May 22 2023 KCC English Department Newsletter

Newsletter Editor Jane Weiss

KCC College Council Election Monday 22 May 2023 – Tuesday 23 May 2023 (until 8:59 PM)

Today is Election Day for delegates to our College Council, the KCC governance body. Full Time Faculty/HEOs/ECPs/CLTs [= 5 delegates from 2023-26], Support Staff [=1 delegate from 2023-2026], and Part-Time Adjunct Faculty [= 1 delegate from 2023-25] have the chance to choose delegates this year, starting NOW, Monday May 22nd and ending Tuesday May 23rd at 9:00 PM.

Can you campaign by calling or emailing co-workers? Of course!

How do you reach voters by email?

You may send your email to elections@kingsborough.edu and request that your statement be sent to all voters in your constituency: for Full-Timers that is FullTimeFaculty and FullTimeStaff; for Support Staff that is FullTimeStaff; and for Part-Timers that is the PartTimeFaculty list. Your email will be posted as soon as possible and will not be edited for content – it will appear exactly as you wrote it.

How to vote:

Follow these instructions CAREFULLY:

1. Go to https://inside.kingsborough.edu/eserve/voting/ 2. Click GO on the voting picture. Then sign in with the same login and password that you use to access your KCC campus computer and email (NOT your complete email address or “inside kingsborough” login). Your correct Login is your First Initial + Last Name (so George Washington would be GWashington) and you should physically type in your correct login and password, not the browser Autofill. 3. Click “log on” or hit the Enter key on your keyboard. 4. Click VOTE NOW on the next screen. You will automatically be guided to the proper election for which you are eligible. 5. Follow the onscreen instructions to see your ballot and click on your choices. Full-Timers may choose up to six nominees. If you vote for fewer than six nominees, your vote DOES count. If you wish, you can vote only for the candidates you most strongly prefer. 6. Confirm your vote by following the instructions, and you should be told that your entry was accepted. Follow the final instructions,

The whole process should take five minutes or less, and you can vote from any computer on campus, at home, on your phone, or via any device that lets you access the internet.

Still have any questions or problems voting? Email elections@kingsborough.edu or email Mike Sokolow at msokolow@kingsborough.edu . You can also leave a phone message at 718-368-5261 and it will ping Mike Sokolow’s email. If you have a problem logging in to nominate, you need to inform Mike AS SOON AS POSSIBLE.

Zoom Event: Boy with the Bullhorn: A Memoir and History of ACT UP! NYC Monday 22 May 2023, 11:30-12:30

In recognition of Pride month, Safe Zone invites all to an on-line event! A L L are welcome: Faculty, staff, students! Feel free to bring your class, too!

When: May 22, 2023

Time: 11:30 – 12:30pm AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Boy with the Bullhorn is an immersive, chronological history of the New York chapter of ACT UP, the AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power, and a memoir of the coming of age and activist education of a nice gay Jewish theater queen during the darkest years of the AIDS epidemic. It offers an intimate look into the group’s tactics and strategies as ACT UP successfully battled politicians, researchers, drug companies, religious leaders, the media, and an often-uncaring public to change the course of the AIDS epidemic. Combining personal accounts with diligent documentation, Boy with the Bullhorn captures the spirit of ACT UP and the adrenaline rush of activism―the anger and grief, but also the humor, love, joy, and camaraderie.

Ron Goldberg is a nice gay Jewish theater queen turned activist and writer. Ron joined ACT UP in 1987, and for the next eight years, chaired committees, planned protests, led teach-ins, facilitated weekly meetings, and, participated in over a hundred zaps and demonstrations, earning the title of ACT UP’s unofficial Chant Queen. Ron is the winner of the Publishing Triangle 2023 Randy Shilts Award for Gay Nonfiction and a finalist for the 2023 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir/Biography for his book, Boy with the Bullhorn: A Memoir and History of ACT UP New York. Ron’s articles have appeared in OutWeek and POZ magazines as well as The Visual AIDS Blog and LGBTQ Nation. Ron served as research associate for filmmaker and journalist David France on his award-winning book, How to Survive a Plague, and enjoys speaking with students and activists about activist strategies, the history of AIDS, and the lessons and legacy of ACT UP.

To RSVP or for more information, contact:
Jennifer.oliveri@kbcc.cuny.edu or Michael.smith@kbcc.cuny.edu

Calendar Alert: Tuesday 30 May 2023 Is Monday Schedule at KCC

Tuesday 30 May 2023 will follow the Monday schedule at Kingsborough Community College. If you teach Monday or Tuesday classes, please be aware of the schedule switch.

English Department End of Term Brunch

Our end-of-term department brunch is confirmed for Wednesday, June 14th, 10:30-12:30). For old time’s sake, we’ll gather in C333 to enjoy each other’s company and to toast a job well done this term. We’ll be receiving more information soon about this event from our Sunshine fund coordinators. At the brunch, Annie would like to recognize departmental good news from this year, so please help jog her memory by reminding her via this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfGu_xkB0NzogKXxc8714ydBSxrGOXbkdSfnoSfdRe8-1aoaA/viewform

Team As Support: Sharing Good News And An Invitation

A message from Lea Fridman: Over this past year, the “TAS: Team As Support” team ran a controlled study which is continuing. As extraordinary as the supports that are offered by our college, nothing comes close to the 24/7 support that is built into the TAS classroom for every student. The magic of TAS involves permanent, semester-long teams within which the key instruction to students that their first job is to support the efforts and work of their teammates, consistent with overwhelming research that links the highest levels of performance and innovation to the trust and support created within a team. I felt it was important to share the results of our data, which we see as relevant to our Kingsborough classrooms and beyond, with you.

