121 Simmons Hall University Park, PA 16802 April 17, 2013 Christian M.M. Brady, D. Phil.

Dean, Schreyer Honors College The Pennsylvania State University 10 Schreyer Honors College University Park, PA 16802 Dear Dean Brady: It may surprise you to learn that my college decision boiled down to three non-negotiables: academics, finances, and a place to play my saxophone. It may be equally surprising that among institutions like Carnegie Mellon, Bucknell, and Johns Hopkins, only Penn State satisfied them all. At Schreyer, I learned, Id get an Ivy League education without breaking the bank. Id have access to honors courses, advisors, and research opportunities. And importantly, wherever I lived, there would be music practice rooms. I accepted my offer of admission. You cannot imagine my disappointment when I discovered that the Simmons Hall music rooms were acoustically inadequate. In short, the Simmons Hall music rooms arent soundproof. For instrumentalists, this inhibits productive practice. As a music performance minor, I can personally attest that tone-building exerciseswhich require careful discrimination of pitchesjust dont work with echoes and reverberating wall studs. Moreover, the sound leakage is disruptive for studying scholars in the immediate area and floors above. Its not easy to decipher differential equations or Kants Critique of Pure Reason amidst a cacophony of wailing violins. Floormate and guitarist Seamus Hays succinctly summarizes: I often want to practice at night, but I cant because I dont want to disturb people studying (Enclosure 1). I couldnt agree more. Compounding these problems is the somewhat arbitrary fact that our peers in Atherton can access the Simmons basement, but not vice-versa. Although all scholars were assessed a $25 fee which [] supports special amenities available to all residents of Atherton and Simmons such as the computer lab, music practice rooms in Atherton Hall, and study lounges in both halls (Enclosure 2, emphasis added), we are not afforded the same privileges. This was also a heavily advertised at venues like Accepted Scholars Day. Ive made efforts to independently resolve this issue, meeting with Rosanna Mersinger in October, later emailing her on two separate occasions (Enclosure 3), and additionally contacting the Simmons Hall Residence Life Coordinator and Housing Assistant Manager. As it stands, Ive made no headway. Im hopeful that the Honors Collegewhich promotes integrity and moral fortitudewill see fit to address this situation. As evidenced by the attached petition, my fellow residents share the same concerns (Enclosure 1). Now Ill be honest: as an engineer, Ive been indoctrinated with the KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid !) mentality. After no small amount of thought, Im convinced that soundproofing the rooms is the most practical and sustainable solution. Not only would it create a more constructive living and learning

environment, it would be comparatively inexpensive. Im no architect, but a rough calculation of each rooms square footage, coupled with the current price of AlphaWedgeTM polyurethane acoustical foam, puts this venture at no more than $1,750 in material costs. This modest investment seems more than justifiable. On behalf of myself and the whole of Simmons Hall, I look forward to further discussing this matter with you. Please know that your time and consideration are sincerely appreciated. Best regards,

Jonathan A. Marks (412) 480-1156 jxm5575@psu.edu Enclosures (3)

Enclosure 1Petitions (Note: I printed this out for the letterssee the PDF. For the physical petition, please refer to the hardcopy of my project.)

Enclosure 2The Living/Learning Community Fee

Enclosure 3Emails to Rosanna Mersinger (Note: these were formatted in a landscape fashion for the letters to enhance readability. Refer to the hard copy if interested.) October 18th, 2012.

Februrary 21st, 2013.

March 10th, 2013s

Heres a screenshot of my Facebook post (only deliverable that wasnt included in Dean Bradys letter):

Also, heres a screenshot confirming that I got my Residence Life Coordinator to email my petition to all residents in her Monday Minutes:

Verifying that I mailed the letter: