Our second project in English 101 came with many challenges but also many improvements. Through every step of the process, my goal was to improve on my abysmal performance on the first paper. The professor's comments on my paper revealed to me that I had a crucial weakness in my writing which was stating a clear thesis that clearly defines my position on the topic. On this project, I feel that my thesis states my opinion and leaves no doubt to what I will be writing about in the rest of the paper.
On the contrary, a wrench or two worked their way into my plans. As I wrote my initial draft, I chose to write 3 annotations so I could use a more focused approach and get a feel for what it would take to write a quality annotation. As it turned out, this put me at a disadvantage because I was unable to use information to build off of when writing my final draft.
Now that I am a somewhat seasoned college student, I find that it is strategic to view everything as a learning experience. From this project, I learned the importance of having evidence to back up claims. Research is a crucial aspect of literature and for research work to be respected there has to be factual, supporting information. From now on, I will remember to think every time I make a claim if I have enough to prove it.
I feel that if I can be optimistic about anything on my essay, it is the strength of my evaluation. It was indeed simple, merely stating that being forced to live in dorms has a negative effect on students. I decided on three criteria to determine whether my thesis was applicable and then explained why they proved my theory. I tried to use the most basic process possible to make sure I was not neglecting the point of my essay in light of some more flashy techniques.
Without question, the experience has real world implications. Off the top of my noggin, I immediately see how it applies to something as normal as a friendly argument. Now, it would be easy to use common knowledge or assumptions to back up your argument but it is much more effective to use descriptive criteria for why the opinion could me more correct. Obviously, this is just one anecdote but the uses for being factual are limitless.
I can only hope that my dedication to staying true to what was assigned will pay off in the grade book. If anything, I know inside my heart that I am back on track to what good writing entails.
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Friday, November 2, 2012
Map of Adelphi Commons II
View Evaluative Research: Dorm Living in a larger map
Works Cited
"Future Residents." Arizona State University, n.d. Web. 17 Oct. 2012.< http://housing.asu.edu/content/future-residents>.
Pike, Gary R. "The Differential Effects of On- and Off-Campus Living Arrangements on Students’ Openness to Diversity*." Journal of Student Affairs Research and Practice 46.4 (2009): n. pag. Print.
Rozakis, Laurie, Ph.D. "Movin' In." The Complete Idiot's Guide to College Survival. N.p.: Marie Butler Knight, 2001. N. pag. Print.
The Gates to Adelphi
[Source: asu.edu]
The first day a new, anxious college student walks up to his dorm facility holds with it a flurry of emotion and excitement. The thought of the unknown swirling within with no way to know what to truly expect daunts them. This is exactly the student that Laurie Rozakis had in mind when writing "The Complete Idiot's Guide to College Survival". The book is a great reference for nervous college students but the relevant subject to my research is the repeated mentions of getting used to the change of dorm life/being ready for disaster. This is fascinating because the very book geared towards collegiate success discusses the possibility of a nightmare roommate and what to do if a student hates their dorm (Rozakis Chapter 3).
With this book and countless other pieces attacking the stereotypical dormitory, a bad reputation surrounds the dorm culture. Upon further evaluation though, it is hard to disagree. The very fact that the university has to force students into their dorms is a testament to how unliked they are. Obviously, when someone is in an unfavorable situation, it is expected that their performance goes down. Considering dorms are not a place of work or place of learning, the happiness of a student is more likely to decrease than their productivity. Even though there are advantages to being a student resident, there are many students who would simply be happier in different housing.
With this book and countless other pieces attacking the stereotypical dormitory, a bad reputation surrounds the dorm culture. Upon further evaluation though, it is hard to disagree. The very fact that the university has to force students into their dorms is a testament to how unliked they are. Obviously, when someone is in an unfavorable situation, it is expected that their performance goes down. Considering dorms are not a place of work or place of learning, the happiness of a student is more likely to decrease than their productivity. Even though there are advantages to being a student resident, there are many students who would simply be happier in different housing.
Adelphi's Back Alley
The pathway behind Adelphi holds a lot of mystery in its appearance. During the day, it is a beautiful, subtropical landscape that has the look of a possible scene out of a romantic movie. As night falls though, it is a dimly lit alley that looks like it could be the location of some violent crime. In fact, just a few weeks ago, around midnight, a flurry of police activity in the area arose, including a helicopter. The event turned out to be an armed robbery a mere block away from my building. Locations with occurrences like this can be found across the entire city of Tempe, including the campus area. No matter what is done to protect the students by putting them in dorms, there will always be danger in some way or another.
