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English Department Meeting: March 21, 2019

English Department Meeting Agenda

  • Meeting Date: 3/21/19
  • Meeting Location: 225 Humanities and Social Sciences Building

The Avengers Save Composition! Introducing Comic Book Pedagogy 

  • Thanks to my fellow Avengers who helped give a presentation on our theory of Comic Book Pedagogy to a packed session at the 2019 CCCC. The Avengers, as pictured left to right below, are:
    • Captain Marvel (aka Nicol Epple)
    • The Vision (aka Nick Katsiadas)
    • Agent Peggy Carter (aka IUP C&T Alum Sandra Eckard)
    • Spider-Man (aka Carl Sell)
    • The Watcher (aka Yi Yu)
    • The Scarlet Witch (aka Olivia Maderer)
    • Captain America (aka Gian)
      • Special thanks to John Branscum and Yi Yu for the gift of my beautiful Captain America shield that I got to show off!
    • The Black Widow (aka Julia Galm)
    • Thanos (aka IUP C&T Alum Brian Burke)
    • The Black Panther (aka Darius Cuerton)
    • Iron Man (aka Brandon Galm)

Thanks

  • To Tom Slater for coordinating a showing of Wedding in Galilee (1987) by Palestinian director Michel Khleifi on Feb. 4, 2019   

Congratulations

To the following English faculty:

  • David Downing has published his book Just Theory: An Alternative History of the Western Tradition with the National Council of Teachers of English
  • Dana Driscoll offered two invited workshops on learning transfer for the faculty at Seton Hill University
  • Matt Vetter was awarded a 2019 Conference on College Composition and Communication Research Initiative Grant
  • Dan Weinsten gave two presentations at 2019 CCCC, one on the application of method acting to writing instruction and another on the use of structured digital reading journals in ENGL 101 and ENGL 212 to prime in class discussion
  • Many other IUP faculty presented at CCCC, so please post news items about your presentations and report them for the dean (see below)

Program News

  • English Education Program
    • English 415: Materials and Media has been approved for online teaching
      • Thanks to Brian Carpenter for writing up this curriculum proposal

Approval of Department Meeting Minutes

We will vote to approve Minutes from the English Department meeting held on:

  • Minutes for Feb. 14, 2019

The minutes were circulated by email and will be shown at the meeting using the classroom instructor projection station. A limited set of copies will be printed, but please bring your own copy or review the minutes ahead of time so we can limit paper usage and printing costs. Thanks.

Agenda Items

1. Reporting Faculty Professional Accomplishments and Service for 2018-2019

  • Please use this link to report:
  • Dean Asamoah is asking for all faculty to report on their accomplishments in scholarship and service for the 2018-2019 academic year
  • Please share anything you’d like to have represented from the dates between 1 July 2018 through 30 June 2019
  • PASSHE policies require the reporting to prioritize certain categories of professional accomplishment
  • Please feel free to use the “other” category to report noteworthy achievements from outside that framework
  • Last year some faculty did request the ability to review their submissions. Unfortunately, IT was not able to implement a secure way of doing so. In case of an error, faculty are encouraged to simply resubmit the correct information. We will use the latest upload.
  • Thanks to Ken Sherwood and the CHSS Digital Vision team for developing this annual reporting system
  • The dean looks forward to reading more about the impressive work you’ve been doing to make the department,  college, and IUP proud again this year
  • Temporary Faculty and Teaching Associates are also asked to report their accomplishments
  • Deadline: May 17, 2019

2. Incompletes

  • As a general reminder, Incompletes should rarely be given to students
  • Primarily they are for when something major occurs (such as onset of a major illness or death of a close family member) that prevents a student from completing the semester
  • Incompletes are not for students who are failing because they have not done the required course work
  • The IUP Catalog outlines these specific policy and procedures for Incompletes:
    • The designation of “I” is used to record work, which so far as covered, is of passing grade but is incomplete because of personal illness or other unavoidable reason. Changes of grade to convert designations of “I” must be received in the Office of the Registrar no later than the final day of classes in the next regular (fall/spring) semester after the designation was assigned. If the faculty member does not change the “I” designation using a Change of Grade Form, it will be converted to an F.In rare circumstances, the student and/or faculty member may ask for an extension of the deadline. In this event, the dean of the college in which the course is taught may approve the extension, providing the faculty member concurs. To monitor designations, the registrar shall submit to department chairs routine semester reports of outstanding “I” designations.

