Minutes for Board Meeting - December 2007
Minutes for the ACLA Board Meeting
Saturday, December 29, 2007, 8:00-10:00 AM
Swissotel, Chicago
323 E Wacker Dr
Present: Beall, Beebee, Bermann, Brodzki Lacour, Eckhardt, Felski, Fisher, Horta, Lewis, Richmond-Garza, Saussy
Regrets: Chen, Hanssen, Kadir, Brodsky Lacour, Lerer, Montenegro, Yao
Meeting convened at 8:15
Thanks and introductions (Bermann)
1. Report on upcoming conferences
Saturday, December 29, 2007, 8:00-10:00 AM
Swissotel, Chicago
323 E Wacker Dr
Present: Beall, Beebee, Bermann, Brodzki Lacour, Eckhardt, Felski, Fisher, Horta, Lewis, Richmond-Garza, Saussy
Regrets: Chen, Hanssen, Kadir, Brodsky Lacour, Lerer, Montenegro, Yao
Meeting convened at 8:15
Thanks and introductions (Bermann)
1. Report on upcoming conferences
a. ACLA 2008 Long Beach (Fisher)
i. Accommodation and meeting spaces contracted with the Westin Hotel Long Beach and further room block can be booked with other hotel as needed.
ii. The banquet will be held on board the Queen Mary
iii. There have been 1,400 submissions (expected acceptance rate is 85%, including a few multiple submissions by a single participant which ACLA preempt in the future by setting the website to accept only one submission per participant)
iv. 130 seminars have been set with a final number expected of 150
v. A dedicated graduate assistant is a crucial to the hosting conference
vi. Marjorie Perloff will be the plenary speaker
ii. The banquet will be held on board the Queen Mary
iii. There have been 1,400 submissions (expected acceptance rate is 85%, including a few multiple submissions by a single participant which ACLA preempt in the future by setting the website to accept only one submission per participant)
iv. 130 seminars have been set with a final number expected of 150
v. A dedicated graduate assistant is a crucial to the hosting conference
vi. Marjorie Perloff will be the plenary speaker
b. ACLA 2009 Harvard (Richmond-Garza for Damrosch)
i. Hotel contracts are in place
ii. Graduate assistant is in place
iii. Harvard has committed to a $50,000 subvention of the conference
ii. Graduate assistant is in place
iii. Harvard has committed to a $50,000 subvention of the conference
c. ACLA 2010: discussion of possible venues of Nashville or Savannah and of the need for a local host institution
d. ACLA 2011 Vancouver (Horta)
i. Host will be the Program in World Literature at Simon Fraser University in Vancouver, on their new campus
ii. The opportunity to apply for a Canadian national grant will balance lack of subvention and the Secretariat will collaborate on the application
iii. Confirmation that hotel resources locally will be sufficient
ii. The opportunity to apply for a Canadian national grant will balance lack of subvention and the Secretariat will collaborate on the application
iii. Confirmation that hotel resources locally will be sufficient
2. Approval of minutes
3. Financial, Fundraising and Membership Report (Richmond-Garza)
3. Financial, Fundraising and Membership Report (Richmond-Garza)
a. Discussion of the financial complications and logistical implications of the choice of a location like Puebla for the annual meeting
4. Report of Finances Committee (Saussy)
a. The investments are retaining their value and Ellen Sandler has agreed to continue to manage the accounts pro-bono
b. In 2008 all recent donations will be transferred to the Highlander accounts
5. Report of the President (Bermann)
b. In 2008 all recent donations will be transferred to the Highlander accounts
a. Reminder to attend the ACLA's 2007 MLA sessions
b. b. Discussion of proposed sessions for 2008: Translation Studies and Comparative Literature; the relationship between Comparative Literature and the Law
c. ADPCL session: a workshop/roundtable on future of Comparative Literature Journals in relation to book publishing
6. Report of the Vice-President (Saussy)
b. b. Discussion of proposed sessions for 2008: Translation Studies and Comparative Literature; the relationship between Comparative Literature and the Law
c. ADPCL session: a workshop/roundtable on future of Comparative Literature Journals in relation to book publishing
a. Forthcoming report on 2008 prizes and membership of 2009 prize committee
7. Update from ADPCL (Eckhardt)
a. Allied MLA organization status approved
b. ADPCL will have 2 sessions at MLA
c. Komar project on the graduate curriculum in Comparative Literature underway
8. Discussion of the future relationship of ACLA to the journal Comparative Literature
b. ADPCL will have 2 sessions at MLA
c. Komar project on the graduate curriculum in Comparative Literature underway
a. Discussion of letter of September 19, 2007 from George Rowe, editor of CL
i. Request for an increase in per subscriber payment to cover current printing costs of $19.60 per subscriber (including students)
ii. Request for a retroactive payment to cover losses incurred to date
ii. Request for a retroactive payment to cover losses incurred to date
b. Discussion of timing of letter and of its requests
c. Discussion of the history of the relationship between ACLA and CL
c. Discussion of the history of the relationship between ACLA and CL
i. It has been the official journal of the ACLA since 1996
ii. The terms of the 1996 agreement were:
ii. The terms of the 1996 agreement were:
- CL would publish the ACLA annual bulletin
- The ACLA board becomes the advisory board for CL
- The ACLA would cover costs of the bulletin supplement and of mailing CL to members ($18 per domestic subscription)
- That there would be a yearly review of the agreement
iii. A request was made in 1999 to renegotiate the terms and to increase the ACLA's per subscription contribution; it was rejected because the ACLA could not afford the full $18; the rate remained $13
iv. In 2005 the ACLA increased its per subscriber payment to $18
iv. In 2005 the ACLA increased its per subscriber payment to $18
d. Discussion of the official relationship of ACLA to CL in the context of the multiplicity of journals that are related to and valued by the ACLA membership
e. Discussion of whether there is a continued need for the bulletin to be published in hard copy now that it is disseminated on the web
f. Discussion of the strength of the overlap between the contents of CL and ACLA member interests
i. The number of essays/issues of CL that are directly connected to the ACLA
ii. The inclusion of a forum section to the journal, wiki
iii. The publication of the bulletin
iv. The publication of the presidential address
v. Multi-journal society v. rotating editorship of one official journal
vi. CL not on MUSE
vii. Need for yearly reports to the ACLA and advanced planning by CL
ii. The inclusion of a forum section to the journal, wiki
iii. The publication of the bulletin
iv. The publication of the presidential address
v. Multi-journal society v. rotating editorship of one official journal
vi. CL not on MUSE
vii. Need for yearly reports to the ACLA and advanced planning by CL
g. Secretariat was instructed to do the following by unanimous vote:
i. Publish the bulletin on-line only beginning in 2008
ii. Make no retroactive payments
iii. Cover printing costs of any issues produced while the new agreement is being made
iv. Invite George Rowe to attend the board meeting in April 2008 in Long Beach to report on the journal's past, present and future, and to offer his views on the financial and intellectual relationship between CL/ACLA
9. Student Representative Report (Beall)
a. Proposal for a roundtable in Long Beach on the terminal MA in Comparative Literature and its role in the profession
b. Agreement to canvas the student membership about desirability of the hardcopy
c. Discussion of uses of the student listserve
a. Place on the agenda for December 2008 board meeting a discussion of the impact of new MLA format on the ACLA
Meeting adjourned at 10:15 AM