After some discussion, Collie, Kevin, and I have decided that it is best to go ahead and make a decision about Wildacres. We think that waiting until later is simply putting off the inevitable: The uncertainty of the virus makes it impossible to hold a face-to-face conference in September. We have decided to cancel Wildacres for 2020.
Even if we were able to gather, we fear that the demands on our members in the “next normal” of the fall semester, the instability of funding, and the very real danger for some of us to be in close quarters with others would make the retreat feel like too much of an obligation—or too much an occasion to feel real FOMO—for our members.
We will be in touch later in the summer about options for gathering virtually in the summer or fall—not so much to replace Wildacres, the magic of which is its in-person, off-grid, retreat nature—but to support one another as we make and implement tough decisions about our programs and communities.
Take good care—we’ll see each other as soon as it is possible!
Conference theme: Language, Translingualism, and Multilingualism
We are excited to send out this call for proposals to present at the Carolinas Writing Program Administrators’ fourteenth annual spring conference, “Meeting in the Middle,” to be held from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on February 14, 2020, at UNC Charlotte.
Our theme for the meeting is language, particularly translingualism and multilingualism, and how the complex systems of meaning we use to communicate inform our composing practices as well as the teaching thereof.
How do students employ their languages and literacies in different situations and environments? For that matter, how are we doing so? How can we recognize and discuss code-switching, code-meshing, and translanguaging as they relate across a variety of contexts? How can we help our students, and learn with them, about how to do so in more rhetorically effective fashions?
Jennifer Eidum from Elon University will present a morning workshop that presents key theories of translingualism and multilingualism as they play out in higher education, with particular focus on first-year writing classrooms. Then, we will shift from theory to practice, exploring specific linguistic & cultural challenges WPAs and writing faculty might encounter in writing spaces (including their own). With an emphasis on collaboration and community-building, participants will leave the workshop with resources, connections, and new ideas for recognizing (and building upon) the linguistic and cultural diversity in their writing programs.
Time will be provided for participants to begin planning activities and assignments for their courses and/or to sketch out structures for relevant language-focused faculty workshops or projects.
Proposal Details
Proposal Deadline: Wednesday, January 29, 2020. We have a quick turnaround and presenters will be notified by Monday, February 3, in order to have as much time as possible to make travel arrangements.
You do not have to present to attend! We welcome you regardless! That said, those whose proposals are accepted will be listed on the formal agenda for the conference–which might help you advocate for travel funding. Proposals will also help us plan appropriate groups and design activities around members’ goals.
We encourage both individual and team proposals from people in the Carolinas who are working in any teaching or administrative positions related to writing. We also welcome creative interpretation, and deviation, from this year’s theme.
Three different presentation types reflect members’ interests:
Problem: Describe a teaching, program leadership, or research problem that you would like help thinking about with other attendees. 10-15 minutes includes feedback time.
Showcase: Share a teaching method or writing program leadership strategy that is working well at your site. Or present findings from a study you’re involved in that would interest writing teachers and WPAs. 10-15 minutes includes feedback time.
Other: You have an idea that doesn’t fit either category. Explain! You still have 10-15 minutes to present.
Proposals should include:
Name and contact information (email, phone, home institution) for each person associated with your proposal
Type of presentation (problem, showcase, other)
Title and brief description of your presentation for the conference agenda
The registration price of $40.00 includes lunch and the opportunity to bring a guest for free (who also gets lunch!). Parking options are limited near the building (see “Parking” below). Carpooling is encouraged!
When you “bring a guest for free,” you must register the guest when you register yourself.
Parking
In the past, attendees had the option to purchase event parking passes as part of conference registration. Unfortunately, event parking is currently unavailable, although there are several pay-to-park options nearby. From the UNC Charlotte Center City website:
“Due to construction and other activity surrounding UNC Charlotte Center City, parking is extremely limited. The parking lots adjacent to Center City (422 E. 9th Street and 319 E. 9th Street) are currently reserved for faculty, staff and students with a University-issued parking permit. Please encourage visitors to prepare and plan for their visit to Center City, including consideration of carpooling and ride services.”
“Visitor parking for events is currently not available. There are a number of pay-to-park options within walking distance of Center City. Seventh Street Parking Deck is a short walk through First Ward Park. Visitors can pay to park by the hour. Additional pay-to-park options can be found on the Preferred Parking website. The closest of these is 422 E 9th Street on the corner of 9th and Brevard Street. Other nearby lots are at 8th & College, 9th & College, and 9th & Tryon. There are metered spaces on Brevard and 8th Street to pay during the day. These meters are free after 6pm weekdays and all day on weekends.”
