September 28, 2022 English Department Newsletter
Newsletter Editor Jane Weiss
English Department Meeting Thursday 29 September 2022 3:00-4:30 PM
The English Department will meet Thursday, September 29, 2022 3:00 PM-4:30 PM. The main focus of this meeting will be modalities and schedules for our courses in the future. A Zoom link has been sent to your KCC email account. Other meetings will be on Tuesday, October 25, 2022 3:00 PM-4:30 PM (with the English Department Bylaws proposals as the main focus); and Tuesday, November 29, 2022 3:00 PM-4:30 PM.
Verification of Attendance (VOE)
Verification of Attendance rosters are still available in CUNYfirst (in Faculty Center), but today (28 September 2022) is the last day to complete them. You are required to submit completed rosters indicating those students who have never attended any of the classes since the beginning of the term/session nor are otherwise active and participating in the course (e.g. by submitting assignments, attending a required study group, academic conference or tutorial) or academically-related activity.
Academically-related activities include, but are not limited to:
• physically attending a class where there is an opportunity for direct interaction between the instructor and students;
• submitting an academic assignment;
• taking an exam, an interactive tutorial, or computer-assisted instruction;
• attending a study group that is assigned by the school;
• participating in an online discussion about academic matter;
• engaging in an online academically-related activity, or initiating contact with the instructor to ask a question about the academic subject studied in the course or ask a course-related question.
Note: Logging into an online class is officially not sufficient, by itself, to demonstrate participation in an academically-related activity by the student.
These rosters are to comply with federal financial aid regulations and to assist our students in obtaining their financial aid.
If you completed your VOE rosters ahead of the deadline and a student whom you recorded as never attended then reappears and if, in your judgment, the student will be able to catch up, you can reverse a WN grade. The form is available on the KCC website here: https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/registrar/registrar_forms.html
The WN Reversal form is at the bottom of that page, and can be submitted directly to the Registrar through its URL.
Composition Office Hours
Office hours in C309B:
Greg: Mondays and Wednesdays, from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm;
Rachel: Mondays and Wednesdays, from 12:30 pm to 2:00 pm
Remote office hours:
Greg: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:00 am to 10:00 am:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6372657798?pwd=L28zMVBxenZzR05vbU1GRis5ajRUZz09 ;
Rachel: Fridays, 9:00 am to 11:00 am https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5834566892
CRC Meeting Dates for Fall 2022
A message from Greg Bruno and Rachel Ihara:
As of this year, CRC Meetings are open to the entire Department, although only committee members may vote. Here are the dates for upcoming meetings:
Tuesday, October 18th, from 3pm-4:30pm
Tuesday, November 22, from 3pm-4:30pm
Tuesday, December 13th (Reading day), from 11am-1pm
Keycard Access for Locked Classrooms
A message from Greg Bruno:
For faculty who need keycard access to computer labs: Kindly write to Elsie Quiles with the following information: the room number(s), day(s) and EMPLID. She will be able to program your card for access to your classroom.
Workload Forms
If you have not already done so, please send your Fall 2022 workload forms to the English Department immediately. You can find blank workload forms (and the handy 19-page guide to filling them out) at https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/aa/forms.html
Assisting Students in Distress
A message from Rachel Ihara:
A PDF document which provides important information for faculty about how to assist students in distress has been sent to your KCC email address. This resource was created as part of a presentation by Althea Maduramente, the Director of Student Wellness Services, and Jeanette Cruz, from the Resources Counseling Center. It provides updated contact information for various resources as well as a chart (on page 9) to help faculty determine the appropriate office to contact depending on the specific situation.
Good News
Patricia George’s article, . I was recently published in the June issue of International TESOL Journal. You can find out more about it here: The rhetorical value of multimodal composition. International TESOL Journal (ITJ), 17(1). June 2022. Available at https://connect.academics.education/index.php/itj/issue/view/25/31
Campus Reopening Hub
For information about KCC’s reopening, visit the new KCC Campus Reopening Hub: http://kbcc.cuny.edu/campusentry/index.html . You can find information about the reopening plan, mask policies, on campus COVID-19 testing, the Cleared4 pass and visitor policies.
KCC Information Technology Services Office
You can call KCC’s ITS Help Desk at (718) 368-6679 or email helpdesk@kbcc.cuny.edu 9:00 – 5:00 on weekdays. For Blackboard support during hours when KCC’s Help Desk is not available, call 1-646-664-2024
CUNY Alerts
To receive notifications by phone, text, or email regarding campus conditions, sign up for CUNY Alert by logging on to CUNYfirst. Once you have logged on, the CUNYfirst Main Menu will be near the top of the screen on the left side. Click CUNY Alert Subscription to sign up; you can update contact information at CUNY Alert Preferences. You can check KCC’s home page www.kbcc.cuny.edu/ for updates about campus conditions.
A Note about the Newsletter
The next issue of the Newsletter will come out on Monday, 3 October 2022. Please send newsletter items by Friday, 30 September 2022 to Jane Weiss at Jane.Weiss@kbcc.cuny.edu. Please keep items brief (preferably 100 or fewer words). Longer items will be abridged.
