English Graduate Student Organization (GSO) tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009-09-29:/engso/english//7850 2009-11-27T20:05:05Z Movable Type Enterprise 4.25 GSO Meeting Minutes, 11/20/09 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.207280 2009-11-27T19:41:56Z 2009-11-27T20:05:05Z Attendance: 12 graduate students, 5 officers Agenda: 1. Spring '10 Great Course Overlap 2. Questions for Walsh, 11/30 (TA Assignments) 3. Feedback for prospectives' weekend 4. Reports back from under/grad, COGS, chair search committees 1. Course Offerings - - 7 courses on Tuesday are offered in the ENGL dept for spring '10 (problems for 19th/20th c individuals in particular) - back-to-back lectures -- in addition to potential teaching assignments -- all create a problem - Bring up to Walsh on 11/30 - course coordination (as his role as well?) as a preventive measure in the future - 3 graduate seminars (8000) offered spring '10; all others mixed with undergrads (3/5000) 2. Questions for Walsh, 11/30 - issue of course overlap - improvement of course listing in lounge - yet late for this semester? also, summer postings are late as they've yet to be announced? - ask about summer assignments - transparency of process 3. Prospectives Weekend - Glasgow's proposal; comments: Keep library tour (F?) - Consolidation to 1- 1 1/2 days - Prospectives pay for the room? Shuttling service provided through some hotels? - Afternoon - after lunch, meet with prospective advisor; dinner event in library space (as it is more central, neutral, than meeting at faculties' homes). And perhaps a bar in Dinkytown rather than Uptown (for convenience?) - Eliminate Saturday outright GSO has previously been pressured to host grad students -- how will this work next time? General consensus: hotel rooms. 4. Reports back from committees (Under/grad studies, chair search) - Undergrad studies (Jo, Will, Kevin - 2 meetings): headed by Maria (on her way out; Goldberg next in line); improve undergrad education ("engaged scholarship"); campuswide initiatives taken from ENGL, Social Justice Writing; community among students; problems with senior seminar. Also, discussed ways to imrpove the draw to ENGL from outside departments ($) - offer more courses such as 2000 Honors level. - Grad studies (Jo, Wes, Morritz) advising (A. Scheil host a roundtable, "best ways to advise"); PhD completion project (general push to work on advising to encourage this): TA assignment discussion; PhD course requirements (14 courses - as set as standard in 1980) and the grad school encouraged English to drop req courses within program some 10 years ago. Mimi seems in favor of this, and suggests a plan of action by the end of the year. Some possibilities include colloquia with research methods, perhaps as an 8000 combo (with 5001/2 out). Also discussed, general discrepancies for this with and without MAs (and time requirements that allow for reasonable completion of the PhD in either circumstance). - Chair Search Committee (Nick) level of confidentiality required; Dan Brewer invites any suggestions from graduate students - get in touch with Nick (nicholashengen@gmail.com).... Attendance: 12 graduate students, 5 officers

Agenda:
1. Spring '10 Great Course Overlap
2. Questions for Walsh, 11/30 (TA Assignments)
3. Feedback for prospectives' weekend
4. Reports back from under/grad, COGS, chair search committees

1. Course Offerings -
- 7 courses on Tuesday are offered in the ENGL dept for spring '10 (problems for 19th/20th c individuals in particular)
- back-to-back lectures -- in addition to potential teaching assignments -- all create a problem
- Bring up to Walsh on 11/30 - course coordination (as his role as well?) as a preventive measure in the future
- 3 graduate seminars (8000) offered spring '10; all others mixed with undergrads (3/5000)

2. Questions for Walsh, 11/30
- issue of course overlap
- improvement of course listing in lounge - yet late for this semester? also, summer postings are late as they've yet to be announced?
- ask about summer assignments
- transparency of process

3. Prospectives Weekend
- Glasgow's proposal; comments: Keep library tour (F?)
- Consolidation to 1- 1 1/2 days
- Prospectives pay for the room? Shuttling service provided through some hotels?
- Afternoon - after lunch, meet with prospective advisor; dinner event in library space (as it is more central, neutral, than meeting at faculties' homes). And perhaps a bar in Dinkytown rather than Uptown (for convenience?)
- Eliminate Saturday outright
GSO has previously been pressured to host grad students -- how will this work next time? General consensus: hotel rooms.

4. Reports back from committees (Under/grad studies, chair search)
- Undergrad studies (Jo, Will, Kevin - 2 meetings):
headed by Maria (on her way out; Goldberg next in line); improve undergrad education ("engaged scholarship"); campuswide initiatives taken from ENGL, Social Justice Writing; community among students; problems with senior seminar. Also, discussed ways to imrpove the draw to ENGL from outside departments ($) - offer more courses such as 2000 Honors level.

- Grad studies (Jo, Wes, Morritz)
advising (A. Scheil host a roundtable, "best ways to advise"); PhD completion project (general push to work on advising to encourage this): TA assignment discussion; PhD course requirements (14 courses - as set as standard in 1980) and the grad school encouraged English to drop req courses within program some 10 years ago. Mimi seems in favor of this, and suggests a plan of action by the end of the year. Some possibilities include colloquia with research methods, perhaps as an 8000 combo (with 5001/2 out). Also discussed, general discrepancies for this with and without MAs (and time requirements that allow for reasonable completion of the PhD in either circumstance).

- Chair Search Committee (Nick)
level of confidentiality required; Dan Brewer invites any suggestions from graduate students - get in touch with Nick (nicholashengen@gmail.com).

