EGSA Digest 04.11.14
EGSA,
I hope Diadeloso provided you with enough rest to be able to make it through this. It’s big. Like, important big.
Announcements
Â
EGSA 2014 General Elections
- You’ve put up with us long enough, EGSA, except for Vice President Womack, up with whom you have to put for another year. But, otherwise, it’s time to elect some new EGSA officers.
- So get out your bumper stickers and campaign pins, sharpen your blurb-writing skills, and get ready to nominate yourself or other promising candidates to any of the following positions:
Vice President: Open (currently Ryan Womack, who will be President next year)One year term; in second year, becomes President upon approval of EGSA.
Assists the president and the secretary in their duties as needed; along with the President, meets regularly with the GPD and department chair; promotes departmental and campus events (e.g. graduate faculty/student mixers, Beall Poetry Festival, Scholar’s Week); assists Professional Development Coordinators in developing events as needed; updates the EGSA calendar on the website.
Secretary: Open (currently Jeremy Leatham)
Records and distributes minutes of EGSA meetings; publishes an EGSA Digest (via email) with announcements from EGSA, GPD, Dept Chair, or other groups/individuals to graduate students on a weekly or bi-weekly basis; sends and collects emails ballots for open positions or other proposals as needed; gathers signatures for “Thank You†cards to secretaries, GPD, the Department chair, the director of freshman composition, the Writing Center director, and EGSA’s faculty advisors at the end of each year for their support of graduate students; keeps a list of current English graduate students, updating the spreadsheet on the EGSA website each year.
Â
Treasurer: Open (currently Christina Boyles)
Collects membership dues ($10) at the beginning of each year; confers with Lois Avey on the EGSA account and keeps financial reports/receipts for EGSA; assists the fundraising chair as needed and assists with the biannual EGSA Conference Financial Committee.
Peer Advisor: Open (currently Josh Boyd)
Serves as the contact person for graduate students who have questions about their specific English graduate programs of study; makes available and explains the worksheets for the PhD program and the MA program; sends reminders about deadlines and dissertation/thesis workshops for the graduate program.
Professional Development Coordinators (2): Open (currently Heidi Seelke and Jay Beavers)
These officers serve a one-year term. They offer at least one professional development event per semester, soliciting advice from EGSA faculty advisors and Vice President as needed. (Successful past examples include CV writing workshop, publication/research agenda roundtable with professors, how-to sessions with graduate professor/s…)
GSA Representative: Open (currently Andy Rasmussen)
“This person should have been at Baylor for at least one year, with exceptions for those programs that are only one year long. The representative attends monthly GSA meetings, works with one of the standing committees (Academic, Social, or Policy), and exercises a vote on behalf of the graduate students in their department†(GSA description).
GSA Alternate: Open (currently Nicole Bouchard)
“An alternate may be a new student; usually one who is interested in ‘learning the ropes’ and serving as your department’s Representative the following year. The Alternate preferably attends all meetings with the representative, would be introduced to the activities and issues of GSA, and would have the proxy vote if the Representative is not in attendance.†(GSA description)
Technology Assistant: Open (currently Adam Marshall)
The assistant helps the technology chair with his/her duties while learning the EGSA website in order to take over the Technology Chair position the following year.
Fundraising Chair: Open (currently Emily Brower)
The Fundraising Chair is responsible for planning the annual book sale, which consists of collecting book donations, publicizing the event, coordinating volunteers, and working with Student Activities. Those who assist at any fundraising events are considered part of the fundraising committee.
Social Chairs (2): Open (currently Elizabeth Fredericks and Sarah Rude)
The two social chairs organize and promote events such as, but not limited to, a fall picnic, a holiday party, a spring Welcome Back Party, Bad Wine/Bad Poetry Night, etc. The fall picnic and Welcome Back party will be held on the first Saturday of the fall and spring semesters, respectively, and other events will be decided at the first EGSA meeting of the year and added to the EGSA calendar on the website.
- Please email me (Jeremy_Leatham@baylor.edu) your nominations by Friday, 18 April, at 5pm.
- Those nominated will be asked to write a short “campaign statement” (100-150 words) that will be included on the online ballot, to be posted the week of 21 April.
- Good luck. Keep it clean-ish.
Voter Registration (or, Pay Your Dues)
- This year, only registered voters will receive the link to the online ballot. Plainly, this means you have to give us money.
- If you have not given your obligatory $10 donation to Christina Boyles for your 2013-2014 EGSA dues by the time elections begin, you will not be invited to vote. Christina has the updated list. Check with her if you’re unsure whether you’ve been unjustifiably holding your head high at EGSA events this past school year.
- Note: This policy is not new (only the votes of dues-paying EGSA members have been counted in the past), but the process is. How EGSA-ting. I used that one already, didn’t I? See what I mean? It’s time to go.
General EGSA Meeting, Thurs., 17 Apr., 2:30–let’s say like 3:15pm-ish or maybe earlier, CS G-03 (A/V Room)
- No additional information should be necessary to draw you to our association’s fantastic meetings, but I will say that, in addition to covering our routine business, Thursday’s gathering will afford all those who have accepted nominations for 2014-2015 EGSA positions the opportunity to briefly introduce themselves to the EGSA body and make any necessary false campaign pledges. So come, make your case, and survey the field.
20CRS, Today, 2:30–3:30pm, CS 4th
- Professor Philip Jenkins, “Prophetic Neighbors: Karl Barth, C. G. Jung, and Rudolf Steiner in WWI Switzerland”
- Now wouldn’t that just be a discouraging neighborhood? (See Luke 4:24. Or Mark 6:4. Or Matt. 13:57.)
Upcoming Events
Â
Goodbye to Green Gate; Hello to Spring in Texas [hold on; hand cramp] (A Party), Tomorrow, 7pm, Green Gate (Watsons’ [3821 Lasker])
- Go. Just be prepared for a scene like this:
- But, really, who won’t be shedding a tear or two as we close this epic chapter of English studies at Baylor?
Seamus Heaney Poetry Reading, Mon., 14 April, 3:30–4:30pm, CS 4th
- Come mark the 75th anniversary of Heaney’s birth by bringing your favorite Heaney poem to read.
Happy nominating, dancing, reading, weeping,
Jeremy Leatham
EGSA Secretary