Steering Committee Responsibilities and Duties

(Revised October 2009, Mareike Herrmann and Alexandra Merley Hill)

Your term begins and ends at the business meeting of each annual conference. Each member is also responsible for finishing the tasks of the current year even as they rotate into the next year. It is recommended that SC members (years 1,2,3, and retired) lunch together after the Business Meeting in order to clarify the responsibilities and duties outlined in this document. Web Editors’ email is: webeditor[at]womeningerman.org

First-year members

Tasks during the Year

• Send out reminders of deadlines for WiG conference panels and WiG-sponsored panels at MLA, GSA, AATG conferences to the WiG-L, as well as to H-German and to major list-serves (e.g., fields of German, History, Cultural Studies, Feminist Study, Theory and Philosophy, and so forth), and to German Studies Departments. The CfP's can be obtained from the newsletter editors; a list of suggested listservs and departments is available from the Steering Committee. Abstracts for WiG and MLA panels are usually due in mid-March; check about GSA and AATG deadlines with panel organizers. Part of the rationale for this wide posting is to publicize WiG projects.
• Respond to email on WiGBiz-L

Tasks in preparation for and at Conference

• In September, send out a call for panel proposals. If a person would like to propose a panel in absentia, s/he must find someone to discuss the panel at the business meeting; s/he must indicate what function s/he would serve on the panel (e.g., organize, present a paper, etc.); s/he must indicate whether s/he would be willing to have the panel considered for the MLA, GSA, or AATG WiG-sponsored panels as well. The protocol for proposing panels is on the website.
• In September, send out a call for raffle donations. Continue to solicit donations during the conference (even in the form of IOU’s).
• Take minutes at the Steering Committee Meeting, and send out to the WiGBiz-L for approval within three weeks of the end of the conference. Make alterations as necessary and send to Web Editors for archiving. (As a 2nd year, you will send out copies of these Steering Committee Meeting minutes three weeks prior to conference. You will also bring a hardcopy set of revised Minutes to Steering Committee meeting in the 2nd . You will send the final revision to the Web Editors for archiving as necessary.) These SC minutes are generally for SC members' access only and for this reason will be archived on the server. They can be accessed by contacting the Web Editors.
• Make announcements at the conference, generally during the meals. Attendees will approach you throughout the conference with announcements that they would like you to make. Announce yourselves and your role at the Friday breakfast.
• Organize raffle. It is important to pass the raffle tickets along to the next generation of first-year members and to contact conference organizers regarding the legalities of raffle, since laws differ from state to state. There is a Task Protocol for this task on the Website.
• Ask Web Editors for password necessary to access the WiG stationery on website.

Second-year members

Tasks during the Year

• Send out announcements regarding the WiG Dissertation Prize, Best Article Prize (both due late April), Zantop travel grant applications (bi-annually, Nov. and March) and WiG Yearbook deadline (January) to the newsletters of the MLA, GSA, and AATG, as well as posting them to H-German and the WiG-L
• Respond to email on WiGBiz-L
• Mentor first-year SC members.

Tasks in preparation for and at Conference

• Send out reminder copies of Steering Committee Meeting minutes from the previous conference three weeks prior to conference. (These are the ones that you took!) Bring copies of the Steering Committee Meeting minutes to the Steering Committee meeting for final approval. At the Steering Committee Meeting, highlight any alterations to the minutes that were made between the initial draft sent out and this version.
• Make sure the notebook with conference planning information is passed on to the next conference organizer if a transition is taking place.
• Take minutes at the Business Meeting and send out to the WiGBiz-L for approval within three weeks of the conference. Be certain to record ALL of the panels proposed and ALL of the votes received for each of the proposed panels as well as the final outcome of the votes. Make alterations as necessary and send to Webmistress for posting on Website. (As a 3rd year, you will send out copies of these Business Meeting three weeks prior to conference. You will also bring a hardcopy set of revised BM Minutes to Steering Committee meeting in the 3rd year.)
• Prepare sign-up sheets. One sheet for each of the following: transportation info (van info and car pool info) (Conference Organizers might offer input on this); Saturday afternoon activities (Conference Organizers offer input on this); SC nominations; and panels for WiG (generally: 1 Thursday Night, 1 pre-20th century, 2 open sessions, 1 guest-related/special panel, 1 guest / special session), panel for GSA (1 WiG slot guaranteed), panels for MLA (2 WiG slots guaranteed), panel for AATG (1) -- include date and location of conferences. Check with Conference Organizers to retrieve mailed-in panel / guest suggestions. Put these sheets up on Wednesday afternoon before conference participants arrive. Check with Conference Organizers three weeks before the conference to be sure that markers, flip charts and perhaps flip charts are available for this project.
• Recruit SC members to staff the Registration Table if necessary by circulating sign-up sheet at SC meeting.
• IMMEDIATELY AFTER CONFERENCE: Solicit updated Task Protocol documents for the various Steering Committee and Officer tasks from respective SC members and Officers, and submit to the Web Editors for posting on the Website. This should occur within 6 weeks of the October conference.
• Update SC Responsibilities and Duties document (this document) as relevant. Significant alterations must be passed by the SC, either through the listserv or at the SC meeting. Give the copies of the updated RaD document to new first-year members at the conference. Email copies of the updated RaD document to all the SC members after the conference.

Third-year members

Tasks during the Year

• Run elections for President-Elect in even-numbered years. Actual recruitment of potential officers should be done by more senior WiGgies -- be forthright about asking for aid in recruitment. A Task Protocol for running elections is posted on the Website.
• Mentor second-year Steering Committee members.
• Send out reminder on WiG-L for suggestions for future guests, panels, etc.
• Prepare Steering Committee Agenda. There is a Task Protocol for this task on the Website.
• Respond to email on WiGBiz-L

Tasks in preparation for and at Conference

• Send out reminder copies of the Business Meeting notes from the previous year's BM three weeks prior to conference. Bring hard copies to the Steering Committee Meeting for final approval. Send to Web Editors for posting.
• Draft Business Meeting Agenda. Use combination of last year's Business Meeting Agenda and input from SC and WiGgies received at the SC meeting and in email exchanges during the year as basis of the agenda. Send to Web Editors for posting after conference.
• Facilitate Steering Committee Meeting
• Facilitate Business Meeting

Note: It is now the duty of the Web Editors to update the contact list of those on the Steering Committee, the Treasurer, and the editors of the Yearbook and the Newsletter