bigpig

31.        本月8次
关于Waymarsh 大学学生抗议的问题。说因为有12000名学生留在学校或回去度寒假，他们显然对教育问题不关心。这一数字大于200名参加抗议的学生人数，所以州立法机关不用理会那些抗议学生的要求。

上月机经4次
原题：The following appeared in the editorial section of a local newspaper.
“This past winter, 200 students from Waymarsh State College traveled to the state capitol building to protest against proposed cuts in funding for various state college programs. The other 12,000 Waymarsh students evidently weren’t so concerned about their education: they either stayed on campus or left for winter break. Since the group who did not protest is far more numerous, it is more representative of the state’s college students than are the protesters. Therefore the state legislature need not heed the appeals of the protesting students.”（10）
提供观点：
1.        代表学生的形成方式不知道。如果是随机产生的，那么去反对的学生完全可以代表学生总体。
2.        没去的学生不一定不关心。他们可能有更重要的事情要忙。例如要赶回家过圣诞节。有已经订好的寒假计划等等。
3.        此外，没去的学生之所以没有去很可能是因为他们觉得那些代表足可以代表他们表达心声。

1，        没有投诉不代表没有不满。很可能学生以其他的方式发泄不满意，比如absent the class, leave the school earlier, 等等。One obvious rejoinder to this line of reasoning is that。。。很可能他们已经知道了学生去protest了，所以才没有去。
2，        200名学生不具有代表性的说法不对。很可能是被推选出来的elected to represent the entire students。缺乏根据的论证，错。

北美范文：
The conclusion in this argument is that the state legislature need not consider the views of protesting students. To support this conclusion, the author points out that only 200 of the 12,000 students traveled to the state capitol to voice their concerns about proposed cuts in college programs. Since the remaining students did not take part in this protest, the author concludes they are not interested in this issue. The reasoning in this argument is flawed for two reasons.
First, the author assumes that because only one-tenth of the students took part in the protest, these students’ views are unrepresentative of the entire student body. This assumption is unwarranted. If it turns out, for example, that the protesting students were randomly selected from the entire student body, their views would reflect the views of the entire college. Without information regarding the way in which the protesting students were selected, it is presumptuous to conclude that their opinions fail to reflect the opinions of their colleagues.
Second, the author cites the fact that the remaining 12,000 students stayed on campus or left for winter break as evidence that they are not concerned about their education. One obvious rejoinder to this line of reasoning is that the students who did not participate did so with the knowledge that their concerns would be expressed by the protesting students. In any case, the author has failed to demonstrate a logical connection between the students’ alleged lack of concern and the fact that they either stayed on campus or left for winter break. Without this connection, the conclusion reached by the author that the remaining 12,000 students are not concerned about their education is unacceptable.
As it stands, the argument is not well reasoned. To make it logically acceptable, the author would have to demonstrate that the protesting students had some characteristic in common that biases their views, thereby nullifying their protest as representative of the entire college.

bigpig

32.        本月9次
一个餐馆在一个地方开了两年后，三明治销售量剧增！于是CEO决定在其他地区再开3家，并且找3个有经验的经理去管理，CEO预测销售量将3倍
上月机经2次
原题：The argument was about a paragraph from a restaurant business newsletter about small franchise restaurants.
A small restaurant owner, George, opened a pita restaurant in a college town Sallon. His restaurant has been quite successful for the last 2 years. So he decided to open another 3 restaurants in nearby cities and towns. He also plans to promote his 3 employees who have been trained under him to be the managers of the new restaurants. He expects his profits will trip after all restaurants are opened.
题目是确定了，但在题库里没找到，把上个月的寂静的观点拿过来
1. 两年前的生意好不代表今后生意也会好。错误类比吧：其他地方的顾客可能没有第一家餐馆的地方多，没那么多students，所以不一定生意好。
2. 雇员当分店经理了可能管理水平不行啦之类的

