Persuasive Presentation Speaking Notes

Infrastructure and Maintenance in dorms

Bella pedroso, Maria Herran, kim reza, kennedy mills, lizzie terrell

● INTRO
● Good afternoon, everyone! By a quick show of hands – who here currently lives in a dormitory?
Now, for those with their hands up, keep them raised if you've ever faced issues with maintenance
or the overall quality of your building

● Looking around, it's clear that many hands are still raised. This highlights the sad reality: the
upkeep of freshman dorms leave much to be desired. Whether it's broken elevators causing us to
be late to class or the presence of black mold impacting our health, the consequences of subpar
building maintenance are real and affect our daily lives.

● And believe us – we understand these challenges. Because Just like everyone with their hand
raised, we too call these dorms our home. We share in the frustration and the desire for change.

● So, the big question is, how do we fix this? Well, our proposal is straightforward: by
systematically addressing current issues and proactively preventing future ones, we can transform
dormitories into environments that genuinely feel like the safe and welcoming homes they should
be.

Transition Statement: But before we find out how this solution will work, let's take time to
understand the problem and recognize just how much these dorms (specifically the older ones)
need some fixing.

● BODY

Need (Maria)
● It’s not surprising that most of the dorms on campus are outdated…
● We want the university to allocate sufficient funds for proper maintenance, renovation,
and infrastructure upgrades in the older college dormitories before continuing to build
new ones.
a. Additionally, we want students to be more aware of the importance of practicing
responsible living habits. (provide examples)
● According to Blascheke’s Article, Gaillardia and Chautauqua Hall; the two newest
dormitories, were constructed in 2012. The construction of new buildings is the main
cause of the problem.
● Our experience as hall residents living in outdated dorms. People being destructive and
the lack of importance are also causes of the problem.
● According to Hamid and Alexander’s article, Students and RA’s living in bad conditions,
discontent among students and staff, and safety hazards are serious effects of poor
maintenance and infrastructure in the dorms at Texas State University.
Transition Statement: Nevertheless, the need for renovation and maintenance of older
dormitories is a solvable problem. (Maria)

A. Satisfaction: We concluded that implementing a phased approach to maintenance, while

addressing different areas each year will be the most efficient and effective strategy. This
involves a sequence of steps designed to address the most pressing issues in dormitories.
This will ensure effective progression by enabling us to address the identified issues in a
systematic manner.
● The steps to a phased approach for addressing the issues will start with conducting a
thorough examination of the dormitories to identify what issues we will prioritize based
on safety concerns or impact.
a. Once we categorize the prioritized issues, we will create a phased plan that
demonstrates the sequence in which maintenance tasks will be addressed
● Before implementation, it is important that we allocate the necessary resources and
present the plan. Sharing details helps in setting expectations and minimizing disruptions.
● This strategy is effective due to its success at The University of Waterloo. They adopted
the same approach in 2009, which has worked well for their expanding campus. Both
Texas State and Waterloo share the same number of freshmen living in dorms, this
approach is promising. (University of Waterloo, 2023).

Transition Statement: Now that we have a clear understanding of the problem and the proposed
solution, let’s visualize what your future will look like if this strategy is executed.

Visualization
● Us as students know best the living conditions at the dorms in Texas state,
depending on what the solution is for the dorms, it will affect each student
differently.
● Considering the overflow of students we have this year at Texas State, expanding
dorms is crucial.
● However, there is also construction and lack of space for these dorms to go, which
could cause even more chaos.
● Additionally, the dorms will overall benefit the Texas State community because it
will be adding additional living space for not only students but RAs.
● Something us as students can do additionally is sign a petition towards better
maintenance and living conditions.
● This can adversely create controversy and tensions towards the student body and
the maintenance program of Texas state itself.
● Overall, joining together as a student body will be even better because the ratio
of students to faculty will be huge and us as students voices will be heard.

Transition Statement: In conclusion…

III. CONCLUSION
● It is quite obvious that some of the dorms on campus are outdated and in need of
maintenance. The students living in the affected halls experience poor quality living, and
this directly impacts their well-being. Because of this, it is crucial that Texas State
implement a plan to address the maintenance issues in phases to be the most efficient and
effectively repair the most pressing and complex issues that arise in the dorms.
● I mean, Wouldn’t you rather live in a nice clean dorm without the fear of getting stuck in
the elevator? With these new renovation plans you can live happily in these history rich
dorms without the feeling of being haunted
● So if you’re sick of living in these adverse conditions, join us in support of fixing up our
dorms like new, one step at a time.