Investigative Report

Good old East halls, the place where most freshmen here at Penn State University call home. I am conducting my investigative report on underage drinking in East halls. East halls are made up of almost twenty dorm buildings of various sizes. I live on tenth floor of Brumbaugh hall. Although it is pretty cool to be on the “penthouse” floor as we call it, taking the steps is no fun when the elevators break. My room is at the end of the hallway; room 1012. Being at the end of the hallway is nice because it is a little quieter, but not many visitors stop by since I am kind of secluded.
As you enter room 1012, you immediately get a whiff of True Religion cologne. The next thing you will see is a breathtaking view of the mountains off to the west; the sunset is quite amazing. After you are done gazing at the view, you will see a small 19 inch LCD TV on top of the microwave and fridge. If you turn to the right you will see my roommate’s disheveled bed and desk. You will also see a poster that barely takes up any wall space and a small black fan. But when you look left, you will see a perfectly made bed and organized desk. Everything has to be in order on my side or I will become stressed. OCD maybe? Anyway, my cork board is full of the syllabi from all of my classes. My wall is decorated with an array of vibrant posters and flags; my favorite being the Flyers flag. Many pictures of family and friends line the ledge next to my bed. I am reminded every day of the support of my family and friends have for me. There is definitely a home-like feeling to my room.

What it means to be number one

I really enjoyed this radio broadcast. Although it was painfully long, I thought it was pretty cool. It was almost like reading, but a lot easier. I was able to picture the different scenes in my head as they were unfolding. Some of the quotes were funny, although one sounded a little awkward to me. When the kid said “I’m just trying to get her drunk so I can take advantage of her” I was sort of taken aback. I didn’t know if he was serious or just playing around, but that is definitely something you do not mess around with. I would’ve liked to hear more about how the students felt about the number one party school ranking, but overall I thought this was very interesting.
The author is very direct about the issue of problems that come with a number one party school ranking. Ira does a great job putting us in the moment and painting a descriptive picture of the different situations he experiences.
The issue needs to be further investigated because the university has accepted the problems that come with the ranking. They’re not doing much to stop the drinking; they just want the students to be more responsible drinkers. Binge drinking at Penn State has even led to the death of a student, Joe Dado. I think the university needs to step up a little and make sure nothing like this ever happens again.
In the beginning, Ira gives us insight into how the residents of State College are affected by the students partying. As he is sitting on the porch with Sarah Koenig at her home, they see many groups of loud drunk students walking the streets. Ira and Sarah also see two kids dragging a stop sign down the street and a group of girls peeing on her lawn. Although the noise is a nuisance for the residents, there is a greater issue. Once in a while, a drunken student will enter a resident’s home and sleep in their bed. I didn’t believe that this actually happened up here. I had heard about it before, but thought it was just a myth. I was shocked when the mother told the story of how her daughter found a student passed out in her bed. Creepy.
The writer quotes mostly students, although he does obtain some quotes from President Graham Spanier, a police officer, and other residents of State College. Ira is able to show the students motivation for acting certain ways. When the writer asks a freshman girl “Did you guys always dress like that in High School?” the girl replied, “No, we just got slutty after we got into college”. Really? Come on, I thought people that went to this school had more class than that. Another student gives his perspective on drinking by saying “If there was a drunk button, I would buy one”. One State College resident seemed to have been through a lot. He talked about how he installed motion sensors on his lawn in order to monitor students walking on his property. The man also talked about how he saw some fraternity kids throw furniture off the roof, then set it on fire.
The writer wants readers to see exactly what goes on at the country’s number one party school. He also wants the readers to come to the conclusion that heavy binge drinking can be contained, but the school and the town have to work together like at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. The writer reveals to us through his talks with Spanier that banning drinking at Penn State would only cause more problems. Alumni would no longer come to games or donate money and the drinking would just be driven more underground.

"Shitty first drafts"

“Shitty first drafts” by Anne Lamott gives us insight into her very own writing process. Anne takes us through all of the things she does to turn a first draft into a final paper. She tells us that it is okay to have a “shitty” first draft, because eventually you will tweak it to perfection. Lamott also gives us a little background about the type of writing she does. She tells us that she used to write for California magazine as a food critic before it folded. As she would sit in restaurants surveying different types of foods with her friends, she would write every little thing down. Everything from the way the food looks, tastes, smells, all the way to the things she and her friends would discuss. This goes hand in hand with writing a first draft; the only important thing is getting all of your ideas down on paper. Lamott emphasizes the fact that the first draft is all about the process, not the product. Through the process, you will reach the product. I agree with her position one hundred percent. When I write a first draft, I am not really concerned with the quality of my writing; I just want to have all of my ideas down on paper. She even talks about how it is okay to have ridiculous lines in your first draft, such as “Well, so what, Mr. Poopy Pants?". Later on when you are on your second draft, you may find some inspiration from a ridiculous quote like that. Anne’s story really illuminated the fact that I am not the only one who struggles to begin writing a first draft. She even talks about how a lot of famous authors often struggle to begin a first draft. A writer that Anne knows tells her every morning that he says to himself, “It's not like you don't have a choice, because you do -- you can either type, or kill yourself.” Lamott’s process is very easy to relate to. She talks about how getting started is the hardest part and sometimes you feel as if you’re going to kill yourself if you don’t come up with a good story. Personally, getting started is the hardest part of the writing process for me. I usually sit alone, in silence, for thirty or so minutes before the writing starts to flow. And like Anne, I may go grab something to eat to sort of calm myself down and achieve a feeling of satisfaction from being full. But once I start writing, it’s just as hard for me to stop as it was for me to begin. I write all of my drafts on paper, and then I go back and type them. I like to do this because it is almost as if I am writing my second draft when I type; I am able to make corrections and eliminate different ideas as I type. Overall, I thought “Shitty First Drafts” by Anne Lammott did a wonderful job of outlining what the writing process is all about.

