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How Does Class Status Affect QU Culture?

Personally speaking, I think that Class Status affects QU culture in a way that we don't necessarily recognize the majority of the time. As such, there's no clear cut way to determine or communicate it. However, with that being said, I think that it's most noticeable by examining specific groups of people that hang out together or by the types of clothing that people wear. And also by other things that we don't even tend to think about such as: how much you can afford to pay towards a school meal plan or what items and utilities you have available to you and that you can afford to decorate your dorm room with. These may not be the best examples, however, I feel that it gets the point across in regard to the differences in class status that exists not just at Quinnipiac, but at universities in general.

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How does class status affect QU culture? - Gabe Thompson

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How does class status affect QU culture? - Gabe Thompson

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Class status affects QU culture in ways that are not always immediately visible. Within the grad school, you can see it by the resources and technology a person brings to class and has access to. Some are working on new computers, have the latest phones, and can afford meal plans and money for printing. Some students go on vacations and are able to miss classes to do so, while others are working multiple jobs to afford classes for a single semester. You can see the class status in the clothing and accessories people wear or the cars parked in the garage. I have had the experience of seeing the culture of the law school in particular from an outside perspective as my partner attends. The privileges of class status are significant. Some students can afford to attend all events the law school puts on, though many events require money for a ticket, money for food and drinks, money for new dresses and suits, or a combination of all three, if you don’t show face then you are not participating in the norms. This can also be seen with students who can participate in extracurricular activities like Journal, Dispute Resolution, or Mock Trial. Which affects your networking opportunities and how your peers and professors perceive the effort you are willing to put in. I think that the conveyance of class status in this way can be felt or seen throughout grad school, however, I have seen it particularly present within the law program. I also think there is a hierarchy of graduate programs that the university may unintentionally uphold. The medical school seems to be regarded as the highest, law next, education, then others. I say this because of the available facilities and resources, the frequency at which we are discussed or praised in announcements/QU news, and even the signage outside of the graduate school which has big signs for the Med and Law programs along with frequent signage displayed within the school as well. Not only that but I have not heard of an education or business library where our programs can have a dedicated space to study whereas the med school and law school have their own separate spaces. Yes, we are all able to use those spaces but there is an inherent privilege in having a space dedicated to your content area that for others may portray or elicit a feeling of being "outsiders". It is also telling in how the cafeteria operates, where the med and law students have a fully functioning cafeteria and access to food during the day, it closes at 2:30 pm and leaves other programs with slim pickings from outtakes. The university realistically has the means to have a functioning cafeteria that continues to operate closer to dinner time especially since many program classes, including the med and law school, occur in the evening. I think these are relevant examples that demonstrate the differences in class status within the graduate school and how it affects QU culture.

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? How do you interact- Lisa Caffalette 

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? How do you interact- Lisa Caffalette 

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When thinking about class status and my specific class status I feel it is unique and different than many other students. I am currently in the REC program and already have a masters degree in Education. Now I know that when out in public or the community you can’t judge or describe someone's educational status but when in the classroom that’s when I feel it and see it, the difference between me and the other students in the classroom. I notice the age of the other students, the difference in responsibilities, the difference in experiences and our different takes on those experiences within the classroom. One experience I can share is one of my current classes, it’s an undergrad class and you can clearly see the difference in age and the clicks that are formed in the classroom. You can hear the shared experiences of the undergraduate students and how they dealt or are dealing with those experiences and then reflect and think about how I would have dealt with that experience.  You can not see this difference in the QU school but one thing that is different for everyone is priorities, and different spots we are in our lives. This goes for everyone in the classroom, not just me. When it comes to how I interact, I would say I would feel the class status and it affects the way I socialize in the classroom because you can see the clear class status in this specific room, age plays a role in this status as well as how clicks are formed within the classroom.

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? - Jon Moscato

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? - Jon Moscato

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How do you interact

w/your internship site?

w/Yale students?

Undergrads v. Grads?

5 semester MAT v. undergrad MAT?