]]> COGS Report tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.201035 2009-11-02T14:39:19Z 2009-11-02T14:50:00Z Our Council of Graduate Students representative, DeAnna Stansbury, has passed along a summary of the information she received at the first two COGS meetings of the year. The all-caps text is DeAnna's notes on the points. 1. Grad student caucuses 2. GA health insurance 3. Upcoming COGS elections (with positions open) 4. Spring Jam 5. Openings for alternate student reps to the University Senate 6. Minutes from COGS's meeting with Provost Sullivan 7. Info from the library about open access to copyrighted texts. *** 1. Caucus updates: Please let students in your department know about COGS Caucuses. These are groups formed within COGS to allow students with similar interests or concerns to meet and bring forth to the COGS General Assembly and University administration. Students do not need to be COGS Reps in order to participate in Caucuses, but should be current graduate students. (APPARENTLY COGS HAS A LITTLE MONEY FOR THESE GROUPS, SO IF ANYTHING THERE SHOULD BE FOOD AT THE MTGS. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT COGS WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE SIMPLY KNOWING OF THE GRAD STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY AS MEMBERS OF THESE CAUCUSES, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING. I SENSE THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR THOSE GRAD STUDENTS WHO ARE ALSO PARENTS AND THAT SIMPLY IDENTIFYING AND SETTING UP A DATABASE OF SUCH PERSONS WOULD BE HELPFUL.) Master's Students: Devin Driscoll (drisc118@umn.edu) Graduate Student Parent: Kelvin Choi (choix137@umn.edu) (GRAD STUDENTS WHO ARE PARENTS) International Students: Matt Burgess (burg0408@umn.edu) 2. GA Health Insurance: Please let Dean George Green (green007@umn.edu) if you are experiencing problems related to your health insurance including increases in prices to pay for prescriptions. (COGS HAS REPEATEDLY NOTED GREEN'S SINCERE INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE ON BEHALF OF GRAD STUDENTS; THERE ARE A LOT OF RUMORS FLYING AROUND AND HE'S INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT ALL OF IT. WE'RE ENCOURAGED TO SEND IN ALL INFO RE: THE TRANSITION TO HEALTH PARTNERS. AGAIN, I THINK A HEALTHY DATABASE OF STUDENT CONCERNS AND EXPERIENCES THAT GREEN CAN DRAW UPON WHEN DISCUSSING THIS ISSUE WITH OTHER ADMINISTRATORS IS PART OF THE GOAL HERE. COGS INVOLVEMENT CAN BE SUCCESSFUL BY THE WAY. AHC GRAD STUDENTS WERE REQUIRED TO PURCHASE LONG-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE AS PART OF THEIR FEES THIS YEAR AND COGS HAS SUCCESSFULLY LOBBIED FOR THEIR REMOVAL, IN PART B/C THE FEES WERE ADDED W/O PRIOR NOTICE OR PROPER DISCUSSION. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THESE GRAD STUDENTS WERE REQUIRED TO BUY LONG-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE IN THE FIRST PLACE BUT THIS IS A BIG DEAL AND WILL COST A LOT OF MAN HOURS SIMPLY TO REMOVE THE FEES, WHICH IS CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE, AS THEY HAVE TO GO INTO INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS STUDENT BY STUDENT.) 3. COGS November Elections to be held at the November GA meeting (November 17th): We have two positions that will be open: VP of Finance - term from December-December, $1000 stipend, duties include filing taxes for COGS and keeping track of budget VP of External Relations - partial term through July 1st, partial stipend of $250, duties include serving on university workgroups and committees directly involved with graduate education If you are interested in either of these positions, please e-mail cogs@umn.edu. 4. Ideas for Spring Jam: Any ideas for Spring Jam - send them to cogs@umn.edu (THE U IS ACTIVELY SOLICITING INFO FROM COGS IN ORDER TO ALTER THE ACTIVITIES, PERCEPTION, ETC. OF SPRING JAM. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE U IS VERY INTERESTED IN COGS INPUT, BUT I DIDN'T FEEL THE IDEAS PRESENTED WERE GIVEN MUCH OF A VOICE. OK, SOME WERE IMPRACTICAL AND SPRING JAM IN ITS PRESENT STATE IS AN EASY TARGET FOR ALL KINDS OF JOKES BUT IT SEEMS TO ME COGS OUGHT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION, ESP. SINCE THE U IS LOOKING TO INCORPORATE THE NEW STADIUM IN THE FESTIVITIES. PERSONALLY, I LIKED THE FLASH MOB IDEA - THE KIND OF THING DONE FOR THAT MASS PERFORMANCE OF MJ'S THRILLER ROUTINE - AND THINK IF THE RIGHT SUBJECT MATTER/PERFORMANCE WERE SELECTED IT COULD BE A GREAT WAY TO TURN AROUND SPRING JAM. SOMEONE ALSO SUGGESTED GETTING TEAMS TOGETHER FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS, FRATS, SORORITIES, GROUPS, ETC. THAT WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN CARNIVAL-LIKE ACTIVITIES. SOUNDS KIND OF LIKE THE ENDING OF GREASE TO ME BUT WHO WOULDN'T LOVE THE CHANCE TO THROW AROUND A COUPLE OF PIES OR WATER BALLOONS? ANYWAYS, SUBMIT YOUR IDEA AND SEE IF IT BECOMES PART OF A NEW SPRING JAM TRADITION.) 5. Senator alternates: If you are interested in being an alternate for a Senator, please e-mail cogs@umn.edu. This is a great way to get involved with COGS without a huge time commitment. As alternate, you would be asked to fill in for one of the Senators if they are unable to attend a GAPSA or Student or University Senate meeting. 6. Meeting with Provost Sullivan: (TO CATCH UP ON THIS DISCUSSION, A RECAP OF THE MTG 9/30/09 IS BELOW) COGS exec met with Provost Sullivan in September to discuss the current Workgroups that have been formed to provide recommendations related to the restructuring of the graduate school. The meeting reflected on issues related to advising, funding, metrics and measurements, and how COGS members want to be involved in decisions related to graduate education (a meeting recap is listed at the end of this e-mail). In that meeting we were assured that the chairs of the Workgroups will be contacting COGS Exec to set up meetings. COGS reps will be notified of upcoming meetings and are invited to participate. Recommendations from these Workgroups are due to the Provost on December 1st. In anticipation of the December 1st recommendation deadline, COGS has set up a follow-up meeting with the Provost to discuss our support/concerns with these documents. The meeting is scheduled for December 15th, 1-2 pm and I would like to invite COGS Program Reps (in addition to COGS Exec members) to this meeting. I will take the first 6 Program Reps that respond they are interested and able to attend the meeting. This will be a chance for Program Reps to meet the Provost and also share their thoughts regarding the recommendations. Please e-mail me (stahre@umn.edu) and cogs@umn.edu if you are interested in attending. Provost meeting recap (September 30th, 2009) Dear Provost Sullivan, Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with the Council of Graduate Students (COGS) on September 30th. We feel this meeting was very productive and has set the stage for a collaborative relationship between COGS and the Provost Office. As a follow-up to this meeting, I would like to reiterate in this e-mail several topics we discussed with regards to the Work Groups for Graduate Education so we are all on the same page as we move forward. First, given the broad charge of both Work Groups, COGS is very committed to working closely not only with the graduate student reps, but also with the work group chairs and other members with regards to the topics at hand. At your suggestion, we will let you know if we are not contacted by the Work Group Chairs in the next few weeks. Additionally, COGS would like to meet with you again and discuss the Work Group recommendations and we are in the process of setting up that meeting. Second, we talked extensively about academic advising and how important this is to the success of graduate students. We want to reiterate and expand on several of the issues we discussed. Many of our concerns about advising were spelled out in a letter we sent to both your office and President Bruininks at the beginning of the summer. This letter was prompted by reports of widespread problems that graduate students are currently experiencing with advising. COGS feels that the Work Group should not only address the current problems of advising, but also develop or suggest ways that advisors can better understand their role and responsibilities with graduate students and include a mechanism for students to evaluate the performance of their advisors. As you stated in the meeting, the report from the Work Group will NOT be complete if it does not adequately address advising issues. COGS feels this is very important since for many graduate students, their experience at the University is closely tied to their relationship with their advisor. Third, we discussed ideas related to metrics and measurements of the graduate student experience. COGS is very concerned that only about 50% of graduate students obtain their degree at the University of Minnesota (similar to other large research universities). In addition to current metrics used (i.e., time-to-graduate and careers after graduation), COGS would suggest the Work Group consider implementing the tracking of factors that capture a bigger picture of the graduate student experience. These additional factors should include adequate financial support (e.g., targeted funding), effective mentoring (i.e., connection and respect from faculty), supportive program environments (e.g., recognition for accomplishments and contribution to the University) and consistency between program and student goals (e.g., whether students being encouraged to conduct their own research). Finally, COGS would like to reiterate the importance of adequate funding to graduate students. We appreciate your support for increasing the funding for fellowships and block grants. We hope these increases continue especially since graduate student tuition increased by 7% this year. Student debt is a serious concern and in many ways is a driving factor in graduate student completion rates. We hope the Work Group recommends new mechanisms to fund students when they need it most in their programs and that you will stress this important aspect of funding. Again, thank you for taking time to meet with the COGS Executive Committee. We hope to continue working together to improve graduate education and hope to meet with you again in December or early January. Sincerely, COGS Executive Members Mandy Stahre - President COGS 7. Open Access: Nancy Sims copyright librarian (soon to be lawyer) attended the Oct GA meeting and discussed the University of Minnesota's efforts related to open access and author's rights. I have included here Nancy's contact information as well as links for students to be able to gather more information regarding the issue of Open Access. Contact info for Nancy Sims - nasims@umn.edu; 612-624-1851; Twitter (primarily focused on copyright issues in higher ed) @CopyrightLibn COGS will be moving forward with a resolution to support the University of Minnesota's efforts related to open access and hope to have a resolution ready for a vote by early spring semester. If you are interested in this topic and would like to be involved with the resolution and other activities related to open access please contact Tim Salo (salox049@umn.edu). Online resources about open access: UMN Authors' Rights info page http://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/au-rights.phtml UMN Authors' Addendum http://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/CICAuthorsRights.pdf Transforming Scholarly Communications site http://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/ Local Open Access Week site http://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/openaccessweek.phtml International Open Access Week site http://www.openaccessweek.org/ Copyright Information site http://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright... hanse981 Our Council of Graduate Students representative, DeAnna Stansbury, has passed along a summary of the information she received at the first two COGS meetings of the year. The all-caps text is DeAnna's notes on the points.

