My Investigation

Today on my way to class, I was walking down one of the main University roads when I witnessed the same thing I see every day. I looked out onto the road and saw a man do a triple pass in a no passing zone, blow through a stop sign without even touching the brakes, forget a turn signal, ram up onto the sidewalk and then cut through a parking lot as if it were a shortcut. After several near misses of vehicles and pedestrians, the man is on his way and out of sight. No one honked their horns, or screamed in fear he or she might be hit. No one gives him a bad look or discusses what just happened. As I stated before, this is nothing unusual here at Penn State. It's happening every day. This is your average college student bicycle rider on his way to class. Traffic in Penn State is hectic to say the least. When you add the thousands of pedestrians and bike riders to the picture, traffic becomes an even larger problem. Cars may have to sit at stop signs for minutes waiting for the endless line of students to pass through the crosswalk. The typical bicycle rider can find a way around this by riding up on the sidewalk or by driving around the backed up line of fifty cars. By Pennsylvania law, the bicyclist must drive as if they are operating a car. So how are these students driving like maniacs and getting away with it?

Upon doing some research on the subject, I received some feedback that I had presumed I would be given. Freshman bike rider Aaron Monick stated that "any bike rider who actually follows the laws are wimps." Clearly from this quotation it is evident that the bicycle riders who violate the traffic rules don't see any danger in it. He is not concerned about his safety or the possibility of getting in trouble enough that he would follow the strict laws.

Freshman Mitch Ernst, also a campus bike rider, had a slightly different opinion. "I try to be as safe as I can on my bike. Riding bikes around here is kind of like a free for all. You're not going to see me using turn signals or anything like that, but at least I'm one of the few who will stop and look both ways before I go through the intersection." At least in Mitch's case he is aware of the potential dangers of riding through campus.

Pat O'Grady a freshman here at Penn State provided me with the inspiration to report on the subject when he recollected on an incident he had seen on campus. "I'm walking back from class when I catch out of the corner of my eye a biker get hit by a car. The kid on the bike went right through a stop sign and made a left turn and got bumped into from behind from someone who thought it was their turn to go." The accident occurred at the four-way intersection of Bigler and Curtain roads. "The craziest thing about it was that the kid immediately jumped up and started to yell at the person driving the car. I think the kid honestly thought the car was at fault." Pat's quote depicts the invincibility the bicycle riders seem to feel when they ride through campus.

In a 2008 article from the online Penn State Collegian titled University Updates Bicycle Policy, Annemarie Mountz, the assistant director of public information, said that an increase in bicyclists had caused the university officials to realize the lack of knowledge among cyclists of how to appropriately ride. In a discussion I had with David Dorman, the parking allocation manager at the University Parking Office, he stated that the number of bicycles registered for use is nearly 7000. The Penn State transportation services website states that bicycles may only be ridden on approved bicycle routes and campus roads only. It also specifically states that this does not include sidewalks or pedestrian paths. Bicycle operators are also required to yield to pedestrians. According to Aaron, he goes straight through stop signs on a daily basis. He claims that this is what everyone else is doing.

Upon interviewing David Dorman, I was shocked at the number of bicycles registered on campus (5000-7000). I would now like to look into the trend of the number of bicyclists and find out whether this number may get even larger in the near future. During the interview, Aaron also claimed he had never heard of anyone getting pulled over on a bike. Although so far I have had difficulty getting information from traffic police, I hope I can find one who is willing to share with me about their experiences with bike riders and whether they have ever issued citations to them.

#1 Party School Reflection

#1 Party School is a radio segment review of the number one "party school" in the nation, Penn State. The whole point of the broadcast is to discuss the issues associated with college towns and drinking, and in this case, specifically Penn State. The investigation was conducted because The Princeton Review declared Penn State as the number one school for partying. The purpose of the investigation was to determine exactly what this ranking means. To do this, the researchers observe the drunk students at night and conduct brief interviews with them. The issue has an exigence because there is a need to find out how this ranking influences the student behavior. Officer Martin Haynes discusses his personal experiences with the students with one of the reporters.

