It seems like ever since I started high school I was counting down the days until I would choose and attend a college. I am happier than ever now that I am finally here at DU. Denver is a great city and the school offers a great education. The mountains being so close are a definite plus as well. Right now I cannot believe that it is already the end of the second quarter. It seems like yesterday that I was on the lacrosse field trying to find my discoveries leader and meeting all of the kids in my first year seminar. School has flown by at an incredible rate so far.
The fact that college is flying by me is not a bad thing though. This means that I am having a great time (and doing well in my classes) and not worrying about time itself. Before I know it it will be summertime and I can live at home for a while and see all of my friends back in Chicago. When I come back next year as a sophomore, I bet the same thing will happen all over again and before I know it it will be summer. I just hope I can make the best of college, try my very hardest, and really prepare myself for the outside world, because four years is really not a very long time.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Final Portfolio
After finishing my final portfolio, it makes me realize that I did learn a substantial amount about writing in this class. My portfolio successfully showcases my work as well as the improvements that I have made from beginning to end in the course. I have learned a lot about ethos, pathos, and logos, how to use them in writing, as well as when to use them in different contexts. I also learned a lot about peer reviewing and how much more helpful it can be compared to revising a paper on your own. Overall, it was a good class and I learned a lot.
Monday, March 10, 2008
End of the quarter
The end of the quarter is always a celebratory yet stressful time on a college campus. The achievement of completing a course, hopefully getting that good grade, and starting brand new classes is a nice feeling to have. The few days at lead up to the end of a quarter, however, are not so pleasant. Staying up til 6 in the morning the night before a final because you realized you haven't exactly started reading the text book yet isn't too comforting, but after the test is over you are filled with relief and it is the greatest feeling ever.
I am especially excited for the end of this quarter because it is spring break. A week of nothing but hanging out with some good friends in warm weather is exactly what I need right now in my college life. The build up of schoolwork, the rowdy social life, and the pressure of your parents to succeed is rough enough for 10 weeks straight. And while I'm relaxing, I will have no worries because it will be a brand new, fresh start when I return to the mile high city.
I am especially excited for the end of this quarter because it is spring break. A week of nothing but hanging out with some good friends in warm weather is exactly what I need right now in my college life. The build up of schoolwork, the rowdy social life, and the pressure of your parents to succeed is rough enough for 10 weeks straight. And while I'm relaxing, I will have no worries because it will be a brand new, fresh start when I return to the mile high city.
Reflecting on this writing course
Throughout the winter quarter, I have learned a good amount writing, rhetoric, and my personal writing as well. Although I did take a rhetoric course in high school that had a lot of overlap, there were still many things I learned that I had not already known from my previous course. During this class I learned a lot more about rhetoric appeals and how they can be used effectively in different kinds of papers, whether it be a persuasive, research, or even a narrative paper. I think that now that I have a broader knowledge of rheoric and the ways it can be used successfully, I will be a better writer in general for future classes.
I also thought that the peer review activities in this class were very useful methods for revising a paper. Not only did I get feedback from my professor, but from a student as well. This was very helpful when going back to do revisions on a work in progress. Not only did I gain from this but I also learned how to review better and to look for more important things than just punctuation and grammar. I think I will be able to be a more helpful editor in the future.
Overall, although the class overlapped for me sometimes, and was a decent amount of work, it taught me useful things that I can take with me all throughout college.
I also thought that the peer review activities in this class were very useful methods for revising a paper. Not only did I get feedback from my professor, but from a student as well. This was very helpful when going back to do revisions on a work in progress. Not only did I gain from this but I also learned how to review better and to look for more important things than just punctuation and grammar. I think I will be able to be a more helpful editor in the future.
Overall, although the class overlapped for me sometimes, and was a decent amount of work, it taught me useful things that I can take with me all throughout college.
Sunday, March 9, 2008
An example of peer reviewing
Here is a letter I wrote to a fellow classmate during a peer review activity.
Overall, I felt that your proposal created a good argument and brought up valid points to back up your statements. There are some things that I have questions about, however. In the beginning of your paper you said that “promoting smoking on campus is only hurting students.” I was just wanted to know how you feel the university is promoting smoking. If you are saying this because they are not preventing it, then I think promoting is the wrong word choice. Also, I had another simple question about some of your data. You stated how many cases of cancer existed in the United States. Are these cigarette related (lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease) or just simply cancer cases? Because that makes a difference in the quality of your evidence.