1. Grad student caucuses
2. GA health insurance
3. Upcoming COGS elections (with positions open)
4. Spring Jam
5. Openings for alternate student reps to the University Senate
6. Minutes from COGS's meeting with Provost Sullivan
7. Info from the library about open access to copyrighted texts.

***

1. Caucus updates:

Please let students in your department know about COGS Caucuses. These are groups formed within COGS to allow students with similar interests or concerns to meet and bring forth to the COGS General Assembly and University administration. Students do not need to be COGS Reps in order to participate in Caucuses, but should be current graduate students.

(APPARENTLY COGS HAS A LITTLE MONEY FOR THESE GROUPS, SO IF ANYTHING THERE SHOULD BE FOOD AT THE MTGS. IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THAT COGS WOULD GREATLY APPRECIATE SIMPLY KNOWING OF THE GRAD STUDENTS WHO QUALIFY AS MEMBERS OF THESE CAUCUSES, EVEN IF THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN PARTICIPATING. I SENSE THIS IS PARTICULARLY TRUE FOR THOSE GRAD STUDENTS WHO ARE ALSO PARENTS AND THAT SIMPLY IDENTIFYING AND SETTING UP A DATABASE OF SUCH PERSONS WOULD BE HELPFUL.)

Master's Students: Devin Driscoll (drisc118@umn.edu)

Graduate Student Parent: Kelvin Choi (choix137@umn.edu)
(GRAD STUDENTS WHO ARE PARENTS)

International Students: Matt Burgess (burg0408@umn.edu)

2. GA Health Insurance:
Please let Dean George Green (green007@umn.edu) if you are experiencing problems related to your health insurance including increases in prices to pay for prescriptions.
(COGS HAS REPEATEDLY NOTED GREEN'S SINCERE INTEREST IN THIS ISSUE ON BEHALF OF GRAD STUDENTS; THERE ARE A LOT OF RUMORS FLYING AROUND AND HE'S INTERESTED IN HEARING ABOUT ALL OF IT. WE'RE ENCOURAGED TO SEND IN ALL INFO RE: THE TRANSITION TO HEALTH PARTNERS. AGAIN, I THINK A HEALTHY DATABASE OF STUDENT CONCERNS AND EXPERIENCES THAT GREEN CAN DRAW UPON WHEN DISCUSSING THIS ISSUE WITH OTHER ADMINISTRATORS IS PART OF THE GOAL HERE. COGS INVOLVEMENT CAN BE SUCCESSFUL BY THE WAY. AHC GRAD STUDENTS WERE REQUIRED TO PURCHASE LONG-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE AS PART OF THEIR FEES THIS YEAR AND COGS HAS SUCCESSFULLY LOBBIED FOR THEIR REMOVAL, IN PART B/C THE FEES WERE ADDED W/O PRIOR NOTICE OR PROPER DISCUSSION. I HAVE NO IDEA WHY THESE GRAD STUDENTS WERE REQUIRED TO BUY LONG-TERM DISABILITY INSURANCE IN THE FIRST PLACE BUT THIS IS A BIG DEAL AND WILL COST A LOT OF MAN HOURS SIMPLY TO REMOVE THE FEES, WHICH IS CURRENTLY TAKING PLACE, AS THEY HAVE TO GO INTO INDIVIDUAL ACCOUNTS STUDENT BY STUDENT.)

3. COGS November Elections to be held at the November GA meeting (November 17th):
We have two positions that will be open:

VP of Finance - term from December-December, $1000 stipend, duties include filing taxes for COGS and keeping track of budget

VP of External Relations - partial term through July 1st, partial stipend of $250, duties include serving on university workgroups and committees directly involved with graduate education

If you are interested in either of these positions, please e-mail cogs@umn.edu.

