English Department News

            

September 5, 2001

          

Volume 4, No. 3

 
September 5 EGO General Meeting; 5:00, HC 3184
September 10 Graduate Studies Committee, 1:00, HC 9030D
September 22 Department Picnic, 3:00-dusk, Chewacla State Park
September 24 Graduate Studies Committee, 1:00, HC 9030D
October 8 Graduate Studies Committee, 1:00, HC 9030D
October 10 Mid-Semester;  Last day to drop without penalty
October 22 Graduate Studies Committee, 1:00, HC 9030D
October 29-30 M.A. Comprehensive Exams
November 5 Graduate Studies Committee, 1:00, HC 9030D
November 17-25 Thanksgiving Holidays
November 26 Graduate Studies Committee, 1:00, HC 9030D
December 3 Graduate Studies Committee, 1:00, HC 9030D
December 7   Classes End
December 8-9  

Study/Reading Days
December 10 Graduate Studies Committee, 1:00, HC9030D
December 10-14  

Final Exams

 Graduate School Calendar
December 15  

Graduation

 University Calendar
 

VIRUS Problems

The SirCam virus has infected several personal computers and computers on campus.  SirCam takes addresses from the address book of the infected computer and sends out a file selected randomly from the hard drive.  The file comes as an attachment, and if the attached file is opened, the virus spreads to the computer. 

  Here’s what you can do to control the spread of the virus:

  •   Do NOT open any email from someone you do not know and trust.

  •   Do NOT open any attachments from anyone unless you have virus protection software on your computer.

All the computers in the English department have virus protection software installed, and Derrick Spradlin will be updating the software on all the computers in the next few weeks.

On your personal computer, 
1) go to the following website for instructions on removing the virus. <http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.sircam.worm@mm.removal.tool.html>.  AND 
2) make sure you have current virus protection software on your computer.

Guinivere is the virus scanner for Groupwise.  It scans all incoming and outgoing messages.  Guinivere removes the virus---but do not open any attachment unless you know the sender and are expecting the file.

The user has the primary responsibility for virus defense.


Administrative Staff

Frances Collins Jean Joiner Alva McKenzie
Smiling faces and friendly assistance
Jennifer Lockhart Karen Beckwith 
Southern Humanities Review
HC 9088


Graduate Assistants to the Coordinators

Jessica Van Slooten serves as the Great Books assistant for 2001-2002. Her duties include coordinating the course syllabi survey and statistics, helping prepare assessment materials, assisting in planning GB English Hours, and helping develop the GB writing award.
Pierre Cyr will be assisting the Coordinator of Composition for 2001-2002. His duties and responsibilities include (but are not limited to) coordinating composition practicum planning, assisting in program assessment, assisting in resolution of mentor/co-teacher problems, and serving as GTA liaison.

IT Team

Derrick Spradlin, Technical Support 

Amy Jo Formby, Web "Techie" 


English Department Picnic

The annual English Department picnic will be held on Saturday, September 22, 2001 from 3 p.m. until dusk at the Upper Picnic Area in Chewacla State Park. Spouses, significant others, and children are all welcome to come.

Start thinking now about the yummy dish you can contribute.  Finger-lickin' chicken and soft drinks will be provided.

Chewacla State Park has hiking trails and open spaces for games or other activities. Bring frisbees, lawn chairs, musical instruments -- or simply plan to eat and socialize. 

Please note: The fee for admission to the park is now $2 for adults, $1 for children ages 6-11; there is no charge for children under six. See map.


English Hours

Reserve your English Hour Now!

The English Hour provides an opportunity for faculty and graduate students to share current research projects, to exchange pedagogical ideas and strategies, and to discuss theory, major authors, periods in literary history, etc. In recent years, we have had presentations on Harold Pinter, panels on D.H. Lawrence and fetishism, and roundtable discussions on Groundhog's Day, among other things. 

Currently, I am planning a Publishing Workshop for Sept. 24th, but there are many open dates. Contact Jon Bolton (boltojw@auburn.edu) for further information.

If the prospect of intellectual stimulation is not alluring enough, keep in mind that refreshments are served.


