As far as I know, it's the same process. You need to apply through Jenny either way, though. She'll have the info you need. And you should let her know ASAP if you plan on going, so she can reserve funds (if they're still available).

Hope this helps!

I was wondering, does the English Department have a separate process for financial assistance toward travel for conferences? I know the Graduate School has a Graduate Travel Grant or something, university-wide, but does English provide additional funds? If so, what is the process?

Thanks! Take care,
hari :-)

I've been open to jobs outside of academia for a while. At first this openness was just my coping mechanism for the barrage of statistics and information about the terrible job prospects I'd inevitably face. But I've been thinking more recently about my career goals and how I can pursue my interests and commitments in other fields. I'd like to read this book to think more specifically about it.

One delightful thing about jobs outside of academia: they don't want 700 pieces of paper merely to apply - no teaching statement, no three letters of rec, no dissertation abstract. Short cover letter and CV is all they want to see.

There's a yearly fee for belonging to Interfolio, but it's certainly no more than you would pay for all the mailings that you would send out, and Interfolio does that for you.

I don't know if the old dossier service will still be staffed, or where they will be; they have a lot of previously opened files that are still active, but they are not accepting any new files as of July 2010.

Also, when it comes to recommendation letters, it helps tremendously to have someone who can speak to your teaching skills. Talk to an advisor or a professor that you TA for; see if they would be willing to observe you several times over the course of a term. Get them to talk about your teaching strengths in their letter; it's something that can be extremely helpful in securing a job.

You'll need copies of your transcripts to send to some schools; obtain several offical copies from your undregraduate and graduate institutions so you can send them to the schools that ask for them.

Make sure that your CV is as up-to-date as possible; if you do a conference over the summer, make sure that you put the presentation on your CV before you send it out! Joe Black is also an excellent resoruce for editing CVs; he will help you streamline your CV so that it is quick to read.

Don't discount postdoctoral fellowships! They often pay really well and can be a good CV builder, as well as a good way to earn income while looking for a tenure-track position. There are some excellent ones out there. Just keep in mind that postdocs often ask for a lot more material than regular jobs, so you want to start on those applications even earlier. Postings for postdocs are often up in August and have a deadline of early October.

If you are interested in these jobs, please send your cover letter and resume to ude.ssamu.darg|ofni-ssg#ude.ssamu.darg|ofni-ssg; please put "GSS Staff Application from XX" (XX is your name) as your email title. If you have further questions about the jobs, please send an email to me at ude.ssamu.darg|serp-ssg#ude.ssamu.darg|serp-ssg

The deadline of application is April 19th 5pm. The GSS hiring committee will send interview notifications in one week after the deadline.

Below are the job descriptions for those positions:

Office Manager (15 hours)
1. Maintain the GSS office under the direction of the elected officers
2. Maintain and update the GSS website and GSS database
3. Schedule meeting and events for GSS
4. Work 15 hours per week in GSS office front desk and manage the work study students
5. Other duties specified by the elected officers

Organizer (15 hours)
1. Mobilize and organize graduate students under the direction of the executive committee
2. Hold weekly organizing meeting with active students and senators
3. Weekly report to the executive committee on current issues that GSS may work on
4. Maintain regular officer hours and serves on a variety of committees as designated by the executive committee
5. Attend all GSS senator/general meetings and staff meetings
6. Other duties specified by the elected officers

Graduate Women’s Network Coordinator (15 hours)
1. Organize female graduate students under the direction of the executive committee in collaboration with Everywoman Center, along the principles to provide leadership in promoting educational access and equity for women, to empower women to take full control of their lives and to strengthen the connections among women.
2. Monthly gathering for female graduate students in forms of workshops, lectures, etc.
3. Monthly report to the executive committee on the issues concerned by female graduate students.
4. Maintain regular officer hours and serves on a variety of committees as designated by the executive committee
5. Attend all GSS senator/general meetings and staff meetings
6. Other duties specified by the elected officers

VOICE Editor (15 hours)
1. Planning, conducting, and supervising all phases of production and distribution of VOICE under the direction of the executive committee
2. Release at least 5 issues of VOICE in one academic year
3. Chair the editorial board and organize meetings
4. Take GSS staff meeting and senator/general meeting notes
5. Maintain regular officer hours and serves on a variety of committees as designated by the executive committee
6. Attend all GSS senator/general meetings and staff meetings
7. Other duties specified by the elected officers

Every year GEO must conduct orientations for 800-1,000 incoming graduate assistants. These orientations are vital in educating new members about their union and encouraging them to become active participants. Additionally, most departments allow GEO to participate in their own orientations for incoming graduate students. The Orientations Coordinator has primary responsibility for organizing these orientations and ensuring that they are positive, efficient, and informative.

