TPO1-T3 OF Speaking

Letter in the Centerville College News

The administration has plans to acquire a new sculpture for campus. We should all oppose this plan. The university’s poor financial condition led it to increase the price for campus housing and tuition by 15% this past year. Surely then it is no financial position to purchase such an expensive sculpture. Moreover, just look at the sculpture: several 60-foot ling steel plates, jutting out of the earth at odd angles! It’s so large, it’ll take up all the green space in front of the campus center! This is public space that should be reserved for students to use.

Now listen to two students discussing the opinion expressed in the letter.

-Did you see Paul’s letter in the paper about the new sculpture?

-Yeah, but it was totally unconvincing. His reasons for opposing the plan were just totally off. I’m glad we'll finally have some nice art on campus. I’d like to shake the donor's hand and say thank you.

-What do you mean? The donor?

-You didn't know? An anonymous donor is paying the bill for most of the sculpture.

-Not the university?

-No, his assumptions about who is paying for it are all wrong.

-Still I wonder if he has a point about the space that it will take up.

-Well, you know why Paul is upset? He and his friends are always out there on the lawn right where the sculpture will be, kicking around the soccer ball. Now they'll just have to use another part of the campus to play.

-Oh, so he just doesn’t want to have to move.

-Yeah. For him, it’s sculpture versus convenience.