Title: Team Contract

General Information about Item:

• Genre: Customary Folklore: Rituals, Tradition

• Language: English

• Country: United States of America

Informant Data:

Alexis Wyatt, aged 21, is a Director of Ujima who joined the group her freshman fall (2014). She is a senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies and minoring in Psychology. Alexis was born, raised, and currently lives in Akron, Ohio. Before Ujima, Alexis had two years of dance experience in high school with modern, contemporary, and lyrical dance.

Raegina Hill, aged 21, is a Director of Ujima who joined the group her freshman fall (2014). She is a senior at Dartmouth College majoring in Anthropology with a concentration in Biological Anthropology and minoring in Theater. Raegina was born, raised, and currently lives in Cleveland, Ohio. Before Ujima, Raegina had six years of dance experience with hip hop, theatrical dance, high stepping, and cheer.

Contextual Data:

• Social Context: The entire team participates in the team contract drafting process. This ritual occurs at the beginning of every year, during fall term. The ritual originated approximately five years ago, and Alexis and Raegina first learned of it when they participated during their freshman fall.

• Cultural Context: Much like other groups on campus, Ujima places an emphasis on sportsmanship and good individual behavior. Ujima members all work together to create a team contract that reflects their values as an organization. Furthermore, Ujima utilizes the contract drafting process as an avenue for open communication, which establishes the deep connections that Ujima hopes to build.

Item:

Every year, Ujima drafts a contract that lays out expectations for individual and team behavior. The entire team is involved in the drafting process, which is often used as an opportunity to resolve conflict and encourage dialogue amongst team members.

Associated file (a video, audio, or image file): Video

Transcript of Associated File:

Alexis: “One thing I can think of that is definitely around now that wasn’t around when I joined are Ujima Contracts, which kind of just essentially delineate expectations and consequences when you don’t meet those expectations. We established that because we felt like if we were going to be a family, then we also had a duty to practice holding each other accountable. We weren’t about to just let people out here slide just because we all love each other, which I think was a real aspect of actual bonding. Even having the courage to really call somebody out and be like, ‘No, no, that just wasn’t right,’ or ‘No, you might have done this wrong,’ or ‘No, you’re not contributing to a positive group dynamic in the way that you might hope,’ is something that’s definitely new but something I think has paid off very, very, very well.”

Raegina: “By actually enforcing the contract that we have everyone sign, it definitely has made us more put-together in terms of shows and things like that. Everyone has been more of a unit rather than just like, ‘Oh, I dance and I do this.’ But everyone’s a lot more serious and I think that has helped us become more of a presence on campus.”

Informant’s Comments:

Although Ujima’s team contracts did not originate at the group’s founding, members recognized the need for a code of conduct and created a tradition to implement one every year.

Collector’s Comments:

Ujima’s contract drafting ritual is extremely unique in comparison to other Dartmouth groups. By emphasizing direct communication and conflict resolution, Ujima gives its members the opportunity to build deeper, familial relationships.

Collector’s Name: Marcus Reid

Compiled/Analyzed By: Shinar Jain

Tags/Keywords:

• Ritual
• Tradition
• Dance
• Team