VCU's School of Business held the Boss Fair in the Snead Hall Atrium on September 16th, 2015 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The following pages consist of detailed ethnographic notes taken from Rachel Woodward, an independent researcher working alongside Dr. Victor Chen and Dr. Jesse Goldstein, of VCU's Department of Sociology. This ethnography is part of an ongoing study to gather research on the entrepreneurial landscape of Richmond, Virginia with a focus on Virginia Commonwealth University. This research may be used in any writing, research, and publishing of academic studies, journals and books focused on entrepreneurship in the United States.

1. VIRGINIA
COMMONWEALTH
UNIVERSITY
VCU's School of Business held the Boss Fair in the Snead Hall Atrium on
September 16th, 2015 from 12:00 p.m. to 2:00 p.m. The following pages
consist of detailed ethnographic notes taken from Rachel Woodward, an
independent researcher working alongside Dr. Victor Chen and Dr. Jesse
Goldstein, of VCU's Department of Sociology. This ethnography is part of an
ongoing study to gather research on the entrepreneurial landscape of
Richmond, Virginia with a focus on Virginia Commonwealth University. This
research may be used in any writing, research, and publishing of academic
studies, journals and books focused on entrepreneurship in the United
States.
September/2015

2. When I walk into Snead Business Hall at VCU, I am immediately met by people entering and
exiting the building all around me. I enter through the doors off of Main St. on the far side of the
building where the BOSS Fair is being held. I instantly notice a stream of students entering and
exiting classrooms as well as the dining center, and many of them find seats or are already sitting
around the many tables surrounding Bleecker Street’s cramped yet bustling interior. There are
approximately 100-200 people around me as I make my way to the main atrium. The heavy
stream quickly slows to a crawl as I reach the BOSS Fair, where I am immediately struck by the
various signs standing in random order throughout the atrium. They are slightly over six feet
high, and they are made of an expensive-looking vinyl material. They are yellow and white in
color and simple in design which entices me instantly to look at the top of the signs where each
organization’s name is spelled out.
The Snead Hall atrium has beautifully high ceilings and shiny white floors. Surrounding the
BOSS fair, there are offices and rooms with labels on the outside. Most of the electronic room
signs read, “Breakout Room,” and they are surrounded with transparent glass that allows
everybody who walks by to see if anyone is utilizing them. A couple of the Breakout Rooms
have students sitting behind a large TV that portrays what appears to be a personal laptop being
used by the students. On the opposite side of these Breakout Rooms is an office pertaining to one
of the business hall departments. The entire first floor of the building is modern and new-
looking. As my eyes follow the ceilings, there are three more visible levels with hallways that
wrap around in a square; I see older and younger people utilizing these walkways before
disappearing down even more corridors. There is a staircase with a dark wooden handrail
centered in the middle of the atrium; it spirals in a grand sophistication that reaches to the second
floor.
Other than the six-foot gray tables accompanying each sign, the room is relatively bare of both
furniture and attendees. Any and all furniture has been removed other than two plush, brown
benches made out of a leathery material sitting flush with the wall. The fair is quiet, and the
chatter from the dining center is quickly replaced by one corner of the atrium where I notice
most people walking toward. I walk through the entire atrium to gather an essence of the types of
organizations being represented at the BOSS Fair:
 National Association of Black Accountants
 Startup VCU
 Rho Epsilon
 Association of Information Technology Professionals
 Ram to Ram
 Collegiate DECA
 Financial Management Association
 Business Student Ambassadors
 Economics Club
 Financial Management
 Students & Alumni Engagement
 Alpha Kappa Psi
 Gamma Iota Sigma