bigpig

33.        本月7次
说有个调查发现人们越来越喜欢吃健康的食物，于是某fitness gyms决定要在三个section售卖有机食品以期提高利润。
V2.是说一个manager写给Health Fitness还是啥的一个好像是健身连锁公司的建议的
根据 a recent survey,发现这个公司的customers大多是organic grocery的潜在顾客吧【这完全是我自己的表达，我记不得原材料了，我理解就是它是说这个survey显示organic grocery在这个company的顾客群中是很有市场的】，然后这个organic grocery要求所在城市有机、未使用农药杀虫剂的蔬菜供应，好像还有一个条件不记得了然后就直接说所以这个company所在的城市显然很适合开organic grocery。建议公司在national organic grocery chains进驻这个city前赶紧建，而且是expand all three fitness gyms to include a organic grocery.说通过此可以增加公司的利润。

上月机经6次
[V1]对一个fitness gym顾客的调查发现他们对吃的健康很感兴趣，所以政府会支持建卖有机食品的店。所以这个gym为了扭转利润长久的不增长因该在所有门店增设利润很高的有机食品店。
[V2] 一个survey表明人们越来越注重饮食健康，喜欢吃organic food, 所以得出结论当地的fitness gyms应该有grocery store，而且要赶在别的商家进来之前
[V3] People are interested in eating healthier, one way is to eat organic food which is grown without chemical and pesticide. Government is supportive for organic food. One grocery manager is recommending expanding their 3 out of 4 existing store to sell organic food.
考古：
.[v1]AA 大概是讲一个调查说这个城市的人开始想健康饮食了，然后一种有机食品商店是健康饮食的一个因素，然后么一个GYM说要在里面也建那个商店，给出理由是什么大的连锁还没进来，要快点建，然后要在其三家GYM都扩展这个业务什么的，这样一来会增加利润之类的。  有心的人去考古一下吧，不过我没找到...
[v2] 就是最近的一个survey得出结论，现在的人更喜欢吃的营养，而吃的营养的一种方法就是吃有机食品。所以作者就建议说在那个市里开有机食品店，在这种有机食品还没有普遍的情况下打开市场。而且这个店要开在体育馆里，还是三个体育馆每个都设立这样一个grocery food store(类似)这样可以增加体育馆的收入。
主要有的问题是 survey本身的问题，recently太模糊，还有无因果，无端假设，我觉得还有错误类比，过去推将来这样的trend
AA是一个健身房想要卖有机食品的那题。
[v3] from a customer survey, people like to buy organic food.and the government is ready to support organic stores. therefore, business manager recommended to establish organic food section in the company's three gyms.那个

bigpig

34.        本月5次
V1一个新的服装企业 发展五年要开自己的retail store ，作者建议clients 购进这个企业的衣服，因为有很强的竞争力，而且CEO是原来很有名气的rock star （我总觉得是艾薇儿的那个clothes line）
V2.某集团的某产品在一些连里面销售不错。所以他们计划打算自己卖（在超市里面）。有一个投资经理忽悠客户叫他们赶紧买这家公司的股票。因为上面的原因。还有一个更搞笑的，该公司CEO是“前”摇滚明星。具有recognition知名度，能号召Young什么的购买力。
V3.讲的是一个young rising company 扩张了自己的业务，并且为了company的成功给出了两种预测——第一个是由于员工的极力推荐，可以使这个这个公司的发展获得成功。第二个是由于该company 的CEO是一个rock star，通过该CEO的star power也可以促使这个young rising company 获得成功

