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The BALLOT is located at the bottom of this page.
Timeline
Nominations:
October 1, 2022 to October 19, 2022 (11:59pm, EST; UTC-5)
Any nominations posted before or after this period may not be counted!
Voting Period:
Midnight of October 22, 2022 to 11:59pm of October 30, 2022 (EDT; UTC-5)
New Board Takes Effect:
Midnight, January 1, 2023 (EST; UTC-5)
Descriptions of
Positions to be Elected
and Candidate Applications
Executive Officer of Communications
(1 year replacement: 2023-2024)
CANDIDATE: Leah Haught
Executive Officer of Presentations
(2 years: 2023-2025)
CANDIDATE: Angela Weisl
Precariat Faculty and Independent Scholars Representative
(2 years: 2023-2025)
CANDIDATE: Christina De Clerck-Szilagyi
Student Representative
(2 years: 2023-2025)
CANDIDATE: Kyle Gaydo
Executive Officer of Communications has primary responsibility over:
- Administration and organization of digital media outreach, including: oversight of social media administration and moderation; management of server space that hosts ISSM websites and similar media.
- Membership management
- Collect data of identity (i.e., precariat, graduate, junior faculty, etc.)
- Collect data of interests (i.e., movies, Robin Hood, video games, books, creative writing, etc.)
- Manage Membership login to change identity.
- Online communications:
- Develop online meeting venue accounts or set meetings for the organization (i.e., https://www.wonder.me/ or establishing a video conference meeting)
- Oversight of social media accounts including posting and recruitment / coordination of moderation teams.
- Oversight of ISSM websites (including: main site, conference site, Year’s Work in Medievalism site) and server management.
- Oversight of list-servs/mailing and discussion lists
- Developing and maintaining resources for ISSM membership seeking to place their work with relevant and interested publishers
- Elections* (see Elections sections for further guidance)
- Communications / Publications Advisory Board
- The Communications Coordinator, who is responsible for all technical tasks for online communications and communications media, will provide technical support to the Executive Officer (Communications) as needed. See Communications Coordinator description of duties.
CANDIDATE: Leah Haught
As the Executive Officer of Communications for 2023-24, I would look forward to collaborating with other board members to coordinate membership information, including interests and resource requests, as well as strategies for effective digital outreach. I have presented at several ISSM conferences and panels throughout my career, and I have been an editor of Medievally Speaking for close to ten years. Thus, this seems a natural progression of my commitment to a society that has afforded me much.
Executive Officer of Presentations has primary responsibility over:
- Assisting the host of the official ISSM conference to develop the conference themes, Call for Papers, pael organization and selection, program flow, etc.
- Coordination with Year’s Work in Medievalism (official journal of the ISSM) to develop the journal, serve on the YWiM editorial board, liaison to allied publications, and develop lists of willing specialists for peer review
- Developing with the Conference Coordinator general lists of relevant topics for conferences and sponsored sessions / panels of interest to the Membership and ISSM
- Coordinating and developing (with the Conference Coordinator): official Call for Papers (CFP) for ISSM sponsored sessions; submission of the CFP to the conference / congress organizers, as well as preparing materials for Communications to promote; recruiting moderators and organizers; selecting presenters for approved sponsored sessions.
- Routinely sponsoring sessions on behalf of the ISSM at conferences including but not limited to (list will be routinely updated):
- International Congress on Medieval Studies (Kalamazoo)
- International Medieval Congress (Leeds)
- Modern Languages Association (MLA) and / or Regional MLA
- Popular Culture Association PCA/ACA
- Australia and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies
- International Conference of Medievalism Studies – GEHM – Brazil
- Brazilian Association for Medieval Studies – ABREM – Brazil
- International Conference on the Fantastic in the Arts
- Society for the Study of Cinema and Media Studies
- Developing and maintaining lists of potential conferences where the ISSM can sponsor sessions, including deadlines, proposal requirements, etc.
- Functioning as co-treasurer with the other Executive Officers
- Coordinating with Executive Officers of Communications and of Finance to determine suitability of topics.
- Elections* (see Elections sections for further guidance)
- Presentations Advisory Board
CANDIDATE: Angela Weisl
I have been doing this position this year, and I feel like I have more to contribute. ISSM can certainly be sponsoring presentations at more conferences, and we are already in the planning stages for the 2023, 2024, and even 2025 ISSM conferences. I hope to continue to work to attract a truly International group of contributors our conference, and I also hope we might gather at another point in the year for a Roundtable or Conversation on hot button topics in our field. Therefore, I would like another term to complete the projects I have begun working on with our wonderful board!
Executive Officer of Finance has primary responsibility over:
- Oversight and management of funds raised to support the ISSM Website, and will work with the Communications Coordinator to determine needs
- Oversight and management of funds raised to support the ISSM Conference, and will work with the Conference Coordinator and individual conference hosts
- Development of account structures, non-profit status, and methods to transfer control to the next Treasurer
- Development and distribution of budgets to appropriate Executive Board members
- Presentation of budgets to the Executive Board and ISSM Membership
- Consideration of fundraising methods
- Elections* (see Elections sections for further guidance)
CURRENT OFFICER: Carol Robinson
Conference Coordinator will provide support to the Executive Officer for Presentations as needed. This Coordinator is primarily responsible for organizing the current (annual) ISSM conference. The Conference Coordinator will:
- Liaison and coordinate with immediate past host, current host, future host.
- Work with Communications Coordinator to develop conference websites.
- Ensure rotation and balance of conference locations (e.g. continents, institutions, delivery mode, etc.).