4. Ideas for Spring Jam:
Any ideas for Spring Jam - send them to cogs@umn.edu
(THE U IS ACTIVELY SOLICITING INFO FROM COGS IN ORDER TO ALTER THE ACTIVITIES, PERCEPTION, ETC. OF SPRING JAM. IT SOUNDS LIKE THE U IS VERY INTERESTED IN COGS INPUT, BUT I DIDN'T FEEL THE IDEAS PRESENTED WERE GIVEN MUCH OF A VOICE. OK, SOME WERE IMPRACTICAL AND SPRING JAM IN ITS PRESENT STATE IS AN EASY TARGET FOR ALL KINDS OF JOKES BUT IT SEEMS TO ME COGS OUGHT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE SITUATION, ESP. SINCE THE U IS LOOKING TO INCORPORATE THE NEW STADIUM IN THE FESTIVITIES. PERSONALLY, I LIKED THE FLASH MOB IDEA - THE KIND OF THING DONE FOR THAT MASS PERFORMANCE OF MJ'S THRILLER ROUTINE - AND THINK IF THE RIGHT SUBJECT MATTER/PERFORMANCE WERE SELECTED IT COULD BE A GREAT WAY TO TURN AROUND SPRING JAM. SOMEONE ALSO SUGGESTED GETTING TEAMS TOGETHER FOR ALL DEPARTMENTS, FRATS, SORORITIES, GROUPS, ETC. THAT WANTED TO PARTICIPATE IN CARNIVAL-LIKE ACTIVITIES. SOUNDS KIND OF LIKE THE ENDING OF GREASE TO ME BUT WHO WOULDN'T LOVE THE CHANCE TO THROW AROUND A COUPLE OF PIES OR WATER BALLOONS? ANYWAYS, SUBMIT YOUR IDEA AND SEE IF IT BECOMES PART OF A NEW SPRING JAM TRADITION.)

5. Senator alternates:
If you are interested in being an alternate for a Senator, please e-mail cogs@umn.edu. This is a great way to get involved with COGS without a huge time commitment. As alternate, you would be asked to fill in for one of the Senators if they are unable to attend a GAPSA or Student or University Senate meeting.

6. Meeting with Provost Sullivan: (TO CATCH UP ON THIS DISCUSSION, A RECAP OF THE MTG 9/30/09 IS BELOW)
COGS exec met with Provost Sullivan in September to discuss the current Workgroups that have been formed to provide recommendations related to the restructuring of the graduate school. The meeting reflected on issues related to advising, funding, metrics and measurements, and how COGS members want to be involved in decisions related to graduate education (a meeting recap is listed at the end of this e-mail). In that meeting we were assured that the chairs of the Workgroups will be contacting COGS Exec to set up meetings. COGS reps will be notified of upcoming meetings and are invited to participate. Recommendations from these Workgroups are due to the Provost on December 1st.

In anticipation of the December 1st recommendation deadline, COGS has set up a follow-up meeting with the Provost to discuss our support/concerns with these documents. The meeting is scheduled for December 15th, 1-2 pm and I would like to invite COGS Program Reps (in addition to COGS Exec members) to this meeting. I will take the first 6 Program Reps that respond they are interested and able to attend the meeting. This will be a chance for Program Reps to meet the Provost and also share their thoughts regarding the recommendations. Please e-mail me (stahre@umn.edu) and cogs@umn.edu if you are interested in attending.


Provost meeting recap (September 30th, 2009)
Dear Provost Sullivan,

Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to meet with the Council of Graduate Students (COGS) on September 30th. We feel this
meeting was very productive and has set the stage for a collaborative relationship between COGS and the Provost Office. As a follow-up to this meeting, I would like to reiterate in this e-mail several topics we discussed with regards to the Work Groups for Graduate Education so we are all on the same page as we move forward.

First, given the broad charge of both Work Groups, COGS is very committed to working closely not only with the graduate student reps, but also with the work group chairs and other members with regards to the topics at hand. At your suggestion, we will let you know if we are not contacted by the Work Group Chairs in the next few weeks. Additionally, COGS would like to meet with you again and discuss the Work Group recommendations and we are in the process of setting up that meeting.

Second, we talked extensively about academic advising and how important this is to the success of graduate students. We want to reiterate and expand on several of the issues we discussed. Many of our concerns about advising were spelled out in a letter we sent to both your office and President Bruininks at the beginning of the summer. This letter was prompted by reports of widespread problems that graduate students are currently experiencing with advising. COGS feels that the Work Group should not only address the current problems of advising, but also develop or suggest ways that advisors can better understand their role and responsibilities with graduate students and include a mechanism for students to evaluate the performance of their advisors. As you stated in the meeting, the report from the Work Group will NOT be complete if it does not adequately address advising issues. COGS feels this is very important since for many graduate students, their experience at the University is closely tied to their relationship with their advisor.

Third, we discussed ideas related to metrics and measurements of the graduate student experience. COGS is very concerned that only about 50% of graduate students obtain their degree at the University of Minnesota (similar to other large research universities). In addition to current metrics used (i.e., time-to-graduate and careers after graduation), COGS would suggest the Work Group consider implementing the tracking of factors that capture a bigger picture of the graduate student experience. These additional factors should include adequate financial support (e.g., targeted funding), effective mentoring (i.e., connection and respect from faculty), supportive program environments (e.g., recognition for accomplishments and contribution to the University) and consistency between program and student goals (e.g., whether students being encouraged to conduct their own research).

Finally, COGS would like to reiterate the importance of adequate funding to graduate students. We appreciate your support for increasing the funding for fellowships and block grants. We hope these increases continue especially since graduate student tuition increased by 7% this year. Student debt is a serious concern and in many ways is a driving factor in graduate student completion rates. We hope the Work Group recommends new mechanisms to fund students when they need it most in their programs and that you will stress this important aspect of funding.

Again, thank you for taking time to meet with the COGS Executive Committee. We hope to continue working together to improve graduate education and hope to meet with you again in December or early January.


Sincerely,

COGS Executive Members

Mandy Stahre - President COGS


7. Open Access: Nancy Sims copyright librarian (soon to be lawyer) attended the Oct GA meeting and discussed the University of Minnesota's efforts related to open access and author's rights. I have included here Nancy's contact information as well as links for students to be able to gather more information regarding the issue of Open Access.