I think that you did a good job presenting your argument in the first few paragraphs. You used effective facts and statistics about the danger of smoking, not only to those smoking but also those in the same environment, especially on a college campus. I also thought that your supporting data from ACS was very well used and the overall presentation of the proposal was convincing.
You also did a good job stating a very clear, well organized solution to the problem that you talked about. The example from the Riverside Community College helped to show a potential solution in a comprehendible way. It also shows that solutions to this problem are doable and have been successfully done in other places. The only thing that might be missing from your proposal is a counterargument. I think your proposal and solution are both well stated but I just wonder what the pro-smokers might say to this proposal. It might create a controversy in areas where smokers are present in large numbers.
You did state a very clear and organized solution, yet there is more than one way to overcome this problem. Another way to get rid of this unwanted smoke is to have very strict designated smoking areas. These smoking areas could be in low traffic areas of campus so if students did not want to smell smoke they could stay clear of them. Also, instead of ticketing students for smoking on campus, campus safety or even students, could have students go to the specific areas. This would create less controversy between the smokers and non-smokers if smoking were banned. This is just a suggestion for another solution on top of the one you have already formed.
I felt that the strongest part of your paper was definitely the solution. It had cited supporting evidence of success and was very well organized and presented.
Overall, I felt that your proposal created a good argument and brought up valid points to back up your statements. There are some things that I have questions about, however. In the beginning of your paper you said that “promoting smoking on campus is only hurting students.” I was just wanted to know how you feel the university is promoting smoking. If you are saying this because they are not preventing it, then I think promoting is the wrong word choice. Also, I had another simple question about some of your data. You stated how many cases of cancer existed in the United States. Are these cigarette related (lung cancer, emphysema, heart disease) or just simply cancer cases? Because that makes a difference in the quality of your evidence.
I think that you did a good job presenting your argument in the first few paragraphs. You used effective facts and statistics about the danger of smoking, not only to those smoking but also those in the same environment, especially on a college campus. I also thought that your supporting data from ACS was very well used and the overall presentation of the proposal was convincing.
You also did a good job stating a very clear, well organized solution to the problem that you talked about. The example from the Riverside Community College helped to show a potential solution in a comprehendible way. It also shows that solutions to this problem are doable and have been successfully done in other places. The only thing that might be missing from your proposal is a counterargument. I think your proposal and solution are both well stated but I just wonder what the pro-smokers might say to this proposal. It might create a controversy in areas where smokers are present in large numbers.
You did state a very clear and organized solution, yet there is more than one way to overcome this problem. Another way to get rid of this unwanted smoke is to have very strict designated smoking areas. These smoking areas could be in low traffic areas of campus so if students did not want to smell smoke they could stay clear of them. Also, instead of ticketing students for smoking on campus, campus safety or even students, could have students go to the specific areas. This would create less controversy between the smokers and non-smokers if smoking were banned. This is just a suggestion for another solution on top of the one you have already formed.
I felt that the strongest part of your paper was definitely the solution. It had cited supporting evidence of success and was very well organized and presented.
Final Letter to the Editor
This is my final letter to the editor after it had been peer reviewed and revised.
Reply to Pay to Use I-70 at Peaks?
Jan. 25, 2008
The idea that cars should pay 5 to 12 dollars per drive on I-70 makes me furious because gas is already very expensive right now. I feel that this article’s attempt to appeal to the emotions of commuters is unsuccessful and would only create more angry drivers on the road. People will still go to the mountains, however now the heavy traffic will either be at a different time of day to avoid tolls, or the traffic pattern will not change yet people will be angrier. I do not think this is a good idea whatsoever, and I become heated inside thinking about paying more money to snowboard.
The counter argument is an idea I am in favor of. Using the toll money to create a free bus service to the mountains seems like a good compromise; on the contrary, unless there were stops close enough to me, I feel the positives of a shuttle would not outweigh the convenience of driving. This ecological carpool system is said to have bus-only express lanes, yet with tunnels and narrow mountain sides, tax-payers would only be throwing out more money on top of the initial 5 to 12 dollar fee. The article compares this problem to I-25, stating, “South I-25's traffic patterns allowed the Colorado Department of Transportation to relieve congestion by adding new lanes and a light rail line with the T-REX project.” I-70 on the other hand is a much more difficult task to manage. This article intended for people to agree with them, however it had an opposite effect on me.
