Memo/Letter Assignment
You will write four short documents ( two memos and two letters) in response to the following assignments.
Complete drafts of all four are due for peer review on Tuesday, 11/7. Final versions will be due Thursday,
11/9. These assignments reflect “real-world” situations, so I expect to see professional and appropriate
writing and formatting. Feel free to contact me for clarification (bgastle@wcu.edu).
To:
ENGL 303 Student
From:
Dr. Brian Gastle
Date:
November 1, 2006
Subject: Letter of Complaint and Response
This assignment requires you to compose two letters: a letter of complaint, and a response to a letter of
complaint. Use either block or simplified format.
Letter #1: Letter of Complaint:
Either
A) Write a letter of complaint to an organization or company regarding some problem you
have actually experienced (poor service, a faulty product, etc.).
Or
B) Write a letter of complaint to your own organization, school, or company that reflects a
common complaint you receive from your costumers.
For either A or B:
o
o
o
Be sure to ask for some type of reasonable recompense or response. (i.e. this should be
a persuasive letter where you try to get them to do something)
Find and use their real contact (address) information
Follow the styles and organizational patterns we discussed for persuasive messages
Letter #2: Bad news response
Respond negatively to the first letter you wrote. Be sure to maintain good customer
relations while still telling the costumer (you) that you cannot provide what he or she asks
for. Address it to yourself from the organization.
Contact me (bgastle@wcu.edu) if you have any questions.
TO:
ENGL 303 Student
FROM:
Dr. Brian Gastle
DATE:
November 1, 2006
SUBJECT:
Job Duties Information
Since I will try to accommodate the professional needs of all students in ENGL 303, I would like to compile
more information regarding your recent professions and job duties.
Write me a brief (one-page) informational memo that details
o
o
o
Your current or most recent job/profession/position
The duties associated with that position
A typical day on the job
OR
If you have never had a job, detail for me how you envision one of your classes preparing
you for the kind of job/profession you want:
o
o
o
Identify your desired job/career
Identify the class (including times, instructor, content, assignments, etc.)
Discuss how you think that class will prepare you for that career
Be sure to make the memo as readable and accessible as possible.
Please email me (bgastle@wcu.edu) if you have any questions or need assistance.
TO:
ENGL 303 Student
FROM:
Dr. Brian W. Gastle
DATE:
November 1, 2006
SUBJECT:
Expense Report
In order to better evaluate the costs associated with attending Western Carolina University, the registrar
would like information regarding exactly how much an average student spends during an average day.
Please submit a one-page expense report, with copies of all receipts documenting your expenses, for one
day. Include all expenses from the time you wake up in the morning to the time you go back to sleep at
night. Use the following chart for expenses without receipts
•
•
Meals without receipts (i.e. meals you eat at home) – use the following per diem
o Breakfast:
$7.50
o Lunch
$10.00
o Dinner
$12.50
Travel: $.27 per mile
Please be as specific as possible; itemize and describe briefly each expense. Feel free to contact me
(bgastle@wcu.edu) with any questions.