Spring Semester Kickoff: Tabling in your Building
Describe one or two interactions you had with residents of your building while tabling. What were the most frequent questions asked? Did any questions stump you?
posted by UVM Eco-Reps Program Coordinator @ 10:34 AM
13 Comments:
Most of the interactions were actually quite frustrating. Most of the people walking by just ignored us, or said "no, thanks" if we offered brochures. The people who did stop mostly just took one or two brochures and left without asking any questions. The "one less cup" stickers seemed to catch peoples' attention, but we ran out of those very quickly. I think it would be cool if we could put more ideas onto stickers like the "one less cup." People would be more likely to take them and look at them, and then the message would be displayed for more people to see. I think we reached some people while we were tabling, but I think we should work on making it more effective.
I had a relaxing time tabling at L/L because people were naturally drawn to our beautiful sign and the odd-looking green box that is Techno Trash box. One frequent question that I received was "What is Rideshare?" I was really surprised that so many people didn't know about it and I was excited about explaining it to them. Most of them were excited about using the service, and only a very few were concerned with safety since they would be riding with strangers. Another important question students kept asking was about what they could put in the Techno Trash box. That was easy to respond to.
-Daniel
The tabling was pretty interesting... some people walked right by with no interest in our cause, and others seemed so excited about it that they wanted to get involved. One guy asked to be on a list serve, which we don't have and was also interested in being an off-campus ecorep. He asked us how much influence we had and did have many questions, some of which were hard to answer. Another girl was really excited about it too and wanted a communal compost bin for the floor...(one bigger than a bucket). She was also curious about when the meetings were. I am not sure if she was planning on sitting in one of the meetings or what. Other than that, most people just liked the stickers and some took some of the brochures but we still have plenty leftover. I agree with Gwen that we should work on making tabling more effective.
I didn't have people asking me questions for the most part. A couple of people asked what I was doing, which was easy to answer. Most people just answered the questions and went on their way without taking any of the free stuff. I had a couple of people really take time and give me feedback on making public transportation better. I agree with Gwen that we need some work on making tabling more effective.
-Steph
I found the tabling session outside the Simpson Store (Mason Hall) quite interesting, because there were a wide range of reactions and interests to the literature we were encouraging. Many students seemed enthusiastic to learn more about the bus schedules and maps for Burlington Public Transportation. There were a fairly large body of people who simply ignored us or showed no interest, but those who actually listened to us seemed happy to make little changes in their lifestyle to encourage less dependence of cars/buses. The survey was very telling of how lightly many students take the issue of gas emissions and reliance on the depleting quantity of oil. Overall it was a good experience, and I feel like I convinced a lot of people to reassess their carbon footprint, impact, etc.
-Colin H.
Most people avoided looking at our table. People aren't very curious about tables, and so walked right by us. A few people came and asked us questions, particularly one guy who lives off campus and would like to see more eco-reps off campus (he was particularly interested in florescent light bulbs for off campus folks). One guy was incredibly rude, hanging around our table, acting snuddy when ever we told him something, and insulted our stickers. So it was a real mix of reactions. - Mollie
I tabled in Simpson Store with some other Redstone Eco-Reps. It was pretty productive! We had a lot of kids take brochures and ask us questions. Some others, of course, were not as receptive, but I think we did a good job of making our presence known on campus. I also enjoyed spending time with the other Eco-Reps and talking about upcoming projects and ideas. It was a real bonding experience!
-Liz Bruner
Since I live in the "shoe boxes" on central campus tabling seemed impossible. Wills does not have a lobby of any kind and a table in the lounge may only get visited by very few. So I decided to walk around the building and talk to whoever I could find. This way I was able to talk to over forty people. For the most part people seemed very interested in using reusable cups/bottles. People wanted to know more about the rideshare.
Erin
Tabling in Mercy didn't go over all that well. As others have mentioned, Ellen and I encountered quite a bit of apathy which was sad. We did get a few questions and got to hand out the very helpful CCTA bus schedules though.
-Arielle
I tabled outside of Simpson Store with some of the other Redstone Eco-Reps, and I agree with what some of them said: mixed reactions. Walk-bys were very prevalent, and when kids did stop, they picked up a brochure or two, and then that was it. Unfortunately, I think the only people who stopped at our table did so because we called out to them, or they knew us. I may be a bit pessimistic about the method, but I'm not sure how much good it does. As far as making our presence known, it might not do so much for people who don't want to stop and look. Maybe a lot of it had to do with the fact it was dinner time, and most people are on a bit of a track when it comes to food, so any distractions or obstacles were to be avoided (i.e. we were the obstacles and the target was get in, get food, get out).
But if anything, the bus schedules were the most grabbed!
~Elle
I tabled in front of Simpson Store with some of my fellow Redstone Eco-Reps and I would say that the reactions we got were somewhat mixed. We started out asking if anyone wanted Green Guides or Bus Maps and most people just walked by and said "no thanks". But the second we started offering stickers, people flocked to the tables and were much more inclined to take other stuff too. Needless to say, the stickers went out pretty fast, but all in all I was happy with the amount of people we reached. From what I remember, we didn't get too many questions shot our way, but that's probably because we explained ourselves pretty well :). Most people picked up the Green Guides, and that's really great because those things have a ton of info in them and definitely answer a lot of eco-friendly res-hall questions that people may have.
I tabled in L/L. Daniel and I know a lot of our residents and fellow students and we put together a very nice looking table.
We were able to complete the survey very easily. Many of our students were excited to get to add their own suggestions to changes or additions to the transportation system. Many students did not know about ride share and suggested it was "sketchy" or unsafe. Many also complained that there were not enough rides leaving UVM.
Students were not interested in taking our literature or handouts.
IRA Bingo began right as we were able to leave the FPL and we handed out the rest of our information.
-Lindsey Gillies
I think tabling for the most part went as I expected. I knew many of the students who passed my table I set up in the lobby and they would stop and take one or two of the brochures on the buses or bike paths. Since I have lived in UHeights for two years I have gotten to know many of the RA’s and students which made it more comfortable to encourage them to check out the bus routes bike path. One student that I personally knew asked me if it was possible to get down to the lake on a bus. I did try extremely hard to not to sound or look too surprised. I could not believe that students at this time of year still had no idea that they had these options. No wonder why so many students bring their cars up!
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