Critz Farms Trip Photos Available



All the photos are on the Flickr site.

Cristina's Party Pictures Are Available

Can't remember much of the party after your first drink? Click on the Flckr.com montage at the bottom left to see them all (and others). Pictures will be posted on the Flckr account as they become available.

EGO Restarts "Negotiations" Graduate Student Paper Series

On September 29th, the English Graduate Organization will host the first in an ongoing series of graduate student paper readings. Mike Dwyer will read from his work on Hitchcock, Nate Mills on Mike Gold, and Jon Senchyne on E.E. Cummings. The reading will be held in the Killian Room of the Hall of Languages and will run from 5:00 - 6:30 PM.



MA and PhD students can email Jon Senchyne if they would like to read from their work at future Negotiations readings. This is a great way for all of us to learn more about what our contemporaries are doing, to engage in questions that may have grown out of shared coursework, and -for new students especially- to learn about what type of papers come out of seminar work. Some students are also preparing to deliver papers at conferences around the country this year - this is a great way to practice your reading and to answer some questions from the floor.

EGO Trivia Team

As some of you might know the graduate student organization subsidizes a bar on South Campus called the Inn Complete. On Thursday nights they run a pub trivia competition. EGO entered its first team last night and scored 110 points tying for 4th with about 10 other teams. But - the score tally is cumulative over the entire semester, and if we get some more people out there next week - especially those whose knowledge of oddities and pop culture history of the 30s and 40s is unendingly vast, someone whose last name rhymes with "Real" - then we might have a chance at the semester title if we keep winning. Plus the soda, beer, and food are really cheap.

Congratulations to Andrew Leal



Congratulations to one of our newest. In addition to being our official
balloon animal artist, 1st year MA student Andrew Leal's co-authored book THE ANIMATED MOVIE GUIDE arrived today. Andrew wrote over 50 entries for the collection whose main editor is Jerry Beck. The book was published by The Chicago Review Press.

From the jacket:

"Here for the first time in print, is an accurate and complete guide to every
animated movie ever released in the United States. This lavishly illustrated companion traces the origin of the art form,
discusses what it takes to make a great animated feature, and guides the reader through all manner of hits and flops that make up this previously uncharted world. Every film listing includes reviews, four star ratings, background information, plot synopses, accurate running times, consumer tips, and MPAA ratings.

Going beyond the box-office hits of Disney and Dreamworks, this guide to every animated movie ever released in the United States covers more than 300 films over the course of nearly 80 years of film history. Well-known films such as Finding Nemo and Shrek are profiled and hundreds of other films, many of them rarely discussed, are analyzed, compared, and catalogued. The origin of the genre and what it takes to make a great animated feature are discussed, and the influence of Japanese animation, computer graphics, and stop-motion puppet techniques are brought into perspective. Every film analysis includes reviews, four-star ratings, background information, plot synopses, accurate running times, consumer tips, and MPAA ratings. Brief guides to made-for-TV movies, direct-to-video releases, foreign films that were never theatrically released in the U.S., and live-action films with significant animation round out the volume."


for more: Chicago Review Press
and on Amazon.

Cristina's Party

Cristina's Party (updated)

It's time to move the debauchery (and balloon animals!) downtown.

In keeping with the new department tradition of a party every weekend, Nate and I will be hosting one this weekend.

When: Saturday, Sept 17th @ 9 pm

Where: 133 Walton St. #126.

Bring: Wine/Beer/Stoli. No need to bring food, we will provide various treats to soak up the alcohol.
Partners/lovers/crushes are welcome.

I live in the townhouses above the Lemongrass reastaurant/The Blue Tusk/Starbucks and across from the MOST. There is a walkway between the Blue Tusk and the Lemongrass restaurant and right in the middle of it, next door to the Tusk, is a green door. Buzzers are next to it. Take the elevator to the 2nd floor. Turn right. Walk to the end of the courtyard. My townhouse will be on your right, #126. If you get lost, call (473 9897) and we will send a guide. Or ask Alex at the newstand to direct you.

You can park on the street or in the underground parking garage (next door to the Lemongrass). Cab rides from the university area to downtown are around $5, and it's super easy to find cabs down here Friday nights for your return trip. Just in case you're planning on drinking.

Nate-Please forward this to Ali and insist he comes. It can't be a man's world without him.

Andrew-We will have Canada Dry for you.

Brigitte-I know you will be out of town, but please tell your partner to come.

