Newsletter Editor Jane Weiss
Please File Faculty Absence Follow-Up Reports Promptly
A message from Shelly Benjamin:
After you return from an absence, please file the follow-up report within 48 hours of your return.
New and Different PSC-CUNY Signs
A message from Emily Schnee:
As many of you know, the PSC is currently in contract negotiations with CUNY! One super easy
and simple way to raise awareness on campus and support us getting the best contract possible is to put a PSC contract poster on your office door. There are now new and different contract signs (“Respect” “Quality Education” “Real Raises,” to name a few) in the English department office. Please feel free to swing by the office and pick up a sign for your office door!
Invitation to Join the English Department on the CUNY Academic Commons
A message from Elizabeth Dill:
Last semester, an invitation to join the Kingsborough English CUNY Academic Commons group should have arrived in the inbox of your KCC email account. If you you haven’t already accepted this invitation, please do so! And if you can’t find it, please email Elizabeth Dill so she can get you signed up. Our weekly department newsletter will be shifting over to the Commons format! Soon, the department newsletter will only be sent as a blog post from this group, not as a department email; eventually, you will stop getting department newsletters as separate emails (unless you subscribe to the Academic Commons group). So please join! If you don’t receive an invitation at all, please let Elizabeth know at Elizabeth.Dill@kbcc.cuny.edu
College Council Meeting
The College Council will meet on Tuesday, November 14, 2023 at 3:00 PM in room U-219. All members of the College community are welcome to attend.
The Agenda for the meeting is posted on the College Council web page: https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/college_council/index1.html .
The Minutes from our October 3, 2023, meeting can be found here: https://www.kbcc.cuny.edu/college_council/documents/CollegeCouncilMinutes-October32023.pdf
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 Wednesdays, from 1pm – 3pm, with more availability by phone (718-368-5330) or Zoom according to wish or need.
Please come by this welcoming environment, on Wednesdays, if you’re on campus. Hope’s email is Hope.Parisi@kbcc.cuny.edu.
Celebration of Burton Pike: Friday November 17, 2023 6:00 PM
A message from Rob Cowan:
Rob o let you know about an event—a Celebration of Burton Pike—scholar, translator, and longtime head of the Comp Lit and German Ph.D. programs at the Graduate Center. It will be on Friday, November 17th, at 6:00 PM, in the Kelly Skylight Room at the GC.
Burton was Rob’s first advisor there and this event will be both a memorial for him, as he passed away last year, and a book launch for a Festschrift in his honor. Speakers will include Rob, Esther Allen, Susan Bernofsky, Roger Celestin, Peter Constantine, Genese Grill, and others. For more information, contact Rob at Robert.Cowan@kbcc.cuny.edu . If you knew Burton, or are interested in translation studies, it would be great to see you there.
2023 CUNY Ethics and Morality Student Essay Contest
Please let your students know about the CUNY Ethics and Morality Essay Contest, founded by William and Noelle Chin. This is an annual award intended to promote and stimulate thinking by CUNY students about ethics, morality, and virtuous behavior in their lives. The Asian American / Asian Research Institute will award the top three essays these prizes in 2023: Best Essay ($1,000); First Runner-up ($300); Second Runner-up ($200). The deadline for essay entries is Friday 1 December 2023 at 5:30 pm EST. Applicants should choose one Virtue to discuss in detail: Prudence/Wisdom; Justice; Fortitude/Courage; Temperance/Self-control; Faith; Hope; Charity; Ren (Benevolence, Love); Yi (Righteousness); Li (Propriety, Loyalty, Filial Piety, Chastity, Respect) Zhi (Wisdom); Xin (Integrity, Honesty, Fidelity). In discussing the selected Virtue, applicants should incorporate these points: Their own experience in practicing the Virtue they have chosen to write about and what personal reward or satisfaction they have gained from it; why they think the Virtue was an important one to practice in their life; what obstacles they encounter in practicing this particular Virtue and how they still strive to overcome the difficulties.
