Happy Friday! What a spring week this has been as we return from spring break. Warm. Sunny. Breezy. Now overcast and drizzly. Well, welcome to springtime in the Rockies, yes?
Lots of bits and pieces to catch you up on this week.
Kari has a new essay out in advanced digital form: Segarra, Ignacio Moreno and Karrin Vasby Anderson. “Political Pornification Gone Global: Teresa Rodriguez as Fungible Object in the 2015 Spanish Regional Elections.” Quarterly Journal of Speech (2019).
Congratulations to Ziyu. She is our new representative to Faculty Council with strong support from the department’s faculty.
ACT starts next Friday. All the films are locked in, nearly all the guests’ travel is booked. We have food for the opening and closing receptions ordered (note: opening night reception is before the film and starts at 6:00 at the LSC Theater) and the beer is brewed.
Don’t forget that we have tickets set aside for folks. Use these links to reserve your tickets. Please RSVP by midday April 4.
Grad Students:
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1PRmcrBl9R70VzGUoWL2D4fpY4fNV0zaHq2Nm4d-6fUc/edit
 
Faculty/Special faculty/Staff
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1v1LH9nbRacwkqbw8UfAAdhVBD85p_AvubB1yS2pW_Zo/edit
And the CPD is doing its work again. Here is a not from Kalie:
We’ve got an upcoming forum on how the City should use data about its residents. Mind popping this in the weekly email? Here’s the link.
And event details:
April 25
6:00-8:30
Fort Collins Senior Center
With technological advances, the sheer amount of data available to cities has skyrocketed. That data can come in many forms, including reports, transactions, digital sensors, services, and citizens themselves. How can we – both residents and the Fort Collins City government– best work together to maximize the benefits of data while minimizing the risks? What should the City collect, how should it be shared, and how can it best be analyzed and used to solve problems, share stories, and improve quality of life? What’s the role of residents?
This forum will be an initial exploration into some of the big questions that arise when we consider how to best manage data in our city. We will also dig into some specific examples of how data can help us address community issues. Don’t worry if big data, the internet of things, or machine learning sound like another language. The City of Fort Collins and the Center for Public Deliberation (CPD) want to hear from people who know a lot or a little about data. Student facilitators from the CPD will be on hand to walk participants through the conversation and gather insights as they arise to help the city consider their next steps toward making Fort Collins a national leader in doing data right.
We know you are busy, but your voice is important. That’s why we will feed you dinner. We will also have interactive kids’ activities available for kids older than 12 months. ASL interpretation is available.
And then here are some dates to put on your calendar.
May 1, 4:30-6:30 pm. First Generation Student Reception We are hosting a first-generation student reception. Stop by the Robert Hoffert Learning Center in the Allicar Museum and connect with first generation undergraduate students.
May 2, 5:00-8:00 pm. CPD New Digs Open House. Most of you know the CPD is in a shiny new space in the General Services Building over by the train tracks. Come check out the space, have a few free appetizers. Catch up with folks
May 10, 4:00-6:30 pm. End of Year Shindig We are hosting our end of year party at Café Vino again. As always, family however you define that is invited.
Hey, I hope you have a wonderful weekend as we hurtle toward the end of the semester. For me—as for you, I suspect—the weekend will be busy as I put in my last bits of preparation for the festival (though, to be honest, all the heavy lifting is being done by Beth, Carol, Eliza, Nancy, and Scott) and for a trip to Montgomery to join colleagues doing field research on the civil rights monuments and memorials in that landscape and participate in Southern States Communication Association.
I will take some time to pet the dog and to hang out with Elizabeth. I hope you find some time to relax. Remember, this gig we have chosen is more like a marathon than a sprint. Don’t use the last of your energy today or tomorrow!