Amigos and Getting People Invovled-Revised

I am involved with the Amigo Organization that is in charge of the Orientations for new students. As an Amigo, my job is to get the incoming students interested and keep them wanting to learn more about the University. It is also very important that we get them excited about coming to USI. There is a stereotype that is put on every college student that I want to change. Many people feel that college is all about partying. I want to be able to change those minds and encourage the new students to get involved on campus instead of falling into those bad behaviors. Studies show that the more involved you are with campus activities the more successful you will be in college. Grades also seem to be higher for the students who stay active.
I believe that my cause will be very beneficial for the younger students and keep them more involved with the University. It will also keep them interested and active with the organizations on campus instead of letting themselves fall into the trap of becoming a stereotypical college student. In order to do this, I am going to provide brochures for students on campus telling them all about the clubs and organizations that are offered on campus. The brochure will also provide where to find contact information for each different one. This way, students can see that the University really does have a lot to offer. It will display some statistics on the college drinking life letting them know that they do not have to be just a number here. I want to let the students know that there is much more to college life than the party scene. The last part of my proposal is to offer the students that come by a miniature candy bar with a label on it encouraging them to get involved. It will tell where the Office of Student Development is located and where they can find more information about getting involved online. I feel that this will be a good way to get more people interested in my cause.
Overall, I feel that my plan will go over very well. I plan for the brochure to be very eye catching and informative to get people interested. The statistics that I will provide will show the students that being part of this group is not as “cool” as they think it is because of how real the statistics are. I feel that at USI, it is not necessary to party in order to have fun. I want to be able to make other people feel that way as well.

Amigos and Getting People Involved

I am involved with the Amigo Organization that is in charge of the Orientations for incoming freshman. As an Amigo, my job is to get the incoming students interested and keep them wanting to learn more about the University. It is also very important that we get them excited about coming to USI. There is a stereotype that is put on every college student that I want to change. Many people feel that college is all about partying. I want to be able to change those minds and encourage the new students to get involved on campus instead of falling into those bad behaviors. Studies show that the more involved you are with campus activities the more successful you will be in college. Grades also seem to be higher for the students who stay active. I believe that my cause will be very beneficial for the younger students and keep them more involved with the University. It will also keep them interested and active with the organizations on campus instead of letting themselves fall into the trap of the stereotypical college lifestyle.

Public Discourse

I chose to participate in public discourse when I walked in a parade for the election of our white county sherrif. I believed that he would make a good sherrif for my hometown so in order to show my support for him, I chose to walk in the parade to show that support. Also, I was given a t-shirt to wear and I have worn it several times in public to show that I still believe that he was a good choice for sherrif.
An example of a time when I chose not to participate in public discourse was when I said no to signing a patition on the bane of smoking on campus. I chose not to sign because I felt that the pattion was unfair. If the patition was for a more designated area for smokers, I definitely would have signed. I feel that if smoking was banned, students and faculty would not abide by this rule anyway.

Blog Analysis

"Black and Into Green"
The blog that I chose to write about was one that discussed the environment and different ways to maintain a healthy diet. Within this blog, I found information about good organic foods to buy at an affordable cost. The blogger also provided her readers with coupons, pictures of the foods that she was providing the information for and shopping tips on how to save money. I found this blog to be very beneficial in many ways. It was very informative and understandable and the way she had her blog set up was very inviting. It made me want to see what she had to say.
The purpose of this blog is to inform readers and to help them with their troubles on saving money. I feel that her main goal is to provide helpful suggestions about nutrition and how to achieve a healthy lifestyle. She really makes the blog worth reading by being organized a relating well to her audience. She has gotten all of her information and things from other sources and that is relevant on her page. She seems very passionate about her topics and that makes me feel comfortable reading the information that is presented.
The main focus of this blog is to capture the attention of people who are looking to eat healthier and save money in the process. I feel that in some ways she thinks that a lot of her readers will be African Americans considering the title of the blog is “Black and into Green.” Although this is the title, I think that this blog attracts more women from the ages of twenty to forty or women with families. She can also relate to a lot of women because she talks a lot about her struggles being able to save money and wants to help out other people even though she does not know any of her readers personally.
This website offers a good way to draw the readers in by offering coupons and helpful hints on how to live a healthier lifestyle. The title would be one thing that could possibly turn the reader off of the blog. Even though I may not be a part of the intended audience, I found it very beneficial. If the readers could get past the title, I feel that they would find it helpful as well.

Comments!

I commented on:
-Life of a USI Student- "Bite Sized Bible"
-Living Life to the Fullest- "The Barb Wire"
-The English 201 Cause- "Hooking Up Smart"

Issues of Interest and Concern

There are a lot of issues around the world that are of concern to not only me, but a large part of the population. One that has become a very huge issue for a while is the growing economy. My concern is about the job market and what it will be like when I get out of school. The way that the working population is suffering now by being layed off or getting a pay decrease is a huge scare. I find myself wondering all the time what the job market will be like in four years. Will I be able to find a job? There are a lot of other aspects to the economy that are frightening. Yes, gas prices are low at the moment, but will they go back up to the unbearable prices that they were at? If the job opportunities decrease and the fuel prices increase, what will that cause? Even though I wasn't around during the Great Depression, I have heard that this is looking like the worst the economy has been since then. It is definitely something to think about.

Public Spheres

Public Spheres are places that people can go to post, publish or share their own opinions. There are many different places like this around the USI campus. For example, as you walk on the sidewalks through campus you will often see bulletin boards with flyer's or posters to remind students of events coming up. Certain groups on campus like to advertise their cause and what they stand for so that way if people share those same interests, they are able to join. Some of these groups could be Go Green or Religious affiliated groups on campus. Some other public spheres include the newspaper that is sent out, our local USI television station for on campus residence, the bulletin board inside the library, dorm rooms and many others. Public spheres are located everywhere and always differ in their interests, concerns and locations. For example, the events that occur within a group such as Go Green are going to be totally different than those going on inside a dorm room. This shows that all public spheres are unique and can be used in different ways.