October 26, 2004
Labor: Motion on Professional Standards for Instruction
(formally submitted for the Agenda of the CCCC Business Meeting, March 22, 2003, New York)
WHEREAS, the educational conditions for college writing instruction have been deteriorating in the past few decades; and
whereas, promoting the best teaching conditions will enhance literacy instruction; and
whereas, the Conference on College Composition and Communication Business Meeting 16 years ago unanimously approved the “Wyoming Resolution� which declared that “the salaries and working conditions of post-secondary writing teachers with primary responsibility for the teaching of writing are fundamentally unfair as judged by any reasonable professional standards� and called for CCCC to formulate “professional standards and expectations for salary levels and working conditions of post-secondary teachers of writing�; and
whereas, this unanimously approved Wyoming Resolution was re-formulated in 1989 as the "Statement of Principles and Standards for the Postsecondary Teaching of Writing" which declared that “every institution should extend to teachers of writing the same opportunities for professional advancement (e.g., support for research and reasonable teaching responsibilities) that they extend to all other faculty,� and that abusive labor practices have created a situation in which “the quality of writing instruction is today seriously compromised�; and
whereas, the NCTE Conference on the Growing Use of Part-Time and Adjunct Faculty declared in its 1997 “Statement� that “the proportion of part-time and adjunct faculty in relation to all faculty appointments has increased substantially, from 22 percent in 1970 to more than 40 percent in 1993� with “64 percent of community-college faculty holding part-time appointments� while “200,000 graduate assistants at four-year institutions actually exceed the 184,999 part-time faculty,� and that “…the majority of part-time faculty teach under emphatically substandard conditions,…are far less likely to receive regular evaluation and feedback,…lack job security� and are typically paid from “$1,000 to $3,000� per course, and that “part-time and adjunct positions are disproportionately occupied by women�; and
whereas, the Two-Year College English Association-Southwest approved October 21, 2000 a “Position Statement� asserting that “A great danger now threatens the sustained record of accomplishment of America’s community colleges� because of full-time loads of 7 classes, class sizes over 30, and “part-time faculty teaching as much as 70% and even 80% of all writing courses�; and
whereas, the Coalition on the Academic Workforce representing 25 disciplinary associations reported in its 2001�Survey� that “freestanding composition programs have by far the highest proportion of courses taught by part-time and graduate student instructors…and the lowest taught by tenure-track instructors� and that 63.2 percent of these writing teachers received no benefits whatsoever; and whereas, the Associate Director of MLA English Programs, James Papp, reported in 2002 that more than 60% of part-time instructors in the humanities want full-time jobs and that the meager per-course wages paid contingent faculty have fallen way behind the inflation rate; THEREFORE,
WE MOVE THAT the Executive Committee affirm and disseminate the following policies to insure high quality writing instruction and literacy learning:Â
The professional standard for writing positions shall be full-time lines equivalent in salary and benefits to other full-time academic
positions. Faculty who prefer part-time work can request less than a full-time load with pro-rated salary and benefits. Instructors requesting less than full-time loads can staff a maximum of 20% of the course coverage in any department or program.
All writing instructors shall be protected with the same professional security, academic freedom, and due process accorded other faculty within their institution.
All full-time writing positions will be tenurable or covered by continuous employment certificates.
Graduate students shall be required to teach no more than three writing courses per year, shall undertake overloads only at their own choice, and shall teach writing only as part of their advanced studies in composition/rhetoric, complemented by ongoing professional development, extensive training, adequate support, and careful mentoring from experts credentialed in the field.
CCCC shall elect and budget a permanent Academic Quality Commission whose purview will be to:
a. Research those writing programs meeting the high standards cited above for learning conditions.
b. Acknowledge publicly such programs in CCCC venues.
c. Hold hearings at the annual conference on concerns raised by CCCC members, caucuses, SIGs, coalitions and workshops relative to teaching and learning conditions.
d. Research ongoing campus efforts for high quality teaching conditions and disseminate an annual guide, directory, and online database on such efforts.
e. Co-sponsor with other professional assemblies (such as AHA, MLA, etc.) and groups
(such as the Coalition of Contingent Academic Labor, etc.) annual conferences in 12Â regional cities relevant to educational
conditions. Implementation: Upon passage at the Business Meeting, this motion and its policy items will be submitted immediately to the entire CCCC membership for mail ballot approval and will be put on the agenda of the Executive Committee for action.