When I am on and off campus I see how many different people act when they are leaving QU and or coming on campus. Now for my undergrad I was in a smaller school with less people and different cultures. This was a different experience than what I am in now. When I went on and off Albertus campus I felt like I was welcomed because of the atmosphere. I'm not saying I did not feel welcomed at QU but it's different. Going into a D1 school is very different from being at a D3 school. The culture is very different when it comes to talking to other students, they are from a richer background, I was not used to seeing this because of where I went to school for my undergrad. At my internship I have seen many people who have done the same program I did, I have also seen student teachers from Albertus and southern, at North Branford. We all have a different mindset when it comes to how we talk to the students. We are all able to talk about the college we go to and let them know how we like it. In our other class we are in a classroom with juniors in this program. You can tell the difference between the Grad students and the undergrad students. This is because of how we talk and how we react toward different situations. I do not believe that we are fully different but it is shown in the way we talk about the readings. This is okay though because we all have different ways of learning. In all I do not see many differences between QU Culture and other schools I interact with. They all have the students who have money, or the ones who are smart. It just depends on who you interact with and become friends with while you are in school.

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? How do you interact w/your internship site?

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? How do you interact w/your internship site?

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When it comes to class status I think about the beginning of the school year, at my internship. Thinking back, before I started to substitute teach, I would be put with a variety of different teachers to observe in order to meet students and learn about different teaching techniques. One thing that I noticed is I would be placed with teachers who have more experience at the school, rather than being put with a newer teacher. It made me notice that even teachers have class status once they are in their full time job, regardless of everyone having the same degree. This shows that connections and experiences can play a role in class status.

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How does class status affect QU/Grad School culture? - Patrick Migliorati

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How does class status affect QU/Grad School culture? - Patrick Migliorati

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Before I ever even considered going back for my masters, I always looked a Quinnipiac as a school for people from upper-middle class to upper class world.  I grew up in the South End of Hartford to a working-class family and when I moved to Wethersfield before high school, I saw a glimpse of these types of families. My classmates from high school that went to schools like Quinnipiac were some of the richer students in the school. I went to Central Connecticut State University which a lot of your working/middle class families seemed to go. These were just personal biases/opinions based on what I saw growing up, not based on any sort of facts or anything. Now that I am actually a student at QU, I haven’t really noticed anything outside of what I felt at CCSU. Granted, I’ve never been to the main campus, but the School of Education does not feel like at all like there is any sort of classism going on. The people that I have met at QU are all from diverse backgrounds and I never got the vibe that I was not welcome because I was not from an upper-class background. The one major thing that I noticed is that the schools that QU students are interning at are very diverse economically and socially. I think that is very important and gives the future teachers a very grounded understanding of how your average public school will look. I currently teach at an elementary school in Manchester which is very economically and racially diverse (80% non-white students). I feel like the curriculum does a good job promoting differentiation which is extremely important in the post-COVID education world. There is such a big gap in a lot of classrooms between student performances and without proper differentiation strategies students would be left behind. I think class status at QU is something that people perceive around the state as a Richie-Rich school, but in reality, the students that go here come from all walks of life.

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How does class status affect QU/Grad School culture? - Jess Bohan

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How does class status affect QU/Grad School culture? - Jess Bohan

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Class status and its effects on culture may not be fully conscious or visible to individuals at a first glance; however, it affects and guides the functioning of QU and the graduate school’s culture. When observing students, class status in terms of wealth/income can be reflected and perceived through the technology that students possess. Within our classes, some students may have access to computers, iPads, headphones, phones or other technologies that can help assist them in their education, where others may not be able to have access to such technologies. Class status can also impact the ways in which individuals interact and participate in their programs as individuals who work outside of their internship and school time may not have the ability to attend their program’s events, participate in clubs, engage in workshops, or social gatherings. Class status and the impacts on QU culture can also be seen in the social groups formed and the education levels of individuals. Within the MAT program, I have observed social groups formed based on whether students are undergraduates or graduate students (mostly due to similarities in class schedules). However, I feel as though this program does a great job integrating students and emphasizing the importance of sharing individual experiences, making the divide less prominent. Although I haven't spent much time in the common areas of the graduate school, I have observed that individuals within certain programs tend to stay together and not branch out or intermingle with other schools, which can cause a sense of separation within the graduate school building.