Journal 2

David Giffels informs us about what it was like to own a Ramone’s t-shirt in the past and today in his memoir “Shirt Worthy”. The main point of the story is to provide insight into how times and the meaning of wearing a Ramone’s t-shirt have changed. This story also has a surprising amount of relevance as well. At one point in the story, David says to himself “Could it be, that my children will never have to struggle?” He is trying to say that back when he was growing up, things had to be earned. But today, things are given and available to you with no effort on your own behalf. The subject of “Shirt Worthy” is about David’s journey to finally become a proud owner of a Ramone’s t-shirt. The intended audience of “Shirt Worthy” could be an avid rock and roll fan, a parent, or anybody who is curious about how different some things are today from the past. David reveals to us in the beginning that one could not just wear a Ramone’s t-shirt when he was a kid, it had to be earned. One would go about earning the right to wear a Ramone’s t-shirt by attending one of their concerts. But today, anybody can just stroll into Hot Topic and find any band t-shirt they desire. This is exactly what David did when his son asked for a Ramone’s t-shirt for his birthday. David was not naïve about where he could go about finding the shirt, he even felt like he could slightly relate to the idea of “Hot Topic”. When David’s son wears the shirt for the first time, he rips it while climbing a fence. David’s kid thinks the shirt is ruined, but David tells his son that he has actually made the shirt “better”. This is another example of how times have changed. In the past, a ripped up, grungy rock n roll t-shirt was an ideal item to have. It showed your true passion and dedication for a particular band. Today, you go out and buy a new shirt, which is exactly what David did. Now being a proud owner of a slightly ripped Ramone’s t-shirt, David feels as if he has finally earned it through being a true fan all of his life and also by being a great father. David uses dialogue and strong details to help provide the reader with a pathos or emotional feeling. We feel bad for his son who is about to cry because he ripped his new shirt. We also feel a sense of happiness for David when he finally obtains his very own Ramone’s t-shirt. This is one element that I believe would help my writing tremendously.

Journal 1

I never really stopped to think about how much writing and rhetoric is apart of every day life. Everywhere you go, you experience both in one way or another. Whether it’s the anchor on sports center telling you the latest sports news, the text message you received a few minutes ago, or the pre game speech your coach gave you before the big game, writing and rhetoric is all around us. Being captain of the football and ice hockey team in high school, I have used my fair share of rhetoric to help motivate my team. It helps to inject morale into your team and persuades you to believe that you will be victorious. In the movie Any Given Sunday, Al Pacino uses rhetoric to deliver an extremely motivational speech that drives his team to victory. Throughout my life, I never really enjoyed writing papers. I always dreaded the long hours researching and citing endless amounts of information. But once I started to play the guitar, I began to gain an appreciation for different types of writing. I would occasionally express the way I was feeling through a poem. Then that poem would then turn into a song. There is no greater feeling then being able to express your feelings through music. A lot of popular artists are great at conveying different messages through their song lyrics. I personally am a big fan of John Mayer. In his song Daughters , he tells the story of what it is like for a girl to be abandoned by her father and the trouble she has reconnecting with people when she is an adult. The song represents how somebody’s past can shape who they are as an individual today. Personally, my strengths as a writer have always been my ability to convey a clear message to my audience as well as my attention to detail. But sometimes, I find myself writing too many unnecessary details to help pad the length of my paper. Another thing I could improve upon is mistakes. Whether it is a misspelled word, too many commas, or an incorrect citation, all of the mistakes I usually make are easily fixable. Too many times, I neglect to go back and re read my work. I believe that if I can fix these mistakes, I will be able to keep my audience engaged. I would like to be able to write a paper that nobody wants to stop reading. Many famous authors are very good at this, such as J.D. Salinger. When I read the novel The Catcher in the Rye, I did not want to put it down. I read all 277 pages in a few hours. This is the only book I have ever read in one sitting. The story is easy for any teenager that is struggling to find out who they are and what their purpose in this world is to relate to. I hope that this course will help me become a better write through strengthening my ability to captivate my audience, proofreading, and constructive criticism.