Travel to UNT

Meet at the front entrance of the Embassy Suites at 8:40am to carpool or take the shuttle to UNT. If you are driving to UNT, park at the Highland St. Parking Garage (620 Ave A, Denton, TX 76201). Pay on your way out and submit it for reimbursement.

Schedule

Thursday, May 16th

• 6-9pm: Opening Social at Embassy Suites, Denton/Fort Worth rooms (3100 Town Center Tr.)

Friday, May 17th

• 9am-12pm: Morning Session at UNT, Matthews Hall 109 (1300 W. Highland St.)
• 12-1pm: Lunch at at UNT, Matthews Hall 109
• 1-4pm: Afternoon Session at UNT, Matthews Hall 109
• 7-9pm: Dinner at Barley & Board (100 W. Oak St.)

Saturday, May 18th

• 9am-12pm: Morning Session at UNT, Matthews Hall 109 (1300 W. Highland St.)
• 12-2pm: Lunch at Layalina Mediterranean Restaurant (222 W. Hickory St.)
• 2-5pm: Optional Afternoon Sessions at Harvest House (331 E. Hickory St.)

Attendees

The conference was organized by the following scholars:

• Dan Krutka, University of North Texas
• Jenni Conrad, Oregon State University-Cascades
• Jennifer Gallagher, East Carolina University
• Mark Hlavacik, University of North Texas

The following scholars were invited to attend the conference based on their expertise in some aspect of critical inquiry scholarship:

• Erin Adams, Kennesaw State University
• Sohyun An, Kennesaw State University
• Soad Badran, University of North Texas
• Ryan Crowley, University of Kentucky
• Melissa Gibson, Marquette University
• Cortney Haynes, University of North Texas
• Brittany Jones, University at Buffalo
• Wayne Journell, UNC Greensboro
• LaGarrett King, University at Buffalo
• Hollie Kulago, Penn State University
• Stephanie Masta, Purdue University
• Rebecca Mueller, University of South Carolina Upstate
• Noreen Naseem Rodríguez, Michigan State University
• Melissa Rojas-Williams, University of North Texas
• Katy Swalwell, Equity Literacy Institute
• Cinthia Salinas, University of Texas
• Sandra Schmidt, Teachers College
• Zack Seitz, University of North Texas
• Tori Smith, University of North Texas
• Emma Thacker, James Madison University
• Amanda Vickery, University of North Texas

Conference Information (same info as email sent on 05/13)

Hello conference attendees, 

We are excited and honored to have so many incredible scholars joining us in Denton this week for the Critical Inquiry Conference! We are sending this email with all the last minute reminders and details for the conference. Please read through this entire list as there are a couple time sensitive items (e.g., Critical Inquiry narrative, Friday lunch selection).

Please let us know if you have any ideas, questions, or concerns! We can’t wait to see you all! Best, 

Dan, Jenni C., Jenni G., & Mark

Critical Inquiry Narratives: 

Please share a brief draft of an abstract or narrative statement with us, the conference organizers, by the end of the day on Tuesday, May 14. You can send your documents to Dan Krutka.

The draft should identify something you want to investigate, question, understand, discuss etc. related to the intersection of critical social studies and inquiry. We’ve been saying it should be about 1,000 words, but less is fine. This draft might come out of past, ongoing, or future research. Wherever the writing is, the draft will be a tool to start our conversations.

We’re asking for abstracts a couple of days ahead of the conference (e.g., Tuesday, 05/14) so that we can look them over and identify some common themes. The conference will be a mix of larger and smaller group sessions and we think these statements might help make both modes of meeting more meaningful. We attached Mark’s example to this email.

Conference schedule: 

You can find the updated conference schedule here, readings on Critical Inquiry here, and you can also find all this information at https://criticalinquiry.net/conference/.

Travel reimbursement: 

If you haven’t already, please share your flight information with us. Please keep all receipts for local/ground transportation and airfare. You will use UNT’s Payworks platform. You should have received an email to register for Payworks from UNT.

There are several steps necessary to receive reimbursement for your conference-related expenses. After you create a PaymentWorks account and make all travel arrangements EXCEPT hotel:

1. Provide a list of all estimated expenses to Shawn Adams, coe-grants@unt.edu.
2. Send receipts to Shawn Adams as you receive them.
3. After the conference, confirm with Shawn Adams that all receipts for reimbursement have been submitted and received.

Hotel: 

Embassy Suites by Hilton at Denton Convention Center.

3100 Town Center Trail Denton, Texas 76201 USA

+1 940-243-3799

You have a room reserved for the nights of Thursday, 05/16 and Friday, 05/17 that is paid and will be under your name. Check in 3pm/Check out 11am. Parking is free onsite. 

Food: 

The hotel will provide free breakfasts and we will provide all other meals from Thursday dinner (at reception) through lunch on Saturday.

Important: Lunch on Friday will be delivered from La Estrella Mini Market. Please check out their menu here and input your order into this google form. Please put in your order by Wednesday, AM to receive your choice. 

Shuttle to UNT Campus on Friday & Saturday: 

We are hoping that the hotel shuttle will take us to campus at 8:40am on Friday and Saturday, and return to the hotel at 4:10pm on Friday. Mark and Jenni G. will have vehicles to shuttle people as needed also. Lyfts or Ubers are relatively inexpensive ($10-15) and may be included with your travel reimbursement, depending on the overall total.

Health Protocols: 

UNT has no COVID protocols at this point and most everywhere in Texas is the same. Please feel welcome to wear a mask or take any health precautions you need or want. The conference center claims to have masks on request (we have not tested this).

Disrupted travel? Last minute questions? See our 05/13 email for organizer phone numbers.

Recommended Items to Bring: 

• Warm Weather Clothes
  • Highs will be from the upper 70s to the upper 80s according to the National Weather Service, and in the mid 60s at night. There is a chance of thunderstorms. 
  • We (the organizers) plan to dress casually for the conference.
• Allergy Medication
  • If you tend to get seasonal allergies, odds are very good they will be worse here than they are at home.
• Sunglasses
  • Needed do most anything outdoors.
  • Especially important if you plan to drive.
• Sunscreen
  • You can get burned here pretty quickly and many social spaces are indoor/outdoor.
• Rain Gear or Umbrella
  • Thursday looks like rain, Friday and Saturday do not. BUT, this is the time of year that we get storms. When it rains here, it tends to rain hard.
• Swimsuit / Exercise Clothes
  • The hotel/conference center has both an indoor and outdoor pool.
  • Outdoor running/walking: in and around Rayzor Ranch Park. If you want something strenuous, cross Bonnie Brae to run or walk the hilly loop around McKenna Park. If you are training, North Lakes Park is about 1.5 miles (go north on Bonnie Brae) and has some decomposed granite paths along its reservoir and through a grove of mesquite.