Advocacy Analysis - powerpoint presentation prepared. This is the abridged version of the powerpoint:

The Stimulus Package
$600,000 on each job?

Does this make sense?

Alan Reynolds wrote an article in The Wall Street Journal, taking aim at this legislation: “Spending $214.5 billion to create or save 330,400 government jobs implies that taxpayers are being asked to spend $646,214 per job” (January, 2009).

He then asks a rhetorical question: “Does that make sense?” Indeed, it does not. Noble intentions vanished in the midst of the government’s obscene expenditures.

People have lost their jobs and are now losing their homes to foreclosure all because of greed and gross overspending.


We are a country drowning in debt yet our government leaders continue to spend money they simply do not have.




With great bravado, the government has engaged in a do as I say and not as I do-type of attitude.

Funding was squandered in grotesque and insincere ways on wasteful projects that were surreptitiously placed on the bill at the last minute by greedy politicians.


Perhaps the public would feel better about the stimulus package if it were not so furtive. Secretive meetings were held behind closed doors of senators and representatives as the bill was being tinkered with.

Later, they appeared on the evening news desperately trying to appear diaphanous and charitable to gain public support for their own hidden agendas.

There was nothing transparent about the process, nor the host of special favors being written in the bill at the eleventh hour.

Final Draft Big Idea Proposal

BIG IDEA PROPOSAL

Michelle Kuecks
Rowland Solano
Renee Ali-Samhoul

Purpose:
The aim of this project is to expand the existing Career Development Department at Nova Southeastern University. The goal of this project is to create a team whose one and only job is to find Nova students a job. Unlike a bi-annual job fair or computerized job search, this program will be proactive and ongoing. Nova’s expanded staff of recruiters will go into the community continuously marketing students. Rather than wait every six months to bring employers on campus, this program will maintain contact with employers so that when a position opens up, the employer will turn to Nova students first. In light of the recent severe downturn in the economy and high unemployment rate, students have an urgent need to find a job after graduation. This program is innovative: no other private or public university in South Florida has a staff devoted solely to recruit the recruiters.

Currently, the Career Development Faculty is limited to assisting students in writing resumes, preparing for job interviews, and directing students to library resources dealing with career planning. These functions serve students, but Nova can do more. The new program will also serve all senior and graduating students by targeting each academic major. This is a critical distinction from a traditional job fair or employment website, which will bring a handful of jobs in some majors while others are virtually neglected.

Students will be notified of job openings through email in accordance with their chosen major and college. Currently, certain majors such as accounting, business administration, economics, and education are well represented at job fairs and on job placement websites. But the downside is that many of Nova’s graduates whose degrees are from very successful colleges within the university are either underrepresented or not represented at all. By having a recruiter assigned to each college, this program is inclusive of all colleges. Job placement should be as diverse as Nova’s areas of study. Each degree should translate into a career. This approach is novel, but simple.

Timeline:
The amount of time necessary to implement this program will take up to one year. In order to establish this program three phases will need to be accomplished. During the first phase, a staff will need to be hired to carry out the functions of employment recruiting. It is estimated that this process could take up to three months to complete. Once the staff is in place, phase two will begin which involves obtaining approval from University Officials for funding this initiative, and creating general objectives and policies to run the program. Contemporaneously, a marketing campaign will begin on campus to student groups, college/major representatives, and academic societies. This process will take approximately three months. Finally, during stage three of the project, the actual recruitment of prospective employers will take place. Initially this function will take six months to get up and running. Thereafter, the employer recruiting process will be on-going in order to achieve success of the program.

Publicity/Engagement Plan:
In order to engage the student body, the program will send students emails to advise them that certain employers are going to be on campus and to advertise job openings. The goal will be to advise each and every student within the Nova student body of job openings that are relevant to a student’s interests and academic major. The email notification will take place according to the student’s major, department, club, organization, interest, and/or academic society.

Students may also register their prospective job interest with the office of Career Development.
Through an email notification system, students will be matched with relevant employment opportunities. It will bridge the gap between students and employers. This program will be a great improvement over existing Career Fairs on campus by bringing in a wider range of employers from a variety of companies and connecting jobs with students. The goal of the program will be to match students to employers on campus.

Another unique aspect of this program would be to utilize empty classrooms for employers to conduct job interviews on campus. Once a student has been notified of a prospective job, the employer will screen students and select students for an on-campus interview. Students will be notified through the email system of the time, date and place of the interview.

Itemized Budget:
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
COST
Staff
Director’s Salary
Program Supervisor (1)
Program Coordinators (3)
Department Employer Relations Advisors(8)
(Representative for Each College)
Secretary (1)
IT Personnel (1)
Trainer (1)
Subtotal in Annual Salaries:
$550,000.00
Marketing
Advertising
$50,000.00
TOTAL
$600,000.00

Partnering Individuals, Groups, Etc.:
Another means of reaching students will be to utilize existing groups on campus to advise students of employment opportunities. The groups will receive emails notifying the student members of potential employment opportunities within an area of interest, group, club, or academic society. As an example, the Pre-Med Society will be notified of potential employment opportunities with a hospital, medical center, or physician-related job recruiter. Relevant jobs will be matched with students interested in that field or profession.

Matching Funds:
Various fundraisers shall take place by the groups and/or academic societies whose students will benefit from this program. One example of a potential fundraiser is to hold a “Dollar Auction” wherein items are placed up for bid for $1.00, and the person with the final bid is the winner. If Nova’s Criminal Justice Club wishes to participate in the Employment services, then they would be required to raise funds to help forward this initiative.

Another source of funding would be to apply for Federal Funding through the “Stimulus Package” a/k/a H.R. 5140, by seeking funds to assist individuals in obtaining Eco-Friendly jobs that have been funded. This approach will allow Nova Southeastern University to become a premier academic institution assisting students in obtaining “Green” that are jobs that are good for the environment.

Funding may also be achieved through a grant awarded in September, 2008 to Academic Services from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $575,000. While plans to implement this grant may be well underway, this proposal captures an urgent need given today’s increasingly difficult economy: Nova Students need jobs. This university stands nothing to gain by having a high unemployment rate amongst its graduates. Setting this proposed program into motion may not only appeal to students, but parents. Parents who are contemplating which university to select for their child may select the school that is more likely to lead to gainful employment following graduation. Accordingly, this proposal serves as a significant aid to place Nova graduates out in front of a virtual sea of job applicants. Nearly every school in South Florida has a job link website and a job fair. Nova has the potential to do much more.

Annotated Bibliography
Michelle Kuecks
COMP 2000
March 17, 2009

Mahaffy, M. (2006). Encouraging critical thinking in student library research: An application of national standards. College Teaching, 54:4, 324-328.

In this article, the author represents that professors are critical of students who use web-related research as the sole source of information to write papers. Mahaffy takes a different approach at improving the quality of students’ papers by guiding the assignment to exclude web references. His goal is to generate critical thinking as opposed to great web research skills.

Walsh, B. (2008). Stories and their sources: the need for historical thinking in an information age. Teaching History, 133, 4-10.

This article zooms in on the issue of internet research by making a profound statement “But information is not the same as education.” His whole point is that students need to develop critical thinking and that simply plugging in a few words into a search engine short-circuits the educational process. Another important point that Walsh makes is that students like technology because of its social networking appeal, and that teachers must embrace the internet’s magnetism. Finally, the article highlights a Google versus traditional academic journal research assignment that demonstrated a significant omission from the Google research.

