Minutes for the ACLA Board Meeting
8-10 AM, Friday April 2nd, 2010
Hunt Room, Hotel Monteleone, New Orleans
Present: Saussy, Lionnet, Felski, Eckhardt, Sattar, Patel, Hayot, Lewis, MacDonald, Seigneurie, Bermnann, Slaughter, Richmond-Garza

Welcome and introductions

1. Approval of 12/28/09 minutes (Richmond-Garza)
[Eckhardt moved/Hayot seconded/ unanimously approved]

2. Financial, Fundraising and Membership Report (summary reports for 2007,2008, 2009 and initial numbers for the 2010 conference, Richmond-Garza)
Acceptance of summary reports for 2007,2008, 2009/initial 2010 conference numbers
[Lewis moved/Slaughter seconded/unanimously approved]

3. Report of the President: discussion of organizing method for future conferences (Saussy)

a. Discussion of conference

i. Discussion of the importance of sustained seminar conversations
ii. Discussion of the hospitable environment especially for graduate students
iii. Discussion of new organizational methods via a conference committee
iv. Discussion of costs of A/V and hotel-hosted conferences
v. Discussion of how to communicate better with participants and seminar organizers
vi. Discussion of limiting size of conference to 1,500 participants
vii. Discussion of proportion of student/faculty presenters
viii. Discussion of desire to create more coherent overall shape to the program
ix. Discussion of concern that the conference’s size has compromised its intimacy
x. Discussion of how to combine inclusivity with a distinctly Comp. Lit. focus
xi. Discussion of desirability of a university-hosted venue for 2012
xii. First official undergraduate seminar to take place at the 2011 conference

b. Discussion of the relationship of the conference to the future Secretariat

i. New model for ACLA given change in size: divided labor among committees
ii. Need for more financial investment by the ACLA in its own running costs

c. Agreement on 3 goals for the 2011 conference and beyond:

i. To aim for a hospitable format with a clear vision of the ACLA/Comp. Lit.
ii. To aim for 1,500 participants in the 2011 program
iii. To revise the bylaws to include a standing conference committee for 2012
iv. To include a paid assistant for ACLA and its activities in the ACLA budget

4. Report of the Vice-President (Lionnet)

a. Comments on the challenges of finding venues for a conference the size of the ACLA’s
b. Comments on desirability of a university host for 2012
c. Discussion of using a professional conference planner for 2012 and beyond

5. Report of Finances Committee (Lewis)

a. The ACLA’s CPA has agreed to assist with taxes and advice on investments
b. Discussion of Duke UP handling the ACLA’s membership records
c. Discussion of ACLA’s new income-based membership scale
d. Higonnet, Komar, and Bermann have pledged $1,500 to set up a matching fund for an annual targeted project
e. A line to be added on the website indicating that donations over $50 will be matched
f. ACLA’s finances have been stable over the past few years

6. ACLA 2010 New Orleans update (Saussy, Richmond-Garza)

a. More than1,800 presenters appear in the program

7. ACLA 2011 Vancouver (Seigneurie)

a. Seigneurie has secured an assistant to work with the Secretariat, Tourism Vancouver and SFU on conference logistics
b. 2011 will be a hybrid with university/hotel-hosted conference

8. ADPCL Update (Eckhardt)

a. Report on successful graduate student session on Thursday
b. The planned graduate studies in Comp. Lit. report seems to duplicate MLA research
c. The MLA will include a searchable list of CL programs in its directory when it goes on-line and the ADPCL will maintain a stand-alone list (annual cost of $200-300)
d. MLA sessions and other business are up-to-date

9. Consideration of the future home of the ACLA Secretariat

a. Both the University of South Carolina at Columbia and Louisiana State University at Baton Rouge have made approaches
b. Saussy will follow up with both

10. ACLS proposal to pool resources of mid-sized associations to retain legal counsel and other services

a. Secretary to confirm liability insurance for the ACLA
b. Secretary to continue the conversation with ACLS about pooled resources [Lewis moved/ Hayot seconded/ approved unanimously

11. Student Representatives Update (Patel and Sattar)

a. Report on the Thursday’s job market panel with 6 participants and 50 attendees
b. Proposal to poll graduate students about their concerns through the listserve
c. Offer of student volunteers as a resource for future conferences
d. Request to set up blog for people seeking roommates for the conference

12. Additional Items:

a. Discussion of the relationship with ICLA
b. Update on Yale UP monograph project (Saussy), to be referred to the journals committee [Eckhardt moved/Hayot seconded/approved unanimously]
c. Reminder of need to form the 2011 prize committees (Saussy/Lionnet)