Reply to Pay to Use I-70 at Peaks?
Jan. 25, 2008
The idea that cars should pay 5 to 12 dollars per drive on I-70 makes me furious because gas is already very expensive right now. I feel that this article’s attempt to appeal to the emotions of commuters is unsuccessful and would only create more angry drivers on the road. People will still go to the mountains, however now the heavy traffic will either be at a different time of day to avoid tolls, or the traffic pattern will not change yet people will be angrier. I do not think this is a good idea whatsoever, and I become heated inside thinking about paying more money to snowboard.
The counter argument is an idea I am in favor of. Using the toll money to create a free bus service to the mountains seems like a good compromise; on the contrary, unless there were stops close enough to me, I feel the positives of a shuttle would not outweigh the convenience of driving. This ecological carpool system is said to have bus-only express lanes, yet with tunnels and narrow mountain sides, tax-payers would only be throwing out more money on top of the initial 5 to 12 dollar fee. The article compares this problem to I-25, stating, “South I-25's traffic patterns allowed the Colorado Department of Transportation to relieve congestion by adding new lanes and a light rail line with the T-REX project.” I-70 on the other hand is a much more difficult task to manage. This article intended for people to agree with them, however it had an opposite effect on me.
A proposal to influence recycling at DU
Reduce, Reuse, Compost
Over the years in America, recycling programs have become more popular as they pop up all over the country. EVIDENCE. The material being reused in recycling programs accounts for 32.5 percent of the total amount of waste that the country produces. In 1999, 64 million tons of waste was prevented from ending up in landfills and incinerators (Recycling: Municipal). This is an amazing number to think about, and it has only risen in the past 9 years as recycling gains popularity. Recycling is a very important thing to have in every society because it results in less waste being produced, less money going towards produces new recyclable materials, and helps the environment as well. One community that is lacking a good recycling program is the University of Denver campus. Although they do have recycling bins on the first floor of most dorms and next to news paper machines and that sort of thing, it is still in need of great improvement.
Although part of the waste problem on college campuses is due to the laziness of the student body, an increase in the quality of the program would show people the importance of recycling and hopefully persuade them to become involved with the program. My proposal for a new recycling system/program at the University of Denver is targeted towards all students on and off the campus and also the people who run the University and/or are in charge of the program itself. With a team of both students and administers combined and a lot of support from the campus, an effective recycling system would not be something out of reach for the university.
My first specific proposal for the new recycling system is to have readily available recycling bins both in the dorms and around campus. The dorm that I currently live in has attempted to make the shift towards having a good recycling system, yet they aren’t quite there yet. When I go downstairs and walk past the trash bins on the first floor of my dorm (10 floors in all), they are piled high with not only garbage but also an abundance of materials that could be recycled and reused for future production. In my opinion, and many students’ opinions alike, this is a very big problem that has potential to be fixed within reasonable cost and effort. This trash can example is partially a result of student laziness, yet it is also a result of the University’s laziness as well. It would not be that expensive to put both garbage cans and recycling bins in every hall of each floor of the dorms, and the outcome would probably be much greater than the recycling bins downstairs. I believe that the main reason students do not recycle is because of the effort that it takes. Each person is given one trash can and not many students are very inclined to separate all of their trash and recycling into two bins so that they can walk all the way downstairs to put them into the correct bins. If there were bins on each floor I believe that students would be more likely to use the available services. I personally would get involved with the recycling system if all I had to do was take my bottle down the hall and toss it in a bin.
The proposal I have just discussed is focused on the dorms of the University, however, I think it would be great to get this system, or one similar to it, to be in full effect campus-wide. The campus would be a much more environmentally friendly place if next to every trash can all across campus they also had a recycling can. Some companies even produce garbage cans that have two separate flaps, one for recyclable materials and one for waste, which would not change the look of the campus very much. The University does do this in some ways already, such as having paper recycling bins next to the newspaper stands so people do not throw away unwanted paper. This is how it should be all over campus though, not just near a place where recyclable materials are highly available.