Respectfully submitted by Jonathan Alexander, Sharon Crowley, Peter Elbow, Linda Flower, Scott Lyons, Ian Marshall, Deborah Normand, Micah Taylor Robertson, Eileen Schell, Geneva Smitherman, Karen Thompson, Howard Tinberg, Victor Villanueva, Ira Shor
Posted by sparks at 10:24 PM | TrackBack
Resolution: Sense of the House Motion The Rhetoric of the Open Hand and the Rhetoric of the Closed Fist
A Forum for Discussing the Iraqi Crisis and the War on TerrorIn 1969, the United States was faced with a population divided over a war in Vietnam. Mass protests and counter protests were overtaking college campuses. Reflecting on that cultural moment, Edward Corbett published an article in CCCC which criticized the ways in which the rhetoric of the closed fist had overtaken the rhetoric of the open hand -- divisive language and confrontation had overtaken social debate and dialogue. He called upon teachers to create classrooms where open and informed dialogue could be modeled and enacted.
Today, in 2003, the United States again finds itself divided over war; once again, social debate is hardening into fixed positions. The events of September 11th have create a fundamental change in the terms and rhetoric which mark our domestic public debate; they have shifted how we speak about the international role of the United States. This fundamental change has impacted the work we undertake in our writing and rhetoric classrooms as well as our responsibility not only as teachers, but as public intellectuals as well. As teachers and intellectuals, we need to create classrooms that model open debate and dialogue. We need public forums where students and community members can be both informed and engaged as critically aware citizens. Our conference, then, occurs at an important time in the work our members.
As a service to the CCCC membership and as an opportunity to share
insights and experiences, we propose that CCCC undertake the following initiatives:
1. Create a Webpage on its server which can both foster discussion among writing teachers about appropriate classroom practice and supply information materials suitable for use in classrooms concerning the Iraqi crisis.
2. Dedicate resources for campus-based teach-ins focusing on how to create a public rhetoric that fosters open debate and dialogue concerning the "War on Terror."
3. Create a special CCCC panel which will create a public statement on the current state of public debate on the war on terror and offer pragmatic ways our membership can foster open debate.
We realize that organizing such materials be easy nor without its own controversy. We believe, however, that CCCC has always understood its role as fostering public debate and informed discussion on issues of language and critical literacy. As CCCC returns to New York for the first time after the events of September 11th, as debates about Iraq dominate both inside and outside of our classrooms, we believe it is vital to create such a forum at our conference.
For that reason, we strongly urge the CCCC Executive Committee to create such an opportunity for its members in New York City.
Posted by sparks at 10:21 PM | TrackBack
Resolution: "The Rhetoric of the Closed Fist versus the Open Hand" Responding to the Iraqi Crisis
A Moment of Silence For four days, our profession will meet in New York City to discuss the work that goes on in our classrooms and in our profession. Outside our convention, the United Nations will be meeting to decide whether the United States can use force to disarm Iraq and replace its leadership. For many of us, these events do not occur in separate worlds, but are constantly interacting and impacting our roles as teachers, scholars, and public intellectuals. Before we begin our work in individuals sessions, then, we hope that each panel will pause for a brief moment of silence after the presentation of papers to reflect upon how the professional discussions occurring in the Hilton Hotel relate or interact with the other meetings and conferences occurring in the United Nations.
By pausing to reflect on such connections, we hope our identities as teachers and public intellectuals might infuse our work in New York City.
Posted by sparks at 10:19 PM | TrackBack
Resolution: Iraq War
TO: Officers, Conference on College Composition and CommunicationÂ
FROM: Eileen Schell and Steve Parks, on behalf of Progressive Special Interest Group and Caucus CoalitionÂ
RE: Opening General Session Program RequestÂ
On behalf of the membership of the Progressive Special Interest Group and Caucus Coalition (PSCC), we are requesting that the following proposal be forwarded to all CCCC officers and voted upon prior to the convention in New York City.
The PSCC is an alliance of organizations representing Asian/Asian American, Labor, Latino, Lesbian/Gay, Native American, Non-Tenured Faculty, and Working Class interests. We believe it is vital that CCCC create a space at its New York City Conference where its membership can discuss how as teachers and public intellectuals they should respond specifically to the Iraqi crisis and, more generally, to the rhetoric of terror which has overtaken public debate. We believe such a discussion is particularly important given this will be CCCC's first conference in New York City after the World Trade Center attacks and on the eve of United Nation's vote concerning war in Iraq.
We have spoken to our colleagues across the nation who have had their classrooms, email, department meetings, and university campuses dominated by these events. There is clearly the hope that CCCC will alter its format in New York City to allow its membership an opportunity to discuss what is occurring. This hope is partially based upon CCCC's long history of supporting teachers engaged in studying the social impact of language and encouraging them to take on the role of public intellectuals.
As a service to the CCCC membership and as an opportunity to share insights and experiences, we propose the following: at CCCC alter the current format of the Opening Session of CCCC, the largest single gathering at the conference, to allow a ten minute announcement of a series of initiatives underway at the conference to foster such communication. Specifically, we would like to announce an initiative to have each session reflect upon how their work interacts with the current moment (see attached flyer), the existence of a table to collect/distribute relevant teaching materials, and the possibility of a special Friday workshop. Finally, we would like the following "Sense of the House" motion considered at the Annual Business Meeting (see second attachment).
