March 2004 Association of Canadian College and University Teachers of English Newsletter Inside this Issue: President's Column Professional Concerns 4 GSC President's Report 5 The New Culture 6 CACE Report 8 2004 Draft Conference 13 Programme 2004 AGM Draft Agenda 33 Neil Besner sponsored with ACQL; two ACCUTE plenaries, Bill New and James Kincaid, and a shared Iron cold from coast to coast, this could truly plenary, Lynn Mario T. Menezes de Souza, with be the winter of our discontent; but we have no CACLALS. And other surprises. time for such idle frippery in the Peg. We are warmed, first, by the gathering pace of Membership: we are on the rise, and almost at preparations for the conference. A few quick 900. I won't belabour this subject, having facts: last year, 116 paper proposals were taken up the whole column with it in the last submitted to the general call for the Halifax Newsletter. Stili, it is good to see that we are conference; this year, we received 155 for the headed in the right direction. Winnipeg Congress. By the time this Newsletter crosses your threshold, notice will During our Executive conference call in early have gone out to all proposers, earlier than last February, we agreed to move ahead with a plan year's notification; we're learning. And our that we have been discussing for several years: great thanks both to all proposers, and to all to establish a permanent ACCUTE website. This vettors for your careful work. will allow for secure online membership renewal, saving the organization postage and As I write, we are on the eve of putting together time, and saving members the same, we hope. the panels (see the draft program herein), and As well, it will mean the end of moving the I am confident that the breadth and depth of website about the country as the ACCUTE office this year's program will include at the very moves, so that members will be able to find least several subjects of interest to everyone. the website, its various discussion groups, and You'll see Jhat we also have a plethora of the information they need in one place for an special sessions, joint and member-organized; extended period of time, rather than shifting an evening of readings in honour of Carol . URL's every two years. We will bring the details Shields; another evening of readings co- (Continued on page 9) • http://accute.uwinnipeg.ca You're invited to the First Annual ESC Bash May 31, 2004 . at Basil's Restaurant in the heart of Winnipeg's Osborne · Hosted Village by esc English Studies in Canada Only Minutes away from the University of Manitoba Don't miss out on the ESC haiku/limerick contest - the best entry will be printed in the journal's colophon! Congress 2004 - News Travel Funding standing before October 23, 2003 and you did not receive a registration package you Unsure about As always, we do not yet know the should still register online, although we ask amount of the grant that we will receive that you contact the ACCUTE office and when you should from SSHRC for reimbursement of inform us that you did not receive a renew your conference travel expenses. In package so that we may look into the accordance with SSHRC's requirements, matter on your behalf. The ACCUTE office membership? we will give precedence to students and can be reached by email at the underemployed. We will then [email protected] or by phone at 204- Check your address 786-9094. reimburse conference presenters label - the date listed starting with the lower-ranked faculty and working up the scale. Please note Please note that you must register for Congress after your name that we will try to reimburse everyone up ilD.d. the ACCUTE Conference to be held at the indicates your renewal to half of their travel costs, but Congress. date. depending on the size of the grant and the number of applicants, the Congress Registration Fees Alternately, email the reimbursements may be less than half of the cost of travel. ACCUTE strongly recommends that all ACCUTE office at members planning to attend the [email protected] Travel claims can only be made for Conference register early. Please note and we'll be happy to travel to and from the conference, but that Congress registration fees Increase on not for accommodation, meals, taxis, April 1, 2004 for all categories of check our records for conference registration and so on. registrants. you. Claim forms will be available at the The 2004 Congress Registration Fees are ACCUTE desk at the Conference and as follows: online at the ACCUTE web site after the Conference. You will need to submit the $40 students, retired and unwaged official receipt and the unused portion of delegates registering by 31 March Congress your ticket with your claim form. If you are using an electronic ticket, you will $60 students, retired and unwaged registration need to submit boarding passes for all delegates registering from 1 April AND portions of the trip. postdoctoral students. packages went Once the conference ends, please send $100 regular delegates registering by your claim forms as quickly as possible; 31 March. out in January forms received after June 25, 2003 will be too late to receive funding. $150 regular delegates registering from 1 April. 