15th Annual Fall Carolinas Writing Program Administrators Conference September 16-18, 2019
Proposal deadline: 11:59 p.m., Monday, August 26, 2019 Registration deadline: 11:59 p.m., Friday, September 6, 2019
Cost: $210 for students and NTT faculty; $220 for TT faculty. The cost covers two nights’ lodging and five meals at the retreat center.
Theme:Holding Space: Trauma, Community, and Care in Writing Programs
Today I write on behalf of the Carolinas Writing Program Administrators to extend sympathy, strength, comfort, and compassion to all of you. You have built and led this organization. You have hosted us in your space. We have shared ideas and strategies, meaningful glances and laughter and tears, meals and M&Ms, coffee, wine, and good beer, mountain sunrises and city sunsets. In so many ways, your campus is our campus; your students, our students; and thus, your heartbreak, pain, trauma, and healing—ours, too. We are holding space for you as long as you need it.
Carolinas WPA President Paula Patch wrote and published these words on May 1, 2019, hours after a gunman shot and killed two UNC Charlotte students in a classroom on campus. At Wildacres this year, we continue to make good on our promise to our UNC Charlotte colleagues and to all our colleagues in writing spaces in North and South Carolina. We hope you will join us in the space of healing through learning and sharing.
Conference Schedule and Format. The conference begins at 5:00 p.m. on Monday, September 16, and concludes at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 18. Jan Rieman’s Monday evening plenary session on will be followed by a full day Tuesday of workshops and presentations for and by writing teachers and program administrators. Non-tenure track members and attendees are invited to gather to talk shop and make connections during the NTT Network portion of the retreat. Paula Patch will convene that group. Unscripted time will be available, too, on the beautiful mountaintop of Wildacres Retreat, with a closing session Wednesday morning. All meals are provided. Wildacres Retreat is a low-tech, informal setting conducive to relaxing, collaborating, and learning with friends and colleagues across the Carolinas. We welcome teams or solo participants from across our region.
Monday Evening Speaker and Tuesday Workshop Leader:Jan Rieman, UNC Charlotte
“Developing Trauma-Informed Practices in Writing Programs: Addressing the Impact of Trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) on Students, Teachers, and Programs”
By the time they reach college, 66 to 85 percent of youth report lifetime traumatic event exposure, with many reporting multiple exposures (Read, Ouimette, White, Colder, & Farrow, 2011; Smyth, Hockemeyer, Heron, Wonderlich, & Pennebaker, 2008). College students are particularly vulnerable to experiencing a new potentially traumatizing event (PTE); and as many as 50 percent of college students are exposed to a PTE in the first year of college (Galatzer-Levy et al., 2012). In addition, data show that nearly ⅔ of U.S. adults have Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). Given the high rates of students who have experienced traumatic event exposure or ACEs, writing programs need to reexamine their institutional roles in order to better address the impact of trauma and ACEs on our students, our institutions, and on ourselves. Trauma in postsecondary learners can manifest in a number of ways: difficulty focusing, attending, retaining, and recalling; tendency to miss a lot of classes; challenges with emotional regulation; fear of taking risks; anxiety about deadlines, exams, group work, or public speaking; anger, helplessness, or dissociation when stressed; withdrawal and isolation (Hoch et al., 2015). Researcher Bruce Perry notes that students dealing with the aftereffects of trauma and ACEs often struggle to process new information when they are triggered or stressed. “The major challenge,” he writes, “is to furnish the structure, predictability, and sense of safety that can help [these students] begin to feel safe enough to learn.”
Despite the challenges and limitations we face as non-mental health professionals, having a trauma-informed framework can help rhetoric and composition teachers and WPAs be better prepared to not only recognize how trauma, ACEs and other adversities impact learning, but to develop policies and procedures to more holistically support learning in the midst of the realities of our students’ lives.
Call for Proposals
We encourage individual or team proposals from people in the Carolinas who are working in any teaching, research, or administrative positions related to writing. We welcome proposals related to this year’s theme of “Holding space: Trauma, community, and care in writing programs.” Two different conversation-style presentation types will facilitate conversations around this theme:
How We Help: Share a teaching method or writing program leadership strategy that is working well at your site. Or present findings from a study you’re involved in that would interest writing teachers and WPAs. 20 minutes includes feedback time.
