ENGL 101-RDTN Mini-Survey for Essay #2

For USD Students Taking the ENGL 101-RDTN Fall '97 Course

Vermillion students: Please read through the list of survey questions. If you have not already responded in class, please answer at least two of the questions listed below. Respond by e-mail (mrogge@sunflowr.usd.edu). (Or you can give me your response in class.)

Off-campus (remote) sites: I am still in the process of adding questions and answers. If you don't see what you are looking for right now, check back later. Keep in mind that, if your question was very similar to someone else's, I might have combined it with that person's (so the wording may not be exactly the same).

Questions Asked by Off-Campus (Remote) Students:

General Questions

1. What would you most like to know about my community?
   • Response: Is there a sense of community and lots of stuff to do to keep busy?
   • Response: First, where is your town? Is it big?
   • Response: I would most like to know what kind of eating establishments you have in your town. And what the town population is.
   • Response: I would like to know about job opportunities, churches, the business in the town, the population, and the size of the town (in miles).
   • Response: The size, what the people are like. What is the most exciting thing that goes on, such as town celebrations or things of that order?
   • Response: What is the housing situation? How are the schools? Are there any festivals or celebrations that your town celebrates?
   • Response: The size of the town, what are the people like. The atmosphere--is it a clean town or kind of dirty-looking?
   • Response: Population, things about the school, job opportunities, community events, recreaton.
   • Response: The first thing I would love to know about your town is people. What are the residents like? Are they nice and friendly or not? Every town has its own differences: some are good but some are bad. People make the town, so the most important thing about it is people
   • Response: What does it look like? Are the people nice there? Tell me a little about the school. Is it a small town or a large town? Does everybody know everybody? Is it a good place to live?
   • Response: If it is a friendly community, one in which you will be able to get to know your neighbors?
2. What would you expect a town like Corsica to be like? [about 700 people, farming, predominantly Dutch descent)
   • Response: I would imagine that most people would be friendly, although I know know how they would respond to an outsider coming in.
3. What do you think Doland is like?
   • Response: Small, gravel roads, few people and houses.
   • Response: I don't know. You tell me.
4. What are your experiences with small-town life?
   • Response: I haven't had any experiences with small-town life. The smallest town I lived in was 500,000 people, but I would love to find out sometime what it's like to live in a small town.
5. What would you be concerned about if you moved to my town?
   • Response: Not adjusting to small-town life and values.
   • Response: Not having anything to do.
   • Response: I'm just worried about being in a small town in the middle of South Dakota with nothing to do. (I'm from a big town in Wisconsin and I think Vermillion is really tiny, even.)
6. Do you want to know about the physical aspects of my town--weather, water quality, etc., or do you want to know about how to adjust socially?
   • Response: I'd probably want to know about how to adjust socially.
7. What would you like to know about our town's gossip, natives, and law enforcement officials?
   • Response: Does town news spread like wild fire? Are the policy tough in the community?
8. What kind of opportunities are you looking for in a small town?
   • Response: Safe neighborhood (want to raise family), good job and job security (good pay).
9. What is most important to you now concerning your town?
   • Response: Whether or not there are things to do so I don't get bored.
10. Do weather, extra clubs and activities, open space, and people of the opposite sex play an important role in your decision to move here?
    • Response: A decent climate year-round is important. Clubs and activities are important, as well as nice businesses, restaurants, and health clubs. Also important: a lot of the things a big city can offer minus the crime and all the people. Also museums and culture (for kids).
11. What is your reason for moving to this area (job, family friends, etc.)?
    • Response: I had a job opportunity in your area and am settling down there now.
    • Response: To raise a family and to start my own business.
    • Response: Small-town atmosphere would probably be the main reason. Although there isn't always much to do, this is where I'd want my family to be.
    • Response: I wanted to move to your town because I like small-town life, where everyone knows everyone.
    • Response: I would know everyone and people can be trusted.
12. Do you want to get a job here?
    • Response: If it's a good job, I would work there.
13. Where do you plan on getting a job? Would it be in my hometown or the surrounding area?
    • Response: I plan on getting a job at the packing plant. I have invaluable experience with slaughtering cattle and other assorted livestock.

