EGSA Digest 09.13.13

EGSA,

You ready for this?

Announcements

General EGSA Meeting, Today!, 2:30pm, CS 101

• It’s here. Come meet your 2013-2014 EGSA officers, listen to some EGSA business, and watch a dance-off between President Milburn and Vice-President Womack if at least 80% have paid their dues (last-second payments accepted at the door).

Dues

• Okay. So I was lying about the dance-off thing. But really, if 80% of you have paid by the meeting, I’ll find something embarrassing for someone to do. You’ve got it by now: $10 (cash) to Christina Boyles.

EGSA Website

• In addition to your $10, we also want your information. And a biography. And a picture. And a chocolate fountain, incidentally, but we’ll draw the line at pictures today.
• Because President Milburn and Kalani Pattison and probably some other people care about you and the quality of our graduate program, we are making some changes to the EGSA website that are designed to make it even more appealing for prospective students and more helpful for those already in the program. This requires that, as soon as possible, you:

1. update your information on our Graduate Student Spreadsheet,
2. write and send to Kalani Pattison (Kalani_Pattison@baylor.edu) a brief biographical statement like these that will define you for the rest of your life, or at least your time at Baylor, and
3. submit to Kalani a photo of yourself that will contribute to a professional tone on the website; attract new students to the program; and help other students in the program, faculty members, and online stalkers in general identify you. Kalani needs square pictures. This, I was told, means that the height and width of the photo have the same number of pixels. You know, like a square. Happy cropping.

New Reading Group

• Emily Brower and Elizabeth Fredericks are starting up a 20^th century reading group which will meet twice a month, starting Friday, 20 Sep., 4:30pm, at Emily and Amy’s house (2223 N. 6^th St.). The first meeting will be dedicated to some poetry by Natasha Trethewey, our recent US Poet Laureate. Elizabeth will have copies of selected poems available in CS 413 on Monday. The group aims to keep the reading obligation fairly light and the discussion heavy. I added that last part. I don’t know what it means. Or if it’s true. But I’m still kind of proud of myself.

Focus

• Paul Carr, Director of Student Publications and lecturer in the Departments of Journalism, Public Relations, & New Media, is looking for undergraduate and graduate writers to contribute to the magazine Focus. You may submit your own work, and TAs may inform their students. More info from Paul Carr:

“Focus” is a glossy, four-color magazine published by Baylor Student Publications once each semester. We hire two editors for the semester who coordinate with student writers and photographers around a central theme. The editors are working with writers this week and next to come up with story ideas. Articles will be due mid-October. Any student interested should contact the two editors to learn more about the theme and deadlines. The editors are Kelli Betner (Kelli_Padgett@baylor.edu) and Rebecca Malzahn Rebecca_Malzahn@baylor.edu). Paul Carr’s address isPaul_Carr@baylor.edu.

• You had me at glossy.

Dissertation and Thesis Formatting Workshop

• It’s not for everyone, but some of you are hoping to graduate, and you’ll eventually have to format your thesis or dissertation correctly. This workshop might help. Its details are attached.

19^th Century Research Seminar (19CRS), Today, 3:30-4:30pm, ABL Lecture Room

• Dr. Stubenrauch, “‘Leaves of Edification’: Evangelical Sentimentalism and Picturesque Tourism in the Early Nineteenth Century”
• If you can manage to get the front door open, these are always worth the effort. If nothing else, you come away with nicely toned lats.

Autumn in Texas: a Party, Tonight, 7:00pm, Watsons’ (3821 Lasker)

• Well, I think the spokesperson for the Watson Seven has now resolved all remaining questions. Lingering doubts, of course, are another matter, so let me once again reassure the incoming students that the Watson parties are absolutely delightful and mostly harmless.

Upcoming Events

 

Graduate Student Barbecue, Sun., 15 Sep., 7pm, Browning Square

• Go. Eat. Enjoy. But try not to make eye contact with the students from that one department. You know what I’m talking about. Evite.

Seminar for Excellence in Teaching (SET), Tues., 17 Sep., 2:30-3:30pm, Jones Creekmore

• Sarah Walden, “No More Waiting in Silence: Methods for an Engaged Classroom Discussion”
• Still trying to make it up to Ginger:

My lectures were making them weary,

So I opened a class with a query.

Scared, they stared,

Completely unprepared

To discuss rhetorical theory.

• So don’t do what I did. That is, don’t put yourself in a position where you have to send out limericks to EGSA. But also don’t suck as a teacher. Instead, go to this, where you’ll hear great tips, like, “Don’t start out class by asking them about rhetorical theory and how it applies to their lives.” That’s good advice. You’ll get more. Just click anywhere here where it’s blue and underlined to get a full description and register.

See you soon, EGSA (at 2:30, in CS 101, to be precise),

Jeremy Leatham

EGSA Secretary