Humorous Argument

I chose to draw a cartoon for my humorous piece. In the cartoon I use humor by quoting students listening to a lecture given by Ward Churchill on how the moon is made of cheese. One of the students is saying that the information can't be right and her friend says that since he is the professor it must be right. Then to further the mockery of Churchill I have another student on the end saying that the information came from a paper that he wrote in the 4th grade. This is making fun of the plagiarism charges against Churchill. Churchill is also wearing a feather headdress to mock his invalid claims to be of Native American descent. 

Humorous Example

When the issue with Professor Ward Churchill began, a couple of years ago, I saw a cartoon in a local newspaper portratying Churchill dressed in flamboyant Indian attire in front of a class, giving a lecture on plagiarism. This is funny because the fact that Churchill claimed his Native American ancestry when there are only traces of Indian heritage in his geneology. It is also funny because Churchill had recently been investigated for plagiarism, so he would never be allowed to give a lecture on how to avoid plagiarism. The artist of ths cartoon was exaggerating the issues at hand, making them funny. I think that I might go about writing my humor piece in this same way. I do not know what media I will choose, but exaggeration will most likely be the best way to make this situation humorous. There are a lot of possibilities for this, especially because Churchill recently filed a lawsuit against the University of Colorado and won, 1 whole dollar.

Author's Note

This draft of my Op-ed piece is mostly complete in terms of length. I think that I might need a better conclusion to the piece, but for the most part it seems complete. I feel like I jump around a lot in this piece, so help on where I need to focus more specifically would be great. I would also like to know if you think that I took a strong enough stance within my paper. As always, help with grammar, wording, details, etc. would be very helpful. Thanks!
Holly Buechner

Op-Ed Prewriting

1) The general tone of op-ed pieces in the Washington Post is academic and includes appeals largely to ethos and logos. The appeals to pathos are also present but are not as prevalent in the pieces that I read. The audience seems to be conservative American's from across the nation, most likely aging from adulthood to upper middle age. The interesting thing about these pieces is that they take on more of a scholarly tone than I had originally expected for an opinion piece. They give plenty of quotations and statistics (when applicable) to prove their scholarly value and intellect to the readers. There was little sarcasm and issues were addressed in a much more serious manner than I had expected.
2) In my opinion piece I would like to target the issue of academic misconduct and academic integrity within the community of college professors. After reading and hearing about Ward Churchill and the controversy surrounding his time at the University of Colorado at Boulder, it is a difficult task for a college student to look at his or her professors with the same sense of respect. This has nothing to do with that specific professor but more to do with the pedestal that Churchill smashed. After hearing about what he has done, it would be foolish for students and administrators alike not to look into cases of possible academic misconduct in their own community. I find the matter to be of great importance and that is why I chose this aspect as the basis of my own opinion piece.
3) I would like to show my readers how important the issue of academic misconduct truly is in our lives. It affects more than just the students. Plagiarism from a professor not only cheats the students but also cheats society as a whole because the young adults that will soon be running businesses and creating policies are not getting the best education that they possibly could. I would like to show how vital it is to society that we have trustworthy individuals educating the up and coming leaders. I would also like to discuss a possible solution to the current cases of academic misconduct. This would be a "zero-tolerance" sort of policy that would override tenures and other barriers.
4) The most effective appeals for my audience will be appeals to logos and pathos. The type of pathos that I will use will be one that gives the readers a sense of urgency and concern for the future of America and the students at our institutions of higher learning. I will do some research on the specifics of a tenure and the sorts of policies that are currently in place to prevent academic misconduct from teachers and students.
5) Facts and personal experience are most likely going to be helpful to me in writing this article. I also think that including an opinion from an administrator from another university would be helpful, as they are another authority on the matter. The facts that I use will aid readers in understanding the tenure process and the importance of quality education.
6) I will research the tenure policies of the University of Colorado at Boulder as well as the policies of Texas Christian University. I may also research the number of cases of academic misconduct across the United States and look at how those cases were handled.