Haglund, L. & Olsson, P. (2008). The impact on university libraries of changes in information behavior among academic researchers: a multiple case study. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 34: 1, 52-59, Karolinska Institutet.

Haglund and Olsson’s article reports on the study of researchers at three colleges in Sweden. The aim of the study was to observe research techniques used at the libraries and to measure the extent to which the students utilized librarians. Once observation was completed, the results showed that most students perceived electronic resources provided through the library to be complicated. By contrast, the observations revealed that the research done through Google is easy. In the end, the study pointed out that the library staff needs to present research databases and resources simply, in a user-friendly fashion, and on an individualized basis.

Weiner, S. (2009). The contribution of the library to the reputation of a university. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 35:1, 3-13.

Weiner’s paper sought out to examine the need for university libraries. He posits the existence of a physical library when an increasing amount of research available on the web from remote locations anywhere. His method was to compare the reputations of various universities who had well-funded libraries. According to Weiner, the library enhanced the university’s reputation and perception of academic success as a whole. His methodology was short on credibility because his data was solely limited to peer reputation.

Willoughby, T., Anderson, S., Wood, E., Mueller, J. & Ross, C. (2009). Fast searching for information on the internet to use in a learning context: the impact of domain knowledge. Computers & Education, 52:3, 640-648.

This study sought out to scientifically measure the research process of two control groups who received the same essay assignment. One group had “high domain knowledge”, the other did not. The results of this study pointed out that providing 30 minutes to conduct internet searches did not correlate to a better quality essay. This study raises more questions than it provides answers. Perhaps the most fundamental issue involves the amount of time given to complete research: 30 minutes. If the amount of time to research was greater, the quality of the essay may have been affected more.

Robinson, A. & Schlegl, K. (2005). Student use of the internet for research projects: A problem? Our problem? What can we do about it? Political Science & Politics, 38:2, 311.

The results of a three group student study are revealed in this article pertaining to how scholarly undergrad students conduct internet research. Specifically, the student’s bibliographies were examined and measured for “scholarly” content. While the working definition of “scholarly” internet resources is noticeably absent, the surprising result of this study indicates that 70% of the sources cited by students were “not inappropriate for academic research”.

Laurence, H. & Miller, W. (2000). Academic research on the internt.: Options for scholars and libraries. New York: Hayworth Information Press.

Although a great deal of this book is devoted to the first time internet user, there are some helpful research hints and useful databases that are discussed. Each chapter has a theme and is chock full of databases and websites so that a researcher knows where to go for substantive information.

Hewson, C., Yule, P., Laurent, D. & Vogel, C. (2003). Internet research methods: A practical guide for the social and behavioural sciences. London: Sage Publications.

For the clinical researcher who wants a how-to explanation of how to conduct surveys online to gather empirical data, this book offers significant information. However, the content of the book is limited to methodology of internet survey research and nothing more.

Heil, D. (2005). The internet and student research: teaching critical evaluation skills. Teacher Librarian, 33:2.

This article examines the role of critical evaluation skills to conduct research online sources to write college papers. While the point is well taken that not all internet sites are credible sources of information, one cannot escape the overwhelming insecurity from this librarian-author. Her biggest complaint seems to be that the bookshelves are quiet and the computers loud with activity.

Carlson, S. (2004). Here today, gone tomorrow: Studying how online footnotes vanish. The Chronicle of Higher Education, 50:4, A 33.

Although brief, this article heeds caution to researchers that “the internet is an unstable, fluid medium, unsuitable for the long-term archiving needs of academe”. The point is that by the time the research study is completed, 40 percent of the sources relied upon from the internet have vanished. For researchers, this is a credibility and reliability nightmare.

Hernandez, G. (2004). Find it online: The complete guide to online research. Technical Communication, 51:1, 150-153.

While this article offers tips on how to search the internet efficiently, it is hardly complete and is not particularly “scholarly”. Nevertheless, it describes how to finesse search queries to return relevant information on the internet.

Savolainen, R. (2006). User-defined relevance criteria in web searching. Journal of Documentation, 62:6, 685-691.

This paper presents a very thorough qualitative and quantitative analysis of how people search the web. The conclusion was that people pretty much stick to a narrow list of words to search on the web.

Kleine, M. (1987). What is it we do when we write articles like this one – and how can we get students to join us? The Writing Instructor, 6:Spring/Summer, 151-161.

Written from a professor’s point of view, this article explores much more than a typical research study. The main point that the author conveys is that most libraries (especially on Sunday night) are full of students busy copying, quoting, and in essence borrowing other’s ideas to cite in their paper. He too admits that to an extent he digressed to the same freshman-like habit of copying other’s work and injecting it into the body of a research paper as if there was a sense of ownership. To Kleine, research is about coming up with an idea and giving it one’s own thoughtful perspective, thinking independently, and being passionate during the process. As he reports the findings of the eight professors that he studied, Kleine encourages students to have a sense of self discovery and connection with their research paper.
University of California Los Angeles (2009, January 29). Is Technology Producing A Decline In Critical Thinking And Analysis?. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 20, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2009/01/090128092341.htm

This magazine article reports that critical thinking skills have declined since society has become more dependent on technology. One of the reasons cited for this decline is multitasking through the use of high tech devices such as PDA’s and laptop computers.

Fister, B. (1993). Teaching the rhetorical dimensions of research. Research Strategies, 11:4, 211-219.

Fister points out that when research is conducted through plugging in search queries, the process is reduced to cutting and pasting, and that little thought process is employed. Rather than to be efficient at finding and retrieving information, Fister advocates for librarians to teach student how to interpret research, employ unique perspective to existing ideas, and to construct an individualized experience.

Woodward, J. (1999). Writing research papers: Investigating resources in cyberspace. Lincolnwood, IL: Contemporary Publishing Group.

This book reviews how to determine if a source listed on the web is scholarly and worthy of using in a research paper. It explores how search engines work, how to tell a commercial website from a government-based one, and how to tell who the owner and/or originator of the website. It gives a host of websites and suggests turning to them for various subject queries, but it really overlooks how fluid information is on the web today.

Ballenger, B. (2003). The curious researcher: A guide to writing research papers. New York: Longman.

Ballenger walks a student through, step by step and week by week, through a research assignment. Much of the book is devoted to the importance of time management when completing research assignments. Another area of focus concerns critical thinking: analysis of the hypothesis, on a continuous basis throughout the book. This approach is a little bit elementary, but from an organizational perspective, it guides a first time writer very well.

Michelle Kuecks
Citation Exercise
COMP 2000
March 17, 2009

Getting directions has never been so easy. Computer mapping programs like Mapster and Google use high-tech mapping programs which make traditional maps come to life. As the name suggests, the process blending maps with more tangible data is called mapping mashups. Mapping mashups provide a greater understanding of where one is going by providing details, actual photos, and manipulatives. As described on the Educause Learning Initiative website, “Mapping mashups provide a means for placing data and class lessons into a physical context” (2006). Through mapping mashups, a map is no longer one-dimensional, flat and inflexible. Mashups identify landmarks, import satellite images, and in general give visual aids to literally show the way.

While some embrace technological advances to mapping, others caution that maps are over-manipulated by user-friendly mapping programs. One concern is that mapping mashups create individualized maps with too much information; glossing over basic directions (Ratliff, 2007). David Weinberger also found that “As soon as you leave the latitude/longitude substrate, you get lost in the ambiguous jumble of meaning”(Ratliff, 2007 citing Weinberger). At the end of the day, directions still need to cover the basics such as north, south, east and west.

