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The 7th Annual Graduate Student Forum: Reflections on Optimism On March 26-27, 2009, the Planning Committee of the 7th Annual SLLC Graduate Student Forum hosted 25 graduate students from 15 domestic and international universities to share their reflections on optimism during a two-day conference. The topic drew versatile participants from diverse disciplines to address what Dr. Joseph Brami, Chair of French and Italian, called “ways of saying yes [… to survival in a time of crisis]” in his introductory remarks. The conference program and six panels were moderated by Planning Committee members and two additional volunteer graduate students, Mary Cobb Wittrock and Kathy Tek. Raluca Romaniuc and Eva Zaghdoun had the honor of introducing the speakers of honor, including keynote speaker Dr. Doris Kadish from the University of Georgia. Among this year’s presenters were Martha Maus from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and Phuong Hoang from the Department of French and Italian. All sessions ended in discussions and friendly exchanges that were continued throughout coffee breaks and lunches on both days. Many conference participants, including Dr. Charles Caramello, Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Dean of the Graduate School, who kindly agreed to provide this year’s opening remarks, commented on the collegial but professional atmosphere and the hard work of the committee. Conference participant Sonia Checcia from Georgetown University stated after the conference: “Thank you for all the work you put into coordinating the conference. It was a great experience for me to get out of my department and mingle with you all! I left on Friday with new ideas and a fresh perspective. I thank you for the opportunity!” The Planning Committee would like to thank the SLLC for generously funding this annual project, all conference participants, as well as volunteers and numerous last-minute helping hands (Brook J.). A special thanks to all the advice from the professors who supported our decisions during the last 12 months, and last but not least, to Dr. Karimi from the Center for Persian Studies for his beautiful closing remarks on the “passion that drives us forward… [on the] planes of optimism and pessimism.” Planning Committee Members: Silvia Baage, Erica Cefalo, Gena Chattin, Diego Panasiti, Raluca Romaniuc, Kathryn Taylor, Tatyana Vdovina., Christy Wall, Eva Zaghdoun. Faculty Advisors: Dr. Sarah Benharrech and Dr. Joseph Brami, Department of French and Italian.