On April 1st, an Instagram post was shared creating a dialogue about “The Furman Bubble”. This account defines the bubble as “a phrase used to describe FU’s relative lack of connection to the outside world”. The account owner goes on to say that “The FU Bubble isn’t an innocent byproduct of a private university campus. It’s the result of conscious decisions that- whether in malice or not- exclude surrounding communities and maintain an atmosphere of wealth, whiteness, and privilege”. There has been a lot of tension resulting from this account as the owner continues to post and ‘call out’ Furman students for “hoarding the wonders of the campus resources”.
So what exactly does this person want to change? I’ll break this down one post at a time. After the initial post the next was one about the soccer fields near North Village. There is a picture of a sign which reads “Fields reserved for Furman community” and the same in Spanish underneath that. The caption discusses how community members, many of them being Latinx, used to use the fields for pickup soccer. Now these fields are roped off with signs. From the caption; “the signs include a translation into Spanish…It’s strategic: the people who play here don’t speak English, and we don’t want them here, so we have to let them know in their own language”.
The next post addresses how there used to be more parking spots around campus which were open to the public, which now are gone. The caption stated: “We are suggesting that these choices make the Furman Bubble even less permeable than it already is”. The next post was the same video of parking around campus with the caption: “Furman has been becoming more insular, white, and wealthy over the past decade…”.
A picture of the lake is next with a caption discussing how there are signs around campus prohibiting fishing, while Furman students are allowed to fish. A student commented: “I don’t see why anyone feels the need to allow fishing in the lake whether it be Furman students or others. Furman is a school- not a park”. To this the account owner replied: “…by your logic, Furman should scrap the Rose Garden, running trails, trimmed hedges, ornamental trees, fountains, etc, I mean it’s a school, not a park, right?”.
Another post includes a back and forth from the DMs of the account. A student said that we should have access to things like fishing because we pay tuition, while the account owner said that the public should too due to public funding Furman gets.
On April 13th, a post was made about the Physical Activities Center, or PAC. Before Covid, the PAC was open to the public, and the account owner calls for this practice to be reinstated. They reference how students could be exposed to people such as a WWII veteran who, before Covid, utilized the PAC. Students had a lot of push back with this post.
“It’s crowded enough now, let’s not do that.”
“Something to consider is that the majority of the community that elects to visit Furman is primarily white. So I’m wondering if your energy is better spent advocating for why the institution should seek to establish better connections with non-white, non-heteronormative families or individuals that cme from different socioeconomic backgrounds, rather than bash, argue, or “call out” and not suggest anything useful…”
“Just say you want to watch college girls workout again and move on”
The last post was screenshots of YikYak posts made by Furman students addressing their frustrations with “townies”. A comment from someone who isn’t a student, but visits campus, defends the students saying: “…The idea of a so called ‘Furman Bubble’ is just a way for entitled folks to express their anger that they can’t enjoy the same amenities as students who pay thousands of dollars to go to a PRIVATE university…I’ve never felt ‘unwelcomed’… You just have to respect the fact that it’s a private university and they put their students first because that’s what the university is there for. It’s not an amusement park”.
Now, this is a lot to digest. While I am under no impression that Furman doesn’t need to diversify or develop more community outreach programs, I fail to see how giving “townies” parking spots on campus would diversify the student population. Senior Erica Daly gives a great summary of this situation: “I think that the Instagram has good intentions in mind when discussing that there is more Furman can do to engage with the outside community…I do not think anyone at Furman objects to the idea that outside community engagement is important, but I think it is troubling to broadcast claims about the University’s intentions without citing a specific policy… If this account wants to engage students in creating a more open Furman community, the creators and its supporters should facilitate tangible actions instead of taking to social media”.
Many students have brought this up, that the account “calls out” issues with Furman, but doesn’t do much to suggest ways to connect to the community or diversify the student population. The creation of this account has created a lot of tension. Personally, I’m bothered that the account owner is so hostile towards students in their replies, and does not address all the comments that students make about the debate. There are some very valid points made by students which are going unaddressed. Many women have expressed safety concerns towards opening the PAC to the community, and cited incidents of harassment and catcalling around campus to back this up. Keeping the PAC closed to the community eliminates these issues while working out. I have no problem with the families that want to walk around campus, I actually enjoy being able to pet the occasional dog on the way to class. That being said, I have had several uncomfortable experiences with campus visitors. I have been catcalled, followed, and seen people looking into dorm room windows. There has to be a better balance of community outreach while still respecting the boundaries of students.