Dear Graduate Students,
We hope your first days of the fall semester are going as smoothly as
possible. Please read on for some QC
<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/community/Coronavirus/Pages/Default.aspx> and CUNY
<https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/> pandemic-related updates. We know all
this changing info can be frustrating and anxiety-inducing, but we'll
continue doing our best to be flexible and kind and gentle with ourselves
and each other, in hopes of having the best possible semester.
VACCINATION VERIFICATION BY 9/27
Following the FDA's full approval of the Pfizer vaccine on August 23, 2021,
all students attending in-person or hybrid classes during the Fall 2021
semester must now be fully vaccinated and have uploaded proof of
vaccination through CUNYfirst by *Monday, September 27, 2021*. We've heard
from the QC administration that *any student who isn't fully vaccinated by
October 7 at the latest* (or who doesn't have a rare official exemption)
will be dropped from their classes and still expected to pay tuition.
If you haven't yet uploaded your proof of vaccination on CUNYfirst, check
out this TikTok video on “How to upload your Vaccine Verification to CUNY”
from *The Knight News* <https://youtu.be/BsagF0x30IU>. Even if you're still
fully online this semester, we recommend taking care of this now so you
don't have to worry about it in the future.
FALL 2021 COURSES
If you are taking a hybrid or in-person course this semester, please be
patient as faculty await official approval to safely begin meeting on
campus in their assigned classrooms. QC has to go through and clear every
classroom to ensure there's adequate space for social distancing until all
vaccination/testing verifications have been submitted, which means it's
possible that classes will not be able to meet in person till after October
7. In any case, please wait for your professors to notify you about if/when
you'll be meeting on campus. If your professors are not communicating with
you about when and where you're meeting, please let us know and we'll
follow up.
A reminder that the last day to register for classes is tomorrow, *Tuesday,
August 31*. If you enroll in a course last minute, we suggest emailing your
professor <http://english.qc.cuny.edu/people/officehours/> to let them know
and kindly request how to access their class. We do not recommend enrolling
in a course if you've already missed the first day, unless you have the
professor's approval.
ENGLISH MA ADVISING WORKSHEET
In our previous email, we forgot to share the *English MA Advising
Worksheet* (attached here), which you can use to keep track of your program
requirements.
As always, please email us both if you have any questions or need advising
or support. And please continue staying safe and taking care!
Best,
Caroline & Hillary, your Directors of Graduate Studies in English
--
Dr. Caroline Kyungah Hong
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 9am–5pm, generally within 1–2
business days.
Dear Graduate Students,
Fall 2021 officially begins next *Wednesday, August 25*. Even as the
pandemic continues to pose many hardships and challenges, we look forward
to another semester of learning and being in community together, whether
virtually or in-person. As always, Hillary and I are here to support you as
best we can, so please don't hesitate to email us both if you have any
questions or need advising.
Please read carefully through these important beginning-of-the-semester
announcements (attached and pasted below). We know you’re being inundated
with emails about campus reopening, but it’s necessary to read them all
closely, as QC and CUNY policies and procedures continue to evolve.
FYI, for info and policies specific to the English MA program, please see
our most recent handbook, attached here. For info regarding QC's general
academic policies and procedures, please consult the Handbook for Graduate
Students
<https://www.qc.cuny.edu/Academics/GradStudies/Documents/Graduate-Handbook.p…>
.
Hope you and yours are staying safe and taking care and that you're
enjoying this last week of summer break, all things considered.
Best,
Caroline & Hillary, your Directors of Graduate Studies in English
--
Dr. Caroline Kyungah Hong
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 9am–5pm, generally within 1–2
business days.
--
*QC English MA Program*
*Fall 2021 Announcements*
*ACADEMIC CALENDAR*
The Fall 2021 semester begins on *Wednesday, August 25*. You can find the
QC academic calendar with important dates and deadlines at
https://www.qc.cuny.edu/pages/calendar.aspx and the CUNY-wide calendar at
https://www.cuny.edu/academics/academic-calendars/.
The last day to DROP classes for a 100% tuition refund is *Tuesday, August
24*. The last day to ADD classes is *Tuesday, August 31*.
Other important dates to keep in mind:
§ There are *no classes* scheduled on the following dates:
o *Friday, September 3–Wednesday, September 8* (Rosh Hashanah and Labor
Day)
o *Wednesday, September 15–Thursday, September 16* (Yom Kippur)
o *Monday, October 11* (Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Columbus Day)
o *Thursday, November 25–Sunday, November 28* (Thanksgiving weekend)
§ For students planning to graduate Fall 2021, the deadline to file for
graduation via your CUNYfirst Student Center is *November 1*.
§ The last day of classes (and the last day to drop a course with a W
grade) is *Monday, December 13*, and the Fall 2021 semester officially ends
on December 21.
*FALL 2021 ADVISING*
Due to the pandemic, we will continue advising virtually this semester. If
you have any questions or need help, please email BOTH of us to ensure the
quickest possible response.