[Source: Ryan Rash]
Even though it would have made the work a lot easier, an isolated incident would not suffice to decide if dorms are unsafe or not. At Adelphi II, the dorm buildings are separated into sections called 'clusters'. I decided to ask ten students from the very northwest cluster (P) a question about their social life. First off, considering that ASU has a fully anti-alcohol campus, I am sure they would label partying with alcohol as a danger to their safety. I asked the unnamed students how many days they drank alcohol last week and 6 out of 10 students told me that they had consumed alcohol more than once in the previous week, not including the weekend.
Because there are so many opportunities to party and be mischievous in a college town, there is no way that endorsing the use of dorms can truly keep the students safe. Simply put, a kid is going to go out if he wants to go out.
Synopsis
Arizona State University is a great school. I have known that since my sister attended years ago and I saw her grow academically and as a person. However, in those days, I was too young to understand the logistics that go into the college experience. A new college student goes through a huge transition of change that they can never be truly prepared for, especially if they happen to live in a dorm. Additionally, colleges across the country, specifically ASU, claim to create an environment that eases that transition. They use phrases like "best interest of student" or "building a sense of community" to justify policies that force students into sometimes unwilling circumstances. This is a foggy situation because when one body (school) decides what is best for another body (student), the best answer gets lost in translation, so to speak. A university where dorm life is a requirement for first year students has a negative effect on those students.
To know if there is any truth to the seemingly good intentions of Arizona State University, it was necessary to conduct some brief research to find out exactly why the school forces the dorm life on its students and found three criteria to evaluate. It is apparent that the overall safety of residents, building a strong, lasting community and affordability of all college related costs are the distinct aspects of life that are connected with dorm living.
Repeatedly throughout the network of pages on their website, ASU makes references to the importance of keeping students safe. More importantly, they consider dormitories to increase the level of safety because of supervision by peers. This is an obvious ploy to prevent or decrease dangerous behaviors like drinking alcohol and drug usage which brings the discussion to the effectiveness of that plan. With a reputation for one of the best party schools in the country, it is easy to see how shedding that rep is a top priority. The question still remains if it works or not though. By simply asking ten random peers in my community, I found that it is not completely effective.
Establishing a community of connected peers is absolutely the criterion that I found to be most productive in my study. This collection is not the first to investigate how dorms change the college experience, whether it be positive or harmful. There is an article that approaches the relationship between dorm life and students' ability to deal with the idea of diversity. The results, although unable to be applied expansively, showed that students who live in dorms become more open to diversity. That being said, I do not think it is as successful as the school would like it to be. Much of that evaluation is based on the community within Adelphi Commons II.
If you were to ask the average family what they considered to be the number one criteria for picking a college, I would be willing to bet that their answer would touch on money/affordability. It is simply impossible for families, excluding the wealthy, to overlook cost. In contrast, there is such a thing called cost effectiveness, or "getting bang for your buck". Tuition wise, ASU has a very low price when compared to other public universities so they do have some leverage in using the dorm requirement policy. On the other hand, there is more that goes into the total cost of attending a university like the cost of a dorm. Upon my examination, the amount necessary to live at a dorm such as Adelphi Commons II is purely exorbitant when compared to the cost of other comparable housing options in Tempe.
It is evident in breaking down these criteria that there are statements here and there that oppose my thesis. Some may perceive that as a weakness in my argument, but I believe that exposing the opposition to an argument makes it stronger. In all the supposed weakness, there is a clear conclusion from my findings. Forcing incoming students to either live at home and drive or live in a dorm is not in their best interest. I would not go as far to say that it is an abuse of power but it is certainly a result of a collegiate agenda gone wrong.
To know if there is any truth to the seemingly good intentions of Arizona State University, it was necessary to conduct some brief research to find out exactly why the school forces the dorm life on its students and found three criteria to evaluate. It is apparent that the overall safety of residents, building a strong, lasting community and affordability of all college related costs are the distinct aspects of life that are connected with dorm living.
Repeatedly throughout the network of pages on their website, ASU makes references to the importance of keeping students safe. More importantly, they consider dormitories to increase the level of safety because of supervision by peers. This is an obvious ploy to prevent or decrease dangerous behaviors like drinking alcohol and drug usage which brings the discussion to the effectiveness of that plan. With a reputation for one of the best party schools in the country, it is easy to see how shedding that rep is a top priority. The question still remains if it works or not though. By simply asking ten random peers in my community, I found that it is not completely effective.
