Newsletter Editor Jane Weiss
Today, 8 April 2024, 2:00-4:20 PM: Eclipse Viewing on KCC Campus
The Physical Sciences Department is hosting a safe viewing of the solar eclipse today, Monday, April 8 from 2 PM. to 4:20 PM. (The eclipse starts at 2 p.m., is at its peak from 3:20 to 3:40 PM, and will be completely over by 4:20 PM.) Meet them outside the MAC building, on the grass on its south side. They will have solar-filtered telescopes set up and solar eclipse viewing glasses to distribute. All faculty, staff, and especially students are invited to safely view the eclipse.
9 April 2024, 3:00-4:30 PM V219: English Department Meeting
English Department will meet on 9 April 2024 in V219 from 3:00 to 4:30 PM. The agenda includes: Approval of this agenda and past minutes; announcements & updates; sharing dept feedback on English program leadership & committee structure – full discussion during 5/21/24 meeting; updates from Academic Affairs from Gordon Alley-Young & Joanne Russell; a voting item: English 24 curriculum changes; and a discussion item: Brightspace presentation by Loretta Brancaccio-Taras from KCel.
Friday 19 April 2024 and 24 May 2024, 10:00-12:00: Professional Development Session: What Students Told Us: Understanding and Building on our Fall ENG12 Student Survey
A message from Hope Parisi:
Last fall, via the initiative of our composition program coordinators, Rachel Ihara and Greg Bruno, two surveys went out to all students in ENG1200 and 12A0, one at midterm and one after the semester was over. The midterm survey asked students about how they saw themselves as writers, how they were doing so far in ENG12, and what kinds of things were contributing, or not, to their success. The survey for students after the semester was over asked how they did in the class and the things that helped or impeded their success. The Office of Institutional Effectiveness recently helped us to analyze the results, and we would like to share this report with you. Rachel will lend first-hand perspective, but we greatly need English faculty input as well.
Let’s discuss: Do these results from the recently completed ENG 1200 and 12A0 student surveys match your experiences and impressions of students’ struggles? What strategies can we brainstorm to best respond to this information?
Join us for a professional development session, Friday, April 19, and May 24, 10am-12noon, on Zoom, paid for part-timers and open to all. Come for one or both sessions (and appreciate the productive overlap!) Here is the Zoom link for the upcoming Friday, April 19 session at 10am. Hope to see you there!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86244275131?pwd=aTdkR2pYQ1dXNFZ1enBrUEpXbExmQT09
Meeting ID: 862 4427 5131 Passcode: 600811
Plan Ahead: C309 Closure During Spring Recess
Please make a note that the English Department office will function remotely from April 22, 2024 through April 30, 2024; during that period, which is Spring Recess at KCC, C309 will be closed and the best way to reach the office will be via email.
David B. Silver Scholarship Poetry Competition 2024
Student entries are invited for the David B. Silver Poetry Competition. The deadline for submission of entries is Sunday, April 28, 2024. Rules for competition: Only KCC students may participate; each student may submit a maximum of two entries; poems must be fifty lines or fewer; all entries must include the student’s full name, address, telephone number, and email address. Entries should be emailed to SILVERFUND@KBCC.CUNY.EDU The poems will be judged on these criteria: originality of perspective; appropriateness of English language, form, and content; evocative trigger of emotional reaction; economical use of language. Awards: First Prize: $500; Second Prize: $300; Third Prize: $200. The David B. Silver Scholarship Faculty Committee will evaluate all entries. Awards will be presented during the KCC Awards ceremony on Thursday, June 13, 2024. Questions about the poetry competition should be directed to: SILVERFUND@KBCC.CUNY.EDU
Writing Center Asynchronous Tutoring
A message from Tony Iantosca:
The writing center’s new asynchronous tutoring program begins this week. Tony has sent the sign-up instructions for asynchronous tutoring, (which can also be used to sign up for regular tutoring) to English department faculty members at your KCC email. As Tony mentioned in the announcement last week, the Writing Center will pilot the asynchronous program with students in English 12 and 24 and later expand this initiative to all students seeking help with writing. This tutoring format is open to all English 12 and 24 students, not only those enrolled in asynchronous English courses. In addition, the KLC’s website has a set of new handouts, with more to come (especially research related handouts). Typically, the tutors and Tony develop these during the summer and winter modules when tutoring is less busy. Here is the link to those handouts:
https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/KLC/TutoringResources.html#english
Composition Coordinators Office Hours for Spring 2024
The English Department’s composition coordinators are available on campus and on Zoom this spring:
Gregory Bruno (Gregory.Bruno@kbcc.cuny.edu):
Tuesdays in C309B: 11:00 am – 3:00 pm (later on Dept. and CRC meeting dates)
Wednesday in C309B: 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
And by appointment via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6372657798?pwd=L28zMVBxenZzR05vbU1GRis5ajRUZz09
Rachel Ihara (Rachel.ihara@kbcc.cuny.edu)
Tuesdays in C309B: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Thursdays in C309B: 11:30 am – 12:30 pm and 2:30 pm – 4:00 pm
Fridays, 9:00 am – 11:00 am and by appointment via Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5834566892
Faculty Mentor and Support Hours in E219
A message from Hope Parisi:
Hope Parisi will be in E219 this semester, available for informal chats with new and experienced part-time faculty, and all faculty, on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12:40pm-2:30pm, with more availability by phone or Zoom according to wish or need. Please come by this welcoming environment if you’re on campus. Hope’s email is Hope.Parisi@kbcc.cuny.edu.
English Department Protocol for Faculty Absences
A reminder of the department protocol when you cannot meet your students during a regularly scheduled class meeting, whether in-person or online synchronously: You must report all absences to our department immediately, ideally before the class session that you will miss. Please send an email to Shelly Benjamin (please cc Christine Marchese), who will initiate the absence paperwork process for you. Please be advised that it is against CUNY and NYSED policy for a faculty member to modify a course’s modality during a semester, so it is not acceptable to meet students online, whether synchronously or asynchronously, when you cannot meet them in person. In such a case, you must cancel class and take an absence for that class period.
When you know in advance that you must be absent, remember that you can contact Shelly Benjamin and request that she try to find another faculty member who can sub your class for you. Please do not arrange for a sub on your own because many of our faculty members are at their maximum hours for the year and cannot be paid more for additional teaching hours.
A Note about the Newsletter
A message from Jane Weiss, the Newsletter editor:
The next issue of the Newsletter will come out on Monday 15 April 2024. Please send newsletter items by Friday, 12 April 2024 to Jane Weiss at Jane.Weiss@kbcc.cuny.edu. Please keep items brief (preferably 100 or fewer words). Longer items will be abridged. Many faculty members would like to learn more about colleagues’ areas of scholarship, so if you would like to share what you’re working on, the Newsletter will welcome descriptions of your research and recent or upcoming presentations, publications, and performances of all kinds.
