Campus Ecologist

Volume 14, Number 3, 1996

Copyright 1996. Carolyn S. Banning and James H. Banning

James H. Banning

The focus of ethnographic inquiry is on answering the question: "What is the culture of this group of people."(Patton, 1990). Traditionally, the method of choice was for the ethnographer to "live in" the culture as a participant observer and collect information about the culture through interviews, observations, and documents. Banning (I 99 1)points out the usefulness of ethnographic approach in the attempt to understand the culture of the campus and the notion of a campus cultural audit has been well documented(Kuh and Whitt, 1988; Whitt, 1993; Whitt and Kuh, 199 1).Whitt (1993) defined a culture audit as providing "both insiders and outsiders with a means to systematically discover and identify the artifacts, values, and assumptions that comprise an organization's culture" (p. 83). Kuh and Whitt (1988) note that cultural assumptions and beliefs, ".. are just below the surface . . . manifested in observable forms or artifacts." (p. 16). Geertz (1973) suggests a similar notion that artifacts store cultural meaning. Banning and Bartels (in press) illustrate how photographs of cultural artifacts (artwork, posters, sculpture, physical structures and graffiti) can help evaluate the multicultural "attitude" of a campus. The purpose of this article is to illustrate the potential of using "bumper stickers" as a campus cultural artifact to assist in the understanding of the campus culture or ecology.

Carol Gardner(1995) in her book Bumper Sticker Wisdom: America's Pulpit above the Tailpipe shares many important observations about bumper stickers. She notes that bumper stickers lead to a portrait of america "...a nation of people in automobiles-that ultimate national icon-on the move with stickers expressing a view, sharing a frustration, or offering some perceived insight, solution, or wisdom." (p. 6). She goes on to note:

"The bumper sticker may be an expression of personal philosophy, political anger and outrage, religious conviction, parental pride, sexual preference, or social comment. It may represent a simple statement of personal humor, ethnic identity, or class resentment. It may offer views of the opposite sex and marriage or of American culture and social institutions." (p.6.)

Gardner (1995) also points out that "bumper stickers do not emerge in a vacuum but with the era and political culture of which they are a part." (p. 6). Can the aggregate of campus bumper stickers be another way to view the campus culture or ecology? The following are photographs of some of the bumper stickers found on a college campus in the Rocky Mountain West. The major themes of the culture suggested by the bumper stickers are: (1)environmental issues and conflicts, (2) religious issues and conflicts, (3) sexual orientation issues, (4) political issues,(5)abortion issues,(6)violence issues, and(7)individualistic expressions.

Environmental Issues and Conflicts

Religious Issues and Conflicts

Sexual Orientation Issues

Political Issues

Abortion Issues

Violence Issues

Individualistic Expression

The foregoing photographs were gathered to illustrate the potential of using campus bumper stickers as a way to understand campus culture. Several different approaches can be taken. The one illustrated in this article leads to a general view of the campus culture and is built on the notion of taking photographs of all the bumper stickers on campus - an aggregate view. A number of comparative approaches could also be implemented. For example, a comparison could be made between student bumper stickers and faculty bumper stickers. Perhaps generational differences might appear. Another possibility would be to compare stickers among student groups. How do the commuter parking lot bumper stickers compare to the ones in residence halls parking lots? Do stickers reflect academic majors? How do the stickers in the community parking lots(shopping malls, etc.) compare to the ones on campus? Many possibilities exist. Bumper sticker ethnography may not present the most refined picture of the campus ecology, but it is another way to view the campus culture-a fun way at that!

References:

Banning, J.H. (1991). Ethnography: A promising method of inquiry for the  study of campus ecology. 7he Camp-us Ecologist, 9(3), 1-3.

Banning, J.H. & Bartels, S. (in press). A taxonomy: Campus physical artifacts   as communicators of campus multiculturalism. NASPA Journal. Washington. D. C. National Association for Student Personnel Administrators.

Gardner, C.W. (I 995).Bumper sticker wisdom: America's pulpit above the tailpipe. Hillsboro, OR: Beyond Words Publishing Co.

Geertz, C.(l 973). Basic Books. 7he interpretation of culture. New York: Basic Books.

Kuh, G.D. & Whitt, E.J. (1988). The invisible tapestry: Cultures in American colleges and universities. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Report, No. 1.Washington,. C. Association for the Study of Higher Education.

Patton, M. (I 990). Qualitative evaluation and research methods. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publishing.

Whitt,E.J.(1993).Making the familiar strange: Discovering culture. In G.D. Kuh (Ed.). Cultural perspectives in student affairs work. Washington, D.C. American College Personnel Association

Whitt, E.J. & Kuh, G.D. (I 99 1) The use of qualitative methods in a team approach to multiple institution studies. The Review of higher Education, 14,317-337.