2004. Congress Registration and Registration Packages Registration for the ACCUTE Conference will If you did not be $25 for students, retired and unwaged . If you did not receive a package by delegates and $35 for regular delegates. receIve a January 31, 2004, or you have recently Anyone planning to attend the ACCUTE become a member of ACCUTE, you Conference sessions need not be a package, register should register for the Congress online at member of ACCUTE but must register for http://www.fedcan.ca;. Please note that the Conference. online at ACCUTE does not send the Congress www.fedcan.ca registration packages. - More questions? Please contact Nicole the ACCUTE Coordinator at 204-786-9094 or today! If you were an ACCUTE member in good via email [email protected]. () Professional Concerns Anne Quema 2) Literacy Skills and Critical Thinking English Departments are This is a reminder of the four topics that will under increasing pressure to provide be discussed at the next Congress. In the service courses which emphasize spirit of ecumenism, the Professional composition and basic literacy skills over Concerns Committee and the Sessional the critical examination of texts and Committee have decided to organize panels contexts. Does this dichotomy exist, and and roundtables that will involve the if so, should it be resisted? participation of different key players in the academic world. The . call for papers is 3) Increased enrolment and academic addressed to full-time and part-time hiring instructors, undergraduate and graduate Who will be teaching English in 2010? students, as well as administrators. Please How do we tackle the anticipated send your submission to aquema@acadiau. increase in enrolment in Canadian ca. universities and the predicted shortage of applicants for university pOSitions? How do we solve the contradiction IIEW!! between the moral condemnation of part-faculty exploitation and the Submissions Call to 1) Education, SSHRC's Transformation economic drive to generate revenues at and the Humanities the cost of hiring underpaid non-tenured Canadian Literature faculty? In response to SSHRC's plan to Weare planning a special issue of transform Itself from a Granting Council 4) National and International Ph.Os Canadian Literature devoted to South Into a Knowledge Council, the In his CACE/ACCUTE Hiring Survey 2002- Asian Canadian writing. We are interested 03, Rob Holton stated that approximately in articles dealing with all aspects of Professional Concerns Committee and 56.5% of successful applicants held a writing by South Asians in Canada; we are ACCUTE's Executive have decided to Canadian Ph.D while 43.5% held a non­ also interested in interviews and poetry. organize a forum where ACCUTE's Canadian Ph.D. What is the significance The deadline for submissions is July 1, members can artiCUlate their positions 2004. of this new trend? Does the hiring of and express their concerns. We invite applicants with non-Canadian Ph.Ds lead If you would like to find out more about brief position papers that will Initiate a to the devaluation of Canadian degrees our journal, please consult our website general discussion among members. and to discrimination against national (www.canlit.ca). education and culture? () Report of the President of the Graduate Student Caucus News of Sara Humphreys, GSC President non-Canadian Ph.D." Members The ACCUTE conference is fast approaching, We strongly feel this trend must be and with the conference comes the addressed with departments not only Eleanor Ty (Wilfrid Laurier anticipation of meeting some of you. I am involving their students in departmental University) has completed two very excited to discuss how we should hiring processes but also engaging books scheduled for spring students in open forums on the realities of proceed with funding issues, among other 2004. She is author of The things. For now, the · letter concerning the Canadian hiring system. We must be Politics of the Visible In departmental hiring practices is finally certain when we enter the market that we Asian North American complete. I offer a copy of the letter and possess a firm grasp of the expectations Narratives (University of invite your responses: and demands of the academic market. Toronto Press) and has co­ edited, with Donald C. Dear [Graduate Officer] [Chair], GSC campus representatives canvassed students in order to find out: 1) student Goellnicht, a collection of Hiring practices at English departments perceptions of hiring practices, 2) how the essays, Asian North across Canada concern graduate students system might be improved, 3) how American Identities Beyond greatly.