Fairmont State to Welcome Undergraduate Literature Symposium
The annual West Virginia Undergraduate Literature Symposium will be held at Fairmont State on Saturday, March 3, Dr. Nathan C. Myers, Assistant Professor of English, announced today.
The Symposium will welcome twenty-two undergraduate students from around West Virginia and Pennsylvania to present papers they have written for literature classes. They will present their work in panels starting at 9:30 in the Falcon Center Conference rooms. English faculty from West Virginia colleges and Universities will serve as judges.
K. Rae Hill, Latasha Martin, Laura Morris, and V. Grace Rine, Fairmont State students, will participate. Hill, an Honors student, is a senior from Wood County. Martin, a junior English Ed major, is from Pendleton County. Morris is a junior Honors student from Fairmont. Rine is a senior from Tyler County.
Shepherd University will send six students to the Symposium: Gabrielle A. Hersey, Alex McCarron, Claudia McCarron, MaKarie Myers, Heidi Reichert, and Lilli Sutton. Jamie L. Brooks, Rachel Pitcher, Abby Rector, and Jeremy Wood from Concord University will also participate. Natasha Muhametzyanova and Abigail Reeves, who attend West Liberty, have had their papers accepted. From Davis and Elkins, Emily Alexander and Bayli Helmik will present their papers. Lydia A. Cyrus from Marshall University, Riley Imlay from West Virginia University, Tyler Butterworth from Wheeling Jesuit, and Dimita Pugh from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania, will round out the program.
Dr. Erin Hippolyte, Professor of French, will deliver the keynote address during the symposium. Hippolyte will talk about the importance of global awareness in literary studies.
Hippolyte said, “It is an honor to participate in the symposium, and I appreciate the work of my wonderful colleagues here at Fairmont State to organize and host the event. The joy of global studies is to find connections across time, space, and experience. In the keynote, I hope to invite a moment of personal engagement in broad and inclusive global thinking.”
This year’s Symposium is organized by four faculty members from the Department of Language and Literature, including Myers; Sarah B. Rude, Assistant Professor of English; James Matthews, Professor of English; and J. Robert Baker, Professor of English/Senior Level. Myers serves as chair of the organizing committee.
Rude commented, “The WVULS is such a good opportunity for undergraduates. It gives them the chance to share their own original research, which is satisfying in itself and also looks great on graduate school applications. But just as importantly, events like this bring together groups of like-minded individuals who enjoy similar academic pursuits. It shows students that people other than their professors are interested in what they have to say about the things they have read, and it allows them to ask questions and deepen their appreciation of literature.”
Myers added, “We are delighted to welcome the Literary Symposium back to Fairmont State University. Having these talented students present their work energizes our whole campus.”
The Symposium rotates among West Virginia institutions of Higher education. Begun at West Virginia University, the Symposium was hosted as West Liberty in 2017 and 2016. Fairmont state was host last in 2015.
The public are invited and welcome to attend.
Fairmont State UniversityDepartment of Language and LiteatureNathan C. MyersErin HippolyteSarah B. RudeDr. James Matthews