While the previous works discuss varying views regarding map preparation, computerized mapping programs, and advances in technology, in the end they all assist the traveler. Drew (2001) discusses geography, cartography, and the concept of being a traveler as it relates to teaching composition in the classroom. At first blush, mapping and composition seem unrelated. But to understand the connection, one must think in terms of physical place expressed on a map, and how the writer is greatly influenced by the space in which he writes. Drew refers this as “The Politics of Place”.

Another way of viewing the relationship between a writer and the space in which he writes is to describe it as a “community” (Miller, 1979). The author’s point is that a writer should not isolate himself in the classroom. To Miller, a writer should form connection to his community. While the objective may be for a teacher to teach students to use proper grammar, sentence structure, and technique, those are technicalities. Miller advocates engaging in writing to form a bond with one’s community well outside of the classroom.

References:

Drew, J. (2001). The Politics of Place. In Dobrin, S. & Weisser, C. (Eds.) Ecocomposition: theoretical and pedagogical approaches. (pp. 58) New York: State University of New York Press.

Mapping mashups. (July, 2006). Educause Web Page. Retrieved March 16, 2009, from http://net.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/ELI7016.pdf

Ratliff, E. (2007). Google maps is changing the way we see the world. Wired Magazine, 15:07. Retrieved from the web March 16, 2009 from http://www.wired.com-/techbiz/it/magazine/15-07/ff_maps?currentPage=all

Miller, C. (1979). A humanistic rationale for technical writing. College English, 40:6. pp. 617.

Big Idea

BIG IDEA PROPOSALMichelle Kuecks
Rowland Solano
Renee Ali-Samhoul

Purpose:
The aim of this project is to expand the existing Career Development Department at Nova Southeastern University to provide job placement services. In light of the recent severe downturn in the economy, and strained job market, the need for students to find a job has become even more urgent. Specifically, the goal of this Big Idea Proposal is to create a staff whose one and only job is to reach out to employers and bring them on campus directly to the students. This approach will be innovative and offer students much more than surrounding universities in this area.
Currently, the Career Development Faculty is limited to assisting students in writing resumes, preparing for job interviews, and directing students to library resources dealing with career planning. This Proposal seeks to add job placement in addition to resume and interview services. In essence, goal will be to recruit recruiters. By expanding the Career Development Department, Nova students will have a significant edge over other competing students by having local, state and national employers turn to Nova students first to fill open positions.
Unlike Nova’s bi-annual Career Fair, the new program will link employers with students on a continuous basis. Unfortunately in January of 2009 unemployment in Florida reached a 16-year high (U.S. Department of Labor). Jobs have become scarce. Students can no longer wait for a Career Fair to take place. Students need year-round job placement services. With unemployment reaching a record high, the time to be proactive is now. It is not suffice to list jobs on a website like CareerShark. Nova students need to land an interview and be out in front of the pack for the shrinking number of available jobs. This will require an immediate extension of the Career Development Program.
High unemployment amongst Nova graduates could create a significant public relations issue. Conversely, Nova can bolster their reputation and separate themselves from competing universities through a high rate of employment.
Another unique aspect of this proposed program is to communicate with students on a frequent basis. The objective would be for the university to reach out to the students through email alerts. The system would be similar to email reminders from the registrar’s office when tuition is due. Through cross-referencing a student’s major and status of degree completion, the student would be notified when an employer is on campus for interviews. Students whose academic major is relevant to the job position would be notified each time a job opportunity opened up. Additionally, clubs, organizations, and societies would be notified when employers had positions to fill.
Timeline:
The amount of time necessary to implement this program will take up to one year. In order to establish this program three phases will need to be accomplished. During the first phase, a staff will need to be hired to carry out the functions of employment recruiting. It is estimated that this process could take up to six months to complete. Once the staff is in place, phase two will begin which involves obtaining approval from University Officials for fund raising plans, general objectives and policies to run the program. An estimate of three months will be necessary to achieve the tasks in phase two. Finally, during stage three of the project, the actual recruitment of prospective employers will take place. This process will be on-going in order to achieve success of the program.

Publicity/Engagement Plan:
In order to engage the entire student body, the program will send students emails to advise them that certain employers are going to be on campus and to advertise job openings. The goal will be to advise each and every student within the Nova student body of job openings that are relevant to a student’s interests and academic major. The email notification will take place according to the student’s major, department, club, organization, interest, and/or academic society.
Students may also register their prospective job interest with the office of Career Development. Through an email notification system, students will be matched with relevant employment opportunities. It will bridge the gap between students and employers. This program will be a great improvement over existing Career Fairs on campus by bringing in a wider range of employers from a variety of companies and connecting jobs with students. The goal of the program will be to motivate students to reach out to potential employers who offer employment in careers that students are interested in.
Another unique aspect of this program would be to utilize empty classrooms for employers to conduct job interviews on campus. Once a student has been notified of a prospective job, the employer will screen students and select students for an on-campus interview. Students will be notified through the email system of the time, date and place of the interview.
Itemized Budget:
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
COST
Staff
Director’s Salary
Program Supervisor (1)
Program Coordinators (3)
Department Employer Relations Advisors(8)
(Representative for Each College)
Secretary (1)
IT Personnel (1)
Trainer (1)





Subtotal in Annual Salaries:
$550,000.00
Marketing
Advertising
$50,000.00

TOTAL
$600,000.00


Partnering Individuals, Groups, Etc.:
As another means of reaching students, this program will utilize existing groups on campus to advise students of employment opportunities. The groups will receive emails notifying the student members of potential employment opportunities within an area of interest, group, club, or academic society. As an example, the Pre-Med Society will be notified of potential employment opportunities with a hospital, medical center, or physician-related job recruiter. Relevant jobs will be matched with students interested in that field or profession.

Matching Funds:
Various fundraisers shall take place by the groups and/or academic societies whose students will benefit from this program. One example of a potential fundraiser is to hold a “Dollar Auction” wherein items are placed up for bid for $1.00, and the person with the final bid is the winner. If Nova’s Criminal Justice Club wishes to participate in the Employment services, then they would be required to raise funds to help forward this initiative.
Another source of funding would be to apply for Federal Funding through the “Stimulus Package” a/k/a H.R. 5140, by seeking funds to assist individuals in obtaining Eco-Friendly jobs that have been funded. This approach will allow Nova Southeastern University to become a premier academic institution assisting students in obtaining “Green” that are jobs that are good for the environment.
Funding may also be achieved through a grant awarded in September, 2008 to Academic Services from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $575,000. While plans to implement this grant may be well underway, this proposal captures the best possible “academic service” – finding a job. In sum, this proposal seeks to place students who graduate from Nova out in front of a virtual sea of job applicants.

Big Idea

BIG IDEA PROPOSAL

Michelle Kuecks
Rowland Solano
Renee Ali-Samhoul

Purpose:
The aim of this project is to expand the existing Career Development Department at Nova Southeastern University to provide job placement services. In light of the recent severe downturn in the economy, and strained job market, the need for students to find a job has become even more urgent. Specifically, the goal of this Big Idea Proposal is to create a staff whose one and only job is to reach out to employers and bring them on campus directly to the students. This approach will be innovative and offer students much more than surrounding universities in this area.