Vanessa-I will have a bottle of white Bordeaux just for you.

It is not necessary, but I would appreciate it if you could RSVP so we know how much food to make and I can start Martha Stewart-ing out.

Cristina

Dates, Time, and Location of Department Assembly Meetings - FALL 2005

The following is copied from a Memo sent by G. Lambert, Chair to the faculty, 16 August 05:

Assembly Meetings & Committees 05-06: Assembly meetings will take place on the third Wednesday of each month, between 10-30-12:00pm, except where there is a conflict in room assignment. I will request that Chairs of the undergraduate and graduate committees schedule meetings on alternative Wednesdays, during the same time period, and the English Library will be available at the beginning the semester and through the year. I will soon be distributing the sign-up sheet for faculty service; all new faculty, as well as part-time faculty, are excused from serving on a committee the first year of their appointment. Of course, regular part-time faculty have no service requirement, unless they choose to volunteer. However, given the motion to amend the department’s committee structure, in its first meeting I will ask the Agenda only to appoint members of the undergraduate and graduate committees. Finally, I have also scheduled a meeting for the Promotion & Tenure Committee this fall in order to review procedures and make any revisions to the process, as well as to organize and prepare for several cases that we have upcoming in the next year. Please see attached schedule mark your calendar and plan to attend these meetings where we conduct all the important business of the department.
(emphasis added)

Uncorrected EGO Meeting Minutes 9 September 2005

EGO Meeting Minutes - 9/9/2005

Present – Jon Senchyne, Rachel Collins, Mike Dwyer, Amata Schnieder-Ludorff, Christina Stasia, Mike O’Connor and the O’Connor girls, Brigitte Fielder Montero, Nate Mills, Jon Singleton, Corrine (what’s Corrine’s last name?)

1. Reports from Committees:

A. The Agenda and Faculty Development Committee reps have nothing to report.

B. The Undergraduate Committee: Nate Mills reports:

a. With the gradual retirement of Chuck Watson there are some changes in the management of the undergraduate curriculum.
b. Claudia Klaver is the new Director of Undergraduate Studies.
c. Jolynn Parker is the “ETS coordinator.” Nate was not clear exactly what this position entails, it may simply mean assistant to Claudia Klaver, or it might not.
d. There is some confusion about who English Department TA’s (PhD students teaching ETS curriculum) should report to. Is it Jolynn Parker? Is it Gregg Lambert? Nate will find out at the next Undergrad committee meeting.

C. Graduate Committee: Rachel Collins reports:

a. Amy Lang is the acting Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) for the Fall term only.
b. The grad committee’s goals for the year are threefold:
i. Find a new DGS
ii. Develop Syllabi for the proposed pro-seminars that are part of the revised graduate curriculum.
iii. Reshaping the graduate curriculum – including “marketing” the program to the outside, and trying to get at least one year of fellowship for all PhD students.

2. A motion was made to make Corrine the 1st year student representative to EGO. It passed on the floor. Corrine is the 1st year rep.

3. Jon Senchyne reports on his meeting with Gregg Lambert

A. Jon and Cristina Stasia will be meeting with Gregg at 1pm on Monday September 12th.
Upon request from EGO they will be sure to discuss:
a. The ETS TA office situation. There is some confusion about who belongs in what office, where Salt Hill is supposed to be, and getting computers fixed. We would like to know who is supposed to be where, we would like that clearly marked on doors, and to have the Apple computer fixed.
b. Improved communication about Assembly meetings, notably some kind of email confirmation about time and location.
B. Jon met with Gregg last week and discussed the following:
a. Gregg expressed some concern about EGO representatives on Department Assembly standing committees using their votes as a block. While EGO has traditionally used its 4 votes in unison to represent the collective will of EGO, Gregg feels that this was not the intention when voting rights were extended. He also said that he is aware that EGO will probably continue to function in this way. Jon and Rachel checked the EGO constitution and are confident that it is within our own guidelines to vote as a block when EGO reaches consensus. Mike Dwyer added that last year we did not vote as a block when we were not in consensus as a body politic.