The intended audience is the college communities around the nation. These are the people involved with the problems of college partying. Through the research, you can see this affects nearly all students attending the university because they are the ones partying. The residents of the community who live close to campus are negatively affected by being disturbed from loud noises and destruction of property on the weekend nights. The faculty is also confronted with the problems of trying to keep a safe environment at the university. Graham Spanier is quoted several times in the report when he was confronted with questions related to students partying. The report also discusses how students such as the pizza delivery man have never drank alcohol, but have to deal with all of the negative affects from the majority of the school population partying. The report really concludes that drinking is something that happens at colleges, and Penn State especially. It's inevitable, but the problem should try to be addressed. However, there isn't one specific thing that can lead to the end of drinking. Administrators conclude that even the death of Joe Dado will have no effect on the next years class. Interviews extended past just the drunken students to those that reflect on their entire experience at Penn State. One student sadly talks about his last football game he will watch as a student. He claims that he will come to the games for the rest of his life, and this is where the Penn State pride is really evident. The students are all close with each other and love everything about the University. And perhaps this is what The American Life infers can be traced to all the drinking, this friendly environment.

The researchers use mostly interviews to convey their information. They also discuss the cause and effect of the students drinking and the impact it has on the entire university. Although I found all the interviews entertaining, I am not sure how useful the research was. After listening to the report, I didn't notice anything that came across as unusual. In my opinion I think every single college in the nation is going to party on the weekends, Penn State simply comes across as a big party school because of the big population. So my only problem with the report is that is seems to have investigated a topic that is already widely evident. All in all it was an entertaining piece.

Final Thoughts on Bird By Bird

After reading Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott I took one main lesson from the story. In all the personal anecdotes and tips on writing, the one thing that really stuck out to me was the numerous times Lamott encouraged the writer to not hold back anything while he or she writes. If I get stuck writing, Lamott encourages me to simply write whatever comes to mind, no matter how irrelevant it seems. She states that there is a good chance I may end up writing one of two great sentences that can be used in the story.

This strategy really applied to me because I constantly find myself stuck doing nothing for long periods of time. My problem is that sometimes I write as a perfectionist, and this is exactly what she suggests not to do. Her advice has really proved to me that this is an ineffective way of writing. She states that being afraid to put down what's on your mind is a bad thing. If you are afraid to put down what's going through your head because you are embarrassed by it, then you are going to miss some of your best content, and you will end up with an embarrassing essay. In Bird by Bird, it's clearly evident that she holds nothing back in her writing. She admits all the mistakes and embarrassments she's went through over the years and it translates to a very interesting read for the audience. I enjoyed how at several points in Bird by Bird, Lamott would throw in random sentences that seemed a little off topic, but then she explained that she had been storing these sentences, which she thought were good, for years. And now she finally had a chance to get them published through Bird by Bird. If rambling on can possibly be a good thing, then Lamott has made a good use of it in Bird by Bird. Through some of her rambling she actually will add good points to her discussion. Lamott also goes into detail about trying to remember certain situations in order to possibly use them in a story later on. She does this through notecards. She advises that anything that could possibly be turned into writing should be accounted for. This goes back to writing everything you can think of that may be useful in your story. Also, by using an informal tone she is able to get across more thoughts and opinions. I have considered writing slightly informal because of the way she makes it work so well, being able to add her own thoughts.

In my personal memoir, I took this approach when writing my first rough draft. I wrote anything that I thought could enhance the essay, and later went back and took out parts that weren't concise enough to fit in the page length restriction. By taking Lamott's strategy I ended up coming up with additional good content. I plan on taking this piece of advice from Lamott and using it in the rest of my writing during my college career.