Currently, the Career Development Faculty is limited to assisting students in writing resumes, preparing for job interviews, and directing students to library resources dealing with career planning. This Proposal seeks to add job placement in addition to resume and interview services. In essence, goal will be to recruit recruiters. By expanding the Career Development Department, Nova students will have a significant edge over other competing students by having local, state and national employers turn to Nova students first to fill open positions.

Unlike Nova’s bi-annual Career Fair, the new program will link employers with students on a continuous basis. Unfortunately in January of 2009 unemployment in Florida reached a 16-year high (U.S. Department of Labor). Jobs have become scarce. Students can no longer wait for a Career Fair to take place. Students need year-round job placement services. With unemployment reaching a record high, the time to be proactive is now. It is not suffice to list jobs on a website like CareerShark. Nova students need to land an interview and be out in front of the pack for the shrinking number of available jobs. This will require an immediate extension of the Career Development Program.

High unemployment amongst Nova graduates could create a significant public relations issue. Conversely, Nova can bolster their reputation and separate themselves from competing universities through a high rate of employment.
Another unique aspect of this proposed program is to communicate with students on a frequent basis. The objective would be for the university to reach out to the students through email alerts. The system would be similar to email reminders from the registrar’s office when tuition is due. Through cross-referencing a student’s major and status of degree completion, the student would be notified when an employer is on campus for interviews. Students whose academic major is relevant to the job position would be notified each time a job opportunity opened up. Additionally, clubs, organizations, and societies would be notified when employers had positions to fill.

Timeline:
The amount of time necessary to implement this program will take up to one year. In order to establish this program three phases will need to be accomplished. During the first phase, a staff will need to be hired to carry out the functions of employment recruiting. It is estimated that this process could take up to six months to complete. Once the staff is in place, phase two will begin which involves obtaining approval from University Officials for fund raising plans, general objectives and policies to run the program. An estimate of three months will be necessary to achieve the tasks in phase two. Finally, during stage three of the project, the actual recruitment of prospective employers will take place. This process will be on-going in order to achieve success of the program.

Publicity/Engagement Plan:
In order to engage the entire student body, the program will send students emails to advise them that certain employers are going to be on campus and to advertise job openings. The goal will be to advise each and every student within the Nova student body of job openings that are relevant to a student’s interests and academic major. The email notification will take place according to the student’s major, department, club, organization, interest, and/or academic society.

Students may also register their prospective job interest with the office of Career Development. Through an email notification system, students will be matched with relevant employment opportunities. It will bridge the gap between students and employers. This program will be a great improvement over existing Career Fairs on campus by bringing in a wider range of employers from a variety of companies and connecting jobs with students. The goal of the program will be to motivate students to reach out to potential employers who offer employment in careers that students are interested in.

Another unique aspect of this program would be to utilize empty classrooms for employers to conduct job interviews on campus. Once a student has been notified of a prospective job, the employer will screen students and select students for an on-campus interview. Students will be notified through the email system of the time, date and place of the interview.

Itemized Budget:
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
COST
Staff
Director’s Salary
Program Supervisor (1)
Program Coordinators (3)
Department Employer Relations Advisors(8)
(Representative for Each College)
Secretary (1)
IT Personnel (1)
Trainer (1)
Subtotal in Annual Salaries:
$550,000.00
Marketing
Advertising
$50,000.00
TOTAL
$600,000.00

Partnering Individuals, Groups, Etc.:
As another means of reaching students, this program will utilize existing groups on campus to advise students of employment opportunities. The groups will receive emails notifying the student members of potential employment opportunities within an area of interest, group, club, or academic society. As an example, the Pre-Med Society will be notified of potential employment opportunities with a hospital, medical center, or physician-related job recruiter. Relevant jobs will be matched with students interested in that field or profession.

Matching Funds:
Various fundraisers shall take place by the groups and/or academic societies whose students will benefit from this program. One example of a potential fundraiser is to hold a “Dollar Auction” wherein items are placed up for bid for $1.00, and the person with the final bid is the winner. If Nova’s Criminal Justice Club wishes to participate in the Employment services, then they would be required to raise funds to help forward this initiative.

Another source of funding would be to apply for Federal Funding through the “Stimulus Package” a/k/a H.R. 5140, by seeking funds to assist individuals in obtaining Eco-Friendly jobs that have been funded. This approach will allow Nova Southeastern University to become a premier academic institution assisting students in obtaining “Green” that are jobs that are good for the environment.
Funding may also be achieved through a grant awarded in September, 2008 to Academic Services from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $575,000. While plans to implement this grant may be well underway, this proposal captures the best possible “academic service” – finding a job. In sum, this proposal seeks to place students who graduate from Nova out in front of a virtual sea of job applicants.

Big Idea

BIG IDEA PROPOSAL

Michelle Kuecks
Rowland Solano
Renee Ali-Samhoul

Purpose:
The aim of this project is to expand the existing Career Development Department at Nova Southeastern University to provide job placement services. In light of the recent severe downturn in the economy, and strained job market, the need for students to find a job has become even more urgent. Specifically, the goal of this Big Idea Proposal is to create a staff whose one and only job is to reach out to employers and bring them on campus directly to the students. This approach will be innovative and offer students much more than surrounding universities in this area.
Currently, the Career Development Faculty is limited to assisting students in writing resumes, preparing for job interviews, and directing students to library resources dealing with career planning. This Proposal seeks to add job placement in addition to resume and interview services. In essence, goal will be to recruit recruiters. By expanding the Career Development Department, Nova students will have a significant edge over other competing students by having local, state and national employers turn to Nova students first to fill open positions.
Unlike Nova’s bi-annual Career Fair, the new program will link employers with students on a continuous basis. Unfortunately in January of 2009 unemployment in Florida reached a 16-year high (U.S. Department of Labor). Jobs have become scarce. Students can no longer wait for a Career Fair to take place. Students need year-round job placement services. With unemployment reaching a record high, the time to be proactive is now. It is not suffice to list jobs on a website like CareerShark. Nova students need to land an interview and be out in front of the pack for the shrinking number of available jobs. This will require an immediate extension of the Career Development Program.
High unemployment amongst Nova graduates could create a significant public relations issue. Conversely, Nova can bolster their reputation and separate themselves from competing universities through a high rate of employment.
Another unique aspect of this proposed program is to communicate with students on a frequent basis. The objective would be for the university to reach out to the students through email alerts. The system would be similar to email reminders from the registrar’s office when tuition is due. Through cross-referencing a student’s major and status of degree completion, the student would be notified when an employer is on campus for interviews. Students whose academic major is relevant to the job position would be notified each time a job opportunity opened up. Additionally, clubs, organizations, and societies would be notified when employers had positions to fill.

Timeline:
The amount of time necessary to implement this program will take up to one year. In order to establish this program three phases will need to be accomplished. During the first phase, a staff will need to be hired to carry out the functions of employment recruiting. It is estimated that this process could take up to six months to complete. Once the staff is in place, phase two will begin which involves obtaining approval from University Officials for fund raising plans, general objectives and policies to run the program. An estimate of three months will be necessary to achieve the tasks in phase two. Finally, during stage three of the project, the actual recruitment of prospective employers will take place. This process will be on-going in order to achieve success of the program.