Contact info for Nancy Sims - nasims@umn.edu; 612-624-1851;
Twitter (primarily focused on copyright issues in higher ed) @CopyrightLibn

COGS will be moving forward with a resolution to support the University of Minnesota's efforts related to open access and hope to have a resolution ready for a vote by early spring semester. If you are interested in this topic and would like to be involved with the resolution and other activities related to open access please contact Tim Salo (salox049@umn.edu).

Online resources about open access:
UMN Authors' Rights info page
http://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/au-rights.phtml

UMN Authors' Addendum
http://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/CICAuthorsRights.pdf

Transforming Scholarly Communications site
http://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/

Local Open Access Week site
http://www.lib.umn.edu/scholcom/openaccessweek.phtml

International Open Access Week site
http://www.openaccessweek.org/

Copyright Information site
http://www.lib.umn.edu/copyright

]]> Gently-used MacBook for sale tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.200207 2009-10-27T19:21:43Z 2009-10-27T19:42:02Z With some regret, I offer my Mac for sale to a good home. It has served me through two years of teaching, research, and writing with no troubles or complaints. Includes connector for teaching in Lind classrooms. Comparable refurbished Macs are going for $899. Asking $700, with no shipping. I can be reached at delon007@umn.edu. Specification - Apple Macbook A1181 in White Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo-2.2GHz Memory - 1GB Hard disk drive - 120GB Built in iSight Video Camera Bluetooth 2.1+EDR WiFi 802.11n Airport Extreme Optical disk drive - DVD+RW,DVD-RW,DVD+R,DVD-R,CD+R,CD-R Display - 13.3' WXGA TFT LCD WIDE SCREEN Cheers, Renee... Renee DeLong With some regret, I offer my Mac for sale to a good home. It has served me through two years of teaching, research, and writing with no troubles or complaints.
Includes connector for teaching in Lind classrooms.
Comparable refurbished Macs are going for $899. Asking $700, with no shipping.
I can be reached at delon007@umn.edu.

Specification - Apple Macbook A1181 in White
Processor - Intel Core 2 Duo-2.2GHz
Memory - 1GB
Hard disk drive - 120GB
Built in iSight Video Camera
Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
WiFi 802.11n Airport Extreme
Optical disk drive - DVD+RW,DVD-RW,DVD+R,DVD-R,CD+R,CD-R
Display - 13.3' WXGA TFT LCD WIDE SCREEN

Cheers,
Renee

]]> Town Hall Meeting Minutes, 10/16/09 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.198924 2009-10-21T14:21:51Z 2009-10-21T15:04:32Z Attendance: 22 graduate students; DGS; Chair; Karen; Kathleen; GSO (Elissa, Scott, Rachel - notetaking). Agenda I. Introductions II. Teaching Trajectory III. Graduate Curriculum IV. Recruitment and Orientation Activities I. Introduction II. Teaching Trajectory - Background provided on the process, dating back to 2006. The Associate Chair used to preside over the issue int hep past, but as the position grew less stable, this was transferred to the DGS. Then, a particular faculty member was selected (as in the case of Michael Walsh, presently). Apparently, there was a considerable snafu in the process in July of 2008. *At present, there is no standing TA committee upon which the graduate student body might have representation.* - MFA appointments are made by the director; ENGL list sent to Michael Walsh. (It was mentioned that there are crossovers at times, in which PhD candidates have taught ENGW courses upon specific request.) - CLA determines how many TA positions available and for which courses in ENGL. - There are 90-100 TAships per semester ($1.5 million for full package of salary/insurance; additionally, $600,000-700,000 are funded from the Writing Studies department) - The 2008 Teaching Preference form repeatedly pronounced as "ideal" but "not practical" and thus Walsh's form prevails. - Some current concerns with teaching were raised by graduate students at the meeting: 1. sense of community, office politics adversely affected (ie MFAs and WS TAs discover their appointments sooner) 2. Walsh's structure - cannot necessarily be mediated; other departments' models of TA selection were suggested. 3. Systematic grievance policy proposed - to clarify the power dynamic between faculty and TAs and make a clear outlet/s for TA concerns. 4. MA TA issues - discrepancies in the program; perhaps a larger issue of addressing the MA program at large (and its presence/absence/space within the department community) Results: - DGS interested in accessing 2008 research and analyzing other departments' models - DGS also proposed public meeting with Walsh to address above concerns, speaking to issues of power dynamics and sense of community in the department. II. Graduate Curriculum - The DGS spoke about areas of concern provided by GSO et al and proposed points of action - 14 courses currently (under quarters was the same) - DGS concession that this is too many courses to fill with the goal of 2 years of coursework. Other models will be sought from English and humanities departments elsewhere. Graduate students raised the following issues: 1. The issue of advising was raised -- suggestions about workshops on advising 2. Structure of course requirements (as chronologically-based) challenged 3. 5001/5002 Purpose? collapsing of courses (archival research alongside critical theory) - Funding and Time for MA-holders vs. non-MA holders - presently, both groups of individuals seem to be given the same timeline. (Karen's correction: the handbook indicates that there are different expectations for prelims, yet the funding remains capped at 6 years regardless.) No extension on 6 years viable, as many other departments already max out at 5 yrs. IV. Recruitment and Orientation Activities - At present, the recruitment lasts for 3 days. A high contingent of 1 years present at the meeting voiced their discontent with this length. No one voiced opposition to shortening the process (1 day was proposed). - Further suggestions included (by Kathleen) that a bigger event be held with more sustained faculty available at once. - Issue of housing/boarding raised but with little change proposed (the College funds transportation but does not seem willing to cover boarding bills). Nonetheless, it would be much easier if prospective students stayed in a central space, for convenience and sense of community. - Closing thoughts from Kathleen about the dwindling space/sense of community within the English department and how this ought to be challenged by presently enrolled students (declining space - student lounge; lack of computer lab). Final Thoughts/Steps Ahead: 1. Meeting to be scheduled with Michael Walsh 2. Town Hall meeting to recur in the Spring 3. Graduate Studies Committee will meet soon... Attendance: 22 graduate students; DGS; Chair; Karen; Kathleen; GSO (Elissa, Scott, Rachel - notetaking).

Agenda
I. Introductions
II. Teaching Trajectory
III. Graduate Curriculum
IV. Recruitment and Orientation Activities


I. Introduction
II. Teaching Trajectory -
Background provided on the process, dating back to 2006. The Associate Chair used to preside over the issue int hep past, but as the position grew less stable, this was transferred to the DGS. Then, a particular faculty member was selected (as in the case of Michael Walsh, presently). Apparently, there was a considerable snafu in the process in July of 2008. *At present, there is no standing TA committee upon which the graduate student body might have representation.*

- MFA appointments are made by the director; ENGL list sent to Michael Walsh. (It was mentioned that there are crossovers at times, in which PhD candidates have taught ENGW courses upon specific request.)