b. The English Library. Once all of the furniture arrives the English library will be used for Graduate seminars, department committee meetings, ego meetings, “open time,” and Gregg will be holding a monthly graduate student luncheon (paid by the department) that will be open to all MA, PhD, and MFA students.
c. Gregg Lambert will be giving 2 of the old folding tables from HL 421 (the seminar room) to replace the missing TA desks in HBC wherever they are needed the most (and fit). Again this is contingent on the arrival of new furniture.
d. Jon and Gregg also discussed the place of MFA students within EGO. It is clear that there is an MFA student on the Creative Writing Committee, but that student is not administered through EGO. Rather it is done “in house” through the CW wing of the department. MFA at one time had their own student group, and according to Gregg Lambert, EGO was always intended to be for PhD/MA students. Now, however, MFA students are officially included in EGO membership. Jon Senchyne feels that in order to make EGO a worthwhile group for MFA students, EGO needs to in some way have an official stake in matters that would affect MFA students, something that is not possible without official representation. Jon Senchyne would prefer if the CW Committee representative was a position administered officially through EGO, elected by and reporting to EGO as the other 4 reps do. Amata expressed concern that EGO should only seek to administer this position if MFA students are unsatisfied with the current setup. The prevailing attitude is that EGO would like to involve MFA students more, but that we cannot, in general, figure out how to do so since EGO’s political power rests squarely outside of the CW wing. This contributes to the false divide between the student body.

4. “Issues”
We discussed the ETS TA office situation, computers and their repair, and getting the department to set up a list serv to notify students when and where the department assembly meetings will be. Jon and Cristina will bring this up at the Monday meeting with Gregg Lambert.

5. The EGO Listserv.
A. A motion was made to remove all those currently on the listserv who are no longer in the department. This means graduates, those who have gone to other departments, and those who have otherwise left the program. The motion passed. Given the passing of this motion, Mike Dwyer is now the only legitimate listserv administrator, and therefore will be responsible for removing all non-current English Department Graduate students from the listserv.
B. Amata strongly discourages current students from asking to be taken off the list. Though it is inconvenient to get email when one is not interested in EGO, the body still represents that person in the Assembly and in the department. There may also be a time when an issue affecting such a person arises and they otherwise would not have the opportunity to access EGO electronically. There was general agreement about this point.

6. Writing Program Representation

A. Jon Senchyne talked about the reasons EGO might want to officially request representation of MA/MFA/PhD students within the governing committees (specifically the Lower Division Committee) of the Writing Program. These include:
a. English Department MA/MFA/PhD students make up a significant percentage of the Lower Division Faculty. By Nate Mill’s estimate they are 30% of the Lower Division teaching staff.
b. English Department MA/MFA/PhD students are the only teaching constituency without this kind of representation. PWI’s and CCR students have representation.
c. English Department MA/MFA/PhD students are expected to teach the lower division curriculum that the LD committee develops, but have no role in developing it.
d. There is no clear grievance system when MA/MFA/PhD students are fired from the Writing Program – something that happens with minor frequency – and having political representation would assist in bringing such problems to the Writing Program’s attention.

B. Cristina Stasia said that we should alert Gregg Lambert if we are going to formally present a request for representation to the Writing Program so that he is not “blind sided” in the event that the Writing Program reacts negatively and comes to see him about it. Rachel is also going to alert Anne Fitzsimmons about this.

C. A motion was made to give Jon Senchyne permission to draft a letter to the Writing Program requesting representations for the reasons mentioned above. The letter will be brought before EGO, revised as the body wishes, and delivered after it has been approved by EGO at the next meeting. The motion passed.


These minutes are unedited and are subject to the approval of the EGO membership at the next meeting.

Correction To Minutes of 9/9/05

Clarification on Jolynn Parker, just so I don't seem as incompetent as the
minutes suggest. Jolynn's position as "ETS Coordinator" has yet to be fully
defined, as the position was only just created this year. Jolynn will assist
Claudia in directing the undergraduate program (which Chuck apparently had
down to a science since he had been doing it so long), will act as a liasion
between the department and the honors program, the DIPA program etc, and will
handle much of the paperwork and bureacracy surrounding the ETS major:
proposals for new courses, sheparding curriculum changes through the
University Senate, etc.
If there is significant concern over this, I can try to arrange to have Jolynn
and or Claudia address EGO in order to clarify how the new governance
structure will work.
My understanding is that Claudia, as ETS director, will still do the bulk of
the overseeing of Phd teaching, though I imagine any PhD instructor will have
significant contact with Jolynn as well. I will clarify this point, as Jon's
minutes indicate, at the next meeting. For right now, I would suggest that any
PhD instructor who has any sort of issue to be addressed by the department
regarding ETS teaching contact Claudia.

Thanks,

nate