Publicity/Engagement Plan:

In order to engage the entire student body, the program will send students emails to advise them that certain employers are going to be on campus and to advertise job openings. The goal will be to advise each and every student within the Nova student body of job openings that are relevant to a student’s interests and academic major. The email notification will take place according to the student’s major, department, club, organization, interest, and/or academic society.
Students may also register their prospective job interest with the office of Career Development. Through an email notification system, students will be matched with relevant employment opportunities. It will bridge the gap between students and employers. This program will be a great improvement over existing Career Fairs on campus by bringing in a wider range of employers from a variety of companies and connecting jobs with students. The goal of the program will be to motivate students to reach out to potential employers who offer employment in careers that students are interested in.
Another unique aspect of this program would be to utilize empty classrooms for employers to conduct job interviews on campus. Once a student has been notified of a prospective job, the employer will screen students and select students for an on-campus interview. Students will be notified through the email system of the time, date and place of the interview.

Itemized Budget:
ITEM
DESCRIPTION
COST
Staff
Director’s Salary
Program Supervisor (1)
Program Coordinators (3)
Department Employer Relations Advisors(8)
(Representative for Each College)
Secretary (1)
IT Personnel (1)
Trainer (1)

Subtotal in Annual Salaries:
$550,000.00
Marketing
Advertising
$50,000.00
TOTAL
$600,000.00

Partnering Individuals, Groups, Etc.:
As another means of reaching students, this program will utilize existing groups on campus to advise students of employment opportunities. The groups will receive emails notifying the student members of potential employment opportunities within an area of interest, group, club, or academic society. As an example, the Pre-Med Society will be notified of potential employment opportunities with a hospital, medical center, or physician-related job recruiter. Relevant jobs will be matched with students interested in that field or profession.

Matching Funds:
Various fundraisers shall take place by the groups and/or academic societies whose students will benefit from this program. One example of a potential fundraiser is to hold a “Dollar Auction” wherein items are placed up for bid for $1.00, and the person with the final bid is the winner. If Nova’s Criminal Justice Club wishes to participate in the Employment services, then they would be required to raise funds to help forward this initiative.
Another source of funding would be to apply for Federal Funding through the “Stimulus Package” a/k/a H.R. 5140, by seeking funds to assist individuals in obtaining Eco-Friendly jobs that have been funded. This approach will allow Nova Southeastern University to become a premier academic institution assisting students in obtaining “Green” that are jobs that are good for the environment.
Funding may also be achieved through a grant awarded in September, 2008 to Academic Services from the U.S. Department of Education in the amount of $575,000. While plans to implement this grant may be well underway, this proposal captures the best possible “academic service” – finding a job. In sum, this proposal seeks to place students who graduate from Nova out in front of a virtual sea of job applicants.

Research Proposal

Quick Gain or Slow Loss: “Google” Research by College Students
Michelle Kuecks
COMP 2000
Research Proposal
February 10, 2009

Topic/Issues for Further Contemplation:

Is Google a research tool in and of itself? What fundamental learning is lost by going straight to a search engine as opposed to making evaluative judgments? Is research a cognitive process, that certain gains in education are lost when instantaneous search engines such as Google are used? What pedagogical methods, fundamental basics, and reference-based approaches are abandoned when Google is substituted as a means of obtaining research?

Discussion:

In this study, the aim of the research will examine how students use Google when conducting research. Before going any further, the term “Google” is narrowly defined as a query of information, for academic purposes, wherein the search engine “Google” is utilized. The scope of this research does not extend past any other search engines, such as Elsevier, or Lexis-Nexis. It is the intention to discover whether pop culture and the advances in internet technology has furthered student’s researched ability or hampered it. Through this research, the information revealed will likely provide insight to whether “Google” research by college students at Nova Southeastern University short circuits basic research skills that otherwise would be obtained if a traditional “paper” research method is used in a library.

Pop culture plays a predominant role in this study. In this day and age does the library even have a chance anymore? Given the popularity of technological hand-held, computer laptop, and cell phones, can books and paper material compete? College students are at the cutting edge of technology. They want information quickly and have evolved into a need-to-know right now generation. The temptation to communicate, disseminate information, and make decisions faster than ever before has become a part of culture on American campuses. Anything is available on-line, anywhere. There is little advantage to distancing oneself from instant information. So the question remains, is the educational process diminished? Does academia reason less in the process of seeking information efficiently and speedily?

One expert in the field of library research coins the Google phenomenon as “The ‘showdown’ between humans and computers…” (Huew, 2004). Does electronic research on the web create lazy scholars? Is independent thinking is skipped over because of the ease in which the almighty search engine provides information?

This issue is worthy of inquiry for several reasons. Of central importance is the current trend in society today to obtain information on the internet on an immediate basis. Speedy access to hundreds and thousands of documents, blogs, web pages, and more is available through the use of a search engine. Today college students are able to conduct research on the web very easily through cell phones and laptop computers, this information is accessible virtually anywhere and at any time. In some cases, the research query may be just a click of a button away. Others are more case-specific, and require a series of inquiries through a search engine, before relevant information is obtained. The search engine Google has become such a pervasive part of pop culture that it has its own vernacular. To “google” something, in today’s technologically advanced society, means to use the Google search engine to conduct research on the internet. Put simply, if one needs to find out information on a particular subject, they “google” it.

Methodology:

I plan to conduct a random survey of students in the library. The research design will measure central tendency and inferential because I do not have the time nor the resources to sample the entire student body here at Nova Southeastern University. I have to estimate the sample population and conduct the surveys randomly. I have attached a sample survey that I intend to use. By conducting 50 surveys conducted throughout various times of the day, and on different days of the week, my aim is to gather data to analyze this issue.

In order to obtain inferential data, student surveys will take place on campus in the Alvin Sherman Library to obtain information on Google research methods used to complete a project. The participants will be student members of the Nova population. A sample selection process will be narrowed down so that the results are random. Sampling will be conducted at four different times of the day and a survey will be conducted on every 10th person.

My research design will be random sampling. The sampling will be stratified over a large population group so as to take a snippet of many different types of members of the Nova Southeastern University population: varying ages, genders, ethnicity, and student level. Because this is a relatively quick assignment, it will not be possible to survey a large population of students, therefore the selection process will occur in an attempt to capture statistics which are representative of the overall, diverse actual population at Nova.

Additionally, I will conduct a case study of three students and their approach to research projects. The case study will include analysis of written samples of research, a diagram or table of the Google research steps utilized, along with an interview of each of the three subjects. Results of this research design will be quantified and qualified. From a quantitative perspective, charts will be devised to illuminate the results through pie charts, bar charts, and statistical tables. In the end I will summarize the data and results using a qualitative analysis. The survey I plan to use is as follows:

Survey
1. Where do you obtain most of the research material to cite in a written assignment?

o The internet
o Go to the Library
o Other

2. If you use the internet for research purposes, what website do you usually use?
________________________________________________________
3. How do you begin conducting a research paper?

o “Google” the topic
o Google first, then go to a library resource
o Skip Google and go to the Library and ask for help
o Use an electronic database through Nova’s Library
o Other method

4. How often do you go to the library for research?

o Once a semester
o Once a week
o Somewhere between once a week and once a month
o Have not physically gone to the library except for required orientation or to attend a class

5. How much do you use the internet for research?

o 100% of the time – get all my research done here
o 75% of the time
o 50% of the time
o 25% or less

6. Do you consider internet research:

o Reliable – college professors never complain
o Sometimes reliable, have been burnt before
o Unreliable – the information is from sources that are problematic and not acceptable

References:

Bronstein, D. (2007). The Efficacy of a Web Site Evaluation Checklist as a Pedagogical Approach for Teaching Students to Critically Evaluate Internet Content. The Graduate School of Computer and Information Sciences, Nova Southeastern University Dissertation.

