Sage Minutes
March 7, 2007
4:00 p.m., 3132 Wescoe

Attending: John Wiehl, Heather Bastian, Amy Hume, Ryan McCarty, Kristin Bovaird-Abbo, Katie Egging, Keri Behre, Emily Bobo, Angela Glover, Jessica Isaac, Daryl Lynn Dance.

A representative of Delta Force joined the meeting. John Cross, DF presidential candidate, spoke. DF stands for creating change in the community and the world. DF has had candidates for Student Senate every year for 10 years. This year, among their issues, they seek expansion of the blue light system beyond campus to high-density student neighborhoods, where crime rates are rising, and they want to expand park & ride for convenience and night-class safety concerns. They are looking for more graduate students to run for Student Senate as well.

President’s report. Minutes approved. We received a thank-you note from Indigenous Nations Studies. Thanks to those who volunteered. SAGE members are asked to sign thank you notes to all faculty who participated in the hire-a-SAGE-member fundraiser [cards signed at the meeting].

We had wide participation in the event. At the March meeting, we will have other kinds of thank-yous available for speakers who have participated in SAGE events.

Mabel Fry committee needed volunteers; Kristin, Emily Bobo, Amy Hume, Keri and Jessica volunteered to work with John.

Begin thinking about what positions you would like to run for for next year. Voting will take place in May. Is there a limit on terms? If someone else wants to serve, the limit is 2 years. The list of committees is online. Not all have a vote in voting dept. meetings. John will submit nominations and self-nominations soon.

Search committee CV issue: How do you list your work with a search committee on a CV without being accused of CV-padding? According to Katie Conrad, since SAGE members aren’t on the actual committee, it’s problematic. An option is to list yourself as a participant in hospitality: “19th Century American Literature candidate hospitality, spring 2007.” You’d put it under service to the department.

Secretary’s report: Sent minutes out electronically. No other business.

Treasurer’s report: We have $502.56, with another $100 pending. It was a very successful fundraiser. Re: travel funds, all who applied were approved for $64.44. It may take a while to get the money. Include an address of where you can be reached over the summer if you turn in your paperwork late.

First-year liaison: Nothing to report.

Academics Anonymous: No one present to report.

Advisory Committee: AC has a meeting every other week. Most recently drafted strategic statement about the department, and it will be sent to the dean. We are drafting new bylaws for the department as well. Rewriting the faculty manual. We also briefly discussed new graduate student recruitment.

FSE: Next meeting is March 9. Had the recommendation letter workshop, which went well and there’s information about it online.

Grad Assembly: Next meeting is March 7.

Graduate Committee: Next meeting is March 8. Decent changes have been made to English 800. It fixes the big problems and makes it more likely for faculty to teach it. Also the new graduate web site is up and running. If there are errors or suggestions, tell Byron.

GTAL. There are budget problems stemming from use of full-time lecturers. Not sure what will happen to grad students who are here beyond 10 semesters. It looks like there may be fewer GTA positions next spring, so that’s the concern with having so many full time lecturers.

Lecturers/readers: No one to report.

Library: They will meet soon. Topics include policies for Endowment funds, decreasing space in Spencer Research Library, and what to put in the Annex.

MFA – Nothing to report.

Professionalization: Planning to have 2 this semester. What kinds of workshops are needed?

Public/alumni relations: Nothing to report

SAGE advice: nothing to report

Social Committee: Had to cancel last event. Difficult to predict bringing 10 grad student potentials. Sunday night cocktail hour holds potential, probably April 1.

Summer institutes: information pending

Supplemental funds: approved each application as it came in. Requests are mostly for large conferences.

Web site: The minutes are online. Committee descriptions are online. Maybe we could put abstracts of AcadAnon speakers online? We could also add abstracts taken from people who have received travel funds. Probably the perception that SAGE is just for socializing is overblown.

Meeting adjourned.

Minutes submitted by Jen Humphrey, Secretary.