Collection: artifacts of a higher education institution

Institutions of higher education typically have their own sub culture. I have attended three separate universities and each has its own unique culture, and within the entire university exist sub cultures among the individual schools – LSA, A&D, etc. Something that is uniform however is that each school “brands�? itself. Like buying a Volkswagen or owning a North face, that schools logo is worn in a similar manner. It becomes a part of the student’s identity. Ipod has also become a social phenomenon uniform throughout these institutions. I could write several papers just about this specific piece of machinery and how it has modified persons in society, however I am focusing on the modification of society. In this case it has altered the campus and society of the U of M. On campus students can be seen wearing their school logos and their ipods on their way to class. The use of MP3’s have limited social contact. It seems now we are all programmed beings concerned only with a high level of production. Everywhere we look it seems that consumerism has taken control. A university must make money, but their officials do so through vigorous branding and product design techniques. The image of the student must now be bought – in the past a pair of glasses, a library card and a book marked a student not the number of brands a personal wears. What is happening to our society? Have we all become a product of consumerism? It seems that our identity – as a Michigan student and as an American – has become a product of overpriced mass produced products.

https://mfile.umich.edu/?path=/afs/umich.edu/user/k/j/kjacquez/Public/public%20posting.JPG
https://mfile.umich.edu/?path=/afs/umich.edu/user/k/j/kjacquez/Public/social%20phenomenon%2C%20ipod.JPG
https://mfile.umich.edu/?path=/afs/umich.edu/user/k/j/kjacquez/Public/souveneir.JPG
https://mfile.umich.edu/?path=/afs/umich.edu/user/k/j/kjacquez/Public/tower.JPG
https://mfile.umich.edu/?path=/afs/umich.edu/user/k/j/kjacquez/Public/wind.JPG

Kelly socks collection

Katie Jacquez
Section 7
Nick Tobier
Sentimental Objects
Two years ago I began dating my boyfriend. Since we have known each other we have each kept objects that reflect our affection towards one another such as notes, ticket stubs, and cheap toys. The centerpiece in this assortment of objects however is a rose that I gave to him a week after we began dating. It was a celebratory gift after his discharge from the hospital following an accident. Six months later I received a shadow box containing the rose and the only existing photo of us for my nineteenth birthday. Once pink, it now lies withered and colorless next to a black and white photograph above my bed.
Two years ago the rose represented a get-well wish. Now – lying inside a shadow box - it represents a passage of time and events. None of the objects that I have kept from my relationship can be organized according to color or shape but belong to this collection through emotion. My “relationship collection�? reminds me of what has transpired in the past two years and partially serves as a learning tool. Other collections – for example the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum - can evoke similar floods emotions when an individual comes in contact with objects that pertain to this historical occurrence. Some have argued that the USHMM should not exist due to the pangs of anger and deep sorrow that viewers feel when in contact with these objects, but these emotions – and other collections of “emotional objects�? are integral for society to understand the events and their affect on individuals and communities.
/afs/umich.edu/user/k/j/kjacquez/ADP-ruben-and-I.jpg

ADP II winter 07

Collection: artifacts of a higher education institution

Kelly socks collection