Helms-Park, R., Radia, P., & Stapleton, P. (2007) A preliminary assessment of Google Scholar as a source of EAP students' research materials. Internet and Higher Education, v 10, n 1. p. 65-76.

Herring, M. (2007). Fool's gold: why the Internet is no substitute for a library. Jefferson, N.C. McFarland.

Hewson, C., Yule, P., Laurent, D. & Vogel, C. (2003). Internet Research Methods: A Practical Guide for the Social and Behavioural Sciences. London, England, Sage Publications.

Huwe, T. (2004, May). Being Organic Gives Reference Librarians the Edge over Computers. Computers in Libraries, 24(5), 39-41.

Kenney, B. (2004, December). GOOGLIZERS vs. RESISTORS. Library Journal, 129(20), 44-46.

Kulper, E., Volman, M. & Terwel, J. (2008). Developing Web literacy in collaborative inquiry activities. Computers & Education, 52 (3), 668-680.

Laurence, H. & Miller, W. (2000). Academic Research on the Internet: Options for Scholars and Libraries. New York, Haworth Press.

Marcum, D B (Jan 2006). The future of cataloging.(Google case study). Library Resources & Technical Services, 50, 1. p.5(5).

Project MUSE, Pedagogy. History on the Cheap: Using the Online Archive to make Historicists Undergrads. Retrieved from web on February 19, 2009, from http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/pedagogy/toc/ped1.1.html

* * Thank you for filling out: COMP Online Library Assignment* * See Your WWW Form Submission Below * *Submitted by : (kuecks@nova.edu) on : Wednesday, February 11, 2009 at 13:48:15--------------------------------------------------------------------------- :

STUDENT AND COURSE INFO : Student name : Michelle KuecksEmail Address : kuecks@nova.eduInstructor : Dr. Mason

Topic : College Students who use Google for Research :

RESOURCE ONE :

Database used : Engineering Village

Title of periodical or book : Internet and Higher Education

Title of article: A preliminary assessment of Google Scholar as a source of EAP students' research materials

Author : Helms-Park, R., Radia, P. & Stapleton, P.

Full text available : yes Bibliography : yes

Citation from bibliography: Helms-Park, R., Radia, P., & Stapleton, P. (2007) A preliminary assessment of Google Scholar as a source of EAP students' research materials. Internet and Higher Education, v 10, n 1. p. 65-76.

RESOURCE TWO :

Database used : Academic OneFile

Title of periodical or book : Library Resources & Techincal Services

Title of article : The future of cataloging

Author : Marcum, D.

Full text available : yes Bibliography : yes

Citation from bibliography: Marcum, D B (Jan 2006). The future of cataloging.(Google case study). Library Resources & Technical Services, 50, 1. p.5(5).

RESOURCE THREE :

Database used : NovaCat

Title of periodical or book: Fool's gold: why the Internet is no substitute for a library

Title of article :

Author : Herring, M.

Full text available : no Bibliography : yes

Citation from bibliography: Herring, M. (2007). Fool's gold: why the Internet is no substitute for a library. Jefferson, N.C. McFarland.

END OF FORM : : Submit : SUBMIT FINAL FORM NOWREMOTE_HOST: 137.52.176.91REMOTE_ADDR: 137.52.176.91HTTP_USER_AGENT: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.1.4322; .NET CLR 2.0.50727; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.30; .NET CLR 3.0.04506.648; InfoPath.2; .NET CLR 3.0.4506.2152; .NET CLR 3.5.30729)

Journal 9

1. What is the writer trying to find out more about through their research (what research question guides her work)?

I think she was attempting to compare and contrast three different perspectives of students and how they voice their opinion in class. Specifically, the values, beliefs and opinions and how they are expressed in class varies from compliant/puppet, to neutral, to radical/creative thinking. This not only showed up in the writing pieces but in the interviews.

2. How does this author collect the data she needs to answer her question?

She performed a case study and followed up with personal interviews with controlled questions. She also evaluated the writing samples from the students.

3. What sort of genres do you see your peers using as forms of “self-representation”?

I have seen a little bit of everything. In this particular class, I see some examples of very bright students who are very insightful when they orally respond to the instructor. I have not noticed any resistance in this class, but I certainly have experienced some radical behavior in other classes. I have heard remarks that are demeaning, heavily biased, and immature. For the most part though, students have respectfully and thoughtfully expressed their opinion.

Journal 10

5 Topics - I Could Research and Write On

1. Rhetoric and Composition – Why do students rely on pathos – an emotional appeal – with great frequency. How does writing assist in making the argument an emotional one?

2. English Education – In this day of the FCAT and SAT standardized testing, how does “teaching the test” translate into learning today?

3. Cultural Studies – How has text messaging effected dialogue, communication, and the many things we would never say in a face-to-face setting?

4. Discourse Analysis – What hidden motivation lies behind politicians who want their own region of the country addressed in the stimulus package?

5. Buzz words used on political platforms – are they disingenuous? For example: Change we can believe in (Obama); Solutions for America (Hillary Clinton); and Country First (McCain).

Rhetorical Analysis

Michelle Kuecks
COMP 2000
Rhetorical Analysis – First Analysis
February 5, 2009

In a recent article in The Wall Street Journal, Alan Reynolds takes aim at the proposed stimulus package: “Spending $214.5 billion to create or save 330,400 government jobs implies that taxpayers are being asked to spend $646,214 per job” (January, 2009). He then asks a rhetorical question: “Does that make sense?” His approach is pretty much guaranteed to gather a sympathetic audience because the economy has effected just about everyone. America is drowning in a sea of workers who have lost their jobs, are in foreclosure, and have no health insurance. But Reynolds’ approach avoids raw emotions. He gets right down to the business of dollars - and sense, or lack thereof. His tactic is to take a complicated issue and make it simple: the government is about to throw billions of dollars out the window. Those who so desperately need immediate help finding work are about to suffer the ultimate insult: the government will fund the stimulus package with billions of dollars, and even though money should be spent wisely on creation of new jobs, billions of dollars are about to be thrown out the window.

Even though Reynolds’ writing style lacks feeling, he is able to play on one’s emotions. He begins by grabbing hold of the reader by making an appalling analogy sure to get a rise out of anyone: it will cost over six-hundred thousand dollars to fund each job. From there, he provides a series of unemployment percentages in an attempt to solidify his position: the unemployment problem is huge, especially in certain industries. Finally, in order to fully appreciate the hypocrisy of this legislation, Reynolds calculates the percentage of billions of dollars that do not go towards job creation. The reader cannot resist having a reaction to spending billions of dollars irresponsibly. While the issue that peaks one’s attention is shameful spending, his real complaint is where the money will not go.

Current unemployment statistics cited by Reynolds paint a pretty dismal picture in our country today…but the stimulus package is even uglier. To illustrate this point, he provides a series of calculations both in percentages and dollar amounts that were relied on by the Obama administration. Reynolds complains that the figures are stale but nevertheless he appears to accept the computations as true. There is little temptation to disagree with the figures that are used because there is little explanation, and even if there was, the reader is too wrapped up in spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on each job. But this is not his strongest point. Reynolds accomplishes his goal by highlighting what the bill does not do. He presents percentages of billions of dollars that are not spent on job creation. He demonstrates his point well and leaves the reader thoroughly convinced that Congress is crazy.

