Drink the (Figurative and Literal) Punch!

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Penn State and the Circle want you to do it figuratively, but that guy you met five minutes ago at this sweltering party wants you to do it literally.

But in all seriousness, Both Penn State and the Circle want their respective members to buy into the culture, to make relationships within the community, and learn all the chants. Dave Eggers' Circle, the most innovative internet company in his novel's fictional world, is eerily similar to the totally non-fictional modern university, and is strikingly similar to Penn State in particular. The Circle and Penn State share values, including the encouragement of total immersion; they share a disquieting amount  of practices, as well, including dorm living, orientations, and partying. However, they also are dissimilar in some respects; , the mantras each supports are not alike, and some of the practices of each are different.

There is no doubt that we freshman have stood in the onslaught of messages encouraging us to become 'part of the Penn State community.' One of the most memorable points made at our new student convocation was made by President Barron. He told us not to drive our 'Penn State sports car' at low speeds, because we are to make the best of our time here by taking advantage of all of the opportunites available to us. At Penn State, you can join the Knittany Lions, a THON Group, the Coffee Club, a student council, or anything you want. The Circle also encourages total immersion by offering numerous events and clubs, such as the parties, the daily featured activities (6),  to innovative speakers in the Great Hall (59). Both the Circle and Penn State put value on their employees and students, respectively, fully immersing themselves in life on campus.

Speaking of campus, this is one term that the Circle and Penn State both use, implying a community within an area. Both also convey a commitment to global improvement; Penn State's motto is "Making Life Better," and the Circle claims throughout the novel that every one of its innovations is meant to improve the lives of people throughout the world. Some of the mantras, however, differ. For example, Penn State's 'We Are' implies a closed community with a set of values distinct from those of other groups, whereas the Circle casts a wide net of inclusion with its "ALL THAT HAPPENS MUST BE KNOWN" (68); the Circle wants to include everyone. Also, the Circle insists that sharing is caring in all cases, though Penn State encourages us to safeguard our personal information. 

Though their mantras may differ, the institutions have eerily similar practices. For example, some students at Penn State live in dorms, and some Circlers live in dorms. Dorm life creates a closeness between peers that promotes immersion in campus life, which both institutions encourage. Both also run orientation programs headed by peppy, diverse orientation leaders, people who know what it's like to drink the punch and will definitely mix some up for you if you ask (or even if you don't). Partying is an integral part of social life at both Penn State and the Circle. These practices all support the encouragement of total immersion into campus life.

Despite all of these similarities, Penn State's and the Circle's practices do digress in some respects. Unlike at the Circle, we students don't get paid to live on campus or use any of the resources available to us; instead, we have to (literally and figuratively) pay into the institution and the values it promotes, whereas the Circle makes the punch readily available. Parties at the circle are also more legal, held on campus, and less exclusive than parties here at Penn State, making them more integrated into social life there than here. The only thing I liked about the Circle was the possibility of centralized online information; sure, I'm scared of a company like the Circle monopolizing everything, but I'm also lazy and don't want to have to click between CANVAS and ANGEL and LionPATH and eLion and eLiving and myUHS and SRS and WebMail and so on and so on.

After analyzing the similarities and differences between the Circle and Penn State, I think it's safe to say that the two institutions are different where it matters; the Circle's most radical and dangerous values and practices are not present at Penn State. We only have to drink the literal punch here.