Submissions must meet these requirements: Applicants must be currently enrolled CUNY undergraduates or graduate students. Applicants must submit a copy of their college ID and current semester program; and a cover page containing topic of the essay, name of the student, name of the CUNY college, and date. Length: 1,000 to 1,500 words. Typed, 12-size Times New Roman font, 1-inch margins, and double-spaced. Works cited: Include at least five sources. Students must reference all materials that are not their own. All work must be original material. Attribution and references to quoted materials must be included. Essay submissions should be sent online to info@aaari.info by Friday December 1, 2023, 5:30pm EST. Please send the essay in Word format, along with the completed application form, copy of college ID and current semester program from CUNYFirst. In the email subject header, type “2023 CUNY Ethics and Morality Essay Contest Submission.” For more information, view the essay guidelines and entry form here: https://aaari.info/assets/2023/08/Ext-2023-CUNY-Ethics-and-Morality-Essay-Contest-Form-1.pdf
Sing Out, Shout Out for CUNY Saturday 2 December 2023 1:00-3:00 PM
A message from Rachel Ihara:
As most of you know, the PSC has been working hard to negotiate a better contract. Some of us are planning to show our support at an upcoming rally at Governor Hochul’s NYC office (633 3rd Avenue NY, NY 10017) on Saturday, December 2nd, from 1-3pm, and it would be great to have a strong showing from KCC’s English Department. You can sign up here to attend https://psc-cuny.org/calendar/sing-out-shout-out-for-apeoplescuny/, but please let Rachel, Emily or Rick know as well, if you think you can make it.
PSC-CUNY Grant Applications Are Open
PSC-CUNY Grants Proposal System is now open for Cycle 55 applications. The final, non-negotiable deadline to apply is Friday, December 15th, 2023 at 11:59pm. Please visit the PSC CUNY Webpage for important details about the process, or check your KCC email for detailed instructions.
PSC-CUNY Research Awards are designed to encourage the scholarly and creative pursuits of CUNY faculty, especially junior faculty. Funds for research and creative projects are available to all Permanent, Full-Time members of instructional staff, and untenured members of the faculty in particular (untenured associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, lecturer); and Full-Time staff in HEO series. For the purposes of the PSC-CUNY Awards, junior faculty comprise those at the rank of untenured associate professor, assistant professor, instructor, and lecturer.
Applicants are encouraged to attend the PSC CUNY Cycle 55 seminar on Friday November 10, 2023 if they haven’t already attended one. The session will be held via Microsoft Teams; instructions to log on are at the bottom of the email announcing the Grants Proposal System.
The Grants Proposal System no longer allows attachments as Word Docs, only as PDFs. If you are unable to convert your project narrative to PDF, please send it as a Word document to Kathy Giaimo, who will then reformat it as a PDF and upload it to your application. Kathy will be happy to assist you with this or to answer any questions you may have. She is on campus every day except Mondays, when she works remotely. You can call her at 718-368-6858, or email her at Kathryn.giaimo@kbcc.cuny.edu.
As always, the Advancement office strongly advises applicants not to wait until the last minute to submit their application. The earlier you submit your proposal, the more time Kathy will have to review it and help you to address any issues with your submission. Again, the deadline for Cycle 55 applications is 11:59pm on Friday, December 15, 2023. Please click here to apply: https://rfcuny.org/gp/welcome.aspx
22 December 2023 and 26 December – 28 December 2023: English Department Office Open Remotely
The English Department office will provide services remotely on Friday 22 December 2023; C309 will not be open. The office will be closed 23 December through 25 December 2023. The office will provide services remotely Tuesday 26 December through Friday 29 December 2023 and will reopen on Tuesday 2 January 2024.
Sunshine Fund
A message from Elroy Esdaille and Enid Stubin:
We’re asking for contributions to replenish the Sunshine Fund, the means by which our hardworking and dedicated staff members receive a holiday gift, joyful and sad milestones are acknowledged, and anyone in the department suffering from a natural disaster—fire or flood—can be helped.
Our request:
$30.00 from full-time faculty (an increase of $5, the first in many years)
$10.00 from part-time faculty
Because the Sunshine Fund doesn’t have a PayPal, Venmo, or Zelle account, we ask that you make your contributions in cash. Those of you teaching off campus may send either Elroy or Enid a check or electronic payment, which we will then convert to cash and place in the Sunshine Fund. You’ll receive e-mail acknowledgment of your contribution. Please feel free to contact Elroy or Enid with any questions.
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.
A Note about the Newsletter
The next issue of the Newsletter will come out on Monday 13 November 2023. Please send newsletter items by Friday, 10 November 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.