Strong preference will be given to GEO members that have previous GEO experience, including active participation with campaigns and committees. All current graduate students are eligible to apply. Applicants should be committed to the general principles of social justice and collective action.

Specific duties include, but are not limited to:

1. Writing and sending a letter to all incoming graduate students explaining GEO's role on campus.

2. Preparing educational materials such as the Membership Guide and the talking tips for the orientations in coordination with the Summer Organizer.

3. Recruiting and training volunteers as necessary to conduct orientations.

4. Developing knowledge of the GEO contract, grievance procedures and other union issues likely to concern new graduate student employees.

5. Corresponding with the Graduate School and individual departments to coordinate the times and places of various orientations across campus.

The Summer Orientations Coordinator should thus have strong interpersonal skills, a strong sense of follow-through, and should be a proficient writer and public speaker.

All employees are expected to devote a portion of their paid working hours to office management tasks (i.e., holding office hours, answering phones, taking messages, in-taking grievances, greeting members, etc.) and to attend meetings as required, including regular staff meetings. Some night and weekend hours may be required. All GEO employees should also demonstrate a willingness to work towards the union’s collective goals and a commitment to being a part of an organization that is fighting for progressive change on the UMass campus and beyond.

This position is for 10 hours a week for 6 weeks from August 1st, 2010 to September 15, 2010, or for an equivalent number of hours as determined by a decision reached by GEO leadership in consultation with the Summer Orientations Coordinator. The salary is the same as the average campus-wide stipend. GEO/UAW Local 2322 will provide training. People of color and women are encouraged to apply. In some cases, funding for these positions will come from UAW Local 2322. In those cases, applicants must legally qualify for an internship with a non-university organization (UAW Local 2322). This position is dependent on approval from the Steward’s Assembly.

In order to apply, please submit:

* A resume.
* A cover letter stating the reasons you are interested in the position and your qualifications.
* A completed GEO Staff Application Form (see here).
* Be prepared to bring proof of your student status to your interview (e.g. a letter from your GPD confirming your status).

Applications should be emailed to gro.wauoeg|gnirih#gro.wauoeg|gnirih by 5pm on Friday, April 9th, 2010. Please indicate which position you are applying for in the subject line of the email.

Giant Bicycle from the 1990s
It's a 56-58 — would fit a 5'8"-5'10" rider
Carbon with aluminum joints and dropouts
Tube shifters
Black, with amazing new black handlebar tape

I'm asking $30, the cost of the tape and some other repairs that I've made.

Email lstorey(at)english(dot)umass(dot)edu with questions or to take a look.

If you don’t sign up by July 31st, you will not have August coverage. If you receive treatment in August, you will have to pay out of pocket and apply for reimbursement later.

2009 Upcoming Dates:
July 31st: Spring 2009 insurance ends.
Sept. 21st: Last day to enroll in health insurance for Fall 2009.

Click the links below to view the job descriptions:

* Campaign Coordinator
* Voice Newspaper Editor
* Graduate Women's Network Coordinator

Applications, consisting of a cover letter, resume, and references, can be submitted in two ways:

* Emailed to ude.ssamu.darg|ofni-ssg#ude.ssamu.darg|ofni-ssg, with the subject "Staff Application"
* Mailed to "Staff Application", 919 Campus Center, 1 Campus Center Way, Amherst, MA 01003-9243

The application deadline is Wednesday May 13, 2008.

Come join the English Grad Organization for a social at the Harp in Amherst! Be there at 7:30 for chat and drinks. Stay for Trivia Night at 9.
http://www.theharp.net

Come join the English Grad Organization for a social at the Harp in Amherst! Be there at 7:30 for chat and drinks. Stay for Trivia Night at 9.
http://www.theharp.net

Tuesday, March 10th
4pm
Bartlett 256

We'll be talking about electing co-chairs, funding, and more. You can email any agenda suggestions moc.liamg|ogessamu#ereh.

See you then!

The submission deadline for the English Graduate Conference is THURSDAY, JANUARY 15th.
Send submissions to: moc.liamg|fnocgnessamu#moc.liamg|fnocgnessamu
Conference Website: http://people.umass.edu/aegarner/index.html

Locating Public(s) is an interdisciplinary conference for Graduate Students to be held April 4, 2009 at The University of Massachusetts, Amherst.

The conception of the Public (or Publics) has been contested in historical, social, and political arenas within the various discourses of language and culture. Although, arguably, the public and its space have been a subject of investigation since antiquity, recent scholarship has reconceived earlier definitions in light of contemporary political shifts and the increasingly invasive presence of media and technology into the private sphere. By examining notions of the public, we hope to revisit this concept within a contemporary framework. What are the forms of the public and what issues are raised by its problematic definition? Is the dichotomy between public and private a dated conception? How can inquiries into the public inform our notions of other fields that require the public and publicity for their operation?