      A faculty member assigning the “I” designation must complete an Incomplete Grade Form, indicating the work to be completed, deadlines for completion (it is not necessary to permit the maximum allowable time), and guidelines to establish a final grade. Copies of the completed form will be sent to the department chairperson, the dean of the college in which the course was taught, and the student receiving the “I” designation.

      Upon completion of the course work, or notification by the student that the course work will not be completed, the faculty member must submit a Change of Grade Form to indicate the final course grade.

3. Proxy Voting

  • Some department members have asked about proxy voting for use if they must miss a department meeting
  • I am asking the Department Elections Committee (Ken Sherwood chairs that committee) to review this question

4. Updating the English Service Policy

  • One objective that emerged from the Fall 2018 English Department Retreat was Clarifying Workload Distribution/Equity
  • Gian and Todd took all the feedback from our last department meeting and worked further on revising the English Service Policy
  • We will discuss the new updates today to prepare to vote on them
  • Service Policy Revision March 2019
  • Service Policy Revision_Related Proposals

5. English Graduation Ceremony Proposal

  • For many, many years Jo-Anne Kerr has run our department graduation ceremony extremely well
  • Thanks to Jo-Anne for all this wonderful service
  • Thanks also to Dawnette Shellhammer who always prepares our graduation program and makes other arrangements for the ceremony
  • This year Dan Weinstein is coordinating graduation
  • Unfortunately, attendance by both students and faculty has been continually declining
  • Therefore, the English Leadership Council is recommending that we no longer host this department event after the 2019 May Department Graduation Ceremony
  • Instead, we would encourage all students and faculty to attend the main Graduation Ceremonies for undergraduate and graduate students

6. English Department Writing Plan

  • BIG thanks to Chauna Craig who worked with Bryna Siegel Finer to get our department writing plan drafted
  • The Provost has been pushing for departments to get Writing Plans finished
  • It’s particularly important for our department to be taking the lead in this area at IUP
  • We will discuss the plan to prepare to vote on it

7. English 202 Outcomes Information

  • Bryna Siegle Finer (LSE Director) and Mary Stewart (English Assessment Coordinator) will review English 202: Composition II outcome goals
  • There will be Focus Group meetings to finalize the post-pilot English 121: Humanities Literature rubric
    • Tuesday, April 2 (2-3pm in HSS 306) and Wednesday, April 3 (11:15am-12:15pm in HSS 306)

8. Digital Indiana Initiative

  • IUP’s Department of History is beginning a project to explore local Indiana history
  • They brought in a speaker to talk about the Digital Harrisburg Initiative
  • The project is meant to be interdisciplinary and will include mapping, recording local history, genealogical work, and digitizing photographs and documents
  • The project generally grows out of course work by students
  • The project also is meant to be a way for IUP to connect to the local community
  • One important part of the Digital Harrisburg Initiative was having students write poems (or stories) about local places which connected both to the present and the past
  • The Digital Harrisburg Initiative has generate a lot of positive public praise from community members and politicians
  • If you want to participate, please let Gian and Scott Moore, Chair of History, know
  • All participants are welcome
  • Dean Asamoah attended the presentation and is enthusiastically supporting this project
  • The IUP Library, the Department of Anthropology, and the Department of Journalism are all interested in participating, so hopefully our department can contribute too
9. Share Care/Healthy U
  • Healthy U has been replaced by Share Care
  • You need to fill the Share Care survey out so that you don’t have your health insurance rates go up
  • It’s actually easier to complete than last year because you just need to fill out an online health survey; you do not need to report doctor visits etc. (though that is likely to be added back in next year)
  • One interesting thing about the Share Care system is that the survey tells you what your health age is as compared to your real age
  • More importantly, we need you to stay healthy, so try to get out and walk in the warm weather we are finally getting!
  • Ron See sent these directions out to all APSCUF members explaining how to complete the Real Age survey:
    1. Go to Highmark site and log in: https://www.highmarkblueshield.com/home/
    2. Under “Healthy U is back,” click on mycare.Sharecare.com
    3. You’ll be prompted for email and password, and then you should be able to take the Real Age survey. It is a little different from the old survey, and in the end, they give you a “real age” based on your overall health (as defined by the survey).
    4. Logging out of the Sharecare platform is not obvious – you need to click on the settings icon in the bottom-left corner.
    5. A big change from last year is that there will be no automatic email when you complete the survey, saying you have satisfied the requirements for Highmark rewards. If you are unsure about your status (or just want peace of mind), click on the “achieve” icon (shield with a star, on left border), and then click rewards. Since the only requirement is the survey, you only need 30 points to get the lower health insurance contribution.
  • Deadline: May 31, 2019

