Beasley’s ASUI project Humans of UI Facebook page uncovered
Jace Westcott, a junior mechanical engineering major, said he felt iffy about being asked to share an awkward personal story for the Humans of University of Idaho Facebook page.
“I didn’t really want to, but I thought it would have been good for me,” he said. “It’d be interesting — talking to a random stranger about whatever.”
Jace Westcott
Westcott said he thinks Humans of UI, a Facebook page that shares photos and anecdotes of the UI community, gives students a voice they otherwise wouldn’t have, as well as a chance to be heard by people outside of students’ regular social groups.
With just under 12 million likes, the Humans of New York Facebook page has seized the attention of people around the world. The goal of the page is to tell the stories and capture the daily lives of random New Yorkers who happen to cross paths with photojournalist Brandon Stanton, who manages the page.
The humanity Stanton is able to convey in his photographs and words grabbed former ASUI Sen. Carlie Beasley’s attention.
Beasley launched the Humans of UI Facebook page last fall to try and instill a sense of Vandal community online, similar to Stanton’s Humans of New York project.
“There’s more to people than just looking at them,” Beasley said.
Carlie Beasley
“Everybody has a story, and it’s kind of important for us to stop and listen to their story and look at them for who they are as a human.”
Beasley said she aims to find two people a week to showcase on the page. Once she finds two people willing to cooperate, she asks them a random question and takes notes of the response.
Although finished with her term in ASUI, Beasley said the page would most likely remain active under ASUI once she graduates in a few years.
Beasley said the process of gathering people’s information is somewhat intimidating, since most people on campus are in a rush to get to wherever they’re going.
Having patient energy is an important part of the interviewing process, because people will be more inclined to say hello and answer questions, Beasley said.
For Beasley, she said she approaches people who seem to be “mellow,” like those who are sitting on a bench or who just happen to be walking next to her.
The process usually starts with her asking ‘I have a question for you. Are you interested in being on Humans of UI?’ If those people didn’t know about the page previously, she explains the project a bit and the person will either be interested or they wont.
Beasley said when she first started interviewing people, she used a pen and notepad to write down everything a person said. Now, Beasley has adopted a new way of doing it so the interview doesn’t feel inauthentic — she just listens.
“I realized that I’ve always been pretty in tuned at listening,” she said. “So when I’m done taking their picture and getting their story, I go immediately somewhere right afterwards to a quiet spot and write down what they said down on my notebook that has all the previous stories in.”
Beasley said although it’s sometimes difficult to remember everything a person said word-for-word, she tries her best and usually gets it right.
Tiana Wood
Tiana Wood, UI junior and public relations and communications major, was featured on Humans of UI in January. She said she knew there was going to be a misquotation when she told her story, but harbors no bad feelings of Beasley for it.
Wood was asked the question, “What are you struggling with the most right now?” and Wood shared with Beasley how she was struggling with the shooting on Jan. 10 that took the life of three people, including her primary care physician at UI.
“I’m glad she featured that, because the timing was impeccable,” Wood said. “And everybody was feeling that.”
Tiana shared the story of her close relationship with Terri Grzebielski with all of the followers of the Humans at UI page. Many members of the UI community showed support for Wood via comments and likes.
“I saw Terri almost every week of last semester,” Wood said. “And like I told Carlie, the last thing she told me was, I was asking her about her job and why she likes it having so many patients and so much to do and so much to remember, and she said that she loved her job because she felt like the Sherlock Holmes of the body, and she loved that.”
Wood said even though the post did not get her quote verbatim, Beasley did a good job of getting her general feelings across.
Nick Wren
Nick Wren, senior in biochemistry and ASUI director of health and wellness, said the Humans of UI page brings people together. He said he wants Beasley to know she is making a difference on campus.
“It helps you remember the humanity in every person you cross on the street,” Wren said. “Everyone’s fighting their own battles, so I think it gives you more compassion just by reading about someone.”
Beasley said although the project can be difficult at times, she knows she has a great support system and looks forward to continuing the page for as long as she can. She even said she’d like to start a professor series soon.
“I’m trying to get to the ‘What makes you, you?’ and ‘What is something that you are proud of?'” Beasley said. “I don’t think we get asked enough about ourselves … We all have these different stories that has made our ways of life. There is so much to learn from everybody, and you get to see them for who they truly are.”
Emily Mosset can reached at [email protected]