Establishing a community of connected peers is absolutely the criterion that I found to be most productive in my study. This collection is not the first to investigate how dorms change the college experience, whether it be positive or harmful. There is an article that approaches the relationship between dorm life and students' ability to deal with the idea of diversity. The results, although unable to be applied expansively, showed that students who live in dorms become more open to diversity. That being said, I do not think it is as successful as the school would like it to be. Much of that evaluation is based on the community within Adelphi Commons II.
If you were to ask the average family what they considered to be the number one criteria for picking a college, I would be willing to bet that their answer would touch on money/affordability. It is simply impossible for families, excluding the wealthy, to overlook cost. In contrast, there is such a thing called cost effectiveness, or "getting bang for your buck". Tuition wise, ASU has a very low price when compared to other public universities so they do have some leverage in using the dorm requirement policy. On the other hand, there is more that goes into the total cost of attending a university like the cost of a dorm. Upon my examination, the amount necessary to live at a dorm such as Adelphi Commons II is purely exorbitant when compared to the cost of other comparable housing options in Tempe.
It is evident in breaking down these criteria that there are statements here and there that oppose my thesis. Some may perceive that as a weakness in my argument, but I believe that exposing the opposition to an argument makes it stronger. In all the supposed weakness, there is a clear conclusion from my findings. Forcing incoming students to either live at home and drive or live in a dorm is not in their best interest. I would not go as far to say that it is an abuse of power but it is certainly a result of a collegiate agenda gone wrong.
The Less-Than-Glamorous Living
When it comes to college, affordability is a major priority for everyone; to some, it may be the top priority. It costs $6,098 a school year to live in Adelphi Commons II, utilities included. I understand that it is difficult to put in perspective, so when the cost is averaged monthly (roughly 8 months in school), the cost is $750 a month. At a glance, this price is actually very comparable to some of the 2 bedroom apartments (only apartments that had utilities included were considered) in the area. However, it is easy to see that the dorm is twice as expensive because both residents of a dorm have to pay the $750 monthly due, instead of splitting it as they would in an apartment. This simple price comparison explains how the university is essentially naming their own price because they are able to require students to live on their facilities.
[Source: Ryan Rash]
Universities are known for their desire to increase profit, such as any business would, but this, in no way results in a profit for students. Cost of dorm living has a big effect on students and they are almost entirely negative. By my evaluation, there is no way that ASU can force a certain price point on students and say it is in those kids best interest. That very act negates any attempt to help us as students.I am not blind to the reasons ASU does this, including safety, sense of community, etc. but I do get the sense that they are overlooking the financial interests of their students to better their own. Bottom line, nothing is visible that would suggest campus living could benefit me financially.
A Community of Strangers
On ASU's official website, there is a page dedicated to informing prospective
students of what they can expect going into their freshman years. The page
includes details about housing that outline an experience of a "close-knit
culture" and "creative connections" that result from living in dorms that house
students with similar majors (ASU.edu). First of all, from personal experience, I can assure that in Adelphi II, the community is not close-knit and creative connections
are not being made. I am not saying I have not made friends because that would be a lie, but I am
saying that when my peers and I are in our dorms, we are usually working on
homework or sleeping.
A study was done at "a major research university in the Midwest" on how dorms effect students openness to diversity (Pike 284).The results showed that dorm life does help students more become accepting of diverse situations. While these findings seemingly provide a compelling counter-argument against my thesis, this was only conducted at one school so the theory is limited. First off, 73% of the participants in the study were female, and only 8 percent were in a minority group. So, as it may suggest a positive outcome, the variables did not allow for clean research. It exposes students to a fresh environment and challenges students to grow as people, but there is a catch. That justification for personal growth does not apply to forcing students into it. Community exists everywhere and it does not have to be limited to campus-sanctioned locations.
A study was done at "a major research university in the Midwest" on how dorms effect students openness to diversity (Pike 284).The results showed that dorm life does help students more become accepting of diverse situations. While these findings seemingly provide a compelling counter-argument against my thesis, this was only conducted at one school so the theory is limited. First off, 73% of the participants in the study were female, and only 8 percent were in a minority group. So, as it may suggest a positive outcome, the variables did not allow for clean research. It exposes students to a fresh environment and challenges students to grow as people, but there is a catch. That justification for personal growth does not apply to forcing students into it. Community exists everywhere and it does not have to be limited to campus-sanctioned locations.
[Source: Ryan Rash]
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