Eric Jenkins Jr.

November 12, 2013 WRD 103 Professor Katie Brown Rhetorical Assignment (Public Document) In this public document assignment, the class had to come up with an artifact that presents a call to action for some sort of social change. I decided to focus on possibly clarifying the tuition here at DePaul. I also decided that an easier way that this could be affective is to create a petition. My audience were the students because they are the ones paying for this education at DePaul. In this artifact, I included my worries as a student at DePaul, personal questions that students can relate, and a breakdown of what the students are paying in mathematical form. In my petition, I included my worries as a student. I feel that my using my worries and my fears could be relatable to the students. My creditability, a student at DePaul, could possibly gather up more students to join the movement. It would probably be more effective coming from a person like me rather than a student from another university or a parent. Im in the same position as the other students are. Therefore, they see that I could possibly be someone to listen to because were in the same boat. In the beginning of the petition, I started by talking about how well DePaul is because DePaul really is a great and academically successful university. After the first two sentences, I change my direction as a concerned student to grasp the attention of my other fellow students. My opinion as a student would be more effective to other students do to the fact that Im a student as well.

In the petition, questions are included into the petition. We are all college students at DePaul University. Therefore, it is stereotypically assumed that the students would analyze and think about the questions that are being asked. In the petition, there is a stamen that says Students are paying for 18 credit-hours per quarter, but are influenced by advisors to only take 16 credit-hours per quarter. It is followed by a question that says were you aware of that? This statement and questions could go two ways. The student would acknowledge that they knew about it or they didnt know. For those that didnt know, they would probably move forward on analyzing why they didnt know and why didnt the advisor recommend a 2 credit hour class. The student that does know, hopefully, they are taking a 2 credit hour class. Questions like these could possibly click a light switch and turn on a light bulb in the brain wondering if they are paying what they are expecting. These types of questions affect them mentally and emotionally if they elaborate on it. These are the types of questions that get the students thinking and their thoughts/theories could possibly join the movement of clarifying what is being paid for in the tuition at DePaul. Lastly, I also included mathematical formulas that show the extra money that doesnt have a valid usage. If you are a student at DePaul, it is assumed that you are smart because you go to DePaul. Including the formulas was a smart way to help them see the data for themselves. Including the formulas was a way to provide evidence of the possibility of being over charged at DePaul. It was a way to affect the students to help them see how much money is left over. The students would think about where they can use that money and why it isnt specified on what it is going towards. Including these numerical points in the petition was a way to reach out to the smart students and to provide evidence for those who based their opinions on mathematical

data. Giving mathematical formulas and breaking it down to show how much money is left, students would see that there is extra money wondering around that no one knows about. Overall, the petition could be really affective and cause students to join the movement. Providing my thoughts and opinions as a student could connect more to the other students. Some may feel the same way, but wouldnt want to speak upon it. Including questions in the petition could cause a mental and emotional point within the student that would cause them to sign the petition after thinking upon it. Lastly, the way the evidence was provided in mathematical form could help support the cause stronger because they would see a visual breakdown of the tuition. Using a petition is the easiest and most effective way to reach out to the students of DePaul University.