In addressing the need for a current and expanded conversation about the public that exceeds disciplinary boundaries, this conference aims to create a space for graduate and professional students from various fields within the Humanities to engage in dialogue, learn from interdisciplinary perspectives, make connections, and share in our investigation of the public and its bearings on our own work and lives.

POSSIBLE TOPICS AND POINTS OF ENTRY:

* Collective Memory of Cultures, Nations
* (Re)Defining the Public
* Film and the Public
* Nationalism and the Public
* Transnational and Global Public Issues
* Defining the Public within diaspora Studies
* National Trauma and Public Spaces
* Public Rituals and Customs
* History and the Public
* Gender Studies and the Public
* Authorship and Audience
* Readership and Consumption of Texts
* The duality of the author, persons and personas
* Literature and the Public
* Public Reception of the Fine Arts
* The Subject and the Public
* Public Discourses
* Public and Private Politics
* Identity and Public Spaces
* Technology and Public Issues

WAYS TO PARTICIPATE:

* Participate as part of a Proposed Panel*
* Present an Individual Paper
* Present a Performance or Creative Piece
* Serve as a Moderator on a Panel of Presentations

*Please be aware that in proposing a panel, the panel’s allotted time is 75-90 minutes including any audience questions and discussions. Panels should be made up of three to four presenters with a cohesive theme for their papers.

Please send your submission materials by email or email-attachment to the Conference Committee no later than Thursday, January 15, 2009.

We will accept three different types of submissions:

1) Individual papers: please submit an abstract of 250-300 words, including your name and institution.

2) Panels: please submit information for an entire panel of presentations (3-4 presenters). This information should include abstracts of all presentations, an abstract of the panel itself, title of the panel, and presenter information (name, institution, and contact info). If you are forming your own panel, you have the option of providing your own chair.

3) Creative Presentations/Panels: we also accept submission of creative works, including creative writing, visual art, and dramatic performance.

For individual papers or creative presentations, the conference committee will work to place you with other papers dealing with similar goals/issues. All panels will run 75-90 minutes in length, meaning that presentations should run no longer than 15 minutes in order to allow 30 minutes for questions. Time restraints for presentations within creative panels will be more flexible and will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

Summer teaching positions with the Institute offer the opportunity to:

* Earn more than $6000 during the summer. Teachers typically earn
between $525 and $700 per week while teaching.
* Gain over 500 hours of teacher-training and teaching experience
with a variety of age groups.
* Help students of all ages develop their reading skills and ability
to become imaginatively absorbed in books.

The Institute is an educational service provider that teaches
developmental reading programs in partnership with the continuing
education departments of more than 100 colleges and universities across
the United States. Our classes for students of all ages improve their
reading skills and teach them to experience absorption in literature.

We hire people who:

· Have strong reading skills and read for pleasure

· Have a bachelor's degree in any discipline

· Are responsible and hard working

· Have good communication and organization skills

· Will be patient and supportive with students

· Have regular access to a reliable car

We welcome you to submit an on-line application and learn more about
teaching for the Institute at our website:

http://www.readingprograms.org/teachingjobs
<http://cl.exct.net/?qs=1befcbc32ed6a1a2db421e7ca4fe60a39a903f5fcd4caac2ce7064dcf3ea2c64>

If this address does not work when you click on it, please copy and
paste it into your browser.

GEO is now Hiring For the Following Staff Positions:

GEO ORGANIZER—COMMITTEE COORDINATOR (20 hrs. Spring 2009)
GEO ORGANIZER—CONTRACT CAMPAIGN ORGANIZER (10 hrs. Spring 2009)
GEO ORGANIZER—DEPARTMENT MEETING COORDINATOR (10 hrs. Spring 2009)

Application due in the GEO Office 201 Student Union December 5, 2008 by 4 PM

GEO staff positions give you the benefits of being a GEO member with a full assistantship (stipend at the average GEO rate, healthcare and a tuition waiver).

Go to: http://www.geouaw.org to apply!

Also, stay posted next semester for Summer and 2009-10 positions.

Vermont! Stowe is supposed to be incredible. Killington is enormous. Stratton is expensive. Mount Snow is cool I hear. Keep me posted!!

If you would like to join in for a weekend of snow-related activities (which does include curling up by the fire with potent form of hot chocolate) during January or February, sound off here, or send an email to lisha: lstorey(at)english.umass.edu.

Also, post your recommendations and ideas for places to stay.

We could even change this thread to encompass snow sports in general, so people looking for rides to mountains can hook up and head out.

All graduate students, staff, faculty and their spouses or partners are invited!

Please RSVP
ude.ssamu.hsilgne|eramluac#tpeD hsilgnE