The following resolutions and sense of the house motions were passed at the CCCC Annual Business Meeting held on Saturday, March 16, 2013 in Las Vegas.
Resolution 1
Whereas Howard Tinberg has tirelessly and consistently worked as an advocate for students and teachers in the “border” spaces of two-year colleges; explored and promoted practices of classroom research, and encouraged the scholarship of teaching;
Whereas his scholarship that systematically examines what we mean by college writing and the role of the teacher/scholar has been an invaluable resource to teachers and scholars in the profession;
Whereas he has organized this conference to create space for a true interchange of ideas and collaboration among the membership; and
Whereas he has performed with a spirit of good will, with energy and dedication;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the 2013 Conference on College Composition and Communication thank Howard Tinberg for his many contributions to our teaching and to our profession.
Resolution 2
Whereas Robyn Rohde and the Local Arrangements Committee have provided an inclusive, comprehensive Hospitality Guide to inform participants of the cultural and entertainment opportunities in Las Vegas and have served as ready resources for travel to and around the city and the conference;
Whereas Robyn Rohde and the Local Arrangements Committee have helped create a climate of hospitality and collegiality for conference participants to engage in the professional and social aspects of our work; and
Whereas Robyn Rohde and the Local Arrangements Committee have demonstrated energy and commitment to achieving for every participant a satisfying, lively experience at the conference and with the city of Las Vegas;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the 2013 Conference on College Composition and Communication applaud Robyn Rohde and the Local Arrangements Committee for their generosity and their hard work.
Resolution 3
Whereas CCCC does not endorse PDSs;
Whereas plagiarism detection services can compromise academic integrity by potentially undermining students’ agency as writers, treating all students as always already plagiarists, creating a hostile learning environment, shifting the responsibility of identifying and interpreting source misuse from teachers to technology, and compelling students to agree to licensing agreements that threaten their privacy and rights to their own intellectual property;
Whereas plagiarism detection services potentially negatively change the role of the writing teacher; construct ill-conceived notions of originality and writing; disavow the complexities of writing in and with networked, digital technologies; and treat students as non-writers; and
Whereas composition teacher-scholars can intervene and combat the potential negative influences of PDSs by educating colleagues about the realities of plagiarism and the troubling outcomes of using PDSs; advocating actively against the adoption of such services; modeling and sharing ideas for productive writing pedagogy; and conducting research into alternative pedagogical strategies to address plagiarism, including honor codes and process pedagogy;
BE IT THEREFORE RESOLVED that the Conference on College Composition and Communication commends institutions who offer sound pedagogical alternatives to the use of PDSs and encourages institutions who use PDSs to implement practices that are in the best interest of their students, including notifying students at the beginning of the term that the service will be used; providing students a non-coercive and convenient opt-out process; and inviting students to submit drafts to the service before turning in final text.
Sense of the House Motions
S1. Given documented problems and limitations with automated essay scoring in high-stakes testing, BE IT RESOLVED that CCCC appoint a task force to develop a position statement strongly opposing the practice and a white paper to educate the public on the consequences of automated essay scoring in testing.