At this moment, then, the coalition is not speaking in terms of its own identity group issues, but as common members of CCCC. We are requesting that our organization alter its New York City convention to allow a discussion of how we might respond to the events that took place at the World Trade Center and are taking place at the United Nations.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Posted by sparks at 10:17 PM | TrackBack
Resolution: Working Conditions
1. CCCC shall request writing programs and departments to provide the following information:
a. Their percentage of minorities in full and part-time positions and in tenured and untenured lines.
b. Their procedures for identifying, hiring, and tenuring minority faculty.
2. CCCC shall publish this information annually online and in
print. CCCC shall acknowledge annually a writing program or department for its exemplary efforts to develop minority faculty.
Posted by sparks at 10:14 PM | TrackBack
Resolution: Working Conditions
1. CCCC shall request writing programs and departments to provide the following information:
a. Their percentage of minorities in full and part-time positions and in tenured and untenured lines.
b. Their procedures for identifying, hiring, and tenuring minority faculty.
2. CCCC shall publish this information annually online and in
print. CCCC shall acknowledge annually a writing program or department for its exemplary efforts to develop minority faculty.
Posted by sparks at 10:14 PM | TrackBack
2005 Affirming Action: The Progressive SIG/Caucus Coalition (PSCC)
For the past five years, the PSCC has worked to form a common space where different SIG and Caucus groups can meet to discuss how their different concerns can be wedded into a common agenda. In doing so, the goal has been to foster a sense of communal activism which crosses any particular interest group. It has sponsored forums which bring the different groups into dialogue as well as worked to support each group’s individual initiatives. The success of this work can be seen both in the large and diverse attendance at PSCC events as well as it success at having resolutions and programs adopted by CCCC. PSCC membership now includes American Indian, Asian/Asian American, Gay/Lesbian, Labor, Latino, Non-Tenure Track, and Working Class SIGS and Caucuses.
The theme of “Affirmative Action,� however, provides an opportunity for the PSCC to address fundamental concepts of its origins and its actions. The PSCC wants to use this occasion, that is, to have its members reflect upon the activism which has marked their organization and to project what set of issues should guide future work for the coalition. An emergent concern, for instance, is the ways in which labor policies cut across ethnic, class, and sexual orientation populations. Considering how issues of labor interact with concerns about hiring and retaining minority faculty will also be addressed. The question for the PSCC in San Francisco, then, concerns affirming action: What are the central concerns cutting across our membership groups? What will it mean for PSCC to take action to address those concerns?
To foster such work, a roundtable format has been chosen. The initial three speakers will highlight the work of their individual SIG/Caucuses to advance the pedagogical, professional, and political goals of its members. As stated above, a central theme will be the role of labor. Three respondents will then highlight the ways such work shares common themes and goals. General discussion will follow.
Posted by sparks at 9:26 PM
October 25, 2004
2004 Bushwhacked: Queering Borders and Boundaries in the Lone Star State
For the past three years, the Progressive SIGs and Caucuses Coalition has sponsored forums for the different interest groups in CCCC to develop a common agenda. The PSCC have organized these forums out of the belief that language, writing, and literacy are inseparable from issues of public policy and social justice. For that reason, our sessions have highlighted the connection between classroom practice and local, national, and international events. In addition, we work with individual SIGs/Caucuses to develop resolutions for presentation to the CCCC Executive Board. Last year, our session was attended by over 150 CCCC participants and each of the resolutions we supported were adopted. (For instance, we are currently working with CCCC to develop a web page for use by teachers on the “war on terror,� a goal of one of our resolutions.)
For this year’s CCCC, we hope to use the Texas location to focus on the rights of gay, immigrant, and prison populations. Each of these issues are a key point of contention both in Texas and in the Bush Administration. In particular, we hope to present a session which shows how advocacy work in these areas relates to our writing classrooms and our profession. As always, the session will also feature resolutions developed by PSCC members for presentation at the CCCC Executive Board Meeting.
Posted by sparks at 9:29 PM
October 24, 2004
2003 Identity Politics/Common Ground/Iraq
We are a coalition of CCCC Special Interest Groups and Caucuses who feel that language, writing, and literacy are inseparable from issues of public policy and social justice. This year, one of the goals of our session is to highlight two important initiatives within CCCC focused on tribal colleges and higher education labor practices. We hope to use this session to generate support for these resolutions at Saturday’s Business Meeting.
We also believe that the Iraqi crisis is an important concern in our field. In response, we have revised our original session plans to include the opportunity to discuss the role of writing teachers and rhetoricians at this current moment, both in CCCC’s and in our national debate. We will also announce several initiatives to foster this debate throughout the conference.
It is our belief that only by simultaneously working on our specific concerns as writing teachers and on producing an informed public debate, we believe we will fulfill our goals as a progressive coalition.