political discourse

Extra Credit Opportunity- Student Voices

Earn up to 20 points for submitting in one of two categories identified below. These points will be awarded for thoughtful, well organized discussions that follow the prompts. As extra credit points there is a high expectation that a certain amount of effort is being exerted. In many cases you may be awarded only 5, 10, or 15 points depending on your submission. The best way to ensure you earn the maximum amount of points is to carefully review the prompt after you've written your response to verify that your submission meets the requirements.

Choose either political discourse or academic discourse below and respond to the prompts. Speaking as a person (and not your instructor) - I would value every one of you casting your vote this election. As your instructor, I understand there may be reasons such as citizenship, age, legal status or other personal for which you won't choose to write about politics. For those reasons I have shared some information about how SF State University spends its money.

Political discourse

Note: in CA you may still register to vote when you visit a polling place, up until November 3rd!

1. I vote because... 

2. Identify a race you're excited about on the federal level. This election cycle we (in California) are able to vote for the president/vice president and the house of representatives. Why is this position of the executive branch of government important to you?  Note: You are invited to discuss this in the context of issues. If you would like to bring up party, or candidate then you may, however that is not an essential component of the response. The key point of this response is to illustrate a connection between your vote and issues that may impact you.

3. Identify something on the ballot at the state or local level that you are excited to vote for. This could include state senator, district supervisor, a state level proposition, a city measure, community college board or school board. Why is this issue an important  opportunity for you to give your vote?

Responses must include 400 to 600 words. Responses not evaluated stringently for grammar or punctuation.

Academic discourse

1. Where do you think SF State University should prioritize spending? This is your money (tuition), plus state funding, and donations. This is to say - what do you value in your personal undergraduate experience? You may have spsecific resources on campus you value (tutoring, community/clubs, study spaces). For a broad overview of spending, see the division of resources for the fiscal year 2018 - 2019 is here:grabbed from pg. 23 of this document  https://budget.sfsu.edu/sites/default/files/assets/budweb/FY18-19_SF_State_Budget_Report_Final.pdf The division of resources for fiscal year 2019-2020 is herethis image is grabbed from page 15 of this document  https://budget.sfsu.edu/sites/default/files/assets/budweb/FY2019--20_Budget_Report.2019-12-09.pdf  These reports are written in the academic year prior to the years listed. There is not clear information available about the impact of the pandemic both in terms of funding and spending as of yet.

2. Sf State University's enrollment went down approximately 8% for fall semester and the state of California reduced support of the CSU system (usually 44% of the budget spent above). How do you think the university should adjust spending for education during the pandemic? If you were writing to the leadership, what would you want to say?

Write for approximately 10-15 minutes in total of 400 to 600 words. Responses not evaluated stringently for grammar or punctuation.