9/19/2014 ESA Meeting Agenda & Minutes

By
Paul L. Hebert
 – September 14, 2014

Agenda

Meeting time: 9/19/2014 – 12:00pm, room 5409

Announcements  – 12:00-12:10 (10 minutes)

  1. ESA co-chair calling of meeting to order and introduction
  2. Overview of ESA, agenda, and process for taking action
  3. Overview of amendments to ESA bylaws, approved last spring
    Full and up-to-date text of bylaws found on the About the ESA page
  4. Question: Amendments to the agenda?

Reports from Committees – 12:10-12:25 (15 minutes)
A list of current committee members and brief descriptions of the responsibilities of each committee is posted on the About the ESA page.

As this is the first meeting, it is assumed these reports will be very short (1-2 minutes). In some cases, committees have actions to report and hopefully all committees can report that members have been in contact and begun collaborating in some way. 

Actions 12:25-12:50 (25 minutes)

  1. Discussion and vote: to publish to ESA website the current ESA budget and budgets for the last two years
    This action is intended to increase lines of communication and information between ESA committees and students in the program.
  2. Discussion and vote: ESA will contribute funds for an ESA suite at the 2015 MLA conference in Vancouver
    The English Program has previously paid for ESA representatives to travel and stay at MLA; this year, because of the distance, the English Program wants the ESA to commit some funds. This discussion is not about how much to contribute at this time, but rather if this is something that members of the ESA would like to support and/or alternatives.
  3. Discussion: Request for ideas/proposals for future student-led and student-driven Friday Forum events
    Following the tremendous support Critical Karaoke (Thanks Danica!) and the call for more student-led events as part of the Friday Forum, this is a time to hear suggestions for future events that the ESA might support or facilitate. For example, Wendy Tronud is putting together on a panel of alums who produced non-traditional dissertations.
  4. Discussion: Future ESA meeting locations and meeting days/times.
    Should ESA meet in English Program lounge/Thesis room or other room; are other days/times better?

Additional Business – 12:50-1:00 (10 minutes)

  1. Overview and discussion of the BDS resolution presently before the DSC
  2.  Should the ESA provide funds to the MLA Sub-conference.

Future Items (N/A)

  1. Committees will present goals for action over the course of the semester and year

Meeting Minutes

9/19/2014
Room 5409
12:00-12:25pm
Present: 32

Actions Taken

  • Motion #1: Approved (unanimous)
    To publish the current ESA budget and budgets for the last two years on ESA website
    Results

  • Motion #2: Question divided; Referred to committees
    To approve funding for an ESA-run suite at the 2015 MLA conference in Vancouver and travel for 1 or 2 ESA representatives; this funding would supplement roughly $1,000 committed by the English Program
    Results

    • The ESA Executive Committee will draft a resolution stating that the English Program should be responsible for job assistance at the MLA conference and thus should be responsible for fully funding a suite and a faculty member to provide the assistance in the suite.
    • The ESA Fundraising Committee will explore options and draft a report for the ESA to raise funds and administer these funds in a manner that helps ESA members who are not fully funded by the GC.
  • Motion #3: Discussion
    Discussion on student-led, student-centered Friday Forum events
    Results

NOTE: This form can be used for either 2pm or 4pm Friday Forum slots. The deadline for Spring events is 10/15/2014 – please let ESA Co-chairs know if you submit a form so that ESA can formerly support the event to the English Program EO.

  •  Wendy’s Tronud’s proposed non-traditional dissertation panel composed of English Program graduates will take place in the Spring as a 4pm Firday Forum. Matt Gold, Wayne Kostenbaum, Ammiel Alcalay have contributed names of potential participants.
  • Alec Magnet will schedule an ESA 3text event to decorate the two ESA bulletin boards in the English Program lounge (the board immediately by the lounge door and the second large board/room partition). This will become a regular event, supplemented by ESA funds.
  • Proposal by Becky Fullan and Elly Weybright for an “Our Other Projects” Friday Forum event in which ESA members elect to present on or perform their extra-curricular projects.
  • Motion #4: Tabled; Referred to Committee
    Danica Savonic raised the resolution that “Students should have representation on the committee to select Friday Forum events.”
    Results

