Next Meetings:
Tuesday, November 15th
Host: Tim’s House
Lead: Carolyn
Minutes: Rachael
Tuesday December 6th
Host: Missy’s house
Lead: Nicole
Minutes: Carolyn
Future Fall 2011 Meetings
15
Nov
Minutes – October 25, 2011
07
Nov
CCRGC Meeting Minutes 10.25.2011
Host: Nicole
Lead: Missy
Minutes: Kate
Ben reports on Auburn Prison: First group of tutors is going up on this Thursday, 12-13 are going up this week and there are still 2-3 tutors in the works (going soon). Discussion of effects of state budget cuts on coordinator’s position. Possible expansion in spring semester might include a nearby women’s prison. Recruitment of writing majors discussed.
CARR Conference Update:
- The keynotes are set.
- Fundraising is in the planning stages.
- Immediate needs: conference website, flyers.
- Logistics: Room reservations are pending with Chris’s help.
- Catering: Catering costs depend on space and registration numbers.
- Housing options for out-of-towners and target conference size were discussed.
- Registration & Databases: In development.
-Sub-committees:
-Will need lots more volunteers on the day of the conference.
-Gabe’s working on a logo!
-Core Committee meets on Wednesday 11.2.2011
Potlucks with the Pros (Allison): Friday, November 18th is the next potluck with the Pros: Iswari and Patrick have both signed on and it will be at Carolyn’s house. Allison will send a save-the-date email soon.
Workshop on CVs (Nicole): A CV workshop/support group in the 009 computer cluster 2:15-3:45 on November 2. Nicole will send out an email this week. Melissa and Rachael will be tech experts. Eileen has given her support of this event.
Website Update (Rachael): Rachael’s server had some issues and she updated the calendar and created some logos to workshop and revise. We took a look at Rachael’s logos. She created 5 logos. The logo will go on the facebook group as well as the website. Everyone voted for logo #2 (gray oval, orange writing, Graduate Circle on the line). Rachael said she would choose five of the best photos from each event and create a gallery of them. We had some concern over pictures, but decided as long as no unfortunate pictures were posted.
Contact Rachael for password to add content to site.
Mentor Award (Rachael): This is a sub-committee (Rachael, Melissa, and Jason). The committee will decide when to have the award and how to decide on it.
Transparency Committee (Nicole): Nicole met with Justin (the grad-committee rep). Justin and Nicole will coauthor an email discussing the CCRGC AND the CCR Grad Rep roles. Action Item: get CCR emails back up on the list of CCR graduate students’ interests page (point person: Kate).
Family Issues Meeting with the GSO (Nicole): Nothing new, the group is still planning on creating a listserv. The group is also hoping to do some research on the daycares.
Podcast Update (Ben & Tim): Ben & Tim are interested in doing a rhetoric and composition podcast on current events. Ben proposed a sub-committee for the podcasts. Tim agreed to research tech details. Allison agreed to join podcast committee.
Meeting Schedule: Upcoming meetings will go up on the CCRGC website beginning with fall semester. Rest of the semester’s meetings: November 15 (Tim’s house); December 6 (Missy’s house).
End of the Semester Party: Proposed: A party at the Inn Complete where we invite MFAs, MAs, PWIs, CCRs, everyone?! Discussion: Timing – the week before the spring semester starts? Mid-January. Action: tabled for further discussion.
Next Meetings:
Tuesday, November 15th
Host: Tim’s House
Lead: Carolyn
Minutes: Rachael
Tuesday December 6th
Host: Missy’s house
Lead: TBA
Minutes: TBA
Nov. 2, 2011: Update Your CV day!