上月机经2次
说有间clothing is the new trend for youth apparel，然后financial analyst 建议investment firm to purchase this company based on the following。
因为：1.the company has been profitable in past 5 years  2.management has been very aggressive in expansion. They plan to open 125 stores this year   3. CEO is a former rock star and the album has been the top sales. The star power will be Influential
没有找到原题，上月寂静里曾经出现过，如下：
下面文字出现在某财务分析员写给咨询公司老板的memo上
某后起的服装公司专门生产迎合年轻人潮流的牛仔裤等休闲衣物，　之前五年都是通过零售商销售的，　销售连续增长。　　最近这家公司准备建立自己的销售渠道，在商场里设自己直营的专卖店。　我们建议客户马上去买他们的股票。　因为１，这家公司很有实力，管理很激进。　2,他家CEO是一个有若干金曲的前摇滚明星，在年轻人里有知名度，可以保证销量和品牌效应。

提供观点：
1、过去5年盈利不保证将来也会盈利，新的销售渠道的建立（改变销售渠道）可能会对销量产生负面影响
2、不充分：有实力管理激进不能推断出股东能获利
3、前摇滚明星有知名度有粉丝，但管理好公司还需要专业的CEO
4、前摇滚明星不能保证在未来的一代青年人中一直保持高知名度

bigpig

35.        写的某smaller private school提供更少的课程，但是a higher proportion of student go to college. 所以我们这所高中也应该focus on basic curriculum.

上月机经8次
原题：The following appeared in an editorial from a newspaper serving the town of Saluda.
“The Saluda Consolidated High School offers over 200 different courses from which its students can choose. A much smaller private school down the street offers a basic curriculum of only 80 different courses, but it consistently sends a higher proportion of its graduating seniors on to college than Consolidated does. By eliminating at least half of the courses offered there and focusing on a basic curriculum, we could improve student performance at Consolidated and also save many tax dollars.”（99 or 101）
提供观点：
1.是否上大学更多就意味着更好呢？概念不对equate——可能去的学校不好。
2忽略他因。
3错误类比。情况不同，人数多可能必须提供多种课，同时也可能兴趣多。。。

1．causal oversimplification
2．false analogy
3．It is likely that the smaller private school is incapable of offering more courses, or else its students can have better performance.

北美范文：
In this editorial the author recommends that Saluda’s Consolidated High School eliminate half of its 200 courses and focus primarily on basic curriculum in order to improve student performance and save tax revenues. The author’s recommendation is problematic for several reasons.
To begin with, the author assumes that the only relevant difference between Consolidated and the private school is the number of courses offered by each. However, other relevant differences between the schools might account for the difference in the proportion of their graduates who go on to college. For example, the private school’s students might be selected from a pool of gifted or exceptional students, or might have to meet rigorous admission standards whereas Consolidated’s students might be drawn from the community at large with little or no qualification for admission.
Next, the author assumes that the proportion of students who go on to college is an overall measure of student performance. While this is a tempting assumption, its truth is by no means obvious. If student excellence is narrowly defined in terms of the student’s ability to gain access to college, this assumption is somewhat reasonable. However, given a broader conception of student excellence that takes into account student’s ability to learn and apply their knowledge to new situations, its is not obvious that college admission is reliable indicator of performance. For example, students in non-academic disciplines could conceivably perform at high levels within these disciplines but nevertheless be unable to meet college admission standards.
Finally, the author assumes that savings in tax revenues will result from the reduced costs of funding the paired-down curriculum. This is not necessarily true. For example, it could turn out that both programs serve the same number of students and require the same number of classrooms and teacher.
In conclusion, the author has not made a convincing case for the recommendation to eliminate courses at Consolidated and focus on a basic curriculum. To strengthen the conclusion the author would have to provide evidence that Consolidated and the private school were sufficiently similar to warrant the analogy between them. Moreover, the relationship between student performance and college admission and the mechanism whereby savings in tax revenues would be accomplished would have to be clarified.

bigpig

36. 本月6次
说是大学里的校医院和other kinds of hospital相比，不能提供better quality  of care。因为校医院的医生人数和治愈成功率要比其他种类医院低百分之几，而且校医院是非盈利的，此外，这里的医生还会divide他们的时间去研究、发论文什么的。