3. All of the tables nearest the spiral staircase are accompanied by one or two of the organization’s
members, although a few of the tables have been abandoned. The National Association of Black
Accountants begins a conversation with a black female who appears to be about 18 or 19 years
old, but she quickly walks away after a minute or two. I walk towards the back of the room
where I notice a popular table with a sign reading “Financial Management Association” (FSA).
People of all races and ethnicities walk up to the single person leading the table, which is a white
female approximately 20-23 years of age wearing a blue and white striped blouse, gray slacks
and sandals that show her feet. I listen to the conversation at hand, as I run my eyes over the
literature sitting on the table. There is a small business card with the organization’s name and
contact information, and there is another large sheet of printer paper with more detailed
information about the organization. She hands this to many of the students who walk up to the
table, and she reinforces in every conversation how difficult it is to be accepted into the
organization. FSA is sponsored through the Finance, Insurance and Real Estate (FIRE)
department, which is one of the business school’s most successful and popular departments. She
tells one interested party that there is a “probationary period after getting accepted into the
organization. You should know that the business school has grounds to reject your acceptance
into the organization if you don’t meet all of the requirements.” She tells another interested party
that the main goal of the FSA is “networking, professional development and academic support.”
Since there is such a large amount of people who want to speak to her, I gather as much
information as I can before walking around to other tables. She speaks a lot about “getting a
good job and being your own boss” and tells one black male student “getting a good marketing
job” is one of the benefits he could earn through being in the organization. She hands an
application to each student after explaining the strict requirements of becoming a member,
including a GPA minimum, major requirement, extracurricular requirements, and the amount of
hours the organization requires and expects of its members when it comes to participating in
events.
Another popular table is the Gamma Iota Sigma table, which is being represented by a male
student, possibly of Indian descent, and an older black female. The male is wearing a light blue
button-up and dark gray slacks, with a black tie and black dress shoes. The female is around five
feet and four inches, and she is wearing a skirt just below her knees, tights, black heels, and a
blazer that is buttoned up over her chest. I notice almost every female at the event walks up to
this table to engage in conversation. A black female student and a white female student walk up
to the table together and engage in a long conversation. The male student is laid back in his
speech and makes them seem comfortable to converse with him. The white student reveals she is
interested in getting a marketing position after graduation, and the black student reveals she is
interested in finance and accounting. The spokesman for Gamma Iota Sigma talks about the
multitude of networking events they hold in order to make goals like that easily attainable. When
I speak with him, he keeps the conversation light in regards of becoming a member. He hands
me a sheet of paper with information about the organization and how to apply. The paper reads:
Our Vision: We are the International Collegiate Professional Fraternity for students pursuing
careers in Risk Management, Insurance and Actuarial Science; and are a leader in the
development and advancement of professional ideals.

4. Our Purpose:
The purpose of this fraternity is to promote, encourage, and sustain student interest in insurance,
risk management, and actuarial science as professions; to encourage the high moral and
scholastic attainments of its members; and to facilitate interaction of educational institutions and
industry through networking and by fostering research activities, scholarship, and improved
public relations.
Join/Renew:
It's easy to apply to GIS. Bring your completed application and dues ($55 new member / $35
renewal member) to Room B2111 Snead Hall. Make checks payable to Gamma Iota Sigma. For
more information, email risc@vcu.edu.
I then notice an older man with white hair and an official-looking VCU shirt enter the fair. He
walks around visiting each table and speaks to each student representing each organization. He
stops at “Association of Information Technology Professionals,” which is one table that has had
only one person of interest. He converses with them for a few minutes before walking to the FSA
table. This organization definitely seems to be the most popular with the students at the fair, as
well as within the business school. I speak to him briefly, and I recall having met him before
when I volunteered for the 2015 RISC Conference held in Snead Hall. His name is Tim Cook,
and he is the Director for the Risk and Insurance Studies Center. His contact information is:
Name: Timothy G. Cook
Title: Director for the Risk and Insurance Studies Center
Office Phone: 804-828-1486
E-mail Address: tgcook@vcu.edu
After I speak with him, the room has mostly died down. This is nearing the end of the BOSS
Fair, and a few of the tables begin to wrap their signs up and put away the information on their
tables. “Association of Information Technology Professionals” is the first to begin closing their
station down. The organization members standing behind each table are a mixture of mostly
black and white males and females, but there are some other ethnicities intermingled. The ages
differ between middle-aged and young adults. Most members look to be anywhere between 18
and 23 years of age. The younger adults seem to be friendlier and smile more with one another,
while the older adults present a more serious demeanor behind their respective tables. Overall,
the small amounts of attendees are of different races and ethnicities, and there is about a 50/50
mixture of female and male students who walked through the fair. The female students seemed
more willing to engage in conversation with the organizational members, while the males
seemed more cautious and timid as they maneuvered around the room. Most of the people I
observe are of an expected collegiate age; however, I do observe two women about 40-50 years

5. old, who attend the fair. The first one is of Hispanic or Asian descent, and she is wearing glasses
and conservative, mostly black clothing. She has an overfilled bag that keeps slipping off of her
shoulder and appears to be overflowing with papers. Her arms are also full with a binder, book
and more papers. She seems disheveled in appearance, but she is calm and collected when
speaking with “Startup VCU.” The second woman is about 40 years old and adorns a rolling bag
that looks more like a briefcase than a backpack. She walks through each side of the fair, but I
don’t observe her actually speaking to any of the organizations.