An Analysis of "My Addicted Son"

My Addicted Son, by David Sheff appeared in a February 2005 New York Times magazine. The article focuses on the destruction that drug use has on children and their parents. David's son Nick goes through a difficult life beginning at the age of four when his parents divorced. Through David's memoir, he effectively puts the reader in his shoes to show how frustrating and devastating it is for a parent's child to go through drug use.

The story begins as Nick comes home from a year of college for the summer, and an awkward mix of happiness and uneasiness is sensed. I was intrigued by the reading when Sheff mentioned that Nick was a good brother to his two younger siblings, "when he wasn't stealing from them." I was motivated to read on and discover why Sheff mentioned this line. Methods such as detailed descriptions are evident in the text in order to keep the reader's attention. For example, in one paragraph David describes Nick's appearance at the breakfast table providing vivid details of a hair bleaching accident Nick had. As David recalls parts from Nick's upbringing, a chronological story evolves bringing the reader back to the current setting. The conflict in the story is clearly Nick's drug use and his struggle to give up his drug habits. David has an extremely difficult time dealing with his child's issues and does everything in his power to help Nick, but nothing is effective. David discusses again and again how Nick has went through rehab and therapy only to revert back to drugs several different times. Through this story, I could really feel the frustration David dealt with worrying about his son. Even when it seemed hopeless, David never lost complete faith in Nick. David reflects on what could have caused all these issues in his child's life and reasons that the divorce and weak parenting could be at fault. For this reason, I feel that David's intended audience is other parents who he hopes will not struggle with the same problems. David also uses techniques such as personal flashbacks to his own drug use, and his own experience with crystal meth. He does a good job of telling the story and letting the reader interpret without including his own opinion too much. Later on in the story, David includes a journal entry written by Nick during his stay at a rehabilitation center. This piece of writing allowed me to see into the mind of Nick and get a better picture of his character. The climax of the story occurs when David schedules to meet with Nick at the Steps of Rome for the first time since he ran away. This meeting location brings back nostalgic memories when David's family was together and normal. Nick ensures he can take care of himself yet again and it appears that eventually Nick will die from his drug problem. This is resolved when months later Nick is finally drug-free from additional rehab therapy.

David states near the end of the memoir that he has come to the realization that parents can deal with anything. And I feel that this is his take home message. Despite what happens with their children, parents should always strive to help them live the best possible lives. This story is relevant to those my age because we are the ones who should make good choices for the sake of our parents, because we will be in their position some day.

A Lunchroom Disaster

Every time I go to a restaurant, choosing a meal becomes quite a predicament. If I had to create a list of all foods I enjoy eating, it would consist of about 5 different meals. This is no exaggeration. It didn't take my friends long to notice that all I have eaten for lunch this first week of school is pizza, chicken, peanut butter with bread, cereal and rigatoni. One of the first days of summer session at Penn State, my friend made the remark, "You're a fussy eater, aren't you?" And to this I replied that I am not a "fussy" eater, but perhaps a "picky" eater. Over the years my least favorite phrase heard at the dinner table is, "Just try it. You'll like it!" It's not that I don't wish to like the taste of these foods being offered to me (believe me, I do), it's that I simply hate the taste of the food being offered.

It was the first week of kindergarten at Pleasant Elementary School. This particular day turned out to be everything but pleasant for me. Right as I entered the lunch cafeteria with my "packed" lunch full of all foods I would consider edible (which consist of the very same ones of today), the fire alarm erupted through the school. Even at the age of five I was smart enough to figure it was just another drill. However, after standing around for fifteen minutes, we were told there actually was an unusual smoke coming from the cafeteria kitchen. This was the very same cafeteria containing my precious lunchbox, which I left on one of the tables. The students were allowed to play kickball for a good period of time while the building was being inspected. A few hours later, after the smoke had cleared and it was safe to enter, my first thought was to get my lunch back into my own hands. To my disappointment, no one was permitted to eat the lunches, which sat inside the cafeteria during the evacuation. The students proceeded into the cafeteria and were asked to order a lunch off the menu. School lunches, my greatest fear. If I remember correctly, we were given three options to choose from. Standing in line for my lunch felt so unusual. The cafeteria had seemed to grow twice its usual size. I wished to be at the safety of my usual lunch table with my usual friends. Instead I was in line and was up to order next. Although I had forgot the three options I had to choose from, I spotted a classmate with a tray of chicken nuggets. What a relief! The sudden turn of events led to me feeling optimistic about this school lunch experience. Chowing down on my first chicken nugget quickly replaced my optimism. These chicken nuggets being served were nowhere near as satisfying as a picky eater such as myself would have hoped. Needless to say I went home hungry on that particular day, and for the remainder of my K-12 education I never consumed another school lunch.

