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KSU MLGSA Newsletter
Spring 2015
SPRING 2015 EXECUTIVE TEAM
LtoR
-Liz Chevalier (Spanish): Faculty Liaison
-Sophia Dongilli (TEFL): President
-Seth Oldham (Spanish): Event
Coordinator
-Isaac Fisher (Spanish): Communications
Coordinator
-Anna Barikyan (Spanish): Faculty
Liaison
-Sara Brady (German): Secretary
-Not pictured: Ashley Miller (French)
Vice President
Kansas State University Modern
Languages Graduate Student Association
IN THIS NEWSLETTER
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LETTER FROM DEPARTING PRESIDENT:
Sophia Dongilli
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT: Teaching
Best Practices
INITIALS: The Department of Modern
Languages Student Research Forum
OPEN HOUSE
SOCIAL EVENTS
EXECUTIVE TEAM GRADUATES: Where are
they going and what are they doing?
FALL 2015 EXECUTIVE TEAM
The MLGSA was resurrected this last year in an effort to
encourage a higher degree of program involvement and
connections by the graduate students. Since the official
elections over winter break, the MLGSA hosted a
professional development seminar, five official social
events, several impromptu get-togethers, and actively
participated in the hiring process for a new department
faculty member.
LETTER FROM DEPARTING PRESIDENT: Sophia
Dongilli
The past six months have been incredibly groundbreaking for the Modern Languages Graduate Student
Association (MLGSA). As many of you know, the
MLGSA has been a long-standing entity in name but a
fairly dormant group in reality. Officer elections were
usually the extent of graduate student involvement:
beyond this formality, meetings and functions were
never planned. In December 2014 (and in conjunction
with Dr. Hillard's support/urging), we decided to reinstate and re-invigorate the MLGSA. We drafted up
new executive team positions, outlined the
responsibilities and goals of each, and held formal
elections all before Winter Break, 2014. When we
returned in January, 2015, we were then able to hit
the ground running: we actively participated in the
new faculty hiring process, including lunches, research
presentations, and graduate student question-answer
sessions with the prospective candidates. MLGSA
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Faculty Liaisons Barikyan and Chevalier began attending
faculty meetings, where they were able to bring the
MLGSA's voice to departmental conversations and
likewise relay information back to the group. Vice
President Miller and I led executive team meetings and
goal-settings, in which Secretary Brady kept formal
records of everything being planned. She then sent these
minutes out over our MLGSA list serve so that the group
as a whole was informed and included at all times. Events
Coordinator Oldham planned several social functions as
well as the first annual Best Teaching Practices workshop,
in which members at large presented on issues and
strategies pertinent to GTAs and to foreign language
teaching as a whole. Per the generous support of the
department, Vice President Miller was able to manage our
newly instated budget to provide refreshments at these
events. Communications Coordinator Fisher created and
managed our new social media accounts (as well as the
newsletter you are now reading). Via our public Facebook
page, we are able to update current and prospective
students as to our latest projects and events. This is
especially pertinent to prospective M.A. students looking
to find out more about K-State graduate student culture
(these students are encouraged to visit our Facebook page,
the link to which is even posted on the Modern Languages
website). As a group, we have participated in K-State
Open House, each other's senior research projects and
presentations, Dr. Benson's retirement reception, and in
the formation of the newly created Kirmser Graduate
Student Excellence Awards. Needless to say, it has been an
exciting and busy semester!
The now active MLGSA has not only given us more
meaningful ways to engage with each other as graduate
students: it has also provided new professional and
leadership opportunities, group resources and
cooperation, and a more direct line of communication and
involvement with departmental faculty. Because of this
group, we now feel like a more integral part of the
department rather than a separated group of GTAs. To
Dr. Hillard, Dr. Copple, and the rest of the department's
faculty who have been involved with us and have included
us along the way: thank you. We so appreciate your
encouragement and support. To the Spring 2015
executive team: thank you. Without your tireless
commitment and creativity, the MLGSA would not
have been as active nor as successful. To the new
executive team and next year's group of MLGSA
members: keep up the good work and continue to
expand this group's reach to include even greater
projects and levels of participation. I am confident that
this group will not let the MLGSA die out again!
I will miss you all greatly next year, but know that you
rest in good hands with new President Isaac Fisher.
Best of luck, and I look forward to receiving future
updates via the MLGSA Facebook page!
Sincerely yours,
Sophia Dongilli
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MLGSA Professional Development:
Teaching Best practices
March 6th: Our inaugural professional development
event, entitled “MLGSA Professional Development:
Teaching Best Practices” took place in early March. The
event was opened with words of wisdom from the Modern
Languages retiring Spanish professor and legend, Dr. Doug
Benson. Benson was followed by six Modern Languages
GTAs, including members representing all four SLA
sections (German, French, Spanish TEFL), were allowed
seven short minutes to present their ideas and wisdom to a
crowd of sixteen graduate students.
Dr. Benson presented on the the usefulness of
using Jigsaw activities to incorporate more collaborative
learning. He also spoke about the necessity of
incorporating literature and culture activities into all levels
of foreign language instruction.
Tugce Gungormezlor (TEFL) suggested
incorporating Minisagas, or 50-word stories complete
with beginning, middle, and end. This activity, she said,
fosters creativity and allows students to write in-class
without taking too much precious instructional time.
Carlos Barron (French Literature) modeled using
scripted dramas and skits in class. By modeling the
activity, the teacher can help students to read with correct
pronunciation as well as appropriate emotion and
intonation.
Erica McMillon (Spanish SLA) prepared a simple
origami activity to show the importance of creating
measureable student learning outcomes. She provided
examples of traditional classroom goals and compared
them to student learning outcomes, which are far more
specific and measurable. Chris Seidler (German SLA)
spoke about the benefits of cooperative learning activities.
