Johnson 1

Memo
Prior to receiving feedback from one of my peers and Professor Knudson, I noticed that I
was missing a title, as well as page numbers on the upper right-hand corner. Not to mention, I
was only about halfway done with my rough draft, thus, I felt bad for those having to review my
paper; they didnt have much to work with. However, the paper itself wasnt terrible, just
missing some points here and there. That being said, I am still thankful that I wasnt the only one
noticing mistakes in this paper.
The anonymous person whom reviewed my paper mostly gave positive feedback in
regards to the overall content. However, they did advise me to expand on one of the paragraphs
that dealt with coordinators providing students with a sense of security through the utilization of
fire alarms and the such. I decided to combine that paragraph with the one above it, considering
they both dealt with the preservation of a placid environment. I used my peers suggestion
ensuring no points would be deducted because of a lack of clarification. The paragraph shouldnt
have been there to begin with, it just consisted of further evidence supporting a previous claim.
Professor Knudson mostly gave me positive feedback stating that the introduction was
good. She did provide me with some constructive criticism asking me to clarify on how a sign
stationed out of study room G33 played the role of mediator in preventing a hostile environment
on the ground floor of the Atkins Library. I decided to get rid of that sentence because it didnt
make much sense and I couldnt figure out a way to make it work with the sentence following it.
I used Professor Knudsons feedback making sure no points would be deducted because of a lack
of clarification.
All things considered, I found the peer-review to be rather problematic because half of
the class was missing and the people that were there were too busy socializing to give

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constructive criticism. We were supposed to rotate papers and I dont believe anyone got more
than one peer review.

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Nicole Johnson
Professor Knudson
UWRT-1102
24 October 2016
Oh No! I Have a Case of Atkins Fever!
In E.B. Whites correspondence to the Children of Troy, he states the following: A
library is many things. It's a place to go, to get in out of the rain. It's a place to go if you want to
sit and think. But particularly it is a place where books live, and where you can get in touch with
other people, and other thoughts, through books (Letters to the Children of Troy). Libraries
customarily served as providers of vast arrays of knowledge, provoking introspection, and
musing, enabling the creation of original notions serving as a haven for independent thought, but
also as an area to exchange knowledge. In the case of the J. Murrey Atkins Libraryexplicitly
the ground floorthe underlying message provided by the facilitators is considerably complex.
The Atkins Library, is committed to academic resourcefulness and reliability, striving to preserve
a tranquil and safe environment for students; ensuring comfort, socialization, and multitasking in
a diverse setting. This message is insinuated in posters and signs exhibited throughout the ground
floor, as well as by the technologically advanced appliances, seating arrangements, and alarm
systems scattered across the ceiling.
The Atkins Library gives the impression of being intellectually rewarding, as perceived
on the ground floor; however, whether students take advantage of this situation depends solely
on the individual. There are various ways in which this message is conveyed, namely in the form
of posters. There are two posters one of which can be found at the immediate north entrance of
the library and the other in the general vicinity of Peetes Coffee; informing students of

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Upcoming Workshops. Librarians regularly hold these workshops to aid scholars in
researching topics, whether it be for a social science course or social work. These seminars are
not required, but are prompted by facilitators whom wish to enrich the student population.
Equally important, these posters heighten the credibility of facilitators, considering these
workshops can prove to be academically advantageous to students that attend; inducing feelings
of reliability. Thus, they are utilizing the rhetorical device ethos, appealing to college students
through the manipulation of posters, detailing seminars that could ensure academic success;
provoking the belief that the Atkins Library is resourceful and reliable.
Another vibe discerned was the conservation of a placid and safe environment, conveyed
through the utilization of posters, signs, maps, and appliances. For instance, outside of study
room G33 is a sign that states, Keep calm and avoid unpleasant conflicts by displaying your
reservation ticket on the study room door. This sign is present to ensure hostility will not arise
over the reservation of a study room; preventing a warlike environment. The individuals whom
made the following sign appear to be using dehortatio to sway the audience, providing dissuasive
advice in relation to inadequate behavior displayed in the library. The message is further
insinuated by posters providing step-to-step directions on how to reserve a study room,
situated above the self-checkout and outside of study rooms. These posters serve as illustrations
of logical appeal as coordinators used plausible reasoning for the preservation of a peaceful
environment offering directions on how to reserve the study room, avoiding disputes. Tying in
with the maintenance of a peaceful environment, the coordinators wished to provide students
with a sense of security in case of an emergency. Hence, there are fire alarms and smoke
detectors sprawled across the ceiling of the ground floor. Also, there are maps that clearly outline
escape routes, which can be found at every exit. The coordinators were using pathos; emotionally