First, the study established no statistical difference between our TAS class and the control classes in terms of academic workload, credits completed and responsibilities at home and at work. At the same time, students in our TAS classes were far more likely to share problems that came up with classmates than were students in our control classes. In other words, there were indeed higher levels of trust and sharing created in the TAS classes.

Importantly, students in our TAS classes identified other students as the greatest contributors to their learning over the semester while students in our control classrooms saw their teacher was the greater contributor to their learning in the classroom. This told us that the TAS pedagogy shifted our classrooms from teacher to student-centered modalities. This was not unexpected, but it was gratifying to see this clearly confirmed in the data.

The study also found that students in our TAS classes perceived greater improvement in their grades than did students in our control classes. Our TAS students also reported more improvement in their communication and writing skills, leadership skills and in their ability to work with others than the controls. They reported more willingness to give and, also, importantly, to request help from others. They perceived more improvement in self-confidence, in their ability to set and meet goals and in their sense of belonging.

It is especially significant that although many of our TAS classes were on Zoom or asynchronous, TAS students reported improvement in their sense of belonging. The ability of TAS to help the online student break through the isolation of online learning (especially, in asynchronous courses) and experience connection, relationship, community and a sense of belonging seemed nothing short of miraculous and significant in obvious but also in perhaps less obvious ways, in terms of mental health and wellness, issues that are of concern across the country in higher ed and, indeed, at all levels of education.

Our team is very ambitious. Our students, many of them at-risk, a few even living in their cars, have complicated lives, responsibilities and challenges. We want to see this Kingsborough-inspired pedagogy go viral across CUNY and become a national model. Join us!!! Contact Lea at lfridman@kbcc.cuny.edu if interested.

Faculty Mentor and Support Hours in E219

Hope Parisi will be in E219 this semester, available for informal chats with new and experienced part-time faculty, and all faculty, on Wednesdays, from 1pm – 3pm, with more availability by phone or Zoom, along with Tuesdays as another on-campus day. Please come by this welcoming environment, on Wednesdays, if you’re on campus, or get in touch for a time convenient for you.

Composition Coordinators Spring 2023 Office Hours

Gregory Bruno:

Tuesdays in C309B: 12:30 pm – 1:15 pm

Wednesdays via Zoom: 10:30 am – 12 :30 pm

Thursdays in C309B: 12:30 – 1:45 pm (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6372657798?pwd=L28zMVBxenZzR05vbU1GRis5ajRUZz09)

Rachel Ihara:

Tuesdays and Thursdays in C309B: 9:00 am – 10:00 am.

Fridays via Zoom: 9:00 am – 11:00 am (https://us02web.zoom.us/j/5834566892)

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

Student Publication Opportunity: Transit(ion), A CUNY Undergraduate Journal

CUNY undergraduates are invited to contribute to Transit(ion): A CUNY Undergraduate Journal! Born out of the CUNY Graduate Center’s English Department, by students DeVaughn (Dev) Harris and Rani Srinivasan, this journal seeks to unite students across the CUNYVerse and facilitate the exchange of knowledge amongst burgeoning critical thinkers. In addition to accepting and publishing work from undergraduate students, Transit (ion)‘s priority is to mentor students throughout the publication process and help them grow as students, scholars, and writers. Transit(ion) welcomes work from students who, in addition to those pursuing careers in academia, may want to work in spaces outside of the academy that also deal with writing writ-large. Above all, publishing work of any kind in an academic journal is an impressive accomplishment. Additionally, as part of its mission, Transit(ion) aims to upend and disrupt (through its editing and mentoring processes) colonial notions of correctness, academic vernacular, technologies of grammar and prioritize the value of critical thinking and the nuanced development of ideas. They hope students can see a home for their writing in this journal as they aim to facilitate the responsible production and exchange of knowledge as well as shine a spotlight on the work of emergent writers.

Here is the CFP, at the Manifold website: https://cuny.manifoldapp.org/journals/cuny-transition! The CFP and the submission form can be found on the Transit(ions) webpage. The editors are looking forward to viewing works that align with the range of topics listed on the CFP and encourage students to use the space of the final stretch of the semester (e.g., seminar/research papers, etc.) to develop their submissions. The editors ask that students submit their work for consideration by June 1st, 2023.

CUNY Alert

Last week’s water main adventures were a reminder that CUNY Alert can be useful at times. To receive notifications by phone, text, or email regarding campus conditions, including unexpected shut-downs, 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.

A Note about the Newsletter

The next issue of the Newsletter will come out on Tuesday 30 May 2023. Please send newsletter items by Friday,26 May 2023 to Jane Weiss at Jane.Weiss@kbcc.cuny.edu. Please keep items brief (preferably 100 or fewer words). Longer items will be abridged. Items about publications and achievements are very welcome.