Weekly Newsletter: Tuesday Is News Day

Tuesday, April 2, 2024

Now that the Data Summit Is over, we can relax and get ready for the next big thing--the eclipse? End of semester meetings? Summer plans?  We will be seeing you at the Assessment meeting at the end of the week! This Is one of our 6 Department-wide meetings over the Academic Year--and It's got all the good Info on how we are doing In our classrooms. Please zoom on In (and If you cannot make It, we will send a link!)

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Deadlines! 

April 5 

Spring Assessment Meeting 10:15 am-1145am on Zoom 

Deadline to complete Data Literacy ACC 

April 8 

Solar Eclipse (plan for traffic in Austin and viewing ~1:30pm-1:45pm)

May 3

CLS End of Semester Department Meeting, 10am-11:30am at RGC and on Zoom

Close the Book, You're Done Party for Graduating Majors, 2 PM-4 PM, Paseo at HLC

May 31

Vertical Alignment, Content Exchange, RGC, 9am-12 pm

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CLS Announcements

Data Summit Recap

(Wendy's hot take here! 🔥)

Well, that was an adventure...Here my thoughts are--as succinct as I can be, starting with the stuff that I am the most psyched about:

1) ACC has a mandatory read: Stephanie Land's book Class. What an interesting thing to do! And, If you didn't get your free copy, you can pick one up at any ACC library

2) The administration/new Chancellor will be opening up workgroups for faculty and staff who are NOT management to address concerns, inefficiencies, etc... I think that's a smart move. I hope many of y'all will sign up. (we don't know when the sign up will be released--but I think It will start In the summer)

3) Completion rates of 70% by 2030 sounds pretty good to me. Closing achievement gaps Is a good thing.

4) I would like to see the basic needs of students, staff, and faculty met by ACC. 

5) Jenna Cullinane Hege and her data and Information are really wonderfully organized and presented well. 

For those of you who did not attend, the vibe was...not my first choice. You can watch the video to get a feel for It; but I think the data speaks for Itself. Here's my brief, brief recap of what was said about the 4 Horsemen parts of what's being called the Theory of Change. These are the four practical goals. 

1. Start Strong.  Improve advising and registration. Students take a student success course In early. Increase Dual Credit opportunities

2. Enroll Full Time. Improve registration; use strategic scheduling (not a big concern for CLS as we have our courses offered In all campuses and modalities); offer tuition relief; have more tutoring and coaching

3. Meet Basic Needs. Increase child care support, transportation support, housing, etc.

4. Culture of Belonging. Make students feel welcome--be nice to people and Include them.

Please consider, If you went, filling out the Data Summit Feedback Form; I did. And all of us can review the materials, the values stuff, etc. There are a bunch of places you can go to learn more--Town Halls, webinars, etc. I don't want to relist them here. You can check them out on the ACC Data Summit page.

Final verdict: content was fine. Format was exhausting (to me). Very happy for a group read!

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Spring Assessment Meeting (+Peer Dialogue!), April 5 

When: April 5, from 10:15am-12:00pm [updated start time due to Chancellor's Town Hall]

Where: Zoom https://austincc.zoom.us/j/84564141825?pwd=Tzc3a0loeEVHd202cUFhME0yTWUxdz09 

What: Spring Assessment-Focused Meeting

Agenda: Rebekah Starnes will report on this year's Assessment Report findings. After that, attendees will break into groups and contribute thoughts and observations to a shared Google doc. (This can count towards your peer dialogue!)  Adjuncts can get paid for attendance!

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Please Promote: Honors Info Session, April 5

Please share with students!

Curious about the Honors Program? The Spring Honors Info Session will be held on Friday, April 5th, at the HLC Welcome Center from 11:30 am-1:00 pm. Lunch will be provided, and the plan is to cover courses, scholarships, internships, specialized advising, transfer opportunities, and some of the programs we've developed for Honors students (UT YCS Fellows Program, INRW peer tutoring, etc.) Students who can't make it in person can join via Zoom; event information is here.  

Thanks!

Anne-Marie

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AFA Adjunct T-shirt Fundraiser, through April 5

From Amber Luttig-Buonodono, Adjunct Faculty Association

Show your adjunct spirit by sporting one of our beautiful new T-shirts! By purchasing a shirt from our fundraiser, you can make a tangible difference in the lives of Austin Community College employees. All funds raised will be donated to the ACC Employee Emergency Fund, providing crucial assistance in times of need. 

Join us in supporting this fantastic cause while showing your commitment to our community and pride in your profession and/or peers. The Fundraising Campaign will run through Friday, April 5. Estimated delivery of your shirt will be April 23, 2024. 

The shirt orders can be placed at this link. Thank you for your support and for everything you do as an adjunct!

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Textbook Selections for Fall 2024 (Adjuncts)

Adjuncts, once you've accepted your Fall 2024 classes in eStaffing, please use the Textbook Selection Form below. Remember we need to know if you use ZTC/OER methods as well!  The form will email you a copy of your responses. 

Here's the link to the Textbook Selection for Fall 2024 Form. 

How to use the form:

1. Type in your name.

2. List the courses/sections you're scheduled to teach (include a note about First Day Access if needed).

3. Choose texts for your scheduled courses from the dropdown options.  

   • Ignore the dropdown options for courses that you are not scheduled to teach; no response is required.  

   • If you need to review review textbook options and ISBNs, here's the CLS Textbook List.

4. Include any notes that will help us assign the correct texts.

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Call for Classroom Photos, ASAP

Feeling refreshed after spring break? Glowing with the possibility of these last 8 weeks of the semester? Now is the perfect time to ask students or colleagues to snap a quick pic of you in the classroom, so we can use it in the CLS Profile.  