上月机经8次
原题：The following appeared in an article in the health section of a newspaper.
“There is a common misconception that university hospitals are better than community or private hospitals. This notion is unfounded, however: the university hospitals in our region employ 15 percent fewer doctors, have a 20 percent lower success rate in treating patients, make far less overall profit, and pay their medical staff considerably less than do private hospitals. Furthermore, many doctors at university hospitals typically divide their time among teaching, conducting research, and treating patients. From this it seems clear that the quality of care at university hospitals is lower than that at other kinds of hospitals.”（43）
提供观点：
1，        从一个医院的情况就推广到整个太草率
2，        治愈率低可能是因为接受的患者得的病都比较罕见等原因造成的
3，        工资低，总体利润低，时间分配给教学都不能一定说明质量差。可能其他福利好，接受的病人少，教学研究有助于进步

1.        首先，医生的人数与质量之间没有必然的因果原因。profit跟质量也无关系。很可能treating price is significantly lower。
2.        成功率不能说明问题。缺乏其他的证据，忽略了他因：比如因为质量高，所以很多serious illness的，而送往其他医院的一般都是common cases.
3.        时间不能代表问题。因为那些医生所做的研究很可能帮助他们进行治疗。

北美范文：
In this argument the author concludes that university hospitals provide no better care than private or community hospitals. The author bases this conclusion on the following claims about university hospitals: the ones in this region employ 15 percent fewer doctors; they have a 20 percent lower success rate in treating patients; they pay their staffs less money; they make less profit than community hospitals; and they utilize doctors who divide their time between teaching, research and treating patients. This argument is unconvincing for several reasons.
The most egregious reasoning error in the argument is the author’s use of evidence pertaining to university hospitals in this region as the basis for a generalization about all university hospitals. The underlying assumption operative in this inference is that university hospitals in this region are representative of all university hospitals. No evidence is offered to support this gratuitous assumption.
Secondly, the only relevant reason offered in support of the claim that the quality of care is lower in university hospitals than it is at other hospitals is the fact that university hospitals have a lower success rate in treating patients. But this reason is not sufficient to reach the conclusion in question unless it can be shown that the patients treated in both types of hospitals suffered from similar types of maladies. For example, if university hospitals routinely treat patients suffering from rare diseases whereas other hospitals treat only those who suffer from known diseases and illnesses, the difference in success rates would not be indicative of the quality of care received.
Finally, the author assumes that the number of doctors a hospital employs, its success rate in treating patients, the amount it pays its staff, and the profits it earns are all reliable indicators of the quality of care it delivers. No evidence is offered to support this assumption nor is it obvious that any of these factors is linked to the quality of care delivered to patients. Moreover, the fact that doctors in university hospitals divide their time among many tasks fails to demonstrate that they do a poorer job of treating patients than doctors at other kinds of hospitals. In fact, it is highly likely that they do a better job because they are more knowledgeable than other doctors due to their teaching and research.
In conclusion, the author’s argument is unconvincing. To strengthen the argument the author would have to demonstrate that university hospitals in this region are representative of all university hospitals, as well as establishing a causal link between the various factors cited and the quality of care delivered to patients.

bigpig

37. 本月4次
卖车店把豪华车放在广告中以及店中央可以比便宜的车得到更多的收入

上月机经3次
有一个卖汽车的公司在June的时候大力为他们的Luxury automobile做广告，luxury和inexpensive的mobiles的combined的sales很好；在February做的是 inexpensive的广告，就卖得不好。所以以后要大力做luxury的广告，可以吸引顾客，顾客一定会被吸引让后买很多，赚死了。

考古：
[v1]是一个Business Manager Memo的建议, 说6月份因为把luxury auto和inexpensive cars同时推广，得到了历史最高的销售记录。而二月份之推广了inexpensive car.所以以后应该吧 luxury car作为主打产品。
[v2] it said about in july, company advertised in local newspaper, combing selling luxury car and inexpensive car revenue. larter, the revenue  decreased when company just sales inexpensive along. it is genearlly what it said...
[v3]某公司经理说7月份该公司做广告大力宣传豪华汽车，同时把豪华汽车摆放在展厅重要位置，该公司的豪华汽车以及inexpensive的汽车销量很高；2月份主要广告宣传inexpensive汽车，同时把inexpensive汽车摆放在展厅重要位置。但是总体销量不高。所以经理总结说，要把宣传和展示豪华车作为重点，blablabla