Prof. Caroline Hong, Director of Graduate Studies (English MA)
Email: caroline.hong(a)qc.cuny.edu
Fall 2021 office hours: by email and by appointment via Zoom
Prof. Hillary Miller, Assistant Director of Graduate Studies
Email: hillary.miller(a)qc.cuny.edu
Fall 2021 office hours: Wednesdays 11am–12pm and by appointment via Zoom;
by email
Email is the easiest and fastest way to reach us, but if you would like to
request a virtual appointment (via Zoom or Google Meet), please email us
with your availability and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Please be sure to check your QC email regularly (or set up forwarding to
your primary email), as the College and your professors may be
communicating with you that way. For routine inquiries (e.g., for faculty
contact info), please consult the English Department website at
http://english.qc.cuny.edu/ or contact the English Department Office (
english(a)qc.cuny.edu)
*CHECK (AND DOUBLE-CHECK) YOUR SCHEDULE*
Before the semester begins, please take a moment to log-in to your
CUNYfirst account and check that you’re registered for your courses. If for
some reason your registration has been canceled by the Bursar, or if you’re
registered for the wrong courses, it’s much easier to sort out any issues
if they’re caught before the semester begins.
For Fall 2021, most of our English MA courses will be taught online
synchronously, with a few courses designated as hybrid (meaning they will
sometimes meet in-person). When you check your schedule, please confirm the
instruction modes for your courses. Note that, regardless of whether a
course is designated as fully online or hybrid, *ALL QC classes will meet
virtually on the first day*. If, by the first day of the semester, you
haven’t yet heard from your professors about how to join and access their
classes, please email them to request this information. Faculty contact
info can be found on the department website at
http://english.qc.cuny.edu/people/.
*ADDING A COURSE AND REQUESTING AN OVERTALLY*
If you are looking to add a fall course, there are still several classes
with open seats, including ENGL 722, 724, 729, 781-03, and 781-04. Please
review the updated course descriptions (see attached) and confirm current
availability by checking the Schedule of Classes on CUNYfirst.
If you wish to overtally into a course that is already closed, please email
the professor and ask for their permission to overtally and/or to be placed
on the class waiting list. Please keep in mind that instructors have no
obligation to overtally you into classes once they’re full and that all
instructor decisions are final.
*VACCINATION VERIFICATION, TESTING, AND MASKING*
A reminder that all CUNY students taking in-person or hybrid classes in
Fall 2021 are required to be fully vaccinated, unless they’ve been granted
a medical or religious exemption. If you haven’t already, please be
sure to *upload
your proof of vaccination to CUNYfirst* and *set up your Everbridge VaxPass*
in order to have access to campus (see attached instructions).
If you are unvaccinated or have not yet uploaded proof of vaccination to
CUNYfirst, you should receive an email from Cleared4.org about how to
enroll in the testing program (see testing FAQs at
https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/covid-19-testing-program-facultyandstaff-f…)
Unvaccinated students will need to get tested by Monday, August 23, in
order to access campus on the first day of classes.
Please also keep in mind that, for now, *everyone is required to wear a
mask* indoors on campus, regardless of vaccination status, except when
briefly eating or drinking while maintaining social distancing. Everyone is
also required to mask outdoors on campus when unable to maintain social
distancing.
All of the above was outlined in a recent email from the CUNY Chancellor,
which you can read at
https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/university-updates/urgent-info-on-testing-….
Please note that pandemic-related policies and procedures may continue to
evolve, so be sure to check your QC email address regularly for updates and
important announcements. Up-to-date pandemic-related info for CUNY can also
be found at https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/.
*QC HUB*
The QC Hub is a centralized location where you can get answers to questions
or resolve any issues related to financial aid, registration, student
records, and other bureaucratic matters. You can reach them via email at
QCHub(a)qc.cuny.edu or live-chat with them by clicking on the “Live Support!”
link at https://www.qc.cuny.edu/registrar/Pages/Welcome.aspx. If you
contact the QC Hub and don’t get a response within a week, please let us
know so we can follow up.
*INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES (ITS)*
If you experience any online account issues or other tech-related problems,
please contact ITS for help (
https://www.qc.cuny.edu/computing/Pages/New.aspx) You can request an
on-campus appointment at https://bit.ly/ITS_ServiceDesk, live chat with
them via their website above, submit a ticket at https://support.qc.cuny.edu,
call them at 718-997-4444, or email them at support(a)qc.cuny.edu. You can
also find some common student tech issues and solutions at
https://support.qc.cuny.edu/support/solutions/15000043651.
*QCARD*
The QCard is your official QC student ID, and you will need it to gain
access throughout campus. If you don’t already have a QCard, you can find
info on how to obtain one at
https://www.qc.cuny.edu/StudentLife/services/online/qcard/Pages/gettingyour…
and book an appointment to get your card at
https://bit.ly/QCard_Appointments.
*ROSENTHAL LIBRARY AND ZOOM ZONES*
Rosenthal Library (https://library.qc.cuny.edu/) is open by appointment
only. There are also designated areas in the library for studying and for
joining online classes. As these spaces are limited, we suggest making
reservations ASAP at https://qc-cuny.libcal.com/r/new.
