Synthesis and Reflection

            Now that my interview is complete, I begin the task of figuring out how I’m going to use the information I received. I personally believe the most effective thing I could do is write an article about “What to the Pitt Police Think”. This exact title might be a bit dangerous because I only interviewed one person, but I think I would like to write one cohesive article about this interview that is more than just my transcript. I believe that having one article will add to my ethos but will not seem like I am overusing the source. In an example we looked at in class, there were interview quotes on nearly every page which gave the appearance, in my opinion, that the source was relied on too much. By using one article, it allows the reader to get someone else’s opinion without getting a dose of that opinion every page.

            The biggest thing I took away from this interview was the fact that Pitt cannot change its policies. I originally thought Pitt had the power to do this but it is actually the state. This made me have to tweak my final action step in my project. It’s not something I have to adjust a lot for, but it is something more for me to explore. I will also try to find information explaining why CMU has a bit more leniency with the law and why it can provide a more comprehensive medical amnesty policy.

            I am also very pleased with this interview because of how much we discussed educating students on the issues. In my publication, I will need to educate and convince the reader that action is needed. The information I got out of this interview will be very helpful in providing the “education” part of my publication. This will hopefully appeal to logos as well because they are pure facts.

            Because of the recent bomb threats on our campus, there has been an overwhelming support of the Pitt police so I think an interview with a police officer will increase my ethos, even without the words. My audience (Pitt undergrads) should respond positively to this interview because of this support. I don’t believe I will be able to develop pathos out of this interview because we really just discussed facts and situations. I will have to build pathos elsewhere in my final document.

            Overall, I think the experience was very rewarding and it was enjoyable to talk with Officer Bennett, especially when we got a little off topic. In the future, I would try to provide my interviewee the questions I will ask before the interview so they can prepare appropriately. I initially had an interview set up with Lieutenant Lamb but she didn’t feel quite prepared enough to do an interview on the spot. I fully respect that and appreciate the fact that a little more time was taken to get all the fact rights before proceeding with an interview. The interview with Officer Bennett will be very helpful in my final projects and I thank him again for taking some of his time to talk with me.