Dear Graduate Students,
Hope you and yours are continuing to take care as best you can. Please find below a few important announcements. And as always, if you have any questions or need advising, please email both me and Bill (worchard(a)qc.cuny.edu, through August).
Black Lives Matter at QC/CUNY
In case you missed it, here is a recent statement from the QC English Department, which you can find on our department website<http://english.qc.cuny.edu/> and our department Facebook page<https://www.facebook.com/QCENGL/>:
As we grieve the murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, and countless others by the police, the English Department at Queens College condemns all forms of violence, including state-sponsored violence, that target the lives of Black Americans and other people of color. As academics who study the literature, rhetoric, and writing of different periods and peoples, we recall the words of James Baldwin, who wrote "History is not the past. It is the present. We carry our history with us. We are our history. If we pretend otherwise, we are literally criminals."
We therefore hold ourselves accountable for remembering the history of Black oppression in this country, and naming its connection to police brutality that targets Black people. We also see a direct link between the devaluing and defunding of public urban institutions of higher education, like CUNY, and state racism.
As a department, we affirm our commitment to the work of anti-racism, through our teaching, service, and research. Black lives matter.
You may also be interested in this recent op-ed by a QC professor: "How CUNY helps dismantle racism: Keep funded a vital lifeline for New Yorkers of color<https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-how-cuny-helps-dismantle-racism…>."
CR/NC Option for Spring 2020 (deadline 6/25)
A final reminder that the deadline to opt for CR/NC instead of letter grades in any or all of your courses is Thursday, June 25. You can find info and instructions on how to choose this option here<https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/credit-no-credit-policy/student-informatio…>. For English MA students, I encourage you to consider this option if you receive a letter grade lower than a B, since you need to maintain a 3.0 GPA to remain in good standing in our program. If you have questions about how this might impact your financial aid or professional certification, please contact the relevant offices or advisors.
Summer 2020 Graduation (apply by 7/01)
If you are planning to graduate this Summer 2020, the deadline to apply for graduation is coming up on Wednesday, July 1. You can apply by logging onto your CUNYfirst, going to Self Service, and clicking "Apply for Graduation" in the Academics menu. If you have any issues or questions about graduation, you can live-chat with the Registrar<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/registrar/Pages/Welcome.aspx> or email them at QCHUB(a)qc.cuny.edu.
Registering for Fall 2020 Classes
Another reminder to please register for your fall classes ASAP, if you haven't already. Courses that still have open seats include ENGL 719, 722, 781-01, and 781-04. I've attached the updated course descriptions here just in case.
Submissions for English Matters
If any of you are interested in submitting a short piece (100-150 words) for our department newsletter, English Matters, on your experiences as a student during the pandemic, please let me know and I'll pass along your contact info to the newsletter editors. The deadline for submission is July 1.
Best,
Caroline
--
Caroline Kyungah Hong, PhD
Associate Professor of English
Director of Graduate Studies (English MA)
Queens College, CUNY
she/her/hers
* Please note that I am off email on weekends and will respond to your email during business hours, Monday-Friday 8am-5pm. At this time, there may be a delay in response time.
