DRW Digital Archive

Items

• Public Letter Protesting Graduate Students' Exclusion from English Department Committees
  An open letter signed by many graduate students protesting their removal from all English Department committees
• Officials Differ on Temporary Professor Use
  Craft, Renee. "Officials Differ on Temporary Professor Use." _Daily Texan_ 4 August 1986, p. 6. Responding to a _Chronicle of Higher Ed_ report on abuses of non-tenure-track faculty, this article features two UT departments: computer science, which praises temporary professors as a way to keep new professional information in circulation, and English, where non-tenure-track faculty can be a burden. The mass firing of English lecturers is mentioned as are last year's problems in the English Department. The Department of Art is briefly mentioned. Kruppa is quoted.
• Department Plans Structure of New English Requirements
  Taylor, Suzanne. "Department Plans Structure of New English Requirements." _Daily Texan_ 9 April 1986, p. 1. This is the second of a two-article series about the changes to the English writing program. Topics discussed include: the phasing out of E 306. the test that allows students to test out of E 306 (the ECT), changes to the Writing Lab, the addition of E 309, and the place of “technical writing” instruction after E 346K has been removed. Kruppa, Faigley, Kinneavy, Bertelson, Gribben, Ruszkiwicz, and Sutherland are quoted.
• Faculty Wants Justice
  In this article, Sledd suggests that the administration of the English Department is at fault for the issues with the department's writing courses. Sledd suggests that writing instructors and professors are overworked and underpaid, and that the creation of the Department of Rhetoric would be the English department casting the issue aside.
• Does Freshman English Exist in the Universe? Or at UT?
  Cademartori, Lorraine. "Does Freshman English Exist in the Universe? Or at UT?" _Daily Texan_ 6 August 1986, p. 20C. This article explains how the changes in the English writing curriculum will affect new first-year students with information about how to test out of E 306, when the course will no longer be offered on campus, what new courses will be offered (e.g. E 309), and which have been altered or cancelled (E 316 and E 346K). The changes are attributed to budgetary cuts and a split between tenure-track faculty who don't like to teach first-year composition and lecturers who teach most of these courses.
• English Proposal Awaits Council Approval
  Taylor, Suzanne. "English Proposal Awaits Council Approval." _Daily Texan_ 8 April 1986, p. 3. This is the first of a two-part series on the new English Department Writing requirements. The article reports that E 306 will phase out by 1988, and new classes are being introduced: E 309, E 309L, E 309M, and E 309K. Kruppa is quoted. Bertelson's development of new 309 courses and Kinneavy's motion to have the writing program evaluated (17 March 1986 University Council meeting) are mentioned.
• Politics Jeopardize Writing Skills
  Goodwin, Scott. "Politics Jeopardize Writing Skills." _Daily Texan_ 2 April 1986, p. 4. This opinion article by a psychology junior argues that decisions made at the 17 March 1986 University Council decision to remove E 346K as a requirement and plans to turn E 306 into a remedial course will hard students.
• Ruszkiewicz Letter to Sutherland, 1 October 1986
  John Ruszkiewicz writes to William Sutherland (chair of English), saying he had no problem with AGSE members electing representatives to the FEPC, but he wants to raise three concerns now: (1) grad students who don’t apply to work as an Assistant Instructor consultant shouldn’t be eligible for an appointment through nomination; (2) the new procedure will allow Assistant Instructors to serve on course committees for which they did not apply; (3) there’s no reason for a representative from the graduate office to have a voice in the selection of consultants to course committees.
• Proposal to Establish DRC
  Proposal to establish the DRC on grounds of inability to resolve issues related to E 306 with English Department faculty.
• Sutherland Request to Hedrick, Kearns, Slatin to Serve on Freshman English Policy Committee, 10 March 1986
  Sutherland asks Hedrick, Kearns, and Slatin to serve on the Freshman English Policy Committee 1986-7/1987-8 to help incoming Director Bertelson.