    • The Resolution was laid on the table for discussion at the next meeting.
    • The ESA Co-chairs will report next meeting on who are the current faculty members serving on the Friday Forum Committee.
    • The ESA Executive Committee will draft a formal resolution regarding this matter to be adopted next meeting and then brought before the English Program Executive Committee.
  • Motion #5: Debate; Motion carried to vote on resolution at next meeting
    Discuss and debate the motion currently before the DSC to adopt the BDS resolution. The text of the resolution before the DSC can be found here: https://gcenglish.commons.gc.cuny.edu/?p=12713
    Results

    • Motion carried to Vote on the ESA adopting the resolution as a directive to the English Program DSC representatives; Proposed by Dadland Maye and seconded by Becky Fullan
    • Vote will take place at 2nd ESA meeting (10/24/2014)
    • The ESA Co-chairs will report next meeting on which DSC at-large representatives are ESA members. The names of these officers will be placed on the About the ESA page on the ESA website.

Committee Reports

Admissions & Financial Aid Committee
Present: None
Absent: Meredith Benjamin, Ben Miller, Melina Moore, Kristen Moriah, Frances Tran

NO REPORT MADE

Alumni Committee
Present: Liz Goetz, Erin Spampinato
Absent: NONE

Contacting DSC coordinator for Fundraising & Alumni Relations; presented preliminary thoughts on events

Conference Committee
Present: Wendy Tronud
Absent: Iemanja Brown, Karen Lepri, Talia Shalev

Conference is 3/5- 3/6; Wayne Kostenbaum is the Keynote Speaker; CFP has been emailed and published to the ESA site here: https://gcenglish.commons.gc.cuny.edu/2014/2015-esa-conference-trance-cfp-due-1132014/
Submissions due 11/3/2014. Workshops and interdisciplinary work welcome.

Course Assessment
Present: Jennifer Alberghini, Mikey Rumore, Maria Stracke, Elly Weybright
Absent: Robert Greco

Researching digitizing submission of course assessment forms and making results available on ESA site

Curriculum Committee
Present: Elizabeth Decker, Wendy Tronud
Absent: NONE

Current committee members have connected with previous members; making it a priority to advocate for longer Exam I time (Comps).

Diversity Committee
Present: Rasheed Hines, Danica Savonic
Absent: Sean Kennedy, Mekeba Lavan, Velina Manolova, Simone White

Meeting with Kandice Chuh next week; Organizing 10/24 Friday Forum, “Pedagogies of Embodiment: Diversity in Practice;”  Organizing Friday Forum in April, “Diversity, the University, and Women of Color” that focuses on the “Presumed Incompetent” collection

Elections Committee
Present: Alec Magnet
Absent: Alyssa Mackenzie

Elections for Graduate Council are underway

Executive Committee
Present: Becky Fullan, Yair Solan
Absent: Joseph Bowling, Amanda Licastro

Notes from English Program Executive Committee meeting:  “With distinction” on orals removed because 80% of students receive it, the rationale for awarding it is unclear and confusing to faculty members; Faculty were happy to keep “with distinction” on comps; discussion at meeting about dissertation year fellowships because students get upset when they don’t get one; there were suggestions to eliminate prize money for some awards to bolster fellowship money

Faculty Membership Committee
Present: Chris Eng, Andrew Lucchesi
Absent: NONE

4 Job Talks coming up including Comp/Rhet and Modernist scholars soon; English program will be creating a 5-year plan for faculty membership; ESA may want to create an alternative 5-year plan for which to advocate

Fundraising Committee
Present: Hilarie Ashton, Sean Gerrity
Absent: Nate Mickelson

Researching online funding opportunities such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter; will research ways to fund students currently unfunded or under-funded

Placement Committee
Present: Roya Biggie, Laura Eldridge
Absent: Megan Paslawski, Melissa Phruksachart

Getting in touch with faculty and other committee members

Recruitment Committee
Present: Jamie Shearn Coan
Absent: Robert Greco, Kaitlin Modello, Mikaylah Zagoria-Moffett

Organizing a recruitment event for 10/17; event will include a panel of students who came to PHD study from different avenues (direct from undergraduate, from masters program, from non-academic career, etc.); Panel after event to workshop personal statements.

Website Committee
Present: Sarah Ruth Jacobs
Absent: Dale Ireland, Trace Peterson, Mikayla Zagoria-Moffet

Meeting next week; seeking to make it easy for students to post events to the ESA website.

Doctoral Student’s Council Representatives
Present: Charlotte Thurston
Absent: Balthazar Becker

Kristin Moriah resigned as a rep so a special election may need to be held; will shortly be sending out an email asking for ideas on BDS resolution currently before the DSC