Educating the public about the absurd amount of spending by the government for each job is the author’s goal. But no matter how shocking Reynolds’ figures are, the details are still sparse. Put another way, does anyone really know what is in the stimulus package? Although his “per job” or “each job” spending figures are upsetting Reynolds takes the inquiry beyond the cost. He finds fault in legislation that ignores industries that are suffering the most where job loss is the greatest. To him a more logical approach would be to fix what is broken, put taxpayer dollars where they are truly needed, and avoid overfunding stable industries.

Reynolds finds fault in providing funding to state and local government. He considers these sectors to have secure employment. While this may be true it would come as no surprise to learn that municipalities and state governments are also severely under-budgeted. But, this is overlooked by Reynolds. According to Murphy, local and state governments, still have many open jobs despite the current dismal state of the economy. His suggestion is to create more jobs in manufacturing and construction, an area plagued with the highest unemployment rates. However, on this point, Murphy loses his balance. With great bravado, he glosses over the bigger picture: a job is a job. Getting back to work is the goal, not industry selection. Spending money responsibly is a point he makes very well. But, perhaps this is not the time to criticize what types of jobs are offered but address taking positive steps to solve the problem – and do it now.

Another shortcoming with Murphy’s argument is that he advocates for funding industries where there simply is no demand. He does nothing to defend his position on funding the manufacturing and construction industries. Instead, he places all of his emphasis on the unemployment figures. By doing so, he neglects to address supply and demand. Another way of looking at it is supporting a sinking ship. The money may buy a few jobs in construction but the reality is that no one can afford to buy what the workers will build. Similarly, it is impractical to increase manufacturing jobs in an economy that has no money to buy what they assemble.

One more issue is worthy of mention. Reynolds’s method is limited to a quantitative analysis. His query is reduced to numerical expression. This is one way of solving a very complex and difficult problem. But the solutions are as pragmatic as they are varying. It would be much easier to get people back to work quickly if the country was not in a recession. While Reynolds provides a plethora of tale-telling statistics, at the end of the day he is just crunching numbers. The numbers reflect only part of the problem, and ignore the cost to humanity. By confining his argument to calculations disconnects himself from the very people he allegedly is concerned. He avoids the reality that people are suffering due to the dismal state of the economy. He is out of touch with the increased demand on social services for food stamps, housing, and health insurance. This is all part of helping people get back on their feet financially. His attitude appears harsh and unattached. The more he marries the numbers in the stimulus package the more uncaring he seems.

As a final point, one thing that is suspicious about Reynolds’ view is that he never really rejects the idea of a stimulus package as a whole. He limits his criticism quite succinctly to the dollar amount being spent, the types of jobs it will create, and amount spent on social services. But, he really never trashes the overall proposition. Herein lays a weakness. It is quite possible that there is more merit to no package at all. After all, the country is in a serious recession, the federal government is operating at a record high deficit, and employment is only one problem. There are social issues that are equally, if not more, important. At the end of the day it is possible that Americans are effectively demonstrating what the right thing is to do by cutting back on spending. Everyone is on a budget. The days of spending more than one has are over. Initially it was a struggle to cut back but people are doing it. Perhaps the government should too.

References

Reynolds, A. (2009, January 28). $646,214 Per Government Job. Spending where unemployment is already low. The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved January 29, 2009 from http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123310498020322323.html

Journal 8

What is the writer trying to find out more about through their research (what research question guides his work)?

The main question is does putting on a performance on stage as a rock star diminish being true to yourself or is it simply a form of entertainment separate and apart from an individual’s own identity.

What sort of texts or sources does the author quote from to build his argument?

He cites one website but mainly relies on books about rock stars and two journals that appear to be rock star-entertainment oriented.

In what ways do you see others around you attempting to establish their “authenticity”?

I have a number of friends that are going through a mid-life crisis of sorts. They diet, go through radical workout routines, divorce, separate, and do a number of things in an attempt to “find themselves”. It is puzzling to me why things are done in the extreme. I also don't understand why they are "searching" for themselves, why they have hit 40 and then all the sudden do not have any sense of what their identity is.

Journal 7

1. What is the writer trying to find out more about through their research (what research question guides their work)?

The journal discussed how professional editors perform the art of editing. In other words, the writer attempted to explain exactly how editors go about really improving the work of others.

2. What is the research methodology of this article (how do they collect their information, and how do they analyze the information they collect)?

The bulk of the research was conducting a case study in an office setting. The case study was also coupled with the use of interview data.

3. How does professional editing differ from how students revise their own work?

In professional editing, the editor is not going to change the style of writing or the information conveyed, rather they are going to stick to just editing the grammar and flow of the piece of writing. Unlike a student who revises because they need to take out a weak point, an editor is going to leave the thoughts intact. They will leave the subject matter alone and work on form and effectiveness.

Journal 6

1. What does Bitzer not mean by “rhetorical situation”?

Bitzer does not mean ignoring who you are, what your lifetime experiences have been, and forgetting who your audience is when you are writing. He does not want you to lose focus when you are writing and what is prompting you (the reason) why you are even writing in the first place. He wants you to avoid writing aimlessly and to write as if you can change the world.

2. In other words, how does his view differ from past views that readers might compare to his?

His view may differ from theorists who write in terms of hypotheticals, possibilities and that which is unknown. His view may also differ from those who do not believe that writing can bring about change, that a purpose cannot be achieved through writing, that expression through written language cannot persuade someone to act or change their mind.

3. What does Bitzer mean by “rhetorical situation”?

He means writing with a purpose, exposing your character, writing for your audience, and writing based upon reflection of your personal situations and experience.

4. Explain what “exigence” is. Give your own example of an exigence someone could respond to in writing.

I think that Bitzer means that the exigence is the problem that the writer is trying to solve through persuasion. Exigence is the thing the person is attacking in the piece of writing. A sample is that President Obama was trying to persuade people that the complexion in Washington and of course the highest office in our land has changed. In his speech the exigence is the problem of changing people’s minds to accept a black President. The exigence is both the reason for prompting why he wrote the speech the way he did and it is also the situation that he needed to overcome by writing effectively and changing people’s minds.

Journal 5

In the 1970's teachers began teaching the test rather than to allow students and educators to explore linguistics and written communication freely. Under the cloud of performance quotas teaching became restricted, tight, and over-regulated. Not only was the sense of wonder and romance of language lost, but teaching was reduced to "accountability" (McComiskey, 2006, citing Nelms) p. 20. Educating children in composition became mechanical. Instructors systematically followed a checklist like a manufacturing plant that was certain to abandon individual thought.

In the 70s the trend shifted to standardized testing. The pressure to produce good results took on a life of its own and did nothing to inspire future writers. It satisfied administrators and politicians but the classroom suffered as creativity was destroyed. English became boring, robotic, and automated. Nevertheless, teachers were required to show they can get the job done. Testing provided assurance that proficiency was been achieved.

Two parties with significant interests in the outcome of teaching English composition during this period were children and teachers. Children were taught to become better test takers. Teachers settled on teaching only what was covered on a test. The door was closed on endless possibilities through written expression as a child bubbled in one test question after another. Both were sold short.

