Cafeteria Seating Arrangement

The seating arrangement in the cafeteria at Lewis and Clark is anything but random, and I never noticed how segregated and strategically placed every person is. Until my friend pointed it out to me the other day, I hadn’t really noticed the consistency complexity of something as simple as where one sits for dinner. Every single evening the jocks (meaning the football and baseball players) sit at the tables, which are located in the center front of the cafeteria. They sit in circular tables, which limit unwanted interaction, unlike the vertical tables. Their tables are also the closest to the food providing easy access. I notice myself feeling uncomfortable walking past their tables, because they seem to be constantly scanning their surroundings. The location of the seating arrangements seems to be reaffirming their attempts to be the center of activity. The kids from the multicultural dorm consistently sit in the first room at the long tables, which make it easy to socialize with people who they don’t necessarily know. The remainder of the room has round tables, which limit the amount unpredicted interaction. People who sit on the outer edges are often by the selves reading the newspaper. More often than not people seem to sit in the same general seating area.