The second proposal that I have is targeted towards the involvement and support of students along with the cafeteria and dining hall services of DU. I think that they should create a compost system in the dining halls and cafeterias in all of the dormitories on campus. This would not only need to be created by the University and/or the food companies such as Sodexho, yet student support would need to be at a high level for it to work. Everyday there is an absolutely ridiculous amount of food that is left on trays, brought into the kitchen, and simply thrown away. This food could be reused and could be of great value to the environment and maybe even to the University. In Colorado Springs, Colorado College has a similar compost system to the one I am proposing to the University. In the dining hall, any food that has not touched meat can be scraped off of a plate and placed into a compost bin. This bin is then composted and when ready, given to local farmers to be used for growing on their farms. In return, Colorado College visibly sees these benefits by receiving fresh fruit and vegetables from the farms that they give the composted soil to. EVIDENCE.
This would not be a very hard system to implement at the University of Denver and along with it would come excellent benefits. The first benefit would be a low amount of wasted food. Wasting food is never a good thing and with a system like this, at least the things that are not eaten will be put towards another positive result. The second benefit would be that the composting system would create less work for the dining hall employees. If students involved themselves in the food recycling system, the dishes would not be as dirty, benefiting the people who wash the students’ dishes each day. Another benefit would be the healthy fruits and vegetables that the students can eat in the cafeteria. There may not be many local farmers nearby in Denver; however it would still not be very expensive to transport the composted soil to a farm in Colorado that could benefit from it. As a result of donating this rich soil to farmers, the cafeteria food would be healthier, more appealing, and would have a wider variety to choose from. Overall, the benefits of this proposed composting system would be very substantial and very visible to the campus.
As talked about before, this compost system would not be very difficult to organize and create on the University of Denver campus. In fact, a group of students have already started to gain support of students for this type of system. The Environmental Awareness Learning Living Community has decided to try and start a composting program in the cafeterias on campus. So far they have been surveying students about what they know about composting, how they feel about it, and whether they would be willing to take part in such a system. I was personally surveyed in the Centennial Halls cafeteria and have seen them around surveying other students as well. Ultimately the surveying is creating awareness among the student body, because without support from the students in the dining halls, the system would be pointless. The eager LLC hopes to get a compost system up and running as soon as possible at DU. This example of students supporting composting really shows how student involvement can create change on a campus when the University is not doing things right. If the student body learns more about this potential program and agrees with the concept, I would expect a system like this to launch in the near future as long as the University supports it too.
In conclusion, I feel that the University of Denver really needs to change its current system regarding recycling. Students would definitely recycle more if there were recycling bins on every floor of the dorms and all over campus. I think if the students were informed about the concept and benefits of a composting system they would be eager to participate in that as well. The possibilities for transforming the campus into a better, environmentally friendly place are endless, yet I think the two proposals I have discussed are very achievable in an easy, cost-friendly way that will be supported by students. Hopefully in the future there will be recycling programs and composting systems campus-wide, but for now, all we can do is inform people of the ideas that could be accomplished and the benefits that would come with them.
Over the years in America, recycling programs have become more popular as they pop up all over the country. EVIDENCE. The material being reused in recycling programs accounts for 32.5 percent of the total amount of waste that the country produces. In 1999, 64 million tons of waste was prevented from ending up in landfills and incinerators (Recycling: Municipal). This is an amazing number to think about, and it has only risen in the past 9 years as recycling gains popularity. Recycling is a very important thing to have in every society because it results in less waste being produced, less money going towards produces new recyclable materials, and helps the environment as well. One community that is lacking a good recycling program is the University of Denver campus. Although they do have recycling bins on the first floor of most dorms and next to news paper machines and that sort of thing, it is still in need of great improvement.
Although part of the waste problem on college campuses is due to the laziness of the student body, an increase in the quality of the program would show people the importance of recycling and hopefully persuade them to become involved with the program. My proposal for a new recycling system/program at the University of Denver is targeted towards all students on and off the campus and also the people who run the University and/or are in charge of the program itself. With a team of both students and administers combined and a lot of support from the campus, an effective recycling system would not be something out of reach for the university.