Job Search Information

Graduate students who plan to conduct a job search this year need to submit their job materials to the current co-Job Placement Advisor: Dr. Joy Leighton. (Dr. George Crandell is in the process of appointing the other co-Job Placement Advisor, who will be announced in the next few days. Your material will be passed on to him or her as well.) 

Please submit job letter(s), c.v., statement of teaching philosophy, writing sample, and any other related materials immediately. In the next few weeks, graduate students should also plan to make an appointment with one of the advisors and have their dossier file reviewed. Since the electronic job list is published Sept. 20, your job search needs to have already begun! Please email leighjo@auburn.edu if you have any questions or want to make an appointment.

Multimedia Room Help

The TEC Support team (Technology Enhanced Classroom Support) is now in place.  The team provides repair and maintenance for the multimedia classrooms around campus (including, HC 3104, 3174, 3182, 3212, 3218, 3224, and 3238).

Call 4-2293.  TEC Support will respond quickly.  (Please note that this is a new service so be patient as the team develops its procedures.)


Conference at Tuskegee University

The College of Liberal Arts and Education of Tuskegee University, with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, will be hosting a conference entitled, "Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Humanities," September 19-21, 2001 at the Kellogg Conference Center.  The theme of the conference is the deep history and cultural contributions of Tuskegeeans to American art, literature, film, philosophy, and music.  For more information about the conference, click here.

Twenty-Fifth Alabama Symposium on English and American Literature

August Wilson, distinguished African American playwright, will be the keynote speaker for this year's symposium, which is titled "Writing Race Across the Atlantic World: 1492-1763."  The symposium, September 27-29, 2001, is designed to "cover the origins of contemporary notions of race in the oceanic interculture of the Atlantic world in the early modern period." For more information, visit the University of Alabama website.

 

Undergraduate News

Save Our Students!

SOS (Successfully Orienting Students) is Auburn University's orientation experience for transfer students and freshmen who cannot attend Camp War Eagle. The purpose of the program is to make these students feel welcome and excited; to prepare them for registration; and to give them the knowledge to make them comfortable and successful at Auburn. During the day-long program, students will meet with academic advisors, interact with fellow students, and learn about Auburn from current student leaders. SOS is currently accepting applications for the 2001-2002 academic year. 

If you have questions, call the Freshman Year Experience and Students in Transition Office at 844-4501. They are located in room 189 Foy Student Union.

Get Famous!

The Fine Arts Committee of the University Program Council is sponsoring lunch-time open mic sessions once a month throughout the fall. The first session is Wednesday, September 12, from 11:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. at Terrell Dining Hall. The other sessions are October 10 and November 14. 

This is a great opportunity for new writers to read their work in a public, yet informal, setting. Poetry would be particularly appropriate for this format (each slot is 10 minutes long) but other kinds of material are welcome as well. The Committee requires only that a form be filled out in the UPC office by Friday, September 7 (an extended deadline). This is only to determine what technical equipment a reader requires. For more information, call the UPC at 844-5292.

Achieve Posterity (notice that's not "Prosperity")!

The Auburn Circle is NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS for the Fall 2001 issue. Any and all fiction, non-Fiction, poetry, photography and art is welcome. Bring submissions to the Circle office, located in the basement of Foy next to The Plainsman. Or e-mail to auburncircle@yahoo.com. For more information call Ali Heck at 844-4122 or e-mail heckali@auburn.edu. The submission deadline is Thursday, September 24.



If you would like to include an item in the "Professional Notes" section of The English Channel, please submit your note to Betsy Smith.


If you would like to include an item in the "Personal Notes" section of The English Channel, please submit your note to Betsy Smith.

Please submit items and direct all questions or comments about The English Channel, to Betsy Smith who currently maintains this site.
To include an item in The English Channel, submit text items by Tuesday at 11:40 a.m. for publication the following Wednesday. Graphic images are due by the preceding Friday at 11:40 a.m. Submit items by using my email link or by putting a note or disk in my mailbox (disks will be returned). If you submit an image on disk, please make sure that it can be edited to fit and be read clearly on the page. Items over fifty words in length should be submitted on disk or sent by email. Please check your submission for accuracy and completion--all calendar items and meeting announcements must include the date, time, and location of the event. Please omit all unusual formatting.