Fly on the Wall

The student lounge in the School of Journalism and Mass Communications, housed in Dwight Bentel Hall, at San Jose State University, is a unique room. At times, it is crowded and noisy, filled with people tapping away at their laptops with their laptop power cords causes a web along the walls and sockets. There are backpacks on the ground with books open on the tabletops, with paper fluttering all around. Some students are there to socialize and take a break from the rigors of class. Others are there to conduct a last minute cram session for a test or quiz. Sometimes there is even a presentation run through for a class. On this day in particular, when I arrived after taking a test, it was quiet, with about six other people in the room, all with their laptops out and headphones on. The only sound you could hear was the soft “click – click” of the keyboard keys.

Within a few minutes, someone started a conversation in low tones with the person seated at the study table with them. Then another student walked in and the occupants of the room said hello and fell silent again. Some of the students were all working on an assignment for the same class and one student asked another then the other to look it over for errors. While this was happening, yet another student walked in and took a spot at a table. The student who had been asking for help had other business to attend to. They started their discussion and soon were talking in normal tones. The noise volume of the room quickly rose as students realized that being silent no longer mattered. Then as the time drew close to the hour, indicating a new class period, all students cleared the tables, stuffing their papers, textbooks, computers and other belongings into their backpacks and within a minute had cleared out of the room. Then, I was all alone, and it was silent again, with only the sound of the air vent blowing cool air into the room. And all that is making noise now is the sound of my keyboard keys “click – clicking” away.