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appealing to the audience through the utilization of maps and alarm systems, inducing feelings of
security. Essentially, the coordinators of this institution made use of posters, signs, maps, and
alarm systems to assure students of their safety, enabling the emergence of a sense of comfort.
Considering the sheer number of students that place their bare feet on the tables adjacent
to them, comfort is undoubtedly radiating from the cracks of this building. There is a vast array
of seating, from booths stationed at the end of the library to beige sofas and bar stools on the far
left; the seating is limitless, not to mention, rather cozy in light of the students found sleeping in
this establishment. There appears to be specific seating geared towards joint cooperation,
typically elongated coaches or booths. On the contrary, miniature sofas or bar stools are directed
towards individual study. The facilitators aspired to establish a homely environment for college
students, as well as an area for academic study. Thus, the facilitators were emotionally appealing
to college students, providing a sense of comfort by furnishing the ground floor with soft and
comfortable seating. They also appear to be using ethos, providing students with a sense of
dependency by ensuring comfort, as well as academic success, by making accommodations for
individual or group study.
Socialization and comfort usually coincide but customarily not in a library setting.
However, in the case of the Atkins Library, fraternizing is prompted. This is clearly
communicated via posters and Peetes Coffee. For example, there is a poster that shows four
students conversing, laptops in front of them; Meet up can be discerned at the bottom of the
depiction. Another poster has two students seated directly in front of each other, laughing;
Relate, can be seen on the lower left-hand corner. The facilitators use posters as a means of
encouraging socialization whether it be informal or formalized. Facilitators appear to be using
pathos, prompting loquaciousness in students.

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Keeping that in mind, Peetes Coffee & Tea is an eating establishment located on the
ground floor of the Atkins Library, serving primarily breakfast foods and coffee to the student
population. Considering Peetes is a hotspot for fraternization, conversations often make their
way into areas of academic study. Students will leave Peetes Coffee & Tea with their food
and/or drink in hand; situating themselves at tables outside of the establishment where they will
consume their food, as well as make friendly conversation with their peers until they decide to
leave. This is common on weekdays between nine and ten o'clock in the morning; as though it
were a routine. Facilitators have encouraged mingling so heavily within the student population
its become part of student life. Facilitators have prompted chatty behavior through the
utilization of Peetes Coffee & Tea, thus, emotionally appealing to the audience. Socialization is
not the only message being conveyed, but rather insinuated, in regards to multitasking.
Multitasking is defined as the ability to handle more than one task at once. The
coordinators of the Atkins Library wished to create an institution permitting multitasking for the
student population. Throughout the library multitasking can be perceived; a student maybe
working on an assignment while listening to music, texting, or even conversing with friends.
This message is strongly conveyed in the form of posters. For example, there was one poster that
had Multitasking in bold white letters, as a girl is depicted, apparently texting, while a
textbook lay open in front of her. Another example, would be the welcome to Atkins poster
displayed at the north entrance. Three students can be seen laughing while looking at a computer
screen, pens still in hand, having been working on an assignment just a few minutes prior.
Essentially, these posters are reinforcing the idea that facilitators encourage multitasking;
emotionally appealing to students through the utilization of posters prompting socialization and
the use of electronic devices, while studying or completing assignments.

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The final message being projected is that the Atkins Library offers a racially diverse
environment. This message is conveyed in the form of posters, where minorities appear to be the
majority. For instance, there is one poster that shows an African-American male using his phone
while his laptop sits in front of him, a Caucasian female can be seen in the background, although
blurred out; Stay Connected is in the lower left-hand corner. Another poster shows an AfricanAmerican female on a desktop, smiling at something on the screen; at the bottom of the poster
Discover can be perceived. The facilitators are using these posters to emotionally appeal to
minority students, making them feel at ease by providing a haven for those that are racially
diverseostracizing racismthis message is quite evident considering minorities are the
primary focus in these posters. The facilitators also appear to be using ethos, having gained
credibility by using these posters, giving students, as well as visitors, the impression that this is a
racially diverse and unprejudiced establishment. Based on my observations, the ground floor of
the Atkins Library appears to be racially diverse as portrayed in the posters.
The J. Murrey Atkins Library, was constructed by the facilitators at UNCC (or the
University of North Carolina at Charlotte) providing students with an academically reliable, safe,
and comfortable area of study; that could also be utilized for socialization; enabling multitasking
in a racially diverse environment. The facilitators conveyed this message through the utilization
of a wide variety of seating, appliances, posters, signs and maps. Ultimately, the coordinators of
this establishment used the rhetorical devices pathos, ethos, logos and dehortatio in order to
appeal to the student body. In the case of the Atkins Library, for students, its more than a
library, its a sanctuary that serves multiple purposes; its part of the college experience. It
could even be argued that students have a case of Atkins fever, considering the hype of this
establishment.

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Works Cited
Letters to the Children of Troy. Troy Public Library, http://troypl.org/portfolio/letters
to-the-children-of-troy/.