Help We Need: Describe a teaching, program leadership, or research problem or story that you would like help thinking about with other attendees. 20 minutes includes feedback time.
Proposals must include:
Names and contact information (email, phone, home institution) for each person associated with your proposal
Type of presentation (How We Help, Help We Need)
A title and 200-word (more or less) description for the program
Submit your proposal by completing this online proposal form. Proposals are due by 11:59 p.m., Monday, August 26, 2019.
You are entirely welcome to attend without presenting, but those whose proposals are accepted will be listed on the formal agenda. This may help you advocate for travel funding. Proposals also help us plan appropriate groups and design activities around members’ goals.
The registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Friday, September 6, and no refunds will be guaranteed after that time. To register, please visit the conference page.
Registration is now open for the 2019 Carolinas Writing Program Administrators Meeting in the Middle, to take place at the UNC-Charlotte Center City campus on Friday, February 8, 2019.
CWPA announces its (lucky) Thirteenth Annual Spring Conference: Meeting in the Middle.
Wild, wacky weather in the Carolinas means that this year’s MitM will mark a full year since Carolinas Writing Program Administrators members and friends will have had an opportunity to gather. We have much to catch up on, and much to celebrate!
Our theme for this year’s meeting will be reflection—specifically, metacognition in the writing classroom. Metacognition—monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting one’s own approaches to learning—is essential for a writer’s development. Wendy Sharer and Kerri Flinchbaugh from East Carolina University will lead us in a workshop that focuses on two related areas: 1) strategies for helping students develop metacognitive awareness of their writing processes, and 2) promoting metacognitive pedagogy through WAC–based professional development. Time will be provided for participants to begin planning activities and assignments for their courses and/or to sketch out structures for metacognition-focused faculty workshops.
The lunch break will give you time to check in with colleagues about the “AP3 issue” in North Carolina, meet with others on tenure- or non-tenure track appointments about shared concerns, and any other special interests that span institution and state boundaries.
Other folks will have an opportunity to share their work during afternoon concurrent sessions. See the full CFP below.
And everyone is invited to celebrate our 15th anniversary and the transition to a slightly new executive team: Collie Fulford will be transitioning to past-president, Paula Patch to president, and Kevin Brock to president-elect.
Carolinas Writing Program Administrators 2019 Meeting in the Middle Full CFP
Friday, February 8, 2019
10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (with optional Friday evening events)
UNC Charlotte Center City Building
320 E. 9th Street, Charlotte, NC 28202
Theme: Reflection and Celebration: Looking Back, Moving Forward
Proposal deadline: Friday, January 18, 2019. We have a quick turnaround, and presenters will be notified by Tuesday, January 22, so they have plenty of time to make travel arrangements.
You are entirely welcome to attend without presenting, but those whose proposals are accepted will be listed on the formal agenda. This may help you advocate for travel funding. Proposals also help us plan appropriate groups and design activities around members’ goals. We encourage individual or team proposals from people in the Carolinas who are working in any teaching or administrative positions related to writing. We also welcome creative interpretation – and deviation – from this year’s theme of Promoting Metacognition in the Classroom. Three different presentation types reflect members’ interests:
Problem: Describe a teaching, program leadership, or research problem that you would like help thinking
about with other attendees. 10-15 minutes includes feedback time.
Showcase: Share a teaching method or writing program leadership strategy that is working well at your
site. Or present findings from a study you’re involved in that would interest writing teachers and WPAs.
10-15 minutes includes feedback time.
Other: You have an idea for that doesn’t fit either category. Explain! You still have 10-15 minutes to
present.
A proposal must include the following:
Names and contact information (email, phone, home institution) for each person associated with your
proposal
Because of the shorter format of Meeting in the Middle, we are not able to accommodate all of the presentations we had planned for Wildacres. If you submitted a proposal that was accepted for Wildacres, we strongly encourage you to submit a proposal for Meeting in the Middle.
President-Elect and Executive Board At-Large Representatives for SC and NC
The Executive Board of Carolinas Writing Program Administrators invites nominations for three positions: 1) President-Elect, 2) At-Large South Carolina Representative, and 3) At-Large North Carolina Representative.
The Carolinas WPA serves as an affiliate of the Council of Writing Program Administrators. All Executive Board members should be members of both the Council of Writing Program Administrators and the Carolinas WPA (or be willing to obtain such memberships upon election to the board).
