Undergrad Coffee Hour

This is from Elise and Erik on our new Undergraduate Outreach Committee:

In an effort to build a community both between graduate and undergraduate English students and between the undergradutes themselves, we will be starting a weekly coffee hour at which one or two grad students can mingle with undergraduate majors, minors, and any interested student. We envision these coffee hours to be very informal affairs--a chance to become better acquainted with students who are already pursuing English degrees, as well as those minoring in English or considering becoming a member of the department. We want the atmosphere to be casual and fun and not a pressure-cooker for the undergraduates. After these coffee hours get off the ground and we have a better sense of how many students we can expect each week, we'll also encourage faculty to come and meet and chat with our talented undergrads.

We'll be kicking off these coffee hours next Friday, October 22, from 4-5 PM at the Pour House on Kirkwood. After next Friday, the coffee hours will continue every Friday at the same time and in the same location. Erik and I will certainly be there next week, but we'd like to establish a list of other interested grad students who wouldn't mind spending some time shooting the breeze with our younger colleagues. If you're interested in attending these coffee hours or are interested in any aspect of undergraduate outreach (more amazing and fun things are on the horizon!!), please respond to me at elonich [AT] indiana [DOT] edu. I'll put together a special email list to keep everyone up to date on our activities and schedule. Also, even if you don't have the time to attend any coffee hour, any publicity of these weekly get-togethers would be appreciated. It would be lovely to meet some engaged W131 and W170 students, as well as the students you may have in upper level literature and creative writing courses.

Thanks so much in advance, everyone, for your consideration. Erik and I are truly excited about building a stronger undergraduate-graduate community within the department, and we're looking forward, as always, to working with all of you to accomplish this goal. We hope to see you at a coffee hour soon!

Sincerely,

Erik Bohman and Elise Lonich