Author
I recently joined a fraternity this past semester and it is always been something that I enjoyed talking about ever since I joined. I was really intrigued by how much my views actually changed about what a fraternity is and what the people are like. When I saw how outraged my fellow brothers were about this ban on serenades it really showed me how everyone comes together to fight a fight together. It also gives me the opportunity to knock down outsider's views of what a fraternity is and show them that it is not what they think it is (for the most part).
2. What are the preconceptions, previously held opinions and/or potential areas for bias that you should be aware of for Project 3? What about any of the following?
I think that being a part of a fraternity obviously gives me some personal bias towards one side of the argument. However, this is not really a fight between outsiders of greek life and greek members, rather a fight between greek members and their higher power. Obviously, for this subject, I don't have a bias to promote rape culture, but I do believe that fraternities and sororities already have so many restrictions, that adding more will just lead to the demise of greek life at the U of A.
Audience
1. How are you thinking about your audience for this project? Who are you going to make this for? Describe them.
The primary audience for my project would be all members of Greek life at the University of Arizona. This includes sorority members, fraternity members, as well as the Interfraternity & Panhellenic Council. In my essay I also go in to talk about dismissing peoples preconceived ideas about what a fraternity is, so this could affect greek members nationwide. The tone of my essay is casual, but it truly shows how I feel.
2. What beliefs and assumptions might this audience already hold? What position are they likely to take on this issue? How will you respond to that position?
There are a few different types of audience members, but I think there are 3 types of positions that they can take on this argument. The first type of audience member is in support of the argument that there should not be a ban on how serenades currently are. This is most likely a majority of fraternity members as well as a good amount of sorority members. The other type of audience member is in support of Pattberg's resolution to ban serenades and/or make them more traditional. This audience is most likely to say that even though there have not been any issues with yet, they want to prevent anything from happening. They could say that people are too nervous to say something, to which I refute that there are many different ways to form a complaint or talk to someone. In no way are they forced to participate in these activities. I will also bring in the case study about how fraternity men are less hyper-masculine, as well as the judicial reports outlining how no sexual assault has been reported for any fraternity over the past few years. The third audience member is probably ambivalent towards the issue, and these would be key target audience so I could try and prove to them my side of the argument with all the evidence I have gathered.
3. How might they react to your argument?
The topic I am covering can be very sensitive and for this reason, I placed in a disclaimer about my beliefs and that I am in no way trying to offend anyone. I am aware that it is kind of like walking on egg shells, but I hope to prove to both the readers against my argument and those who are on the fence about it, that serenades, in no way, promote rape culture.
4. How are you going to relate to or connect with your audience? Are there any specific words, ideas or ways of arguing that will help you relate to them in this way?
One of the main ways I am going to appeal to my audience is by trying to keep the essay semi-casual in the tone it is written in. I want my readers to understand that I am just your average college student trying to fight for what I believe in. I think this will tap into the emotions of college students campus-wide because everyone has their own battles they are fighting, and mine currently, is trying to correct people ideals on what a fraternity is. I should not have to justify why our harmless activities have been deemed as "promoting rape culture," and it looks even worse that is came from someone inside of greek life. In order to appeal to the senses of board members of the council, I will provide ample support for my argument to try and prove to them that even their ideas about fraternity men are flawed.
5. Think of one specific person or a set of people you know personally or professionally who fall within the definition of ‘target audience’ you’re using for Project 3. What could you tell them or say to them in order to convince them of your perspective? What would need to happen for them to agree with you?
My target audience out of this whole argument would be the board members of the council who passed this resolution. I would first start by showing them that I understand their argument and that they have valid points, but I would come back with they have no valid data in support or their argument. I would then go in to provide examples of why their ideas are flawed, the effect the resolution could have, and show that they are making greek life look worse to outsiders on top of the negative outlook people have on us already. I would tie it all back by showing them that I respect what they are trying to achieve here, but this resolution is unnecessary, has a negative effect, and there are bigger problems to fight with. I believe that showing them that not only serenades are a harmless activity, but the men performing them are also harmless will make them realize that they are getting ahead of themselves.
