Monday Missive – June 27, 2016

Passing the Baton — In a relay race, one runner passes a baton to another runner, transforming an individual sport into something of a team sport.  Nowadays, the term “passing the baton” also means the transference of responsibility from one person to another, but I think that we should ponder for a moment the racing origins of this phrase.  By handing off the baton from one runner to another, the runners are able to go faster collectively than each runner would go if that runner were running the entire course alone.  At the moment that a runner hands off the baton, the new runner is fresh and ready to add to the record already established by the previous runner.

This process will come into play at the end of this week when three of the English Department’s best runners will pass their batons to new runners.  Kirk Melnikoff, the Undergraduate Coordinator and and Associate Chair, will pass his baton to Jen Munroe, who will take over Kirk’s administrative responsibilities.  Pilar Blitvich, the English Department’s Director of Graduate Studies, will hand off her baton to Lara Vetter.  Aaron Toscano, the Director of Advising, will pass off his baton to Sarah Minslow, the English Department’s new full-time advisor.  Actually, Tiffany Morin will run a lap with the advising baton until the first of August when she will pass it to Sarah, who is eager to get in the race.

My appreciation and admiration go to Kirk, Pilar, and Aaron for setting such an impressive pace and for devoting so much energy to the running of the English Department.  My thanks also go to Jen, Lara, and Sarah, who are about to grasp their batons take off running.  They will bring new energy and ideas to their positions.  It’s clear to me the English Department is very much a department on the move.  You will have to look elsewhere if you are looking for the summer doldrums.

Kudos— As you know, I like to use my Monday Missives to share news about recent accomplishments by members of our department.  Here is the latest news:

Pilar Blitvich delivered a paper at a conference in London on Language and Conflict: Politics of Language and Identity across Context. The conference was organized by SOAS, University of London and was sponsored by the Journal of Language Aggression and Conflict.

Quirky Quiz Question —  In addition to figuring prominently in this Monday Missive, the word baton can be found in other places, including the map of Louisiana.  What is the place name in Louisiana that includes the word baton?