Introduction
Summary of the article:
The article, titled “Make Community Colleges More Joyful,” by Robin G. Merlon, argues that recent efforts to grow enrollment and final touch quotes at community faculties have made the university experience much less fun and handy for many college students. Merlon proposes that rather than focusing on full-time enrollment and of entirety metrics, community faculties must prioritize growing welcoming, meaningful, and comfortable environments that cater to their scholar populations’ various wishes and realities. While Merlon effectively utilizes pathos to connect with the reader and symbols to guide her claims with records and research, her ethos could be more consistent. It ultimately weakens the general persuasiveness of her argument.
Body
Ethos:
Robin G. Merlon’s article, “Make Community Colleges More Joyful,” seeks to steer readers to shift the focus of community schools from enrollment metrics to creating more welcoming and pleasing surroundings for college students. While her arguments are well-supported and emotionally resonant, her use of ethos, the appeal to the reader’s belief and credibility, is uneven.
One location wherein Merlon’s ethos needs to improve is organizing her particular knowledge of community schools. While she mentions her ebook, “The Costs of Completion,” which delves into student fulfillment in the community college, she does not focus on her qualifications or experience in the field (Isserles, 2021). This lack of detail leaves the reader wondering about the depth of her knowledge and private connection to the issue. Simply referencing her ebook without providing context or specific examples from her studies does not entirely establish her as a reputable authority.
However, Merlon does utilize some practical techniques to construct a belief with the reader. She draws on her private encounter as a network college professor, pointing out, “I have witnessed firsthand the challenges college students face.” This personal connection allows readers to hook up with her attitude and apprehend that her arguments stem from real-international observations (Ahmad Baaqeel, 2020). Additionally, she appeals to shared values by referencing the social justice task of network faculties and the transformative capacity of better schooling. This demonstrates her alignment with the center values of these institutions and positions her as a person who knows their broader reason.
Despite those strengths, the inconsistencies in Merlon’s use of ethos weaken the general impact of her argument. By offering unique information about her qualifications, encounters, and studies, she may significantly strengthen her credibility and convince readers that her call for exchange is well-informed and level-headed in knowledge.
Logos:
Robin G. Merlon’s argument in “Make Community Colleges More Joyful” rests on emotional enchantment and a solid foundation of common sense and evidence. This is achieved through her effective use of logos, the enchantment to reason and facts. Throughout the article, Merlon strategically uses data, research findings, and actual global examples to strengthen her claims and convince readers of the need for change in community colleges.
One key element of her method is highlighting the declining enrollment prices. By mentioning that “enrollment has declined by more than 827,000 students because the pandemic began,” Merlon immediately establishes the need for reevaluation and new methods at once. This data would not solely illustrate a hassle; it serves as a logical springboard for exploring the ability causes and looking for answers.
Further strengthening her argument, Merlon delves into student demographics. Her statement, “65 percent of community college students join part-time, in lots of instances because they ought to.” This means it no longer provides every other statistics factor; however, it additionally reveals a vital underlying motive for enrollment declines (Merlon, 2022). This statistic speaks to the various realities of network college students and demanding situations with a one-size-fits-all approach. By demonstrating the superiority of component-time enrollment because of life instances, Merlon logically argues for bendy and accessible educational fashions that cater to various needs.
Furthermore, Merlon does not, in reality, present facts; she severely analyzes present theories and their weaknesses. For example, she discusses the “academic momentum principle,” which advocates for pushing students to take on more credits quickly of entirety. While acknowledging its capability, Merlon logically argues that it risks overwhelming college students and is central to failure. The balanced approach, which encompasses positive and negative characteristics of each idea, enhances her trustworthiness and displays a high degree of proficiency in dealing with complex issues.
The influence of logos in Merlon’s essay makes her argument one of the giant persuasive instruments. She uses statistics, analyzes contemporary theories, and incorporates real-world examples in a strategic manner, which establishes a logical and well-supported case to redesign colleges as positive and more productive places for the diverse population of her students.
Pathos:
In her call for a more “joyful” community college experience, Robin G Merlo does not stop with mere logic and data. She makes effective use of pathos, an appeal to the reader’s emotions, to achieve a feeling of sympathy and comprehension for students’ hardships. The emotional involvement in her argument increases its strength.
In this regard, Merlon illustrates very clearly the students” struggles in balancing work, family, and childcare issues. She does not merely utter these challenges; she paints these difficulties in such a way as to engender sympathy. Such a figure of speech as a “balancing act” or “squeezing in classes around work schedules” makes an image of a daily hassle for those students. This emotional bond goes beyond only statistics and helps readers comprehend the suffering that does not fit into the realities of the system.
Moreover, reinforcing this emotional appeal, Merlon employs powerful quotations. The student’s personal story told by First Lady Jill Biden illustrates the subject and provides a good example. It allows the readers to identify with the problem, thus seeing the sense of frustration the student feels and the opportunity he missed. However, the human element of the statistic is what makes it more powerful than mere numbers of students in similar circumstances.
In addition, Merlon characterizes the college experience as fun-free and disconnected from anything worthy of life. The sentimental framing is compelling. No one does not wish an education that is not marred by joy. This disparaging picture of education presents readers with a reason to think of change. It attempts to access the deep human need for a meaningful and delightful learning experience, instilling in you that Merlon’s proposal for a more amusing and nurturing environment is reasonable and doable.
The use of pathos is a very vital aspect of Merlon’s persuasive tactic. She combines empathy evoking, the use of relatable stories, and emotional framing to reach the readers’ deepest level and ensure a higher influence of her argument. This emotional appeal, the logical reasons, and the data-based evidence together build an ironclad case for converting community colleges into jolly and supportive places for all students.
III. Conclusion
Robin G. Merilon’s ” Making Community Colleges More Joyful ” takes on a critical issue – the need to turn community colleges into spaces where students feel welcome and supported and where their well-being and joy take center stage. While her reasoning is precise and credibility-based, the improper use of the ethical appeal leaves space for improvement. Notwithstanding the essay’s ethos issue, Merlon’s argument still stands out. Emotional appeal, evidence-driven data, and emphasis on the element of it make the argument solid. Nevertheless, the enhancement of her credentials and the provision of more detailed instances of her expertise can eventually intensify the persuasiveness of her arguments. Community colleges are significant when it comes to the issue of affordable higher education for people. These institutions can transform into joyful and transformative spaces for all students by treating student well-being as the utmost priority, fostering meaningful relationships, and adopting flexible learning models. Merlon’s call for joyfulness is imperfect but a much-needed wake-up call that the transformation needed to enable community colleges to foster inclusivity and diversity in their students is to evoke joyfulness.
References
Ahmad Baaqeel, N. (2020). Improving student motivation and attitudes in learning English as a second language; literature as pleasurable reading: applying Garner’s theory of multiple intelligences and Krashen’s filter hypothesis. AWEJ for Translation & Literary Studies, 4(1). https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3552328
Isserles, R. G. (2021). The Costs of Completion: Student Success in Community College. In Amazon. Johns Hopkins University Press. https://www.amazon.com/Costs-Completion-Student-Success-Community/dp/1421442078
Merlon, R.G. (2022). Make community colleges joyful (opinion), Inside Higher Ed | Higher Education News, Events and Jobs. Available at: https://www.insidehighered.com/views/2022/08/29/make-community-colleges-more-joyful-opinion (Accessed: 12 February 2024).
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