Nomination Process
Review the open positions below. You may nominate yourself or someone else with their permission. Those elected are expected to attend our upcoming February “Meeting in the Middle” at UNC-Charlotte and the annual fall conference.
This nomination requires the nominee’s name, role at their institution (assistant professor, doctoral student, etc.), their institutional affiliation, the role for which they are nominated, and a brief biographical statement from the nominee to be included on the ballot.
Nominations close October 28.
Online ballots will be available October 31.
Voting will end November 14.
The Executive Board will announce the new board members and their respective positions after the votes have been verified.
This person will serve a term of two years in this role: January 1, 2019–January 1, 2021, and is expected to move into the President role upon completing a term as President-Elect.
The President-Elect is responsible for organizing the Meeting in the Middle (working with the host institution, developing the theme, inviting speaker/s, food, program, etc.) in collaboration with the President. Second, the President-Elect works directly with the President to encourage a Carolinas WPA presence at other conferences (such as CCCC, CWPA, TYCA, NCETA, SAMLA and/or NCEI). The President-Elect also helps in other capacities like contributing to the Annual Fall Conference each year.
2. At-Large Position: South Carolina Representative
This person will serve a term of two years in this role: January 1, 2019–January 1, 2021.
3. At-Large Position: North Carolina Representative
This person will serve a term of two years in this role: January 1, 2019–January 1, 2021.
At-Large positions on the board serve multiple purposes. One is to ensure representation from both states (NC/SC). Another is to conduct outreach within the representative state to recruit other members from NC/SC and community colleges. At-Large positions help to organize both the Meeting in the Middle and the Annual Fall Retreat. At-Large positions are responsible for managing or otherwise putting together panels for conferences like SAMLA, TYCA, NCETA and/or NCEI. They may contribute in other ways as initiatives arise.
Please recall that only active Carolinas WPA members can vote! To renew your annual membership prior to voting, you can visit the Carolinas WPA website. The cost of annual membership is just $20.00 for tenure track faculty and $10.00 for all other positions.
The following is a message from Carolinas WPA President, Collie Fulford.
Dear Carolinas WPA members, conference presenters, and other participants:
It is with everyone’s safety in mind that the board and I have decided to cancel the conference at Wildacres that was planned from September 17-19.
We yield to the urgency of Hurricane Florence.
After the storm has passed we will determine whether we can attempt a new fall date at Wildacres or whether to wait until our spring conference to reconvene. We will reimburse all conference fees if we are unable to reschedule, and we will of course refund any who cannot attend during a new date.
I appreciate all of the hard work of the board, the presenters, our keynote and workshop leaders, and the Wildacres staff as we prepared for this conference. Right now it is simply more important to prepare for the storm.
Be safe, friends. I hope to have more specifics for registrants next week about new plans to learn from and support each other in writing leadership.
Following is an important note from our current President about our upcoming fall conference (September 17-19):
The Wildacres staff and the Carolinas WPA board are keeping an eye on the forecast for Hurricane Florence.
Please look for an email update by Thursday, September 13 regarding the status of our fall conference in light of this storm.
If we decide to cancel or postpone the conference, more details will follow on Thursday.
If we decide to hold the conference on the current dates, we will honor individual decisions about whether to travel or not. Those who cannot attend will receive a full registration refund. (Reminder: Monday, September 10 is the last day to register.)
Many thanks for your patience as we await more weather information.
We are pleased to announce that registration for the 2018 Carolinas WPA fall conference at Wildacres is now open. You may visit the fall conference website to learn more about the conference and to find links to registration for single persons or up to five persons at a time.
Please note that this year’s conference fee is either $210 or $220 per person, depending on the registrant’s status, and long-sleeve T-shirts commemorating Carolinas WPA’s 15th anniversary are available for $15 apiece.
The registration deadline is 11:59 p.m. on Monday, September 10, 2018.
If you have questions about registration, please contact the Carolinas WPA President, Collie Fulford.
15th Annual Fall Carolinas Writing Program Administrators Conference
September 17-19, 2018 | Wildacres Retreat, Little Switzerland, NC (Directions) | $220/$210 (includes 2 nights lodging, 5 meals)
Proposal deadline:11:59PM Friday, August 24, 2018
Registration deadline: 11:59PM Monday, September 10, 2018
Monday Evening Keynote Speaker: Wendy Sharer, East Carolina University
Tuesday Workshop Leaders: Wendy Sharer and Kerri Bright Flinchbaugh, East Carolina University
Promoting Metacognition in the Classroom
Metacognition—monitoring, evaluating, and adjusting one’s own approaches to learning—is essential for a writer’s development. Our Monday evening interactive session will introduce participants to research about and fundamental practices for fostering metacognition.