提供观点：
1.        错误的认为trend会一直延续下去
2.        错误的由时间关系推因果联系
3.        方案不充分，没理由推断顾客一定会买昂贵的车
4.  revenue销售收入只是考察销售情况的其中一个指标，还应该考虑profit margin利润和ratio of profit利润率。某种程度上讲，利润和利润率比销售收入更重要，它反映的是一个公司的真正的盈利能力。(感谢lecit同学提供本条观点)

和这道题类似
The following appeared as a memorandum from the vice-president of the Dolci candy company:
“Given the success of our premium and most expensive line of chocolate candies in a recent taste test and the consequent increase in sales, we should shift our business focus to producing additional lines of premium candy rather than our lower-priced, ordinary candies. When the current economic boom ends and consumers can no longer buy major luxury items, such as cars, they will still want to indulge in small luxuries, such as expensive candies.”

提供范文：
First, the fact that the premium line of chocolates met with success in a recent taste is scant evidence of the claim that this line of candies continue to be successful in the future. To warrant this inference the vice president must assume that the taste test was representative of consumer’s candy preferences in general. Unfortunately, the vice president has failed to provide evidence for this crucial assumption.
Second, the vice president assumes that the increase in sales experienced after the taste test was brought about by sales of the premium candies. However, the only indication that this was the case is the fact that the increase in sales followed the taste test. Unfortunately, this evidence is insufficient to establish the causal claim in question. While temporal precedence is one of the conditions required to establish a causal relationship between two events, by itself it is a sufficient condition.
Finally, while the vice president’s speculation about future sales of premium candies may turn out to be correct, no evidence has been provided to support this prediction.

bigpig

38. 本月8次
原题：The following appeared as part of a newspaper editorial:
“Two years ago Nova High School began to use interactive computer instruction in three academic subjects. The school dropout rate declined immediately, and last year’s graduates have reported some impressive achievements in college. In future budgets the school board should use a greater portion of the available funds to buy more computers, and all schools in the district should adopt interactive computer instruction throughout the curriculum.”（14）

提供观点：
1，        没有排除他因。很可能是学校出台的policy要求老师上课认真，学生更加勤奋导致的。同时发生不能说明因果。stricter discipline applied last year.
还有其他的比如加入新课引起学生的兴趣等等。counseling and training programs
2，        错误类比，其他的学校情况跟这个不一定相同。比如很可能是艺术类等文科院校，而这个是科学类的，所以不同。
过去推将来，不对。很可能短暂的interest之后学生会失去兴趣。或别的情况发生了变化。

interactive interact instruction logical logically covincing ignore decline atttibute
dropout中途退学（学生）usage sufficient fund budget compromise comprise impressive portion proportional ultimately ultimate strengthen graduate graduation applicable apply applicant application affordable afford district