- CLA determines how many TA positions available and for which courses in ENGL.

- There are 90-100 TAships per semester ($1.5 million for full package of salary/insurance; additionally, $600,000-700,000 are funded from the Writing Studies department)

- The 2008 Teaching Preference form repeatedly pronounced as "ideal" but "not practical" and thus Walsh's form prevails.

- Some current concerns with teaching were raised by graduate students at the meeting:
1. sense of community, office politics adversely affected (ie MFAs and WS TAs discover their appointments sooner)
2. Walsh's structure - cannot necessarily be mediated; other departments' models of TA selection were suggested.
3. Systematic grievance policy proposed - to clarify the power dynamic between faculty and TAs and make a clear outlet/s for TA concerns.
4. MA TA issues - discrepancies in the program; perhaps a larger issue of addressing the MA program at large (and its presence/absence/space within the department community)

Results:
- DGS interested in accessing 2008 research and analyzing other departments' models
- DGS also proposed public meeting with Walsh to address above concerns, speaking to issues of power dynamics and sense of community in the department.


II. Graduate Curriculum

- The DGS spoke about areas of concern provided by GSO et al and proposed points of action

- 14 courses currently (under quarters was the same) - DGS concession that this is too many courses to fill with the goal of 2 years of coursework. Other models will be sought from English and humanities departments elsewhere.

Graduate students raised the following issues:
1. The issue of advising was raised -- suggestions about workshops on advising
2. Structure of course requirements (as chronologically-based) challenged
3. 5001/5002 Purpose? collapsing of courses (archival research alongside critical theory)

- Funding and Time for MA-holders vs. non-MA holders - presently, both groups of individuals seem to be given the same timeline. (Karen's correction: the handbook indicates that there are different expectations for prelims, yet the funding remains capped at 6 years regardless.) No extension on 6 years viable, as many other departments already max out at 5 yrs.



IV. Recruitment and Orientation Activities
- At present, the recruitment lasts for 3 days. A high contingent of 1 years present at the meeting voiced their discontent with this length. No one voiced opposition to shortening the process (1 day was proposed).

- Further suggestions included (by Kathleen) that a bigger event be held with more sustained faculty available at once.

- Issue of housing/boarding raised but with little change proposed (the College funds transportation but does not seem willing to cover boarding bills). Nonetheless, it would be much easier if prospective students stayed in a central space, for convenience and sense of community.

- Closing thoughts from Kathleen about the dwindling space/sense of community within the English department and how this ought to be challenged by presently enrolled students (declining space - student lounge; lack of computer lab).



Final Thoughts/Steps Ahead:
1. Meeting to be scheduled with Michael Walsh
2. Town Hall meeting to recur in the Spring
3. Graduate Studies Committee will meet soon

]]> Financial Meltdown, University Crisis, Proletarianized Professionals, and You? tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.196956 2009-10-12T13:12:44Z 2009-10-12T13:15:57Z A public lecture by Randy Martin Thursday, October 15 5:30 PM Nicholson Hall, Rm 135... Nick H A public lecture by
Randy Martin
Thursday, October 15
5:30 PM
Nicholson Hall, Rm 135


]]> GSO blog: now with password protection! tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.194112 2009-09-29T14:33:20Z 2009-09-29T14:38:29Z At the most recent GSO meeting, we spent some time talking about the channels of communication available to us. All attendees thought that privacy in those communications was important to fostering an environment in which people can speak their minds. Therefore, the password for this blog is now EnglishGSO. More information on how to navigate this while posting as we get it.... hanse981 At the most recent GSO meeting, we spent some time talking about the channels of communication available to us. All attendees thought that privacy in those communications was important to fostering an environment in which people can speak their minds.

Therefore, the password for this blog is now EnglishGSO.

More information on how to navigate this while posting as we get it.

]]> Softball This Friday - Sept 25 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.192676 2009-09-23T14:47:03Z 2009-09-23T14:56:22Z Hey all: We had a super-fun time playing softball last Friday - so let's play again this Friday. I get the impression that there's a lot going on this Friday. If you'd like to play softball, please email me at fall0081@umn.edu. I'll email everyone Thursday night to confirm. Remember: there will be beer, and you don't have to play softball to come hang out and drink it! Sheena... fall0081 Hey all:

We had a super-fun time playing softball last Friday - so let's play again this Friday.

I get the impression that there's a lot going on this Friday. If you'd like to play softball, please email me at fall0081@umn.edu. I'll email everyone Thursday night to confirm.

Remember: there will be beer, and you don't have to play softball to come hang out and drink it!

Sheena

]]> GSO Meeting Minutes 9/18/09 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.192121 2009-09-21T17:13:15Z 2009-09-21T17:25:54Z GSO officers (Elissa, Pat, Scott, and Rachel) and 9 graduate students in attendance. Agenda: 1. Constitution (require 20 for quorum?) 2. Committee Seats to be filled 3. GSO blog/LISTSERV issues 4. Paper Usage in the department 5. Town Hall Mtg ideas 1. Constitution - discovered this is not an issue; 4 individuals required for quorum. 2. Committee - All 8 spots are filled (Undergrad: Will, Kevin, Nick, Heather; Grad: Jo, Moritz, Wes, Sara; COGS: Deanna) 3. GSO Blog/LISTSERV - There have been some concerns with getting all students' email addresses added to the general GSO Listserv and blog. This problem should be fixed to ease the use of future announcements (you will not have to write on the blog and email out, but may simply send from the listserv). 4. Paper usage - a recurring issue within the department, the use of funds for paper/printing was addressed. Ideas were raised about printers with double-sided printing capabilities. Also, the possibility of having the copier networked again with the computers so that printing may be done double-sided (contact Luke). 5. Town Hall Meeting - per the new DGS's request, there will be a town hall meeting in the near future. Some issues suggested that might be raised at such a meeting: - Teaching trajectory, perhaps grad student presence on the committee that selects teaching assignments; - Curriculum originally on the quarter system being properly transferred to present semester system. Elissa raises the issue that the course requirements need to be rethought in terms of the semester system Also, discussions arose concerning requirements for MA/non-MA holders in the doctoral track (and these might differ); and future thoughts on ENGL 5001. - Chair discussions still ongoing; should there be a new search, might graduate students be involved? - Recruitment - question the length (is 3 full days necessary?); organization of the orientation (tour? intros?) Additionally, the GSO suggested future thoughts on social events/possible funded happy hours on Fridays (?). There will also be a departmental t-shirt design. Stay tuned for more details.... GSO officers (Elissa, Pat, Scott, and Rachel) and 9 graduate students in attendance.

