Dear Graduate Students, Happy official start of Spring 2022! Here are a few more announcements and updates: QC ENGLISH WEBSITE ISSUES FYI, you may have heard that Qwriting (the Wordpress platform that QC has used for many years) is being shut down on very little notice, which affects many QC departments and offices who use it for their websites (including English), as well as many instructors who have used it to teach. Until we're able to set up a new English Department website, you can find some basic info here <https://qcenglish.commons.gc.cuny.edu/>, including faculty contact info <https://qcenglish.commons.gc.cuny.edu/people/>. They haven't added any MA program info yet, but we hope to have some up soon. FIRST WEEK OF CLASSES Hopefully by now you've heard from your professors about how/where to join your classes next week, whether online or in-person. Out of an abundance of caution, some (but not all) in-person classes are starting next week online. If you haven't yet heard from a professor via email or Blackboard and want to confirm how/where you'll be meeting, you might reach out to them by email (see contact info link above). CAMPUS ACCESS Those of you taking in-person courses should already know that you need to tap your QCard to enter campus. If you are going to be on campus this semester, please try to arrive early at the Main Gate on Kissena Blvd., at least for the first few weeks, dress warmly in case you have to wait outside, and be patient. We've been hearing some reports of lines outside Public Safety for students and faculty who are trying to get their QCards, parking permits, and access issues sorted, and it may take a few weeks for things to settle down. Keep in mind also that, if you are selected for random COVID testing (notifications will be sent to your QC email from Cleared4), you must go to the campus testing site in the Faculty and Staff Lounge in the Student Union ASAP. If you do not test within the required time frame, your campus access will be revoked until you do. ZOOM ZONES If you have to be on campus but also need to Zoom into an online class, you can use one of the Zoom Zones in the Rosenthal Library (4th floor: 408-415, 421-441; 5th floor: 506-513, 515-521, 528-539; ADA-compliant rooms: 418-419, 522, 523). Those rooms are first come, first served, and you'll need to tap your QCard to enter the library. The library will be open 7 days a week <https://library.qc.cuny.edu/hours/> starting next week, including until 10pm Mondays through Thursdays. BOOSTER REQUIREMENT Per CUNY policy <https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/>, all students taking in-person or hybrid classes this semester who are eligible for the booster on January 28 must upload proof of receiving a booster to CUNYfirst by *March 1* (or by 30 days after you become eligible, if that date is after January 28). This involves submitting an updated copy of your vaccine record that includes the booster (see instructions on how to do this here <https://cunyithelp.cuny.edu/sp?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0012414&sys_kb_id=8837c4341b8dc1906f9821be6e4bcb53> or in this video <https://youtu.be/0E-JXIkgSN8>.) Please note that students will not be dropped from spring courses if they do not submit their booster info, BUT you will not be able to register for Summer or Fall 2022 courses until you do. HOW TO REPORT COVID EXPOSURE If at any point during the semester you are exposed to or test positive for COVID, please stay home, let your professors know, and report it using this form <https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=s_BgbwZfCU6XFZiduozH2KHkFXOsVs5Mmpwk8WUtYDtURTlQUjdJQTNQUjZXNjVJNThKSEdFRzNGUy4u>. If you have trouble with the form, you can also email William Graffeo, the QC Coronavirus Campus Coordinator and Director of Environmental Health & Safety, at William.Graffeo@qc.cuny.edu. This allows QC to keep track of exposures/cases and ultimately helps keep our community safer. They will respond to your form/email with instructions and info re: when you can safely return to campus. WHO TO CONTACT FOR HELP WITH... - Issues with vaccine verification or campus access: Jennifer Jarvis, Interim Vice President for Student Affairs (VPSA@qc.cuny.edu) - Tech or online account issues: ITS <https://www.qc.cuny.edu/computing/Pages/New.aspx> (support@qc.cuny.edu) - Facilities issues (e.g., cleaning, ventilation, bathrooms): Buildings & Grounds (718-997-3520, bngweb@qc.cuny.edu) - Public Safety (718-997-5912 or 718-997-5911, anastasia.koutsidis@qc.cuny.edu) JOIN THE 2022 GRAD CONFERENCE COMMITTEE! In happier news, we are very excited to start planning our annual QC English Graduate Conference, which usually takes place in April and will likely be virtual again this year. Last year's virtual conference <http://englishconference.social.qwriting.qc.cuny.edu/> was a blast, and we would love for students to join us in planning this year's conference! The committee won't be a ton of work but will likely involve a few Zoom meetings as we come up with a theme, draft a CFP, decide on submissions, and organize panels and other activities. Please email us if you'd like to volunteer for the committee and/or if you have any suggestions. SCHOLARLY PUBLISHING OPPORTUNITY If you're interested in submitting your scholarly work for publication, check out *Beyond the Margins: A Journal of Graduate Literary Scholarship <https://scholarworks.uno.edu/beyondthemarginsjournal/>*. Their 2022 CFP can be found here <https://scholarworks.uno.edu/beyondthemarginsjournal/BtM-CFP-2022.pdf>, and they are currently accepting submissions through February 14. We will continue to share any updates as we get them. And as always, please reach out if you have questions or need any support or advising. In the meantime, good luck with the start of the semester! Best, Caroline and 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. On Wed, Jan 19, 2022 at 12:36 PM Caroline K. Hong <caroline.hong@qc.cuny.edu> wrote:
Dear Graduate Students,
Spring 2022 officially begins next *Friday, January 28*, which means most of you will start classes the first week of February. Please read carefully through these important beginning-of-the-semester announcements, attached and pasted below.