北美范文：
Sample essay 1:
The argument that the school board should buy more computers and adopt interactive computer instruction is not entirely logically convincing, since it ignores certain crucial assumptions.
First, the argument assumes that the decline of school dropout and the achievements of last year’s graduates’ results from the adoption of interactive computer instruction. However, there are several reasons why this might not be true. For example, achievements could have been made in other subjects than the ones with interactive computer instruction. Or last years’ graduates might not have been given the interactive computer instruction. Or the decline of the rate of dropout could be attributed to stricter discipline applied last year.
Second, even supposing the Nova High School’s decline of the dropout and last year’s graduates’ achievements benefit directly from the usage of interactive computer instruction, the success of the instruction in one school may not ensure the success in other schools. If it does not suit other schools, the instruction will not work.
Finally, even if the decline of the rate of dropout and the achievements of the last year’s graduates’ are the direct results of the interactive computer instruction, we still do not know whether the school can afford to apply the instruction on all the subjects or to all the students. If the school does not have sufficient fund and has to cut budgets on other projects such as the library, the quality of the school’s education will also compromise.        
Thus, the argument is not completely sound. The evidence in support of the conclusion that the dropout rate declined and last year’s graduates made impressive achievements does little to prove the conclusion that other schools should use a greater portion of their funds to apply the instruction since it does not address the assumptions I have already raised. Ultimately, the argument might have been strengthened by making it clear that the decline of the dropout rate and the achievements of the graduates are the direct results of interactive computer instruction, that the instruction is also applicable to other schools in the district, and that the instruction is affordable to all the schools in the district.
Sample essay 2:
The editorial recommends that the school board of Nova High spend a greater portion of available funds on the purchase of additional computers and adopt interactive computer instruction throughout the curriculum. Two reasons are offered in support of this recommendation. First, the introduction of interactive computer instruction in three academic subjects was immediately followed by a decline in the school dropout rate. Second, last year’s graduates experienced impressive achievements in college. This argument is unconvincing for two reasons.
To begin with, this argument is a classic instance of “after this, therefore because of this” reasoning. The mere fact that the introduction of interactive computer instruction preceded the impressive performance of recent graduates and the decline in the dropout rate is insufficient to conclude that it was the cause of these events. Many other factors could bring about these same results. For example, the school may have implemented counseling and training programs that better meet the needs of students who might otherwise leave school to take jobs. In addition, the school may have introduced programs to better prepare students for college.
Secondly, the author assumes that the impressive achievements of last year’s graduates bear some relation to the introduction of interactive computer instruction at Nova High. However, no evidence is offered to support this assumption. Lacking evidence that links the achievements of the recent graduates to the interactive instruction, it is presumptuous to suggest that the computer instruction was in some way responsible for the students’ impressive performance.
In conclusion, the recommendation that Nova High spend a greater portion of available funds on the purchase of additional computers and adopt interactive computer instruction throughout the curriculum is ill-founded. To strengthen this recommendation the author would have to demonstrate that the decline in the dropout rate and the impressive performance of recent graduates came about as a result of the use of computer-interactive instruction. All that has been shown so far is a correlation between these events.

bigpig

39. 本月4次
说航空公司利润去年降了了20%，列了3个理由，油价涨了，新开航线还是公司来，还有一个想不起来了....然后说其它公司都面临油价上涨，但有公司利润增加，所以不是油价的原因，结论想提高利润关新开的operation.
V2. Provincia Airline最近利润狂降,调查可能有两个原因:一是油价涨,二是他们开通新航线。.但是另一项调查表明其他航空公司也经历了油价上涨,但是利润也上涨,因此表明油价涨并不是我们公司利润狂降的唯一原因.为了提高利润,我们应该停止开通新航线。（好像狗说的是买新飞机？难道LZ读错了== ）
V3. Provincia Airline的利润降低了。可能有两个原因。1.rising oil prices 导致 fuel cost 上涨。2.它最近增加了5个城市的航班。而其他的航空公司也经历了rising oil prices但却没有增加那5个城市的航班，所以呢，原因2才是真正的原因。（我觉得些这个相对别的argument有点小难度...）

