I was first led to this model because of the num-ber of gatekeeper roles at my site: The office manager, the Dean, the Student docents. The religious groups desire to use the space and they have to interact with the different levels of gatekeepers to be able to occupy it. At a high lev-el the groups must be recognized as a religious group. Then at an administrative level they have to schedule ahead dates and times with the of-fice manager. Lastly at the ground level, the stu-dent docents make sure the groups comply with the rules during an event. The model revealed the critical role of Jen the office manager and the master Outlook events calendar. Like the physi-cal sanctuary space the calendar is a shared (vir-tual) space. Events get added by her along with specific instructions. Then the calendar is used by all the docents to know what events are hap-pening during their shift and if there is anything

out of the ordinary they need to know. This mod-el also revealed that Jen has to balance sched-uling events on two fronts: planning large scale events with the Dean, and planning on small scale events/services with the student religious groups. I think this model will be valuable going forward because it really illustrates the process of using the space. While the sanctuary has an open and free feeling, and is easily accessible because the doors are unlocked, and there are no barriers to entering, it’s not immediately obvi-ous the work and planning that has to happen to occupy the space. The model shows the level of planning and coordination that has to happen. With all the checks that have to occur we can see using the space is really a privilege, no one can just come in and use it.

Work Flow Model Reflection

I was attracted to this model because during my data gathering and observations I felt there were things people were believing, obeying, and re-specting but which they were not saying to me. This model helped to show me how operating under the umbrella of the university influenced some of the practices of the actors at the cen-ter. I feel there is an obsession with presenting a positive outward appearance especially with the level of practice the student docents having in giving tours of the center. Every person I in-terviewed mentioned the beauty of the center, and the printed materials about the center high-lighted it’s artistic qualities (sometimes even overshadowing the spiritual aspects). I ended up interviewing a couple docents and was surprised at how parts of their interview were identical be-cause they were just repeating lines to me they would say while giving tours. This model also il-

lustrates how some of their practices of the cen-ter are rooted in being part of a business. While the administrative staff care about the students and are there to support their religious expres-sion, they also care about costs of maintenance/repairs and some of the restrictive policies im-posed on the groups are designed to keep those costs down. The cultural model also highlights an important aspect about the docents, while they are critical in running day to day operations, they are just agents of outside forces, with little agency themselves. They are there to help the center look good, to be customer support for the groups, and protect the center, but they make few decisions and wield little influence.

Cultural Model Reflection:

I made this model because it was the physical space that attracted me to the site. At first I only knew the open layout of the main sanctuary, and as I gathered more data the interfaith cen-ter opened up to me. People welcomed me into the most private spaces: the offices, storage ar-eas, and vestry. Mapping out the physical model reveals the division of ‘backstage’ and ‘center stage’. There is a clear distinction of what the audience and visitors are supposed to see and what the staff is supposed to see. It’s all very well designed which makes it less interesting for me to analyze because I can’t see anything wrong with it or how it could improve. The most interesting insight the model showed me was the path docents have to take when they are on shift during the evening hours (4pm – 9pm). They are supposed to do two things, man the front desk in the admin wing, and check in on

the groups while they are holding events, so they end up going back and forth. The path is long but the layout of the building is designed where they can take different paths. They can choose to be invisible and take the outermost paths in the hall-ways and still be able to see into the sanctuary through the openings, or they can be overt and walk directly into the sanctuary. It was interest-ing to experience the physical layout in person, but I don’t think this model will be valuable going forward in my report.

Physical Model Reflection: