffee line in the morning (I have absolutely no proof that that actually happens, please don’t hurt me Professor.)

I have… no comment.

Should MOOCers be able to reserve space and have events… ehhh, probably not, maybe, all signs point to no. But you better believe we should be partnering with our MOOC friends to offer on-campus experiences that may supplement in some way the learning going on for some of the most engaged learners out there.

Got a wood shop, Hobby Shop, or maker space – partner with a product design MOOC and offer the chance for some meat space learning just as we would offer it to a product design class happening in the academic building on our campus.

Got a huge alumni base? Create the Uber of out-of-classroom experiences, and offer mentorship opportunities, meetups, or coffee chats led by them, meeting MOOCers where they are at in Moscow, Beijing, or Denver.

Have an event happening on campus that relates to the poli sci MOOC being offered through the edX network?  Offer some seats to local MOOCers in your area, to get them engaged with the content beyond their screen even further and engaged with your physical campus.  Who knows, maybe they’ll attend one day?

Yes. There are risks. Yes. The inherent inequalities of MOOCs still persist.  Yes. This ish will probably blow your budget out of the water… kasploosh.

You sunk my budgetship, Rihanna!

But, can we please, for the love of Internet Explorer, talk about this?  MOOCZilla lies relatively dormant for now.  We need to have a plan for when it wakes back up.  We’ve gotten through the hissy-fit phase of “MOOCs will change the world, but they suck, but everyone learns, but they don’t actually, but lets send internet balloons to communities that don’t even have safe drinking water…” and so on.

MOOCs are being challenged to be better (see edX getting slammed for harassment, security, and disability access), and so are we (see fraternity and sorority life discussions, admin bloat, what place do trigger warnings have in an experience where exploring difficult topics is relatively the safest it could be). We can learn together, we can grow together, we can offer the union community building experience to our digital learners while enhancing the out-of-classroom experience right here on our own meat space campuses.

Or we can just hang out and wait for the admin bloat scapegoat phase to come back in style. No srsly, I freaking loved that 6 month period.  Totallllllly awesome.

Administrative Bloat: now in violet!

One of the great things about living in the Northeast and in Boston is that there are a good amount of transit options available- so that you can go carless when traveling and you can also avoid the hassle and security theater of air travel as well. Taking an Accela or the Northeast Regional from NYC to Boston is fairly easy, pretty quick, and definitely cheap. So, when I saw that ACUI would be in Philly, I knew I would take Amtrak rather than having to deal with checked bags and security lines at the airport.

Taking Amtrak, I have also wanted to do some ‘travel’ writing. Since moving to Boston, I’ve come to follow on social media and meet in person a bunch of great transit advocates and travel writers. And I wanted to jump in at some point. In true ACUI fashion, I knew whatever I came up with needed a union flair to it. I’ve done a number of presentations on the relationship of student union or student affairs work with various topics: soccer, international affairs, Star Trek, and in my and Jason Meier’s heads- It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. So, in honor of today’s ride on Amtrak 173, here’s my thoughts on the relationships and connections being a trip on the northeast rails and the student union. 
So, leaving from Boston, my start is always at South Station, with its connection to the Red Line. Outside, South Station is beautiful, ornate, and historic. Lit up at night and constantly bustling during the day , standing up amongst the modernity of the Financial District, South Station is an amazing piece of the fabric of Boston and it’s history. Inside, often tells a different story. I get that because it is a massive transit hub, it needs a variety of food spots, cafes, and newstands. And I don’t have an issue with most of them. There are quite a few empty ghosts in the station, and a particularly ugly, decrepit former Cheeseboy station that has been abandoned for a good couple months. The main issue is the advertising spaces and planning. Huge banners blocking windows, making what should be a large grand hall seem smaller, and when Sprint had the ad buy, casting the entire station in its yellow shade. The walls are covered, the stairs are covered, the historic nature of the building and the beauty of it as a building is covered. 

South Station- the channel transition these ads are touting happened months ago, so this amount of obscuring windows and the height of the hall seems -extra- now.

Waiting for a train at South Station is a daunting experience (even worse at Penn Station in New York). You immediately notice everyone there staring up at the big electronic board of departures because departure tracks are not posted until 10-15 minutes ahead of the departure time. When the track number is posted, it’s often a brisk suitcase roll through the line for Starbucks, out the doors and to your track for that prime seat on your favorite car (full disclosure- I was first in line to board my train today- I am that guy). It’s not relaxing, for me it’s nerve wracking even though i know I won’t miss it, I still feel the need to see the track number as quickly as possible. I’m the guy at the airport who constantly rechecks my ticket for a gate number, checks the app on my phone for a gate number, and and checks every screen in the terminals just to make sure of my gate number. 

Our unions are often transitory spaces- whether for students grabbing a snack between classes or for commuter students who have another class later and are just waiting it out. I think overall we think about the needs of our commuter students- whether it’s comfortable lounge space, bathrooms equipped with showers, or a wholly dedicated office to commuter affairs. Some places do it better, and some places need more resources to catch up, but the key is can a variety of community members feel comfortable in your spaces? Comfortable couches- places to charge electronic devices while still getting to use them- places to meet informally and formally with friends, faculty, or work groups- places to nap? Our unions have to be multi-faceted and serve roles as meeting rooms to kitchens to reflective spaces. If students are feeling the uneasiness that I feel in South Station, is there something that could be done better to make spaces feel more like that ‘living room’- where our community members can open up and be themselves?  

So then, let’s talk the train itself I guess. If you’ve ever met me, you probably would guess that my favorite car is of course the quiet car. But, each train, whether Acela or Northeast Regional, has a variety of classes, but each has a quiet car and a cafe car. Just like our unions, which can be transitory, also have to serve a role for those who spend long hours in our buildings. A successful union has a variety of spaces and feelings within it. Quiet student lounges and more open, louder areas made for studying or meeting with friend groups, pubs or food courts. Each of these cars are necessary for the long trip across the northeast, and each of these spaces are key for a union that effectively serves its community. 

My quiet car aesthetic is super shade glances to those who are breaking the sacred quiet rules of the quiet car. But kudos to Amtrak staff who are often moving through the train, answering questions and helping keep the quiet car quiet. Enforcing standards of behavior in a community, public space. Just as we would expect our staff (and our community members) to be vigilant in upholding the values of our spaces, whether it’s bussing your own table or being able to ask someone to watch over a laptop for a quick bathroom break while studying in the union cafe. All these spaces are key, and some community members will only use and appreciate maybe one space, but to have them all there is to best support your customer and your campus community members. 

We just rolled through New Haven, CT, and we’ve gone through a variety of landscapes- from busy harbors, to wetlands, to cities and suburbs. I feel like this trip is completely different each time I take it, but for me, a constant is always the quiet car and it’s passive aggressive loveliness. Your unions will be different each time you come in and utilize the space, but, for each community member, our role in ACUI is ensuring that each person who comes to our buildings is able to find that sense of comfortable familiarity. 
I’ve got about 70 more pages in this Haruki Murakami book, so I’m going to get back on that. See you in a few hours #ACUI17.