Grad student activity

[Olga Yokoyama]

Dear Jeff,
        Although it's been a while since your message was sent, I would
to register my belated admiration for the acitivities students at your
department have undertaken. Such acitivites are critical and one hopes
your lenthusiasm contaminates more of us in the field, student and
faculty.
        One thing I started 7 yrs ago hoping that it would help creating
the sense of cooperation and common puruist among Slavic linguists
(myself being one of them) was to organize a colloquium at which work in
progress is shared. The idea was later spread to the literary component
of the dep as well. This may be one additional activity you may want to
consider. The presentations are by grad and, sometimes, by undergrad
studenets, as well as by scholars from within and without the university.
The linguistic colloquium papers have been published in our samizdat (vol
1 sold out, had to reprint!), vol. 3 due this June. Involving
undergraduate and increasing visibility with the institution and its
administration is absolutely critical, as you say. A colloquium of more
scholarly orientation adds to this a sense of scholarly achievment and
cooperation.
        Best wishes.
        Olga T. Yokoyama