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? - Jenna Frankel

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? - Jenna Frankel

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With regards to class status, I think that it can have a great impact on an individual, whether at Quinnipiac/Grad school or at an internship off campus.  I went to a public undergraduate university, with a wide range of backgrounds and wealth.  I do see a greater amount of wealth, though, at Quinnipiac.  For example, it is apparent in the parking garage, when I see other students’ cars.  I also see class status impactful in the elementary school where I intern.  The younger teachers tend to be underestimated, and often not provided with as much help.  When not substitute teaching, I usually get assigned to help in classrooms with more senior staff members.  While it is great to experience those teachers’ routines and techniques, I also see a lot of younger teachers that need assistance that they are not receiving.  There is clearly an impact of class status in the educational field.  Those who are tenured typically get more flexibility, and also see less observations from administration.

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? - Isaac Freeman

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How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? - Isaac Freeman

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I feel like Class Status is certainly present in grad school all the time, even when we don't necessarily notice it. The most obvious example I can think of is paying for tuition. Some people are able to afford the tuition and don't have to stress much about their finances, while others may work to make money and help cover the cost to attend QU, which only adds to an already jam-packed schedule of internship days and evening classes. In scenarios like these, certain classes are very privileged to be in a position of relative comfort and ease with regard to their peers. I even think Class Status can show up in the grad school culture on Zoom. Some people may not have reliable internet or a private space to work at home, so Zooming can be difficult when compared to someone who has a home office and high speed internet on a brand new laptop. These were only a couple of examples, but this just goes to show that class status and the advantages and disadvantages that come with it are present all the time, in person and on Zoom.

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How Does Class Status Affect QU Culture?- Nick Rossi

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How Does Class Status Affect QU Culture?- Nick Rossi

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When first thinking about this question, I initially was not able to think of ways class status affects the culture at Quinnipiac because it is not always something that is very obvious. However, I believe you are able to see it in a handful of ways. First being the amount or type of resources students might have in class, specifically technology. Some students might be spending all the money they have available to attend Quinnipiac and do not have any to spend on luxury items. I also think it affects culture as it can impact who people spend their time with. People might gravitate to others within their same class group which can have an impact on the overall culture.

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How does class status affect QU/Grad School culture?

Who are the haves and the have nots?

How is this determined or communicated?

Class status to me is often something that is set when you enter into an environment. It's not necessarily communicated just known. As an older student in the MAT/REC program, you could immediately see the class structure. Older or more mature students are often together. Students of sororities are together. Students of similar interests are together. Students group by interest, i.e. the basketball team, fans of the Eagles. The haves are the students with all the newest things-the newest water bottle, the newest cell phone and computer, highlights in their hair, nails done, expensive cars, lots of friends. While the have nots are not part of the "popular crowd". They may have the older water bottle, last year's computer or sneakers. They come from lower income areas.

How does class status affect QU/Grad school culture when interacting on & off campus? How do you interact

w/your internship site?

w/Yale students?

Undergrads v. Grads?

5 semester MAT v. undergrad MAT?

At my internship site, because I am older student I think I am taken more seriously than a younger intern is. I am expected to have more experience. I do look to the older teachers for advice and support because I feel they have the experience from different angles.

As far as Undergraduate v. Graduate students, I of course see age first. But then I see a difference in priorities. Often Undergraduates have very active social lives while Graduate students are working, going to school and keeping up a small social life. Graduate students seem to be in a higher class possibly due to the amount of education or money put into their education.

When conversing or interacting with a Yale Student I feel the Yale student would take a higher social class due to the prestige of an Ivy League school. The expectations of an Ivy League school as well as the cost would increase their social class status.