He modeled several brainstorming activities, including
ones he had successfully incorporated into his own
classroom.
Seth Oldham (Spanish SLA) presented several
ways to extend the use of Cloze Activities for foreign
language music listening activities. He also presented
GTAs with a link to a database where they could cooperate
to compile songs with relevant themes and grammatical
structures.
Sophia Dongilli (TEFL) provided listeners with
many ways to handle delicate situations that a GTA may
encounter with his or her students. She provided detailed
scenarios, and how one might go about maneuvering
them.
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INITIALS: The Department of Modern Languages
Student Research Forum
INITIALS is a student research forum that
has been modeled after the Modern
Language Department faculty research forum
series, Signatures. Students each
semester have the opportunity to do original
research and share their passions with the
department and campus. Topics range from
literature, cultural studies or linguistics.
This year five graduate students
shared their original research that ranged
from French feminism to the representation
of marginalized people in Mexican cinema,
to accurate representation in textbooks of
English grammatical constructs.
1. Lilla Porubek (top middle): Le surréalisme masculin: La réification des femmes chez Louis Aragon
2. Liz Chevalier (top right):Construct Validity and the Oral Proficiency Interview
3. Ashley Miller (bottom right): Illusions de liberté: La représentation du pouvoir féminin chez Montesquieu et de
Graffigny
4. Kelsey Welliver (bottom left): Distorted Reflections: The Marginalized of ¡Nosotros… los pobres! and Los
olvidados.
5. Sophia Dongilli (top left): Separable English Phrasal Verbs: A comparison of L1 English speakers and L1 Spanish
Open House
April 11: Members of the MLGSA
assisted with setup and helped
represent their sections (Spanish,
German, French, TEFL) at the
Modern Languages Booth.
MLGSA members showing their KSU
spirit with Modern Languages faculty
at the Open House.
LtoR: Sara Brady (Secretary,
German), Sophia Dongilli (President,
Spanish), Liz Chevalier (Faculty
Liaison, Spanish), Dr. McGregor
(German), Dr. Fialdini Zambrano
(Spanish), Dr. Kanost (Spanish)
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SOCIAL EVENTS
The Halloween, Holiday and Valentine’s Day
events helped us relax and de-stress from the
rigors of graduate studies. Each was hosted at a
different MLGSA member’s home and
incorporated costumes, games and libations.
The semester was wrapped up with a Senior
send-off.
Shortly after executive team elections, the
MLGSA hosted the their first social event: The
Holiday Social. This event proved that careful
planning can make social events culturally
educational. Events Coordinator Oldham
divided teams according to characters from
international folklore including a new favorite:
Austria's Krampus.
SENIOR SEND-OFF
Our final event of the year, Senior Send-Off, was
held at Straight Upp Creative Studio in Aggieville.
MLGSA members painted pottery and reflected
on their time at KSU. Graduating seniors in
attendance each said a few words about their plans
for the future, and shared wisdom and memories
with their classmates.
RIGHT: Graduating senior and MLGSA
President, Sophia Dongilli shares at the senior
send-off how the MLGSA has been much than a
social group for her: it has been family.
Members in attendance at Senior Send-off: Back row: Lilla Porubek, Kelsey Welliver, Isaac Fisher, Alicia Egan, Anna
Barikyan, Seth Oldham, Carlos Barron, Chris Seidler, Mariluz Naranjo. Front row: Tugce Gungormezler, Liz Chevalier,
Sara Brady, Sophia Dongilli, Ashley Miller, Pietro Tripano, Steven Nomura
MLGSA Spring 2015 newsletter
Graduating Executive team members:
Where are they going and what are they doing?
Ashley Miller, Vice President: This is a very exciting time as I finish teaching my last [summer] classes at K-State and
prepare to do my student teaching in the Shawnee mission district. I’m grateful to the department of modern
languages not only for the education I received, but also for the invaluable support form the faculty and fellow
graduate students to reach my potential. I’m proud to represent K-State and I’m thrilled to begin the next chapter of
my life as a high school French teacher!
Liz Chevalier, Faculty Liaison: In August, Liz will move to León, Spain as an English language and culture
assistant at the high school level. After a year abroad, she plans to return to the US to teach Spanish to high
school students.
Sophia Dongilli, President: During the fall 2015-spring 2016 school year, Sophia will be teaching English full-time
at the International Language Center (ILC) in Chachapoyas, Peru. Afterward she will return to the U.S. to either
work in a university English language program or to start a PhD program.
Anna Barikyan, Faculty Liaison: Currently I am enjoying sunny California, while at the same time missing
Kansas tremendously! I am planning to teach Spanish in LA and most likely apply to a PhD program in the
future.
NEWLY ELECTED: FALL 2015 EXECUTIVE TEAM
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President: Isaac Fisher (Spanish)
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Vice President: Chris Seidler (German)
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Faculty Liaisons
o Tugce Gungormezler (TEFL)
o 1 NEW STUDENT ELECTED IN THE FALL
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Secretary: Sara Brady (German)
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Communication Coordinator: Lilla Porubek (French)
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Event Coordinator: Seth Oldham (Spanish)
SPRING 2015 M.A. GRADUATES
1. Anna Barikyan
2. Carlos Barron
3. Elizabeth Chevalier
4. Thelma del Castillo Carley
5. Sophia Dongilli
6. Melissa Nicole Emerson
7. Milagros Jesus Huang
8. Erica Annette McMillon
9. Amanda S. Mendoza
10. Steven Toshi Nomura
11. Blanca Elena Olviedo-Loredo
12. Kelsey Welliver
13. Tianqi Zhang