<html><body bgcolor="#FFFFFF"><div>Hi, Serena--</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks again for your wonderful help in getting this story out there and thanks, Muchael, for responding to Serena's questions:</div><div><br></div><div>Serena, I can't get online right now nor will I be able to until evening when I'm back home--well, other than via phone and tying on this is slow, slow, slow.</div><div><br></div><div>I'm cc-ing the exec board so they can weigh in and I also welcome your phone call at 9033661767</div><div><br></div><div>Thanks!</div><div>Shannon <br><br>Sent from my iPhone</div><div><br>On Apr 9, 2011, at 8:44 PM, "Michael Hill" <<a href="mailto:mdhill1@hfcc.edu">mdhill1@hfcc.edu</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><div></div><blockquote type="cite"><div>Hi Serena,<br>
I hope either Shannon or Bill have responded or will respond to you. They know
the history of the group far better than I do. I can tell you that
Basic Writing had its own cluster in 2006, but has since disappeared as
a cluster. I cannot tell you why that is the case--this is based only
on my own very short review of past programs.<br>
<br>
As for the generation of the statement, I believe William Lalicker had
the original idea, but it arose during a discussion wherein many others
were voicing discontent over the relative absence of Basic Writing from
this year's conference proceedings. William Lalicker is also the one
who came up with the original wording of the motion and then it was
parsed by the group--both in meetings here at the conference and online with people who are not here--during the next couple of days. Because of Bill's passion and
original wording, he was the obvious choice of spokesperson for the
motion.<br>
<br>
I am not sure of the number of members of CBW. There is not an official
membership roll and no dues, pledge, or fancy membership card. We have
a listserv that has a great deal of members, but I do not know how many
people are on that list. As far as I can tell, our membership is fluid
with an open door policy. If one teaches, researches, or cares about
basic writing issues, one can be a member. Shannon can probably give
you a rough idea about how many people are on the listserv or how many
people come to the workshop and/or SIG. <br>
<br>
As for the future of the CBW, Shannon or Bill, as exec board members,
are probably better suited to speak to that. I can say that my hope is that we
become a more vibrant force within the study, the teaching, the
research, and the policy of basic writing. My belief is that we are on
our way to doing this through planning on having a more vocal
presence--in terms of presentations--at next year's CCCC. We are also
attempting to develop some group structures that will allow us to build
a stronger sense for our members, our field, and our publics about who
we are and what we work for.<br>
<br>
Thanks again for working at this. Your efforts are much appreciated.<br>
Mike<br><br><br><div style="clear: both;">Michael D. Hill<br>English Division<br>Henry Ford Community College<br>(313) 845-6368</div><br>>>> Serena Golden <serena.golden@insidehighered.com> 04/09/11 6:49 PM >>><br>
Dear Professors Carter, Adams, and Hill:<br><br>Thanks very much to all of you for the time you took to speak with me about the CBW's sense-of-the-house motion this morning. I'm working on a brief story about it for Inside Higher Ed, and I just have a couple of followup/background questions; answers from any one of you would be just fine (although more is always good), but I figured with the conference wrapping up and a lot of people in transit, it'd be best to contact all of you and hope that at least one person will have ten minutes and an internet connection between now and, let's say, tomorrow morning at the latest. (I'm very conscious of my basic writing in this email, and I'm sorry for that run-on sentence.)<br>
<br>Here's what I'm looking for:<br><br>--Was basic writing ever its own conference cluster? Or, if the
CBW is successful in making it a cluster at future CCCCs, will that be
the first time? <br><br>--What changes have you seen in the treatment of and focus on basic writing at CCCCs over the years?<br>
<br>--What distinguishes a featured session from the others? Is it
simply prominence in the conference's program, or are there other
advantages?<br><br>--How did the movement behind proposing a sense-of-the-house motion get started? Who began it, and when?<br>
<br>--What's next?<br><br>--Is there any particular reason why Prof. Lalicker was designated to propose the motion?<br><br>--And
finally, an easy one -- how many members does the CBW have? (And how do
you count them -- simply by listserv signups, or... ?)<br><br>Thanks again for your time and assistance; I hope to hear back from one or more of you!<br><br>All the best,<br><br><br>Serena<br><br>---<br clear="all">Serena Golden<br>
Copy Editor<br>Inside Higher Ed<br><a href="http://www.insidehighered.com" target="_blank"><a href="http://www.insidehighered.com">http://www.insidehighered.com</a></a><br>(202) 448-6113<br><br>
</serena.golden@insidehighered.com></div></blockquote></body></html>