The university is pleased to offer an exciting new opportunity for students in the Romance Languages department. The prestigious Buonocore Scholarship allows students to study tuition-free for two semesters in Rome. Students must submit an essay exploring

The university is pleased to offer an exciting new opportunity for students in the Romance Languages department. The prestigious Buonocore Scholarship allows students to study tuition-free for two semesters in Rome. Students must submit an essay exploring a specific aspect of Italian culture to the selection committee. They must also submit a detailed plan explaining how a year in Italy would provide the opportunity to further research and improve the essay. Please note that students in departments other than Romance Languages are ineligible for this opportunity.
Script
Narrator

Now listen to two students discussing the announcement.

Female Student

I think it’s totally unfair that the Buonocore Scholarship is only being offered to students in the Romance Languages department. Like, it’s an amazing opportunity, and it’s SAD to see it monopolized in this way.

Male Student

Is it really such a bad thing to limit the scholarship to one department, though? I mean, uhh… the fewer students compete for the prize, err… the easier it will be for students like US to win it. After all, there are only seven other students in the whole Romance Languages department besides us.

Female Student

That doesn’t change the fact that it’s wrong for the scholarship to be limited to our single department. It’s a matter of principle. First of all, there are students in other departments, like History and Classics and Renaissance studies, all of whom… all of whom would definitely benefit from a year in Italy. Why shouldn’t THEY get a chance to submit their work to the committee?

Male Student

But if they also submitted their essays, it would be harder for US to get the prize.

Female student

Look, just because something benefits me personally doesn’t make me think that it’s right. I mean, I have a lot of FRIENDS in History and Classics and Renaissance Studies, and I totally agree with them that it’s wrong for them to be…ineligible to compete for the scholarship. After all, Romance Languages is a very SMALL department, and it seems abusive for us to keep this resource all to ourselves.

Male Student

I guess I see where you’re coming from.

Female Student

Also, I think that it TAKES SOMETHING AWAY from the honor of winning a scholarship if the competition isn’t very strong. I’d rather know that I earned the opportunity to study in Rome by competing against the very best students… instead of thinking that I was only honored because other talented people were unnecessarily EXCLUDED from the process.