Defaced by science
Bethel University students graffiti whiteboards and chalkboards in the name of learning.
By Michael Harjo
Ben Ostlie stared at his canvas of notes. It was a late Wednesday night, almost too late. Facilities management had come in once, trying to clean the classroom. Ostlie politely asked them to come back later. He had spent three hours graffitiing his whiteboard. His eyelids felt heavy, sleep beckoned for him. But sleep would have to wait, his general physics exam was far more important. He’s been in BAC344 every night that week, covering the walls in notes and graphs.
Ostlie is a junior studying biochemistry at Bethel University. He hadn’t started defacing until his sophomore year. During his organic chemistry class, Ostlie realized there was a lot to memorize. One night he attended a science help session. Upon seeing the tutors write out their notes on the board, Ostlie had found his saving grace.
“It’s just good to have the physical movements of just writing it on the board,” Ostlie said. “I don’t know, just helps you recall what you’ve learned a little bit more if you’re able to put it into words on a whiteboard.”
Using empty classrooms for notes and review is Oslie’s ideal method for all his classes. Having only started this studying form during his sophomore year, he wishes he had started sooner. Unfortunately, he had no extra time then to spend late nights defacing. Ostlie was involved with Bethel for its baseball opportunities. Since his freshman year, baseball has become a thing of the past.
“I would say yeah. I think part of it is my freshman year. I didn’t have as much time because I was playing sports,” Ostlie said. “Now, I’m not in a sport. So it gives me a little bit more time to do this. But yeah, I think it would have been really helpful for us to put it on the whiteboard.”
Ostlie isn’t the only student to deface classrooms across campus. Late at night in CLC117, Caleb Meeker decorated his chalkboard with notes. Meeker too was working on his genetics lab exam, writing out answers and questions to splicing genes and testing how successful it was. He finds the method helpful for recalling the subject material. Rather than erase his masterpiece at the end, Meeker leaves it behind.
“If I leave it up, I feel like sometimes it could be a study tool for somebody else who happens to pass through the class,” Meeker said. “Maybe somebody else who’s non-major related gains some random biological knowledge.”
Along with Meeker and Ostlie, is junior Ashton Olson. Olson has used the boards for difficult classes with challenging concepts such as Organic Chemistry. He finds this method of studying quick and efficient. Because of this method, he doesn’t have to spend as much time studying as he used to. He can compile his notes more thoughtfully, easily analyze the concepts, and have a deeper understanding of the material. Using the repetitiveness in this method creates a lasting image of his notes.
“I haven’t noticed a significant change from it,” Olson said. “I would say it helps a lot with studying because it’s much faster.”
When he’s finished studying, Olson leaves with his notes still decorated across the classroom. He doesn’t see the point of taking them down. Sometimes it’s because he is tired and simply wants to go to sleep. In the past, he has used his peer’s notes when studying. Most exams are packed, so he leaves his notes up so others can use his artwork for study.
“Others can see how I’ve done my work,” Olson said. “I’ve used others’ work in the past and it’s been helpful.”
Bethel students find the defaced classrooms to be the ideal study method. But where did it all begin? For Ostlie and Meeker, it began in their science help sessions in CC120. The science department offers tutoring aid from 7–9 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays. One of those tutors is Nicholas Jarman. He finds writing out problems and theorems the best form of helping students.
“It’s a way to display everything that you’re thinking about either on paper or diagrams,” Jarman said. “You can write them out and write out what happens, and then people just usually leave them.”
Professors walk into their classrooms only to find notes decorating their whiteboards. The majority of professors choose to leave the boards alone as most material is now taught through projectors. Erasing a student’s hard work seems pointless if the space is not being used.
“ I think that’s part of the reason why it sometimes stays up as you know, teachers see it on the board and they don’t want to erase this work,” Ostlie said. “But I think those are mostly the classes that obviously don’t use the board that might be using the projector a little more but yeah.”
Ostlie uses whiteboards across Bethel not only for his science classes but his gen-eds as well. Harder classes such as Christianity in Western Civilization and Humanities benefit from this study method. Being able to write out all the scholars and what they are known for as well as timelines and quotes, is beneficial for the student.
“So you kind of had to read books and do other things, I had to write on the board for memorization of just people and organizations,” Ostlie said. “And, yeah, so I would say in general, it can be used for Gen-Ed’s.”
Students like Ostlie, Meeker, and Jarman have been using this method as prep for all sorts of classes. The ability to write out what you’ve learned repeatedly proved to be helpful. During finals week at Bethel, countless rooms across the BAC have been graffitied with student’s notes. Ostlie won’t erase his notes in hopes that other students can learn from them; A trend most students across Bethel seem to follow.
“My notes on the board could potentially be used for study,” Ostlie said. “People who are not in the sciences would probably have no use for my notes on the board. Unless they have urges to understand physiological processes or genetic inheritance.”