My first specific proposal for the new recycling system is to have readily available recycling bins both in the dorms and around campus. The dorm that I currently live in has attempted to make the shift towards having a good recycling system, yet they aren’t quite there yet. When I go downstairs and walk past the trash bins on the first floor of my dorm (10 floors in all), they are piled high with not only garbage but also an abundance of materials that could be recycled and reused for future production. In my opinion, and many students’ opinions alike, this is a very big problem that has potential to be fixed within reasonable cost and effort. This trash can example is partially a result of student laziness, yet it is also a result of the University’s laziness as well. It would not be that expensive to put both garbage cans and recycling bins in every hall of each floor of the dorms, and the outcome would probably be much greater than the recycling bins downstairs. I believe that the main reason students do not recycle is because of the effort that it takes. Each person is given one trash can and not many students are very inclined to separate all of their trash and recycling into two bins so that they can walk all the way downstairs to put them into the correct bins. If there were bins on each floor I believe that students would be more likely to use the available services. I personally would get involved with the recycling system if all I had to do was take my bottle down the hall and toss it in a bin.
The proposal I have just discussed is focused on the dorms of the University, however, I think it would be great to get this system, or one similar to it, to be in full effect campus-wide. The campus would be a much more environmentally friendly place if next to every trash can all across campus they also had a recycling can. Some companies even produce garbage cans that have two separate flaps, one for recyclable materials and one for waste, which would not change the look of the campus very much. The University does do this in some ways already, such as having paper recycling bins next to the newspaper stands so people do not throw away unwanted paper. This is how it should be all over campus though, not just near a place where recyclable materials are highly available.
The second proposal that I have is targeted towards the involvement and support of students along with the cafeteria and dining hall services of DU. I think that they should create a compost system in the dining halls and cafeterias in all of the dormitories on campus. This would not only need to be created by the University and/or the food companies such as Sodexho, yet student support would need to be at a high level for it to work. Everyday there is an absolutely ridiculous amount of food that is left on trays, brought into the kitchen, and simply thrown away. This food could be reused and could be of great value to the environment and maybe even to the University. In Colorado Springs, Colorado College has a similar compost system to the one I am proposing to the University. In the dining hall, any food that has not touched meat can be scraped off of a plate and placed into a compost bin. This bin is then composted and when ready, given to local farmers to be used for growing on their farms. In return, Colorado College visibly sees these benefits by receiving fresh fruit and vegetables from the farms that they give the composted soil to. EVIDENCE.
This would not be a very hard system to implement at the University of Denver and along with it would come excellent benefits. The first benefit would be a low amount of wasted food. Wasting food is never a good thing and with a system like this, at least the things that are not eaten will be put towards another positive result. The second benefit would be that the composting system would create less work for the dining hall employees. If students involved themselves in the food recycling system, the dishes would not be as dirty, benefiting the people who wash the students’ dishes each day. Another benefit would be the healthy fruits and vegetables that the students can eat in the cafeteria. There may not be many local farmers nearby in Denver; however it would still not be very expensive to transport the composted soil to a farm in Colorado that could benefit from it. As a result of donating this rich soil to farmers, the cafeteria food would be healthier, more appealing, and would have a wider variety to choose from. Overall, the benefits of this proposed composting system would be very substantial and very visible to the campus.
As talked about before, this compost system would not be very difficult to organize and create on the University of Denver campus. In fact, a group of students have already started to gain support of students for this type of system. The Environmental Awareness Learning Living Community has decided to try and start a composting program in the cafeterias on campus. So far they have been surveying students about what they know about composting, how they feel about it, and whether they would be willing to take part in such a system. I was personally surveyed in the Centennial Halls cafeteria and have seen them around surveying other students as well. Ultimately the surveying is creating awareness among the student body, because without support from the students in the dining halls, the system would be pointless. The eager LLC hopes to get a compost system up and running as soon as possible at DU. This example of students supporting composting really shows how student involvement can create change on a campus when the University is not doing things right. If the student body learns more about this potential program and agrees with the concept, I would expect a system like this to launch in the near future as long as the University supports it too.
In conclusion, I feel that the University of Denver really needs to change its current system regarding recycling. Students would definitely recycle more if there were recycling bins on every floor of the dorms and all over campus. I think if the students were informed about the concept and benefits of a composting system they would be eager to participate in that as well. The possibilities for transforming the campus into a better, environmentally friendly place are endless, yet I think the two proposals I have discussed are very achievable in an easy, cost-friendly way that will be supported by students. Hopefully in the future there will be recycling programs and composting systems campus-wide, but for now, all we can do is inform people of the ideas that could be accomplished and the benefits that would come with them.
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