Journal 4

Michelle Kuecks
Journal #4
January 22, 2009
COMP 2000

In the Introduction to They Say/I Say: The Moves That Matter in Academic Writing, Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein provide templates designed to ________.
Specifically, Graff and Birkenstein argue that the types of writing templates they offer simplify writing. As the authors themselves put it, “all writers rely on certain stock formulas that they themselves didn’t invent...” Although some people believe that templates create robotic writers Graff and Birkenstein insist that templates help students improve their writing and their comprehension by getting them off to the right start at communicating ideas. In sum, hen, their view is that templates are clues to prompt students to write with substance.

I agree with Graff and Birkenstein. In my view, the types of templates that the authors recommend guide my thoughts succinctly and with a general purpose. For instance, templates help organize the main point a writer is going to make. A writer does not have to circle the block several times: he just crosses straight through by taking the most direct route. In addition, the templates require the writer to state their opinion and own it. At the same time, the template guides the writer to reflect upon views of others. Some might object, of course, on the grounds that templates are very straightforward and they have problems recognizing that the templates are just teasers to get the appetite of the writer rolling. Yet I would argue that the hardest part of writing is always getting started. Templates help get me started. Overall, then, I believe Graff and Birkenstein lay out the templates so that writers have purpose, direction, and a meaningful connection to what they create. This is an important point to make given that factual dissertations are boring – what makes a piece of writing is interjecting the “why” behind what one writes about.

Journal #3

Journal #3

What does Bartholomae mean when he says that students must “invent the university” when they write in college?

Students must be like chameleons: they must adapt to their surroundings at school, and write for the purpose of the class, subject, audience and professor. In a way, Bartholomae is asking a student to immerse himself in a subject, and through writing show that he has absorbed information.

What does Bartholomae suggest is a way for students to become “insiders” within academic discourse?

When Bartholomae described students as insiders, he implied that students must enter areas which are largely unfamiliar, yet they must write as if they have gained knowledge and command the subject matter. Another way to put it is that by the term insiders he means college students are writers who want to belong to a club of experts. The experts really know the subject whereas the student does not. Nevertheless, through proper record cites and giving credit to those experts, the student can express themselves as having pierced a little knowledge, and in doing so, temporarily become an insider.

Summarize some of the differences between the two examples of student writing that Bartholomae examines, and Bartholomae’s opinion of these examples.

One difference in the two writing styles that Bartholomae highlights is the interpretation of creativity. He summarizes one writer as plain vanilla, or white socks, and sharply contrasts this with the song writer, whom he depicts as introspective, complex, and Rocky Road with sprinkles as compared to plain vanilla. Taking the two writing styles a bit further, much of the focus centers around ownership of the essay, or writing with a personal connection. The second author is well-complimented; the first is not. Bartholomae encourages students to show that creativity is more than just coming up with a new idea. Being creative can also mean expressing oneself as opposed to telling.

Michelle Kuecks
COMP 2000 – 31341
January 8, 2008
Journal Entry #2

Claim:

In this article, the claim “In modern Washington, trillion is the new billion” which appears in the first paragraph, sets the tone and is the main point that the author attempts to convey.

Data:

Throughout the article, several figures are spewed out as examples of prior government spending on specific projects. In other words, data is used to show how the government is a well-oiled wheel when it comes to spending millions and even billions of dollars.

Warrant:

One example that the writer assumes the reader has is:
“The human mind is not well equipped to fathom a number that large. A check for $1 trillion -- a million million dollars -- would have 12 zeros to the left of the decimal point.”

Grounds:

Well, Thomas Jefferson purchased Louisiana for $15 million in 1803. In today's dollars, that'd be about $261 million; rescaled as a share of the current economy, it'd still be a steal at $409 billion.

Backing:

“From an historical perspective, $1 trillion is far more than the signature expenditures over the life of American government, the ones the politicians and columnists cite when they say we need another moon shot, Manhattan Project or [insert cliché here] for this or that priority.”

Qualifier:

What about other big-ticket items?

Conditions or Rebuttal:

“Leave it to Mr. Obama and Congress to make even WWII seem like a relative bargain.”

References

(2009). Feels like a trillion bucks. Retrieved January 6, 2009, from The Wall Street Journal. Website http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123120542333456031.html
(2009). The Toulmin Model of Argument. Retreived January 8, 2009, from The University of Oklahoma. Website http://students.ou.edu/S/Charles.R.Swadley-1/argumentation.htm

Michelle Kuecks
COMP 2000 – 31341
January 6, 2008
Journal Entry #1 - revised for formatting

Claim:

In modern Washington, trillion is the new billion. (“Feels Like a Trillion Bucks”, 2009)

Type of Claim:

This claim deals with policy. In an attempt to call attention to the current upward trend
of the federal budget the claim calls for action and a change in policy. In Washington
today, a change in vocabulary is warranted, from billion to trillion, like a hot new fashion
trend that is the latest craze. Specifically, the aim of the claim is to call attention to the
federal budget reaching towards a trillion dollars. Although one can spin this claim off in
many different directions and call it a factually oriented claim, if one takes a few steps
back and analyses the whole point of the claim, it is to call attention to what we should do
about our policymakers in Washington.

Some of the appeal of this claim is supported by the intentions of President-Elect Barack
Obama, whose proposed economic stimulus package over a very short two-year period
just under $1 billion dollars. To set this figure into context, it is pinned against other
claims of government spending that pale by comparison. Additionally, the author breaks
down what exactly is a trillion dollars, so that the reader can attempt to get a visual
concept of this previously elusive figure which is now fast becoming a reality. While
these points added strength to the original claim, perhaps the strongest evidence comes
from a quote from a United States Senator. His words pretty much summed up how
comfortable politicians are with the way they describe money in words. In the beginning
of the article Senator Everett Dirksen displayed his loose concept of money, “A billion
here, a billion there…”, like it was a game of monopoly. (Wall Street Journal, 2009).

Reference

(2009). Feels like a trillion bucks. Retrieved January 6, 2009, from The Wall Street
Journal. Website http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123120542333456031.html

Journal #1

Michelle Kuecks
COMP 2000 – 31341
January 6, 2008
Journal Entry #1

Claim:

In modern Washington, trillion is the new billion. (“Feels Like a Trillion Bucks”, 2009)

Type of Claim:

This claim deals with policy. In an attempt to call attention to the current upward trend
of the federal budget the claim calls for action and a change in policy. In Washington
today, a change in vocabulary is warranted, from billion to trillion, like a hot new fashion
trend that is the latest craze. Specifically, the aim of the claim is to call attention to the
federal budget reaching towards a trillion dollars. Although one can spin this claim off in
many different directions and call it a factually oriented claim, if one takes a few steps
back and analyses the whole point of the claim, it is to call attention to what we should do
about our policymakers in Washington.
Some of the appeal of this claim is supported by the intentions of President-Elect Barack
Obama, whose proposed economic stimulus package over a very short two-year period
just under $1 billion dollars. To set this figure into context, it is pinned against other
claims of government spending that pale by comparison. Additionally, the author breaks
down what exactly is a trillion dollars, so that the reader can attempt to get a visual
concept of this previously elusive figure which is now fast becoming a reality. While
these points added strength to the original claim, perhaps the strongest evidence comes
from a quote from a United States Senator. His words pretty much summed up how
comfortable politicians are with the way they describe money in words. In the beginning
of the article Senator Everett Dirksen displayed his loose concept of money, “A billion
here, a billion there…”, like it was a game of monopoly. (Wall Street Journal, 2009).

Reference

(2009). Feels like a trillion bucks. Retrieved January 6, 2009, from The Wall Street
Journal. Website http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123120542333456031.html