    Community Size/Weather

14. Would you rather live in town or on a farm?
    • Response: I would rather live on the farm; peace and quietness surround people who live there. I could still hang out in town, but a farm would be the place for me.
15. Are you from a small town (less than 5,000 people) or a larger town (5,000 people or more)?
    • Response: I am from a small town (812 people).
    • Response: I lived in Sioux Falls.
    • Response: I come from a community of approx. 12,000 people.
16. What is your area like where you are moving from (large, city)?
    • Response: Moving from a small area--town was 600 in population. So I'm used to a small town.
17. Would you rather live in a city or would you rather live in a small town?
    • Response: I would rather live in a city because there are more people that you could go and do things with.
    • Response: I would prefer cities.
18. What would you like to know about our town size and how many people live in our town?
    • Response: What is your population size and who are the majority of the people living there? Young or old--which is dominant?
19. How much do you currently know about small towns and small schools?
    • Response: A lot. I grew up in a small town (population 450). Our school was so small, we had to combine with two other towns to form a complete school. That meant a lot of time traveling on the bus from town to town to go to school.
20. What would you think about living in a small town as compared to a big city?
    • Response: Do people know everyone in town> How it living there?
    • Response: I grew up in a smaller town, so I like them.
21. What kinds of problems do you think kids in smaller towns face as compared to kids in bigger cities?
    • Response: A lot of the same problems--but maybe kids would have more trouble fitting in at bigger schools.
22. What would you like least and most about living in a small town?
    • Response: I think I would like most the small community, but then I might like that the least also. I know I would like the community spirit.
    • Response: I like knowing who my neighbors are, knowing people when you go places in town, and that most people look out for each other. On the other hand, everybody knows your business and there are limited things to do.
    • Response: I would like the closeness of the neighbors,, and the peacefulness, with no hassle from the big towns. I wouldn't like having a job that doesn't pay that much, not having recreational sports available, and not having a department stor e (like Target) around.
23. What would you like to know about the type of weather we have here?
    • Response: Is it cold during the winter? What are the summers like?

    Housing

24. Where would you like to live? (house, apartment, trailer, etc.)
    • Response: Probably would depend upon the prices of the apartment or the house and what I can afford.
25. What would you like to know about the housing facilities in our town?
    • Response: Do most people own their own houses or rent? Are the houses nice or old and run-down? Are the neighborhoods nice?

    Community History/Geography

26. What would you like to know about Henry (the name of the town)?
    • Response: Where did the name come from? A guy named Henry? Was he important to the town somehow? How will knowing this help me?
27. What would you like to know about town of Lemmon, which has the largest Petrified Wood park in the world?
    • Response: I would like to learn all about this park! It sounds cool.
28. What facts would you like to know about our historical background and how our town began?
    • Response: Who founded it? When did it become a town? Are there any old buildings that represent a period of time or historical markers/sites?
29. Is there anything that you would like to know about the geography of our town?
    • Response: Yes, that would be interesting. You should describe the land. Are there any formations that are distinct to your area? Maybe you could put in the population and population growth over the years.
    • Response: How big is it? What kind of people live there? What does the town look like? Are there a lot of stores or businesses there?

    Business/Career

30. What would you like to know about businesses around Buffalo (or any town you're moving to)?
    • Response: First I'd like to know where it is. Then, is it fairly easy to find jobs there? What are some part-time places? What do the older people do for a living?
31. What career are you interested in?
    • Response: To program and build better computer components. I will also start my own programming company.
    • Response: Business.
    • Response: I would be interested in something business-related. What do you have for stores that might hire someone with a business degree?
    • Response: A teaching job. Teaching French or German, maybe.
32. Do you like to work?
    • Response: Yes, I program computers and am a journeyman groundskeeper. An exciting job with a lot of manual labor doesn't scare me.

