[ATTW-L] the Champlain Towers South engineering report

Stephen Bernhardt sab at udel.edu
Mon Jun 28 18:51:04 UTC 2021


I am with Rob, below. The HOA had the report for years as they planned to
take action. They knew there were big problems, but were they ready to levy
an assessment to do the required work?

On Mon, Jun 28, 2021 at 11:04 AM Debi Galley <galley.debi at gmail.com> wrote:

> I agree! I think I'll use it as a revision exercise--how could the author
> have revised structure, organization, etc. to highlight the essential
> information?
>
> Thank you for passing along such an applicable case study.
>
> Debi Galley
>
> On Sun, Jun 27, 2021, 10:08 AM Hilary Sarat-St Peter <hsstpeter at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> As a teaching case, it might be productive to show this report to
>> students and ask them if they think changing the wording or design of the
>> report would have affected the tragic outcome of the Champlain Towers
>> collapse. Students would have to ground their answers in tech comm
>> principles and evidence from the case, and the instructor would need to
>> approach the topic with utmost sensitivity because some students may have
>> personally lived through a structural failure disaster or had family
>> members affected.
>>
>> On Sun, Jun 27, 2021 at 9:25 AM Stephen Bernhardt <sab at udel.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> You have to wonder whether the HOA was dragging its feet on expensive
>>> repairs.
>>>
>>> On Sat, Jun 26, 2021 at 5:57 PM Dragga, Sam <Sam.Dragga at ttu.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>> A 2018 nine-page engineering report identifies issues that might have
>>>> caused or contributed to the collapse of Champlain Towers South in
>>>> Surfside, Florida.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The report raises important issues for technical communicators about
>>>> information design. The report has no headings but alphabetizes issues A
>>>> through K. The key issues related to the integrity of the building’s
>>>> foundation are addressed on pages 6-9.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> As I read this report, I think that a more emphatic display and
>>>> organization of information could have stirred immediate action on critical
>>>> repairs and saved lives. This report will likely be a salient and tragic
>>>> example for classroom discussion of ineffective communication.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> The report is available at
>>>> https://www.townofsurfsidefl.gov/docs/default-source/default-document-library/town-clerk-documents/champlain-towers-south-public-records/8777-collins-ave---structural-field-survey-report.pdf
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sam
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Sam Dragga
>>>>
>>>> Professor Emeritus, Texas Tech University
>>>>
>>>> sam.dragga at ttu.edu
>>>>
>>>> 1-806-543-6099
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>> --
>>> Steve Bernhardt
>>> Bayside DE
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-- 
Steve Bernhardt
Bayside DE
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