Our Tuesday workshop will focus on two related areas: 1) strategies for helping students develop metacognitive awareness of their writing processes, and 2) promoting metacognitive pedagogy through WAC–based professional development. Time will be provided for participants to begin planning activities and assignments for their courses and/or to sketch out structures for metacognition-focused faculty workshops.
Conference Schedule and Format. The conference begins at 5:00 pm on Monday, September 17, and concludes at 10:00 am on Wednesday, September 19. Wendy Sharer’s Monday evening interactive keynote session on metacognition will be followed by a full day Tuesday of workshops and presentations for and by writing teachers and program administrators. Non-tenure track members and attendees are invited to gather to talk shop and make connections during the NTT Network portion of the retreat. Paula Patch will convene that group. Unscripted time will be available, too, on the beautiful mountaintop of Wildacres Retreat, with a closing session Wednesday morning. All meals are provided.
Wildacres Retreat is a low-tech, informal setting conducive to relaxing, collaborating, and learning with friends and colleagues across the Carolinas. We welcome teams or solo participants from across our region.
Call for Proposals. You are entirely welcome to attend without presenting, but those whose proposals are accepted will be listed on the formal agenda. This may help you advocate for travel funding. Proposals also help us plan appropriate groups and design activities around members’ goals.
We encourage individual or team proposals from people in the Carolinas who are working in any teaching, research, or administrative positions related to writing. We also welcome creative interpretation – and deviation – from this year’s theme of Promoting Metacognition in the Classroom.
Three different presentation types reflect members’ interests:
Problem: Describe a teaching, program leadership, or research problem that you would like help thinking about with other attendees. 20 minutes includes feedback time.
Showcase: Share a teaching method or writing program leadership strategy that is working well at your site. Or present findings from a study you’re involved in that would interest writing teachers and WPAs. 20 minutes includes feedback time.
Other: You have an idea for Wildacres that doesn’t fit either category. Explain! Include how much time you would need between 15-60 minutes.
Proposals include:
Names and contact information (email, phone, home institution) for each person associated with your proposal
Registration and Cost. The registration fee of $220 for full-time tenure track faculty and $210 for other faculty and graduate students includes 2 nights’ lodging, and 5 meals at Wildacres, as well as all conference materials and annual voting membership in Carolinas Writing Program Administrators.
Deadline. Conferencegoers must register by 11:59PM Monday, September 10, 2018.
Plans changed? Registration will be fully refunded if we are notified by 11:59PM Friday, September 7.
Questions or Comments? – Contact Collie Fulford, cfulfor1@nccu.edu
Keynote Speaker and Workshop Leader: Wendy Sharer
Wendy Sharer is professor of English at East Carolina University where she directs the Quality Enhancement Plan, “Write Where You Belong.” Previously, she was ECU’s Director of Writing Foundations for six years. Her interests include composition pedagogy, writing program administration, feminist theory, and the history of rhetoric and composition. She has served as President of the Carolinas Writing Program Administrators and has just completed a term on the Executive Committees of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC). Additionally, she is Vice President of the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition (CFSHRC) and a member of the editorial boards for the journals WPA: Writing Program Administration and Peitho (the journal of CFSHRC). Now that her term as QEP Director is wrapping up, she plans to return to a research project focused on writing instruction in the camps of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930s.
Workshop Leader: Kerri Bright Flinchbaugh
Kerri Bright Flinchbaugh is a former high school English teacher who currently serves as the Assistant Director of East Carolina University’s University Writing Program while also working on a PhD in Rhetoric, Writing, and Professional Communication. As Assistant Director, she coordinates and facilitates faculty development on various aspects of teaching and utilizing writing in courses across the disciplines, develops and organizes programmatic assessment, and directs ECU’s WAC Academy and Advanced Academy – a series of workshops fashioned after the National Writing Project model of professional development for instructors from across the university. She also serves on the leadership team for the Tar River Writing Project. Her research and academic interests include writing studies, writing center & program administration, identity theory, transfer of writing skills, and threshold concepts in composition across the disciplines. At this time, she is focusing on finishing and defending her dissertation.