IUP Events 2018-2019

IUP English Speaker Series 2018-2019

  • English Faculty Spotlight
    • Presenter: Dan Weinstein
    • Inside the Writer’s Studio: How the Art of Method Acting May
    • When: April 24, 2019 @ 4 p.m.
    • Where: HSS 220
    • Speaker Series Coordinator: Todd Thompson
  • 6:00 Series Author Event
    • In conjunction with the English Department Speaker Series
    • Presenter: Osama Alomar, author of City of Asylum
    • When: April 1
    • Where: HUB

IUP Library Wine and Weed Event

  • This is an opportunity to provide additional help with selecting books for cutting
  • The books have already been marked with red dots by IUP’s librarians following disciplinary guidelines
  • The library wanted to make sure we got one final say to help with this process
  • When: March 22, 2019 from 5-8 p.m.
  • Where: 2nd Floor Stapleton in the Norma A. Beaumont Alcove
  • Please RSVP to Linda Cramer (lcramer@iup.edu) today
  • Wine and Weed Invitation
English Honors Ceremony
  • When: Sunday April 28 from 1-3 p.m.
  • Where: in HSS (Room TBA)
  • Coordinator: Jean Nienkamp
  • Jean could still use some more presenters, so please email her to volunteer
  • This is an important event which usually draws at least 100 parents and family members, so your attendance helps make our department look impressive

Announcements

  • The Word, our English alumni newsletter, is now available
  • Please enter Midterm Grades by Tues., March 26
  • The University Family Drive runs through April 20: donate at iup.edu/universityfamily
    • You can donate specifically to English funds if you want
  • Please enter Snyder Report information before the end of the semester

English Department Objectives

Clarifying Workload Distribution/Equity

  • Gian and Todd have been revising the English Service Policy
  • We will bring that policy proposal to the November ELC meeting for discussion
  • We will discuss department service at the November department meeting
  • This discussion will include considering combining/eliminating some committees
  • Please send a list of all of your university/local/national/professional service to Todd for collection
  • The ELC will discuss how to make faculty labor more visible and valued
  • Goal 1: To have a revised Service Policy approved in Spring 2019
  • Goal 2: To identify new methods for valuing faculty work in Spring 2019 that could be implemented starting in Fall 2019

Defining and Setting Department Priorities

  • English Education is our top hiring need as determined by faculty at the retreat
  • Emily Wender and Chauna Craig have met and will continue to meet to discuss curriculum revisions to help meet enrollment needs of both B.A. and B.S. English students
  • We will use our first spring department meeting to identify other departmental priorities including curriculum reform needs and other hiring needs
  • Goal 3: To have a list of department priorities identified by the end of Spring 2019

Improving Department Climate

  • Gian will hold a lunch with probationary faculty to discuss promotion/tenure expectations
  • Create an IUP English Faculty Success Guide
  • Identify mentors for probationary faculty
  • IUP English Speaker Series–coordinate attendance at these limited events
  • Consider having a group of English faculty attend campus events
  • Clarify promotion guidelines for the department
  • Use an online survey to identify a list of items for which people desire more communication/transparency
    • Have the summer school committee review the rotation process for summer/winter classes
  • Goal 4: Create documents in Spring 2019 and disseminate these documents for the 2019-2020 academic year