Agenda:
1. Constitution (require 20 for quorum?)
2. Committee Seats to be filled
3. GSO blog/LISTSERV issues
4. Paper Usage in the department
5. Town Hall Mtg ideas

1. Constitution - discovered this is not an issue; 4 individuals required for quorum.

2. Committee - All 8 spots are filled (Undergrad: Will, Kevin, Nick, Heather; Grad: Jo, Moritz, Wes, Sara; COGS: Deanna)

3. GSO Blog/LISTSERV - There have been some concerns with getting all students' email addresses added to the general GSO Listserv and blog. This problem should be fixed to ease the use of future announcements (you will not have to write on the blog and email out, but may simply send from the listserv).

4. Paper usage - a recurring issue within the department, the use of funds for paper/printing was addressed. Ideas were raised about printers with double-sided printing capabilities. Also, the possibility of having the copier networked again with the computers so that printing may be done double-sided (contact Luke).

5. Town Hall Meeting - per the new DGS's request, there will be a town hall meeting in the near future. Some issues suggested that might be raised at such a meeting:
- Teaching trajectory, perhaps grad student presence on the committee that selects teaching assignments;
- Curriculum originally on the quarter system being properly transferred to present semester system. Elissa raises the issue that the course requirements need to be rethought in terms of the semester system Also, discussions arose concerning requirements for MA/non-MA holders in the doctoral track (and these might differ); and future thoughts on ENGL 5001.
- Chair discussions still ongoing; should there be a new search, might graduate students be involved?
- Recruitment - question the length (is 3 full days necessary?); organization of the orientation (tour? intros?)

Additionally, the GSO suggested future thoughts on social events/possible funded happy hours on Fridays (?). There will also be a departmental t-shirt design. Stay tuned for more details.

]]> How to post to the blog (updated) tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.191919 2009-09-19T15:12:34Z 2009-09-19T15:44:11Z So the UThink blogs have been moved to a new version of Movable Type, which means there's a new procedure for posting to the blog. Please note that the step to send notifications of the post comes after you publish the entry. Publishing a post does NOT automatically send a notification. To post to the blog follow the instructions here Posting to the English GSO Blog.pdf. Happy blogging!... Pat Baehler So the UThink blogs have been moved to a new version of Movable Type, which means there's a new procedure for posting to the blog. Please note that the step to send notifications of the post comes after you publish the entry. Publishing a post does NOT automatically send a notification.

To post to the blog follow the instructions here Posting to the English GSO Blog.pdf. Happy blogging!

]]> 9/14 Faculty Meeting Minutes tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.191804 2009-09-18T16:44:13Z 2009-09-29T03:59:08Z I'm writing with the promised minutes from Monday's department meeting with Dean Parente. Maybe some of you will get a chance to look them over before this afternoon's GSO meeting. I know many have already emailed Geoff Sirc with opinions about David Wills and continuing the search. I realize the meeting theoretically runs right up to softball's start time, so we'll start with the most pressing business first--gathering seven volunteers to sit in on faculty meetings and on the grad/undergrad committees. (Yes, that means one team player has already volunteered. Thanks, Nick Hengen.) We're also grateful to Lindsay Craig for agreeing to sit on the grievance committee this year. That means he's your go-to guy for complaints about unfair treatment, and he's fired up about it. So come if you can. 4:00. Lind 203. Grain Belt and oatmeal cookies. ***... hanse981 I'm writing with the promised minutes from Monday's department meeting with Dean Parente. Maybe some of you will get a chance to look them over before this afternoon's GSO meeting. I know many have already emailed Geoff Sirc with opinions about David Wills and continuing the search.

I realize the meeting theoretically runs right up to softball's start time, so we'll start with the most pressing business first--gathering seven volunteers to sit in on faculty meetings and on the grad/undergrad committees. (Yes, that means one team player has already volunteered. Thanks, Nick Hengen.) We're also grateful to Lindsay Craig for agreeing to sit on the grievance committee this year. That means he's your go-to guy for complaints about unfair treatment, and he's fired up about it.

So come if you can. 4:00. Lind 203. Grain Belt and oatmeal cookies.

***

]]> Reminder: Softball Today! tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.191773 2009-09-18T15:36:15Z 2009-09-18T15:38:24Z It's a beautiful day! I hope to see all of you at softball! When: Friday, Sept 18. 4:30 batting practice / small talk / gratuitous spitting in dirt / beer run. 5pm first pitch. Where: Bierman Softball Fields (take 15th Ave through Dinkytown, right on 8th St (just this side of the tracks), and fields will be a ways down on the right). Call 646-522-2497 with questions, or if you're lost.... fall0081 It's a beautiful day! I hope to see all of you at softball!

When:
Friday, Sept 18.
4:30 batting practice / small talk / gratuitous spitting in dirt / beer run.
5pm first pitch.

Where:
Bierman Softball Fields (take 15th Ave through Dinkytown, right on 8th St
(just this side of the tracks), and fields will be a ways down on the
right). Call 646-522-2497 with questions, or if you're lost.

]]> Be a part of this fall's eNow! (or at least come check it out) tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.191508 2009-09-16T21:41:45Z 2009-09-16T21:44:06Z The department is dedicating its eNow! faculty/student presentation series this fall to public engagement. The first event (10/5) is about how to use public engagement components in the classroom (and features former grad students Mitch Ogden and Eric Daigre, along with Jo Lee and Ellen Messer-Davidow), the second (10/19) showcases public engagement scholarship (with David Treuer and sociology chair Chris Uggen, who does prison research), and the third (11/9) presents Office of Public Engagement director Andy Furco and (I hope) a panel of former and current grad students talking about how public engagement efforts might alter graduate education. The impetus for the latter was in thinking about how some graduate students may not go into research-oriented academic careers, and how some tweaks to the usual individualized path to degree might help prepare them better for a nonprofit, community college, or business career--opportunities such as professor/class engaged research projects, team dissertations, alternative format theses, etc. One of our PhD alums, Gil Creel, teaches at MCTC; he has agreed to talk about his alternative career path focusing on the local and on community college pedagogy. In any case, we'd like to invite to the panel 2 or 3 current graduate students with some knowledge of public engagement and ideas about what graduate education could better do to prepare students for careers that may not be research/discipline-oriented. You'll get the ear of a University Associate Vice President charged with advancing public engagement. And of course we'd love many more graduate students to attend with their own ideas, questions, and concerns. Please email Terri Sutton at sutt0063@umn.edu if you'd like to participate on the panel. . . . All eNow!s take place at 2:30 pm in Lind 207A, with dessert and drinks.... hanse981 The department is dedicating its eNow! faculty/student presentation series this fall to public engagement. The first event (10/5) is about how to use public engagement components in the classroom (and features former grad students Mitch Ogden and Eric Daigre, along with Jo Lee and Ellen Messer-Davidow), the second (10/19) showcases public engagement scholarship (with David Treuer and sociology chair Chris Uggen, who does prison research), and the third (11/9) presents Office of Public Engagement director Andy Furco and (I hope) a panel of former and current grad students talking about how public engagement efforts might alter graduate education.

