Assignment - Proposal for Change

You will need to go to the source of the problem -- dining courts, bus lines, etc. You will need to take notes about the problem, and outline exactly what's going wrong..  Use descriptive, specific language to help make it clear for someone unfamiliar with the issue.

Look around you: there are problems at University of Bridgeport and the Bridgeport community. You will need to identify one of these problems that you find important, -- a problem that needs a solution. You'll write a proposal that lays out the details of this problem, and then explain how you would solve it.

For this project, you can either work as partners or individually.

1. Find the problem. Decide on an issue you all would be willing to address. It must be either within UB or the Bridgeport area, and must be a problem of significance -- not just something that annoys you, but something that inconveniences and causes difficulties for people. You must be as specific as possible, which will make finding a solution less complicated.

2. Learn about the problem. You need to be as acquainted with the issue as you can, so you'll need to take a few steps.

• Make observations. You will need to go to the source of the problem -- dining courts, bus lines, etc. You will need to take notes about the problem, and outline exactly what's going wrong.
• Conduct interviews. In order to understand the problem better, you will need to talk to people who know about the issue. Find people who have a direct connection to the problem -- whether they're inconvenienced by it, or they are an authority on the matter. Example: for poor treatment of food workers, talk to the employees, people who have witnessed poor treatment, and possibly even a manager of the restaurant. Allow the people you interview to propose solutions to the problem. You will need to conduct at least 3 interviews.
• Conduct a survey. In order to get a larger set of opinions on the issue, you will design a short survey. The survey should allow those surveyed to express their feelings about the seriousness of the problem, as well as their support for proposed solutions. A good survey has 5-10 questions.

3. Decide on a solution. Once you've gathered information about the problem and heard some possible solutions, you need to decide on one that best addresses the problem, is the most practical, and has the least downsides. Consider at least two possible solutions, and create pro and con lists for each. Choose the solution for which the pros clearly outweigh the cons.

4. Convince others. You will create a written proposal that will:

• Outline the problem. Use the data you collected from the observations, interviews, and survey to acquaint the reader with the specifics of the problem. Use descriptive language from the observations, quotations from the interviews, and statistics from the survey to make your point compelling.
• Show why it matters. Explain whom it affects, and why it's important that the issue must be addressed.
• Describe your solution. What steps need to be taken, who needs to take the steps, and how will those steps fix the problem?
• Address the costs and benefits of the solution. Show how the costs are better than the current problem, and how considerable the benefits will be.
• Keep a professional tone, showing your authority on the matter.