We're looking for pictures of 

• YOU in all your teaching glory

• classroom activities/materials (whiteboard notes, in-class activities, props)

Important: you and any students that appear in the pictures need to sign ACC's Photo Consent form

We need pictures as soon as possible! Upload pictures to Classroom Shots Drive

(Seriously, though--candid shots are the BEST! And, I want to reiterate--anyone teaching for CLS should consider It. Y'all are absolutely LOVELY!)

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Coming Soon: Become a Faculty Advisor for Composition and Literary Studies/English Major

Adjuncts, be on the lookout for an opportunity to apply for an hourly joba as a Faculty Advisor. The work is about 5-10 hours per week. More details coming later this month from Sharon Goh.

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Major developments for our English majors!

Eli Ryder, Theo Yurevitch, Alana King and the rest of the Revitalizing the Major crew have been hard at work on a new English Degree Audit Form. This form allows anyone--you, me, the student, English-major curious folk--to audit a student's transcript and help them see how close they are to becoming an English AA.  Students can take the completed audit to their advisor. This Is totally optional and voluntary--so not a new requirement, but a really great way to get more students drinking our proverbial Kool Aid. 

Please take a peek--I've given It a try myself, and the student I worked with had NO IDEA that he was 6 courses away from his English AA. We are psyched to get more students Into our major, and COMPLETING their degree--because that's part of the new Texas House Bill that helps fund community colleges and because English majors are so very cool, well-adjusted, and successful. (Read the Norton 2022 Survey English Majors Report for evidence of that claim.) (Also, you might have noticed the on-campus literature classes have been cut over the last decade; every English major must take 3 literature classes. The more majors we have, the more demand for lit sections. EVERYONE WINS.) (Sorry for the all caps.)

Below you will see a fillable form and two videos that help you figure out how to access a student's transcript and fill out the form. 

English Degree Audit Form

How to Access Student Transcripts - YouTube Video

The English Degree Audit Form - YouTube Video

Wait, there's more! Here's  the first English Major Newsletter! 

English Major Newsletter March 26, 2024

And even MORE!!!

Sigma Kappa Delta, English Honors Society at ACC

We even have English Major Swag--tote bags and tee shirts and so on!

And for our graduating majors, we'll be hosting Close the Book, Your Done, a cookie party, May 3, 2024, 2-4 PM, in the Paseo at HLC. More on that soon!

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Please Promote: Student Submissions to Hothouse, Deadline April 7

We're happy to announce that the official literary journal of The University of Texas at Austin’s Department of English, Hothouse, is accepting submissions for the Spring 2024 print edition! This year, we will be reviewing submissions from all undergraduate students in Texas. These works can be in the categories of prose, poetry, or nonfiction.

Though we accept submissions on a rolling basis, you must submit your work by April 7th, 2024 to be considered for the print journal.

If you would like to review the full guidelines, including how to format your writing, you can find them on the Hothouse website.

If you have any questions about the submission process, feel free to contact us at uthothouse.editor@gmail.com.

We look forward to reviewing your submissions!

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INRW Co-req Registration form (Summer 24)

Registration for Summer 24 starts on April 1. 

Students with 0-14 credit hrs AND who require an INRW coreq can register for co-reqs on Friday April 5.

If a student contacts faculty requesting enrollment in their coreq, please provide this link: Summer 24 Coreq Registration Form

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Prepare for the ☀ Solar Eclipse ☀ April 8 

As the April 8 total solar eclipse gets closer, please make sure that you have a plan for your classes as well as your general well-being.  

Currently, ACC is remaining open on April 8, but the CLS department encourages faculty to consider switching to virtual classes for the day and delaying any major assessment or in-class projects (or extending the due date) since students may have difficulty getting to class on time due to traffic. In addition, if your DLS or face to face class corresponds with the timing of the eclipse, you could consider a break in the classwork to encourage students to experience this event. (Remind them to use special glasses and not to look directly at the sun.)

Here's additional information to help you make a plan:

• Many ISDs in our area have decided to close, which affects our students and their dependents.  If you teach on a high school campus or have ECHS students in your ACC classrooms, please verify the ISD's plans for the eclipse.  Additionally, keep in mind that school closures can affect parents and caregivers. This KUT.org article includes a list of ISDs that are cancelling classes on April 8.   

• Travis County is preparing for increased traffic and encouraging residents to have a plan in case of emergency; find tips and info at Eclipse|AustinTexas.gov.  Travis County has also declared a state of emergency, which means "Travis County can take actions necessary to protect the health, safety and welfare of residents and visitors and position itself for aid and assistance as needed." (Read more at KXAN)

• According to Visit Austin:  "The eclipse will be visible throughout the Hill Country from 1:32 pm - 1:41 pm CST on April 8, 2024. Austin locals and visitors will experience about 1 minute and 46 seconds of the total solar eclipse at 1:36 pm CST." The entire eclipse takes about 2 hours.

• ACC students and employees can pick up solar glasses 😎 at any ACC campus Student Life Office on Monday April 1.  You will need your ACC ID.  Limit three per person. 

And do be careful!!!!!

"These late eclipses in the sun and moon portend no good to us. Though the wisdom of nature can reason it thus and thus, yet nature finds itself scourged by the sequent effects. Love cools, friendship falls off, brothers divide; in cities, mutinies; in countries, discord; in palaces, treason; and the bond cracked ‘twixt son and father." Gloucester, King Lear

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Romeo and Juliet at Curtain Theater, April 5-27

The Baron's Men present William Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet at the Curtain Theater.  

Learn about the venue and get tickets here: Tickets for Romeo and Juliet (Regular tickets $25; Student and Senior tickets $22)

Wednesday April 17 is Education Night; student tickets are $15 (email info@thebaronsmen.org for Education Night tickets)