The impetus for the latter was in thinking about how some graduate students may not go into research-oriented academic careers, and how some tweaks to the usual individualized path to degree might help prepare them better for a nonprofit, community college, or business career--opportunities such as professor/class engaged research projects, team dissertations, alternative format theses, etc. One of our PhD alums, Gil Creel, teaches at MCTC; he has agreed to talk about his alternative career path focusing on the local and on community college pedagogy.

In any case, we'd like to invite to the panel 2 or 3 current graduate students with some knowledge of public engagement and ideas about what graduate education could better do to prepare students for careers that may not be research/discipline-oriented. You'll get the ear of a University Associate Vice President charged with advancing public engagement. And of course we'd love many more graduate students to attend with their own ideas, questions, and concerns. Please email Terri Sutton at sutt0063@umn.edu if you'd like to participate on the panel. . . . All eNow!s take place at 2:30 pm in Lind 207A, with dessert and drinks.

]]> First GSO Meeting Friday, September 18 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.191350 2009-09-16T13:17:18Z 2009-09-16T13:20:56Z From your fearless GSO President, Elissa Hansen: Hello, grad students! I hope your first week went well and that you're steeled to dive into this one. When it's over--i.e., at 4:00 on Friday, Sept. 18--please consider coming to this year's kickoff Graduate Student Organization meeting. Two major agenda items loom: • Conscript representatives to sit on departmental committees (build the service section of your CV! make a difference!). We'd love to get people from a broad spectrum of specialties contributing to the conversations on the undergrad and grad studies committees, and we need a new Council of Grad Students rep--I can't swing it this year. • Brainstorm ideas for the GSO town hall meeting that new DGS Mimi Sprengnether has pledged to hold. Let's figure out how best to air our concerns about the program and ideas for its future (reform the teaching trajectory? revise the curriculum? improve communication?). Plus, we'll have some kind of sugary snack, and if softball happens at 5:00 as I anticipate it might, you'll need the calories. Hope to see you there!... Pat Baehler From your fearless GSO President, Elissa Hansen:

Hello, grad students!

I hope your first week went well and that you're steeled to dive into this one. When it's over--i.e., at 4:00 on Friday, Sept. 18--please consider coming to this year's kickoff Graduate Student Organization meeting. Two major agenda items loom:

• Conscript representatives to sit on departmental committees (build the service section of your CV! make a difference!). We'd love to get people from a broad spectrum of specialties contributing to the conversations on the undergrad and grad studies committees, and we need a new Council of Grad Students rep--I can't swing it this year.
• Brainstorm ideas for the GSO town hall meeting that new DGS Mimi Sprengnether has pledged to hold. Let's figure out how best to air our concerns about the program and ideas for its future (reform the teaching trajectory? revise the curriculum? improve communication?).

Plus, we'll have some kind of sugary snack, and if softball happens at 5:00 as I anticipate it might, you'll need the calories.

Hope to see you there!

]]> Softball This Friday - Sept 18 tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.191314 2009-09-16T00:54:08Z 2009-09-16T00:59:58Z Let's try this again - softball this Friday, after the GSO meeting or Teaching Practicum. And really, yes you should come. Even if you don't know what a softball is. (We'll show you! We're teachers!) When: Friday, Sept 18. 4:30 batting practice / small talk / gratuitous spitting in dirt / beer run. 5pm first pitch. Where: Bierman Softball Fields (take 15th Ave through Dinkytown, right on 8th St (just this side of the tracks), and fields will be a ways down on the right). I'll post something midday friday to confirm, especially if there's "weather." Call 646-522-2497 with questions, or if you're lost. Who: Open to all English department people and all friends and well-wishers of English department people. We play each other, not other departments or anything formal like that. Bring a glove or other gear if you have it - but come anyway if you don't. We can share! Also bring a couple bucks for beer if you'd like to imbibe, or bring water if that's your thing. I'm still collecting emails for a fancy-schmancy email list: fall0081@umn.edu See you Friday! Sheena... fall0081 Let's try this again - softball this Friday, after the GSO meeting or Teaching Practicum. And really, yes you should come. Even if you don't know what a softball is. (We'll show you! We're teachers!)

When:
Friday, Sept 18.
4:30 batting practice / small talk / gratuitous spitting in dirt / beer run.
5pm first pitch.

Where:
Bierman Softball Fields (take 15th Ave through Dinkytown, right on 8th St
(just this side of the tracks), and fields will be a ways down on the
right). I'll post something midday friday to confirm, especially if there's "weather." Call 646-522-2497 with questions, or if you're lost.

Who:
Open to all English department people and all friends and well-wishers of English department people. We play each other, not other departments or anything formal like that.

Bring a glove or other gear if you have it - but come anyway if you don't. We can share! Also bring a couple bucks for beer if you'd like to imbibe, or bring water if that's your thing.

I'm still collecting emails for a fancy-schmancy email list: fall0081@umn.edu

See you Friday!

Sheena

]]> Softball Cancelled - We'll Try Next Week tag:blog.lib.umn.edu,2009:/engso/english//7850.190634 2009-09-11T16:24:51Z 2009-09-11T16:30:14Z Because of the ominous weather radar with all that yellow on it and the Channel 11 weather guy's insistence that we'll have "showers on the drive home," I'm going to cancel softball for today. I'd rather not be swinging a metal bat in front of a metal backstop if the chance of thunderstorms is over 50%. We'll try again next week. In the meantime, I'd like to put together a softball email list. If you'd like to be on it, email me at fall0081@umn.edu. Stay dry! Sheena... fall0081 Because of the ominous weather radar with all that yellow on it and the Channel 11 weather guy's insistence that we'll have "showers on the drive home," I'm going to cancel softball for today. I'd rather not be swinging a metal bat in front of a metal backstop if the chance of thunderstorms is over 50%.

We'll try again next week. In the meantime, I'd like to put together a softball email list. If you'd like to be on it, email me at fall0081@umn.edu.

Stay dry!

Sheena

]]>