26
Oct
The CCR Graduate Circle is hosting a CV “study hall.” While many of us are busy working to add lines to our CV by participating in panels, committee work, writing for publication, etc., we barely have time to actually work on the CV itself! So in an act of solidarity we decided to reserve computer cluster 009 on Wednesday, Nov. 2 from 2:15-3:45p and dedicate that time to updating our vitas! This is an informal gathering with a flexible format. Depending on what the participants would like to do, we will concentrate on any or all of the following:
- Providing examples of CV formats
- Set time to actually revise existing CV’s
- Work on digital formatting
- Offer support for creating an online professional presence
- Bounce ideas off one another
- Etc…
Again this is meant to be a time for you to make some progress on your CV so feel free to use the time however you need to! No RSVP necessary.
Minutes for CCRC meeting Sept 13 2011
15
Sep
CCR Grad Circle Meeting
Tuesday 9/13/2011
Host: Melissa Kizina
Lead: Nicole Howell
Minute Taker: Missy Watson
Members in attendance: 9
Announcements and Welcome:
Review of executive board responsibilities, meeting agendas and formats. Brief to/of new members.
Old Business:
Website updates were discussed: a new calendar of dates and meetings, updated New CCR Student Guide, update pictures (from welcome event at Missy and Kate’s), add an introduction/inclusion of new CCR cohort members’ names and contact info, and set new members to have access as users (Seth, Seth, and Allison). Actions: Seth L. and Melissa will work on revisions to the New CCR Student Guide. Rachael will make web updates.
Creating histories of the Circle: new stories will be added to the Circle website from Missy (on the Bowling Send Off), Kate (on the Welcome Party), and Melissa (on Community Day). Entries should be completed ideally by September 20th.
Potlucks with the Profs:
Allison volunteered to be the new 2011-2012 coordinator for the Potlucks with the Pros series. She will invite Steve Parks and Kevin Browne first for an evening at the Inn Complete over drinks (ideally Oct. 3, 10. or 24) and then plan a dinner at Carolyn’s with Iswari and Patrick (ideally Nov. 11 or 18). Seth L. agreed to help with the flyer. Kate and Tim will provide Allison with materials for sending out email invitations. Invitations will ideally be sent by September 20th.
Updates: Auburn Prison Tutoring Program (Missy and Kate)
More details will be provided once applications are accepted and orientation is started.
Strategic planning for CCRC Spring Conference (Missy, based on discussions with Eileen):
A core committee was formed: Missy, Carolyn, Seth D., Nicole, and Kate. Action: More information will be sent to the core committee by September 20th.
CCRC Mentorship Award: tabled pending Rachael’s return.
New Business:
GSO issues were also discussed. Melissa will look into the reimbursement issue. Elections will be scheduled to take place in February 2012.
Transparency Committee (postponed from last year) will be coordinated by Nicole (Major/Minor Committee liaison) and Kate (Lower Division Committee liaison). Nicole will also seek an arrangement with Justin Lewis who sits on the Graduate Committee.
Next Meeting: Tuesday Oct 4, 7:30 pm
Host: Seth L
Lead: Kate
Minutes: Melissa
Community Day 2011
29
Aug
On August 22, 2011, CCR celebrated the annual tradition known as Community Day. This is a day where we welcome the new PhD students to the program by introducing ourselves and our research interests to them, and it’s also a time for all of us to check in with each other about our progress and our goals for the coming year.
The theme this year was “Thriving in Graduate School,” with four panels of faculty and students throughout the day and a potluck at program chair Eileen Schell’s house later in the evening. The CCR Graduate Circle, now in it’s second year, played an important role by leading the final panel, “Thriving in Syracuse.” Over the last year, we have put together a document for incoming students containing vital information about getting set up in Syracuse and additional tips for making the most out of what CNY has to offer. During this last panel, the Circle debriefed the new students about the resources available to them and gathered more suggestions from those present to add to the document.
The potluck saw a great turnout and much fun was had by both faculty, grad students, partners, and children as a few brave souls braved the jumbo trampoline in the backyard while some of the boys enjoyed a lively game of basketball. As always, Community Day set the stage for the excitement of the beginning of a new semester and served to unite the CCR community in anticipation of the hard work – and rich rewards – of the 2011-2012 academic year.