Letter to the Editor

Author's Note: 

This draft is kind of a stab in the dark. I don't really know if I am approaching the assignment correctly. Any feed back will be helpful, especially in terms of where I need additional information or if you think that the draft is too full of fluff. Thanks!

Holly

To the Editor:

In a recent Denver Post article, titled Vincent Carroll: Ward's world of brazen claims, author Vincent Carroll discusses the ways in which Ward Churchill’s trial is unnecessary and ridiculous. This article, published on March 25, 2009, points out how the media is treating the trial as if the public is not already convinced that Churchill is crazy at best. Rather than seeing the case for the laughing matter that it truly is, we are trying to take it seriously. I agree with the author of this article in saying that the trial is a joke and taking it seriously would display poor judgment on the part of local readers.

I am from Boulder, Colorado where the University of Colorado is based and from which Ward Churchill was fired. My grandfather is a former president of the University, my father a former employee and my brother a current student. I have grown up going to Buff games and cheering for the Buffaloes every chance that I get. I have always been impressed by the success of the University and the academic prestige that follows. Despite the common claims that Boulder is inhabited entirely by left wing hippies, there are some who err on the side of conservative thought. As a member of this small and stubborn few, I know that my definitions of ‘liberal’ and ‘radical’ are not as lenient as some. So I must inform you that I am not alone in my opinions and that many of my traditionally liberal friends agree with me on this matter. It is also important to note that some of the most educated opinions come from Boulder, as right or left wing as they may be. I was not alone in my shock when I heard the kinds of things coming from Ward Churchill and was appalled that he was able to receive any sort of support after making a farce of an entire racial group and compromising the academic integrity of an esteemed university through plagiarism, or as he calls it, “ghostwriting.”

For Churchill to think that he could be reestablished as an educator or a trustworthy scholar after proving to be none of the above is ridiculous. As a college student, I serve as a witness to the academic integrity being upheld by my professors. We are taught to trust their work and their ‘professional opinion,’ but with professors like Ward Churchill in play, we must take a step back and question what we are being taught and the source from which it is coming. If there is any good thing to come of this trial, it is this. College students have learned that professors cannot always be trusted with the pedestals on which they are placed. The collegiate community as a whole is not supporting the actions of this man, but rather is supporting the decisions of the University administration to revoke his position on their tenured staff list. His trial should be fruitless from his perspective and should confirm the actions of the University. We, in the world of academia, are standing behind integrity, respect and quality education systems, and our stance will not be compromised.

Signed,

Holly Buechner

holly.buechner@tcu.edu

 

Discussion of Article

The article that I have chosen is a rather direct attack on Ward Churchill, a professor who is currently under fire at the University of Colorado at Boulder. The author uses direct quotes from Ward Churchill and discusses how valid his points may or may not be. The author also wants to show the readers that there are much bigger issues at hand that are not being addressed legally. He is trying to make a point that the general public is smarter than they appear and that they don't need convincing that Churchill is off base and in the wrong. The author of this article is trying to get the media to cover the heart of the issue and what is happening now as opposed to trying to convince the readers to be against him. They are already against him for the most part and would rather be up-to-date and informed on the matter than be persuaded.

Possible Topic for Letter to Editor

I am looking to write a letter to the editor about the current law suit going on in Boulder, CO between Ward Churchill and the University of Colorado at Boulder. This is connected to the community of Boulder because of the influence of the university in the community. Boulder is very much a college town and most residents have some sort of connection to the university, whether they are a student or a community member working in a business near campus. I am connected to this topic in a couple of ways. I am from Boulder and was around when the original allegations were brought against Churchill. My brother is a student at CU and my grandfather is a former president of CU. Boulder is a very opinionated place, so chances are, most people have an opinion on the issue. Being a student myself, my environment is also connected with the issues of academic misconduct, First Amendment rights and other issues surrounding professors and students. I don't think I will have a problem finding op-ed pieces on this issue, as the law suit is progressing daily.