My junior year I revisited that elementary school, which was shut down shortly after I moved onto middle school. At the age of 17 the lunchroom seemed so incredibly small. How I felt intimidated when I was younger was beyond my understanding. Today, I am grateful for the cafeteria at Penn State, which features a pasta bar and a jar of peanut butter every day. Someday I hope I will conquer my taste buds and grow to enjoy dreaded cafeteria food.

A Rhetor in the Making

Before the Summer of 2011, I was never challenged to write at the college level. English, being one of my weaker subjects, was never as important to me compared to math and science in high school. My lack of interest in the subject led to me never taking courses beyond the "college prep" level. Having no advanced placement experience with writing or speaking coming out of high school, I was rushed into the short six-week Summer semester in which I took Penn State's Cas 100A class (speech). Although the thought of speech class wasn't exactly appealing to me, after completing the course I can say that it was a great experience. Not only did I gain some public speaking experience, I also discovered an essential aspect required for a good piece of writing. I've took pride in some of my school-assigned writings in the past, but only a select few. However, after choosing a topic i truly cared about for my speech class this Summer, I found the writing process so much smoother and efficient. This is what I took from my Summer experience; to pick writing topics that I am passionate about. Not only must I be interested in the subject, but I have to be interested at a level that I feel the need to inform my audience of the topic as well. This Fall semester my goal is that my writing will reflect my passion I have for the topics I choose.

When I do write effectively, I can analyze what I feel I have done correctly. For example, I would consider my ability to address an audience correctly a strength of mine. When done properly, I find that I use the correct word choice and write in the appropriate genre. On the other hand, I recognize that I do have several weaknesses as a writer, as all inexperienced writers probably do. I have found myself to have a weak and limited vocabulary in several of my high school essays. This is something I certainly hope to improve on in English 15 this semester. Additionally, I have had weak content in several essays. Whether it be rambling on about one point too much, or not going into depth on crucial points, I have discovered this to be a flaw of mine as a writer. These two weaknesses are something I strive to improve on this year. After taking the speech course and seeing improvement, I am confident that i can do the same with my English course.

I believe one of the key elements to a good essay is that it must keep the reader's attention. In my Junior year of high school, I was required to read Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck. Unlike some of the dull stories required for me to read over the years, this one kept my attention the entire time. I thought the book was awesome how it featured a great friendship between two entirely different characters. I strive to write about something unique and interesting just as Steinbeck did. A review of Of Mice and Men can be found here. Another reason to be inspired to write well can be found in the case of war. War is a topic in which it can be extremely hard to pick a side over the debate. For example, when the U.S. decided to send troops to the middle east for the protection of the American people, the decision wasn't questioned. However, after ten years and less than anticipated progress, there comes the question of when do we bring our soldiers back home. Situations like this truly don't have a clear answer. This is why being able to effectively express your opinion is crucial, and the best way to do it is through writing. This article, which was featured in The New York Times, discusses the conflict going on in Iraq, and touches on the devastation that the war is contributing to the already disturbed middle east. It is an example of why having good writing skills is crucial to convey your opinion.

I recognize that writing skills are a huge asset for any college student, and that's why I hope to improve on mine with the English 15 course. Rhetorical situations are every day things that should be thought about. As spoken by Anaïs Nin, "The role of a writer is not to say what we all can say, but what we are unable to say."