Bowling Send-off 2011!!
04
Jun
We were once in the good company of Zosha Stuckey and Dianna Winslow here in good ol’ Syracuse, NY. But these scholars have moved on to new places: Zosha at Towsen University and Dianna at Rochester Institute of Technology. To celebrate our time with these CCRians, the CCR Circle held our second annual Bowling Send-Off in May. It was well attended and a lot of fun!
If you know these two gals, you love them for their spunk and good nature. Let’s also not forget that they be some brilliant ladies. 
They are role models for how to seek community outside of our narrow disciplines and areas of interest. They’re models for how to marry social justice interests with scholarly work.
We’ll miss them so and we wish them well in their new professional and life adventures.
Done and done!
Congrats on graduating, Dr. Z!
CCR Circle Stands in Solidarity with Workers
10
Mar
Future Workers Self-Advocate
Steph, Tim, and Ben Represent!
Ben's Call to Arms
Tim Rockin' the Chant
Brian
University Recognition
24
Feb
Once upon a time the CCRC was not yet a recognized graduate student organization. Today that changed . We are official, people. Hooray!
A Short History and Snapshot of the Circle
14
Feb
Now, this is a story all about how my life got twisted upside down. Now I’d like to take a minute; just sit right there. I tell you how I came to be the CCRC’s Chair.
Okay, so maybe this isn’t a story about me. I’d like to think it’s a story of us. We are the CCR Circle. And we’ve gathered here today in this historical moment to celebrate our intellectual achievements and to foster professional and interpersonal relationships as we pursue our PhDs and beyond. While much of our initial mission was to build relationships among our small community of grad students and faculty in the Writing Program at Syracuse University, we’ve been looking at strategies for widening our reach to other populations. And. Here. We. Go.
In the last year and a half the CCRC has worked on the following endeavors:
- four “Potluck with the Pros” events (an opportunity for graduate students to dine with eight of our esteemed professors and staff);
- an informal panel of CCR graduate students then currently on the job market who presented tips they’d gathered about their job search experiences;
- a farewell bowling event for recent CCR graduates;
- the development of welcome materials, information, and links for incoming CCR cohorts (regarding successful strategies for a transition as a new student and resident of Syracuse);
- a group-sponsored welcome event for new and returning students at the Inn Complete during the first week of the fall semester;
- a consultation with the Beyond Compliance Coordinating Committee, one of Syracuse University’s most reputable RSOs (where we learned about best practices for building a successful RSO); and, finally,
- a group-sponsored holiday event.
.
We recently applied to be a Recognized Graduate Student Organization and plan to use this recognition to spread our reach and networks in accomplishing our upcoming endeavors. This academic year, for example, we plan to continue each of its traditions and work towards enacting new initiatives, such as:
- organizing opportunities for CCR graduate students to work with the Syracuse community (such as working as tutors at Auburn Prison);
- arranging additional speakers or panels to present and discuss professionalization practices;
- initiating a faculty mentorship award;
- facilitating writing circles for graduate students working towards exams, publication, and/or conference presentations; and
- planning a conference where SU grads and undergrads can present their research and stories of rhetorical action.
.
We meet every few weeks to reassess our initiatives and check in with each other. We accomplish our goals and still manage to share some chuckles. In all honesty, it’s a damn good time. I won’t lie, though. There were times when we doubted our strengths to make a difference. Luckily, we’ve provided each other with the moral support necessary to keep on track, and we’re especially grateful to the BCCC for their awesome words of advice and encouragement. It may be cheesy (and a bit overzealous), but when I think of our Circle, I can’t help but think of a famous line from Margaret Mead, an American Anthropologist. She wisely said, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.”
We’re a small group, and I like to think we’re also thoughtful and committed citizens. We’ve already accomplished so much and are eager to keep it up and step it up. C’mon, y’all. Let’s change some shit.
–Missy