- Ensure digital conferences or digital components of in-person conferences must ALWAYS be part of the planning.
- Coordinate and develop (with the Executive Officer of Presentations): official Call for Papers (CFP) for ISSM sponsored sessions; submission of the CFP to the conference / congress organizers, as well as preparing materials for Communications to promote; recruiting moderators and organizers; selecting presenters for approved sponsored sessions.
CURRENT COORDINATOR: Alexandra Sterling-Hellenbrand
Communications Coordinator is responsible for all technical tasks for online communications and communications media. These tasks include software updating, security maintenance, as well as the technical work for distributing content for all media, including the following:
- ISSM website
- ISSM Annual Conference website
- The Year’s Work in Medievalism website
- Membership management
- Membership electronic voting
- ISSM social media accounts
- Listservs
- Online meeting venue accounts
- Promotions and outreach
CURRENT COORDINATOR: Rebecca Brackmann
Precariat Faculty and Independent Scholars Representative represents the interests and voices of the collective contingent faculty and/or academic staff (adjunct, temporary contract, and other non-tenure track, including alternative academic, independent scholars, or paraprofessional) members of the ISSM. To that end, the Precariat Representative (hereafter called the Precariat) shall be charged with communicating the needs of these members to the larger Executive Board and to the Executive Committee and serving as their representative in the larger Executive Board meetings and voting procedures. The Precariat is responsible for:
- Surveying the membership to put together data on the size of the contingent faculty, independent scholars, and/or academic staff membership to determine representative voices. This survey is to be undertaken no less than once every calendar year.
- Requesting a sub-committee of representative contingent faculty/independent scholars/academic staff (the number of which is to be determined by the survey) to meet bi-monthly to discuss their needs and how the ISSM can better serve those needs.
- Creating a formal report from the above bi-monthly meetings to present to the larger Executive Board and/or Executive Committee to address any possible changes or Constitutional/Bylaw amendments or general policy actions.
- Maintaining a network of professional service, mentoring, publication, and conference opportunities for contingent faculty/independent scholars/academic staff in conjunction with the Communications Coordinator and the Executive Committee.
- Maintaining an active list/open communication with the ISSM members who are not tenured, tenure-track, or retired faculty/academic staff.
- Any other duties not listed herein as determined by the Executive Board and/or the Executive Committee.
The Precariat shall serve in the position in accordance with the term limits outlined above. The Precariat is no longer eligible to serve in this role should they attain a tenure-track or permanent contract position.
Should there be a time in which no contingent faculty, independent scholars, and/or academic staff hold membership in the ISSM, the Precariat Member position may be placed on hold until such a time as membership deems the position be renewed.
CANDIDATE: Christina De Clerck-Szilagyi
I am interested in this position because I am an adjunct and want to make sure that we are properly represented in professional organizations such as ISSM.
Student Representative represents the interests and voices of all students (both graduate and undergraduate, including masters, PhD and postdoctoral levels and their equivalents) affiliated with the ISSM. The Student Representative must be a current student; in cases where an ISSM Member is both a student and an instructor (a contracted university-level job independent of degree-progress employment), they should ideally be classified as precariat and therefore represented by the official Precariat in all general matters. To that end, the Student Representative shall be charged with communicating the needs of these student members to the larger Executive Board and to the Executive Committee and serving as their representative in the larger Executive Board meetings and voting procedures. The Student Representative is responsible for:
- Surveying the membership to put together data on the size and demographics of the student membership to determine representative voices. This survey is to be undertaken no less than once every calendar year.
- Organizing an assembly of the students to meet at least once per semester to discuss their needs and how the ISSM can better serve those needs. This assembly should be open to participation of all current students. The Student Representative can organize the assembly as best matches the needs and demographics of student membership, ensuring all voices are heard.
- Creating formal reports from the above assemblies to present to the larger Executive Board and/or Executive Committee to address any possible changes or Constitutional/Bylaw amendments or general policy actions.
- Facilitating a network of scholarship, professional service, mentoring, publication, conference, research, and study opportunities for interested students, in conjunction with the Communications Coordinator, the Precariat Representative and the Executive Committee.
- Maintaining an open communication channel with all ISSM members, especially those who are active students or who are currently applying/looking for a study program. All official communications must be formalized via email.
- Assuring that students have their rights as full ISSM members respected. This includes, but is not limited to, the right to vote for the leadership and to participate at the conference. The Representative may preserve the anonymity of individual students when presenting their needs/issues to the board, the request of their constituent(s).
- Any other duties not listed herein as determined by the Executive Board and/or the Executive Committee.
The Student Representative shall serve in the position for no more than three consecutive terms. The Student Representative is no longer eligible to serve in this role should they attain any hired high-ed teaching position which would then qualify them as an instructor or professor, even if they still are a student at a different institution. The same applies if they finish/end their current student affiliation and have no immediate plans for a new degree. If the Student Representative resigns, they shall be replaced with their designated substitute (following the order of the other most-voted candidates), or with an interim appointed by the Board in cases where there is no available substitute.
CANDIDATE: Kyle Gaydo
Ever since my interest in the Middle Ages and medieval literature took hold, I began interrogating the ways in which medieval literature speaks to contemporary moments. Such analysis eventually brought me to considering medievalisms, where I am now interested in video games exploring the Middle Ages and intersections between Medieval Studies and Digital Humanities. With this interest and knowledge, alongside my leadership and organizing experiences from teaching, extracurricular activities, and labor movements, I believe I can offer much to ISSM through this position..
BALLOT