• Bill Sutherland memo approving special assignment for Light German
  Sutherland writes to tell Ruszkiewicz that Light German’s specialist assignment has been approved for Fall 1986. Sutherland also gives Ruszkiewicz permission to withdraw from the Executive Committee election.
• John Trimble Memo to Rhetoric Interest Group, 1 April 1985
  Memo describes Fonken and King meeting/plan regarding possible creation of the Division of Rhetoric and Composition (DRC).
• King Notice of College Faculty Meeting, 8 March 1985
  Notice of faculty meeting, containing unattributed (likely John Ruszkiewicz) hand-written note discussing possible creation of DRC.
• "Breaking Our Bonds and Reaffirming Our Connections" by Maxine Hairston
  Manuscript version of Maxine Hairston's chair's address to the CCCCs.
• Maxine Hairston Summary of 21 June 1985 Meeting with Ford Foundation.
  Hairston's summary of pertinent points from meeting with Ford Foundation in New York, New York. Meeting pertained to possible grant to support writing instruction at UT Austin.
• Maxine Hairston Letter to Dean Robert King, 14 June 1985
  Maxine Hairston letter to Robert King about Fonken and Ford Foundation meeting and grant opportunities.
• John Ruszkiewicz Letter to Wiliam Sutherland, 17 February 1985
  Ruszkiewicz requests the creation of "Specialist" position for lecturer and head of writing lab, Dr. German.
• Graduate Student Petition Protesting Loss of Committee Voting Rights, 25 April 1985
  Graduate student petition protesting loss of voting rights for graduate students on English Department committees, signed by graduate students at end of document. Over 50 signatures, many legible.
• William Sutherland Letter to English Faculty and Graduate Students, 26 April 1985
  Sutherland addresses a recent decision/ruling by the dean that forbids graduate students from voting roles on department committees.
• Should Composition Secede from English Departments?
  The text of a speech given to the Young Rhetoricians Conference, reflecting on the early days in the Division of Rhetoric and Composition. Ruszkiewicz outlines four conditions necessary for composition to secede from literature and lists the advantages of departmental autonomy. Handwritten edits and amendments are in the margins. Handwritten edits and amendments are in the margins.
• Notes on Writing Lab Staff, Spring 1986
  A two-page handwritten list of names and appointments (AI or TA, half-time or full-time): Valerie Balester, Sue Simmons, Tom Reber, Hector Torres, Joan Shiring, Lisa Bassett, Kathleen McDonagh, Paul Taylor, Julie Basco, Doug Anderson, Kyung Sook Shin, Lisa Judge, Pam Opiela, Anju Kapur, Eve Scherr, Scott Deaven (?), Tom Foster, Greg Lyons, James McDonald, Shelli Booth Fowler, Medhat Sidky Rabis, Julia Lowther, Dana Harrington, Marj Hoye. Included are notes on the order of preference and why some people are preferred over others.
• James Sledd Memo regarding Department of Rhetoric and Composition
  James Sledd post-retirement complaints regarding DRC and writing instruction at UT.
• Lower Division Policy Committee Description, 1988-1989
  A description of the LDEPC, its subcommittees, major functions, and duties of the director, associate director, and assistant director. The committee’s responsibilities and courses are listed as are its members and their duties.
• Lower Division English Policy Committee Agenda, 8 March 1989
  LDEPC Agenda. Items listed: 298T practicum, AI supervision
• Lower Division English Policy Committee Minutes, 26 Oct 1988
  Minutes of the 26 October 1988 meeting of the LDEPC. Items discussed: Weeda's 306Q proposal, Supervision of TAs/AIs, Rebhorn's supervision proposal, grade inflation. Weeda’s proposal is approved. The committee discussed: the instruments used to evaluate graduate instructors; a proposal that graduate instructors apprentice for a year in 306 before teaching their own classes; grade inflation; a proposal to designate all 309M courses “Computer Assisted,” so a small lab fee could be charged. Last proposal is approved.