English Department Reports

English Program Reports

  • Liberal Studies English (Director: Bryna Siegel Finer)
    • Assessment (Coordinator: Mary Stewart)
  • Bachelor of Arts in English (Interim Director: Chauna Craig)
    • Literature and Culture Track (Coordinator: John Marsden)
    • Pre-Law Track (Coordinator: Tim Hibsman)
    • Writing Studies Track (Coordinator: Tony Farrington)
    • Film Focus (Coordinator: Tom Slater)
    • Internships (Coordinator: Chauna Craig)
  • Bachelor of Arts in English Education (Director: Jo-Anne Kerr)
  • Post Baccalaureate in English Education (Director: Linda Norris)
  • Master of Arts Composition and Literature/MA Literature (Director: Mike Williamson)
  • Master of Arts TESOL – Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (Director: Gloria Park)
  • ESL Program Specialist Certification (Director: Brian Carpenter)
  • GCORE – Graduate Certificate Program in TESOL (Director: Gloria Park)
  • Graduate Studies in Composition and TESOL (Director: Gloria Park)
  • Graduate Studies in Literature and Criticism (Director: Veronica Watson)

English Committee Reports

  • Department Elections Committee (Chair: Ken Sherwood)
  • DEC – Department Evaluations Committee (Co-Chairs: Bryna Siegel Finer and Mike Williamson)
  • DPC – Department Promotions Committee (Co-Chairs: Jean Nienkamp and Dan Weinstein)
  • DTC – Department Tenure Committee (Chair John Marsden)
  • Summer School Committee (Chair Ben Rafoth)

English Organizations

  • IUP NCTE – IUP National Council of Teachers of English (Advisor: Jo-Anne Kerr)
  • Sigma Tau Delta (Advisor: Dan Weinstein)

English Publications

  • Crimson Quill (Coordinator: Liberal Studies English)
  • NGAR– New Growth Arts Review (Advisor: Chauna Craig)
  • Studies in the Humanities (Editor-in-Chief: Reena Dube)
  • Works & Days (Editor-in-Chief: David Downing)

English Department Initiatives

  • Alumni Newsletter – The Word (Editor-in-Chief: Todd Thompson)
  • Banned Books Week (Coordinators: Tanya Heflin)
  • Graduation (Coordinator: Jo-Anne Kerr)
  • Honors Ceremony (Coordinators: Jo-Anne Kerr, Jean Nienkamp, and Heather Powers)
    • Writing Contest (Coordinator: Reena Dube)
  • Mentoring Program (Coordinators: Dana Driscoll and Mike Sell)
  • Placement (Coordinators: Dana Driscoll and Melanie Holm)
  • Web Site (Director: Dan Weinstein)
  • Writing Plan (Coordinator: Chauna Craig)

CHSS and University Organization Reports

  • APSCUF (Department Representatives: Resa Crane Bizzaro, Tanya Heflin, Mary Stewart, and Todd Thompson; Legislative Assembly: John Marsden)
  • Center for Film Studies (Director: Tom Slater)
  • DHC – Center for Digital Humanities and Culture (Co-Directors: Ken Sherwood, Dan Weinstein, and Gian Pagnucci)
  • IUP Senate (Department Representative: Tim Hibsman)
  • Writing Across the Curriculum (Director: Bryna Siegel Finer)
  • Writing Center (Director: Ben Rafoth)

State Organization Reports

  • English Association of Pennsylvania State Universities – EAPSU (Vice President, Conference Representative, and Writing Contest Coordinator: John Branscum)
  • Pennsylvania College English Association – PCEA (PCEA President and Web Site Director: Gian Pagnucci; PCEA Board Members: John Marsden and Mike Williamson)
  • This category needs more information, so please send Gian the name of any organization for which you are an officer as well as your title.

National Organization Reports

  • This category needs more information, so please send Gian the name of any organization for which you are an officer as well as your title.

Announcements

APSCUF Membership

  • It is very important for all tenure track and temporary faculty to join the union. The cost is minimal as all faculty already pay roughly 90% of the membership due. But a strong union helps protect both temporary and permanent faculty. If you are not a member, please join as soon as possible.
  • In addition, please consider joining APSCUF CAP which does lobbying for the union. This is the best way to influence legislators to support our concerns.

IUP English Google Calendar

  • Please remember to email Dawnette to get all English Department events and key meetings added to the department web calendar
  • Please check the calendar before scheduling meetings to help limit conflicts
  • TR from 2:00-4:00 p.m. is a common open time for tenure track faculty members to use for meetings

Additional Announcements

  • If anyone has an important announcement, we’ll use the last few minutes of the meeting to cover this