Antolin German Jr 

Elias Stuhr 

English 170 

30 March 2023 

 

Contribution to the group proposal:  

 

When you think of a library, you think about a place that revolves around books. Although that might be the case, that is not the only thing our library has to offer. We really want to emphasize the word community in our library. So, we want to create and implement youth programs, mentorship programs, clubs, events, and a park. We want people of all ages and backgrounds to feel catered to, so our library will also offer computer classes for the older generations. This will help them stay engaged in the digital world. What is a better way to strengthen High Falls than bringing a library with several progressive and fun programs? This library can strengthen the community and provide a safe and welcoming place for people to interact and help others. In addition, Kelly Banks, a Senior Director of the libraries and institutions sales team states, “One of the greatest things about libraries is that they are so much more than meets the eye. Behind the stacks of books and periodicals, there are educational programs, sustainable development practices, and various community partnerships—making libraries foundational pillars for their communities” (1). In essence, libraries are much more than just a place with books. It’s a place for individuals to come together and grow together. Studies have shown that when a community has a library, community engagement goes up. In the case of High Falls, we believe adding a library would be essential because it is already a small town with just around 600 residents. It is a rural area, and all the houses are spread out. Many residents aren’t given a chance to interact with their community, given how small and widespread it is. This library would allow them to do so and would benefit the community as a whole. 

 

Rhetorical analysis: 

I feel like my team did a great job appealing to the committee and really emphasizing the idea of why a library would not only be the most beneficial but also the most realistic in terms of the town of high falls. Off the bat we started off with statistics on why other groups wouldn’t be as beneficial for the community of High Falls. I feel like that was a great tactic because we started to force other teams to play defense instead of offense. In addition, I feel like my team did an excellent job using pathos and diction to persuade the committee. As well as bringing up relevant facts like the demographic and population number in High Falls. I feel like touching on those facts really gave us the upper hand. If you’re thinking about building something in a small town you wouldn’t really build a huge sports facility, or community center. A library would be more of the realistic answer because it would fit in with the small-town vibe.  

 

Reflection:  

 

At first, I was a bit nervous but the more I spoke and contributed to the conversation the less nervous I got. I want to work on sounding more confident and not becoming really anxious when it was time to speak. I noticed that the more notes and ideas I had on paper the more confident I was to speak. If I were to do a debate again, I would try and do more research. I noticed that once I finished my notes it became much harder to participate because I ran out of ideas. I would also focus more on doing research on why libraries would be the best fit. I found that my notes were more on why the other projects would not be a good fit. Which was a good tactic, but when it was time to talk about why our library was a better fit, I struggled to answer that question. My group decided to split up the research. So Halla would search up why libraries would be a better fit and I did research on how to shut down the other projects. Although this sounded like a good tactic. It made me look like a one trick pony because I was only able to explain to the committee why the other groups should not win. This was personally one of my favorite assignments. I learned I enjoy debates, which was pretty cool. I also got to interact with my classmates, which was also a great experience. 

 

 

 

Notes: 

 

  •                                          Counter Argument on Zoo 

 

  • Vast majority of the people in High Falls are above the age of 18.  
  • A great majority of the people in High Falls are middle aged. Sometimes it’s a bit hard for middle aged people to find friends. The library would be a great place to bring these people together.  
  • Zoos are trending down meaning less people are going to them. Why build a zoo in high falls if it wont generate as much money?  
  • In addition people that are middle aged typically have kids that are already teens. Which is another reason why the zoo would be silly. Another reason why a petting zoo wouldn’t be the best idea is because of the horrid scent animals create. The town is already small. Are we really going to create a zoo and cause pollution? As well as run up the light bill?  
  • Since 2020 there’s been a decline in the population of High Falls. Could adding a zoo bring up the taxes? And cause people to leave the area? These are  things the committee needs to consider.  

 

                               Counter argument against community center.  

 

  • Seems like the community center’s target audience seems to be teenagers or the younger generation. Which is a problem considering the demographic in High Falls.  
  • In addition, a community center costs a lot of money and it needs a lot of maintenance. Although a community center sounds like a great idea, whose to say there’ll be enough staff to cover all the activities going on?  
  • The community center seems to just be creating ideas in their head and implementing them during the debate. (Ask a specific question to catch them off guard and display a weakness in their proposal.) 

 

                                      Counter argument against a sports complex 

 

  • A sports complex would’ve been a great idea in the city. Unfortunately we’re not in the city. A sports complex is mainly targeted for younger people and in this case we’re not dealing with many young people.  
  • The average sports facility costs around 20 million to make.  
  • The upkeep for a sports complex in 2007 was roughly around 890,000 now imagine what it would be in 2023.  
  • When making decisions the committee can not ignore the obvious. Would a sports complex really be profitable in High Falls? Would it really make sense to build a sports complex when the majority of the population is around 55? These are all factors we must not ignore. 

 

          https://datausa.io/profile/geo/high-falls-ny 

https://sportsfacilities.com/how-much-does-it-cost-to-build-a-sports-complex/