Purpose/Message
With Project 3, I hope to not only get my target audience to reevaluate their decision on the ban that was made on serenades, but I also hope to reach the minds of many students college-wide to show them that fraternity men are not as douchey and rapey as many make us out to be. The guys may act like assholes on the surface, but that's because they are trying to live up to this standard that they think college men are, but on the inside fraternity men are well-educated, respectful men (well a good sum of them).
2. Once you’ve done all your research and figured out what you think about the controversy you’ve chosen, what still needs to be accomplished?
I think I need to make sure that I try and make this argument specific to the serenades at the same time, and try not to make it an argument as to why fraternity men are not assholes. However, big part of explaining my argument, is showing how well educated these men are on substance abuse, sexual assault, etc. I need to make sure my audience understands that the intention of serenades is supposed to be in good fun for both parties, where the guys make fools of themselves for the enjoyment of the women in sororities.
What Genre?
1. What course genre will you be writing in for Project 3?
For project 3 I am doing the Standard College Essay.
2. What kinds of audience expectations come along with this genre, generally?
For this writing genre, audience expect a well written, and thoroughly-supported essay that is decent in length. It has to keep the reader engaged and not be too short but also not too long, just enough to get the point across with sufficient data and excess information should be excluded.
3. What is your history working in the genre you have selected for Project 3?
I have been writing essays for years, it is the most common writing genre for English courses, so I am pretty familiar with this genre.
4. Describe your comfort level and general feelings about the genre. How will they affect your work on Project 3?
I feel pretty confident with this genre, seeing as though essays are not out of the ordinary for me. I just have to make sure my conventions are correct for this specific project. I have written 20+ page research papers in high school, so this should not be a hard task especially because it is a subject I am interested in.
5. What are the two most effective conventions in this genre, in your opinion? Why? Be specific.
I think the two most important conventions of this genre are formatting and evidence. Formatting is so crucial, because if you have different fonts, altered spacing, and it just does not look professional, your reader will be distracted and not take your essay seriously. Evidence is also very important, because one can make claims all they want, but if there is no concrete evidence, then the whole essay will be deemed ineffective.
When?
There are not really any major historical events that affects how my audience perceives my argument, it is more-so, word of mouth that creates these preconceived ideas. The recent I Will campaign also heavily impacts my argument. This is, after all, where it all started, but because of that recently taking on campus, it may be harder for me to voice my opinion.
2. Who else is talking about this topic? Provide us with working hyperlinks to coverage of the controversy on FOUR different media outlets.
Total Fraternity Move
Daily Wildcat- Say Goodby to Serenades as You Know Them
Daily Wildcat- 'I Will' Campaign Kicks off This Week to End Rape Culture
Daily Wildcat- Greek Programs Try to Combat Assault and Alcohol Abuse
3. What are the three or four major counter-arguments you’ll have to respond to, based upon what people are saying in the press/media? Be specific and cite your sources using working hyperlinks.
- "Serenades have been a really fun part of my experience in a sorority,” she said. “Despite the fact that I feel the dancing and sexual tone of this activity is harmless at the UA, it isn't at all universities, and I believe it is the responsibility of the UA Panhellenic council and the Interfraternity Council to continue the campus, country and world-wide fight against rape culture by giving serenades a more appropriate and respectful vibe."- Link Found Here
- “We obviously don’t know what our members have been through, and we don’t want to create any triggering situations for anyone,” Patberg said. “Our ultimate goal is to protect the well-being of our members.”- Link Found Here
- “We hope to have events after this week, in the spring and the fall, to hold people accountable and give them the resources to become more informed,” Hammond said. “We’re hoping that students continue to educate themselves and the people around them and their community.”- Link Found Here
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