Planning for the Humanities and "Discovering the Humanities"

I have always wondered what it would be like to organize and run a conference, and I saw the opportunity as a great experience in learning to communicate with others and seeing the process of event management and organization. As I discovered, organizing a student conference takes a lot of work and dedication, and I was able to learn many things that most graduate students might not get the chance to learn.

The most important thing that is needed in organizing a conference is communication. Communication is extremely crucial in the process of organizing a conference: email, text messages, calls, or in-person face-to-face meetings. Without any communication, there will be a host of foreseen and unforeseen events that can affect the outcome of a conference. For instance, it is important to inform all participants and organizers of any issues, concerns, or new information that might occur in the process of the conference. If not, it leaves people unsure of who needs assistance or what needs clarification. One example is the venue of a conference. Since we were organizing the conference for The Humanities Collaborative at EPCC-UTEP, it was important to investigate the best venue(s) for our student conference. We had to try to predict and calculate the numbers of student presenters and attendees for the conference. In addition, we had to find a place that would permit us to use technology for our students. After we investigated the perfect venue, we had to request permission to book the venue and the time and date(s) for the conference. In some cases, a venue might not be available in the time you might want it, so you can either book the venue for another day and time or find another venue that fits the agenda that you had originally planned for the conference. After all, without a venue, you simply won't have a place to host the conference.

The second important thing in organizing a conference is management and organization. After connecting and communicating with all of the people involved in organizing a conference, it is important to discuss how to divide the work and what people can do to help in the process of organizing the conference. During this process, it is important to be responsible of making sure that everything is taken care of or finding things that can be added or removed from the agenda. One example of setting up proper management and organization is through the use of an Excel spreadsheet. In an Excel sheet, I included all the information of the student presenters, the different panels, and possible agendas for the conference. I really like using an Excel spreadsheet to see a visual representation of the conference, where I am able to figure out what to expect on the day of the conference. This kind of organization really helped us in our student conference and enabled us to estimate the number of attendees we would have in the conference and to place our food order for the conference. Through this kind of organization and management, we were able to ensure that the first humanities conference for The Humanities Collaborative at EPCC-UTEP was a success.

Although it was tiring organizing and running a conference, I was energized and motivated to work harder, and I was driven to make the next conference for The Collaborative better than the first. I was inspired seeing the students from El Paso Community College and The University of Texas at El Paso work so hard in their presentations and the terrific response from the attendees. Many of our presenters brought their families and friends to the conference too. I was even told by some of the student presenters that this student conference was their first conference presentation. I was amazed to hear this coming from both undergraduate and graduate students, yet I was glad that The Collaborative could provide this privilege and experience to our students and community. Therefore, I want to provide this experience to other humanities students within UTEP and EPCC where they can show their hard work and take pride in their own achievements and value the importance of the humanities.

My plan for the next humanities conference is to get the word out sooner, making sure to advertise the conference to all of the humanities faculty at EPCC and UTEP and make sure more students get a chance to give a presentation at a conference, especially first-timers. My goal is to have the announcement for the abstract ready before the 2019 fall semester begins at both UTEP and EPCC, giving every student a chance to know about our conference and a chance to present at our next conference. During this time, it will give students a chance to ask their professors or us any questions or concerns they might have in the process of submitting an abstract or working on a paper for a conference. In addition, it should provide students enough time to work or polish on previous papers that they have worked on previous classes that they completed. In case students have any questions they might have in the writing or presentation process, I will also provide students written guidelines of a paper/presentation for a conference. Through this process, students can learn the importance of presenting at a conference and how their work and research are valuable in their particular humanities field.

Furthermore, I hope that this conference can inspire students to be part of The Humanities Collaborative at EPCC-UTEP. Through this grant, students are given the opportunity to work on different kinds of projects and work with mentors who will help them become better researchers and students. I have learned a lot of new ways to conduct research from working with my mentors that I still use for my seminar classes. Plus, students can learn how other fields within the humanities can help them understand and appreciate the value of a humanities degree. My vision for this conference for The Collaborative is for other students to continue this conference between UTEP and EPCC, and I hope they can see the benefits of organizing and planning a conference by learning new ways of communication and management, and seeing the impact it leaves on our students and community as I did. I want future students to gain an experience that many students do not get a chance to do as an undergraduate or graduate student.  I hope that this kind of experience will motivate them to work harder, value their roles as students in The Collaborative and community, and value the role of the humanities in the larger community just like it has for me.

Written by Carmen Ordaz, The University of Texas at El Paso
Master's Research Fellow, The Humanities Collaborative at EPCC-UTEP 

(All images courtesy of Carmen Ordaz.)