zelda爱star提供的观点
1.FA。每家公司都是不一样的，那个什么other airplane可能飞机比较小，耗油比较少
2.不仅仅只有这两个原因，可能本身P的管理成本有上升。
3.别的airline可能由于别的原因导致油价的上涨并不影响其profit 比如提供discount tickets.
4即使P停止，也不一定利润上升。
上月机经5次
V1Provincia Airline最近利润狂降,调查可能有两个原因:一是油价涨,二是他们买了很多新飞机.但是另一项调查表明其他航空公司也经历了油价上涨,但是利润也上涨,因此表明油价涨并不是我们公司利润狂降的唯一原因.为了提高利润,我们应该停止购买新飞机
[V2] Procia's profits decrease as the oil price increased at the beginning of the month. However other airlines also faced the problem but their profits increase. So Procia decided to eliminate the planes it purchased earlier.
[V3] 一个航空公司商业分析人说公司去年盈利严重下降,然后又说去年发生了油价上涨跟航线增加,但是在油价上涨的情况下有部分航线还是盈利了,所以油价不是问题,该人建议管理层砍掉几个航线来改变盈利下跌的情况
没有对应题库
提供观点：
1、其他航空公司的利润上涨是否存在他因？如strategy的调整、成本控制
2、缺乏与其他航空公司更comprehensive 的对比
3、购买新飞机是否是导致利润下降的主要原因？停止购买不一定能阻止利润下降

bigpig

40. 本月2次
campus housing的housing rents和housing revenues在上一个学年都下降了，所以建议housing officials接下来减少学校里housing的数量以及降低租金，这样可以吸引live off-campus的学生。

上月机经6次
校内房子出租率降低，revenue相应降低。学校应减available housing units and lower the rents so that more students would choose to live on campus and the revenue of the housing business would go up.
原题：The following appeared in the editorial section of a campus newspaper.
“Because occupancy rates for campus housing fell during the last academic year, so did housing revenues. To solve the problem, campus housing officials should reduce the number of available housing units, thereby increasing the occupancy rates. Also, to keep students from choosing to live off-campus, housing officials should lower the rents, thereby increasing demand.”
提供观点：
1、入住率和房租收入非因果关系（房租收入下降也可能是赶上经济衰退租房市场低迷、学生招收人数减少等）
2、降低房租不一定能吸引更多的学生（价格不是唯一因素，存在其他因素如住宿条件、学校管制太严等）
3、提高入住率不一定能提高收入（尤其是在利用降低房租这个手段时，增加的入住量不一定能弥补降低房租带来的损失）
来自北美范文
The author of this article argues that, to reverse declining revenues from campus housing rentals, campus housing officials should decrease the number of available housing units and reduce rent prices on the units. The author’s line of reasoning is that fewer available units will limit supply while lower rents will increase demand, thereby improving overall occupancy rates, and that the resulting increase in occupancy rates will, in turn, boost revenues for the campus. This reasoning is unconvincing for several reasons.
To begin with, the author assumes that boosting occupancy rates will improve revenues. All other factors remaining unchanged, this would be the case. However, the author proposes reducing both the supply of units and their rental prices. Both of these actions would tend to reduce revenues. The author provides no evidence that the revenue-enhancing effect of a higher occupancy rate will exceed the revenue-decreasing effect of reduced supply and price. Without such evidence, the argument is unconvincing.
Secondly, the author assumes that lowering rents will lead to higher revenues by increasing demand. However, it is possible that demand would decrease, depending on the extent of the rent reduction as well as other factors—such as overall enrollment and the supply and relative cost of off-campus housing. Moreover, even if demand increases by lowering rents, revenues will not necessarily increase as a result. Other factors, such as maintenance and other costs of providing campus housing units and the reduced supply of rental units might contribute to a net decrease in revenue.
Thirdly, in asserting that lowering rental rates will increase demand, the author assumes that current rental rates are causing low demand. However, low demand for student housing could be a function of other factors. For instance, the student housing units may be old and poorly maintained. Perhaps students find the campus housing rules oppressive, and therefore prefer to live off-campus; or perhaps enrollments are down generally, affecting campus housing occupancy.
In conclusion, the author of this editorial has not argued effectively for a decrease in the number of available campus housing units and a reduction in rental rates for those units. To strengthen the argument, the author must show that a rent reduction will actually increase demand, and that the revenue-enhancing effect of greater demand will outweigh the revenue-reducing effect of a smaller supply and of lower rental rates.