FYI, for more info and policies specific to our English MA program, please consult our most recent handbook, also attached here.
Even as we continue to struggle through the pandemic, we are looking 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.
Best, Caroline and 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*
*Spring 2022 Announcements*
*ACADEMIC CALENDAR*
The Spring 2022 semester officially begins on *Friday, January 28*. You can find the Queens College academic calendar with important dates and deadlines at https://www.qc.cuny.edu/pages/calendar.aspx and the CUNY-wide academic calendar at https://www.cuny.edu/academics/academic-calendars/.
Please note that the last day to DROP classes for a 100% tuition refund is *Thursday, January 27*. The last day to ADD classes is *Thursday, February 3*.
Other important dates to keep in mind:
§ *Tuesday, February 8* follows a Friday schedule
§ There are *no classes* scheduled on *Monday, February 21* (President’s Day) and *Friday, April 15 – Friday, April 22* (Spring Recess).
§ For students planning to graduate Spring 2022, the deadline to file for graduation via your CUNYfirst Student Center is *March 1*. (Details re: the graduation ceremony will be announced later in the semester.)
§ The last day of classes (and the last day to drop a course with a W grade) is *Tuesday, May 17*, and the Spring 2022 semester officially ends on May 24.
We will continue to communicate any updates from QC and CUNY re: the spring semester via the MA listserv <https://lists.qc.cuny.edu/mailman/listinfo/maenglish>.
*SPRING 2022 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@qc.cuny.edu
Spring 2022 office hours: by email and by appointment via Zoom
Prof. Hillary Miller, Assistant Director of Graduate Studies
Email: hillary.miller@qc.cuny.edu
Spring 2022 office hours: by email and by appointment via Zoom
Email is the easiest and fastest way to reach us, but if you would like to request a virtual appointment, please email us with your availability and we will do our best to accommodate you.
Please be sure to check your QC email regularly (and also add any other primary email addresses to your CUNYfirst account), 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@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.
In Spring 2022 (and likely going forward), some of our English MA courses will be taught in-person and some will be taught online. When you check your schedule, please double-check the instruction modes for your courses. Please note that ENGL 636 and 720 have changed their modes of instruction to online.
If you’re taking an in-person course, please confirm your classroom location the day of your first meeting, as classrooms can sometimes be changed at the last minute. Also note that, out of an abundance of caution, some in-person courses may meet online temporarily at the start of the semester. If this is the case, professors will communicate with students in advance, so please be sure to check your QC email regularly for any updates.
If you’re taking an online course, your professor will communicate how to join and access their class. If you don’t hear from them by the first day of the semester, please email them directly to request this info. Faculty emails 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 spring course, there are still several classes with open seats, including ENGL 681, 701, 702, 720, 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 AND MASKING*
A reminder that all CUNY students taking in-person or hybrid classes in Spring 2022 are required to be fully vaccinated and to get a booster once eligible (5 months after Pfizer or Moderna or 2 months after J&J), unless they’ve been granted a medical or religious exemption. If you haven’t already, please be sure to *upload your proof of vaccination and booster to CUNYfirst*.
Please also keep in mind that everyone is still *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 still required to mask outdoors on campus when unable to maintain social distancing.
Please note that pandemic-related policies and procedures may continue to evolve so, again, be sure to check your QC email regularly for updates and important announcements. Up-to-date COVID-related info and guidelines for CUNY can be found at https://www.cuny.edu/coronavirus/ and for QC at https://www.qc.cuny.edu/community/Coronavirus/Pages/Default.aspx. You can also find resources via the QC Provost’s website at https://provost.qc.cuny.edu/.
*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@qc.cuny.edu; live-chat with them by clicking on the “Live Support!” link at https://www.qc.cuny.edu/registrar/Pages/Welcome.aspx during their open hours; or make a virtual appointment via QC Navigate at https://navigate.qc.cuny.edu/. 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 appointment with them at https://bit.ly/ITS_ServiceDesk, live chat with them via their website above during their open hours, submit a ticket at https://support.qc.cuny.edu/support/tickets/new, or email them at support@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/gettingyourc... .
*ROSENTHAL LIBRARY*
You no longer need to make an appointment to access the Rosenthal Library building but will need your QCard for entry. The QC Libraries’ in-person operations will resume on January 26, with evening hours beginning on January 31 and weekend hours beginning February 5. Visit their website ( https://library.qc.cuny.edu/) for their full schedule/hours and for help with your research (https://library.qc.cuny.edu/services/research/ask-us/).