    Social and Religious Activities/People

33. What would you want to know about the activities available to the community?
    • Response: I would want to know if you had a lot of street dances, what you guys do for fun, and if it's really a dead town where there is nothing to do or if it's actually really fun.
    • Response: Do you have recreational places (swimming pool, tennis courts, health club)? Are there nice parks? What goes on in the winter for recreation?
    • Response: Are there lots of places to eat? How many theatres, bowling alleys, etc. are there? What does everyone do on the weekend?
    • Response: Do you have weekly activities and dances? Is the town pretty close-knit? Does everybody know everybody else?
    • Response: Is your community pretty close? What do you like to do for fun on the weekend? In the summer?
    • Response: What type of activities do you offer for adults? For kids?
34. How would you feel about driving around on the same street all night?
    • Response: That would suck. Is your town really that small? Maybe you could use that in your paper, saying that "In our town, what we do for fun is drive on the same street all night long."
35. What type of church would you like to go to?
    • Response: Catholic.
36. What denomination are you associated with?
    • Response: I am an atheist and don't believe in organized religion.
37. What types of things do you or would you enjoy doing in a small town?
    • Response: I'm from a small town, so I know that activities are limited. I would like to know if you go to other large towns for entertainment. Just watching movies, being with friends.
    • Response: I would like to find the golf club or the local pool.
    • Response: I would spend time with people and play on the Internet.
    • Response: I would like to know about any type of social activity or sports tournaments.
38. What do you think you could do in our town?
    • Response: I think that you could probably go to the bar because it seems that every small town has a bar.
39. How would you react to living in a smaller community with a limited number of activities?
    • Response: Make up things to do, go to other towns, try not to always do the same things because it will get monotonous. I would also find a job or do some volunteer work.
40. What kind of food do you like to eat?
    • Response: I like Italian food.
41. Would you like to know everyone in town?
    • Response: Don't describe everyone in town in your paper--maybe a couple people that are important or have an impact on the town.
42. What would you most like to know about the citizens in the community (their attitudes)?
    • Response: How big is the community and are most people well-off or just average money-wise? Are most of the people nice or does lots of gossip get around town?
43. What would you want to know about the people in the area?
    • Response: Will they be friendly?
    • Response: Is there a majority of old people or young people? Does everyone pretty much get along?
44. Do you want to know what there is to do in Brandon and the surrounding Sioux Falls area in terms of the mall, speciality shops, and the convenience stores in Brandon?
    • Response: What type of fun recreational areas are there around the Brandon area?

    Schooling

45. What would you like to know about our school system?
    • Response: Describe your school and the people in it. What sports are there? How many students go out for sports? Are there big teams or little teams?
    • Response: Is there more than one high school? Is there a middle school or junior high? How many kids, on average, are in a typical high school classroom at a time?
    • Response: How is the quality of the education? What are the class sizes? What unique featurs does your school system offer?
    • Response: Is the school system K-12 or do you have more than one school? How are the teachers at your school?
46. Would you like to know what's in store for your kids (if you have any or plan to) when they reach high school (or school in general)?
    • Response: Would they go to school once they reach middle school with only those kids that they went to elementary with?
47. What do you want to know about the schools, churches, daycare, etc.?
    • Response: If I had a kid or was planning on having one, I'd want to know a lot. For instance, how many choices do I have for daycare? How much does it cost?

    All About Vermillion and the USD students (your readers) are like

48. What are the people like in Vermillion?
    • Response: Everyone is different, having come from so many different places (countries, states, etc.). They are nice.
    • Response: The people are all very different here. Many of the students are South Dakota residents, but some are not. We have people from different countries and different states. Most of the professors are from everywhere, having received their degrees at either this university or other universities.
49. What is the school like?
    • Response: The school is nice. It is definitely a big change from high school. There are more people, more activities, roommates, to get used to, meal plans to adjust to....And the studying level is generally high.
50. What is there to do for fun in Vermillion?
    • Response: For fun, you can do a lot of things. Some people like to drive to Yankton, Sioux Falls, or Sioux City to have fun. In Vermillion, we have movie theatres and restaurants. Even though this may not seem like a lot to do, you can always f ind something--even a party.
    • Response: Sports, games (pool, TV, etc.), computers (Internet).
    • Response: For entertainment, the students generally find some sort of party to go to, although the University offers many activities also. They offer movies, speakers, games, BBQ's, etc. We also have movie theatres and restaurants.
51. Where and when are the parties?
    • Response: Parties ... well, parties are all over the place. Most of the parties are held at fraternities, and some are house parties. Thursday is the big day for parties (as well as Sat.).

Again--please, if you can, respond by e-mail (mrogge@sunflowr.usd.edu) to at least two of these questions. (Or give me your response in class.)