Every social group or clique is different. We have the jocks, the nerds, the geeks, and theater kids. Social groups are formed for people who share the same qualities or hobbies. As a first year college student, I have witnessed so many different social groups. There are groups formed with clubs, organizations, and majors. I want to talk about my friends who are Law Enforcement and Justice Administration majors at Western Illinois University. Western Illinois University is home of Law Enforcement major; majority of the student population are Law Enforcement majors. Unlike myself, a chemistry major, there’s definitely not much chemistry among my major group.
Every Tuesday and Thursday I see my Law Enforcement friends; we take theatre together. Their names are Ashley, Cody, and Justin. In the beginning of second semester we sat next to each other in the theatre room in Morgan Hall. Our professor then moved our class to Horrabin Halls’s small theatre. The theatre is broken up into three sections and the seating increases the further you walk up and away from the stage. I’m explaining this because when I come late to theatre, which is always, they do not save a seat for me. I usually sit behind them and observe. That’s when I thought they would be the perfect people to do this paper on. From that moment on, I observe their actions, dialogue, and seating arrangements. I walk in and say “hey y’all.” They respond, “10-4”, “let’s watch Shades of Blue”, or funny cop jokes. At this moment I ignore them. Sometimes in theatre, I see them watching body cam, ride along, and traffic stop videos. I’m thinking if you’re in class bored… wouldn’t you be watching something entertaining like Spongebob. I’m not a Law Enforcement major, so I guess I don’t understand.
My best friend out of this group is Cody. Cody told me he dreamed of being a cop since he was a little one. Cody usually finishes class before I do. So I go to and hang out with Cody’s room after classes every Monday and Wednesday. When I come in the room, he is watching gun reviews on Youtube or last night’s episode of Chicago PD. As I am writing this paper, Cody is on his phone. Me being nosey I say, “Cody, what you’re doing?” He replies, “I’m on my phone researching my career.” It is never a time when he does not think about his career. He then asks me what I think his day consist of. I remind him that he has Investigator's Club, Rifle Club or LAE.
LAE is a law enforcement fraternity that my other law enforcement friends are part of. Actually, my three friends are all part of the same clubs and organizations. I have yet to mention, they all have the same class schedule. I talk to my other friend Justin and he told me that he, Ashley, and Cody are fixing their schedule the same for third semester. For that reason, they will have time be part of the clubs and organization they want to be part of. As a chemistry major, I do not have that opportunity to set my schedule with them. Sometimes I do feel left out. I feel as if they have more fun being Law Enforcement majors compared to my chemistry major. They have many Law Enforcement dinners, cop parties, and club events.
I remember Cody waking me at nine o’clock in the morning. He told me to get dressed, meet him and Tristen downstairs, and bring money. “Okay?” I said. I was so confused because none of them told me where we was going. Later on, I met up with them and they told me we are running errands. I was cool with that, going to Walmart and all. We got on the bus and rode the bus for almost thirty minutes. I asked them where we were going and they said Farm King. I never been to Farm King. When we got there, I ask them what they wanted to buy. They replied, “We came to look at guns.” Guns. Like who actually wakes up early to look at guns? At that moment I knew they were destined to be cops.
My friends are the epitome of Law Enforcement majors. It was fun actually observing their actions. Also, the way they communicate to one another is always in cop code. Sometime it may feel as if I don’t try to understand their lingo. I want to understand their lingo. All I ask for is them to save me a seat in so, I can learn and maybe join their discourse community.
