Minutes of the Executive Committee Meeting
South-Central Renaissance Conference
5 April 2001
President Donald Dickson called the meeting to order at 9:06 p.m. in the Boardroom of the College Station Hilton Hotel. Present: Katherine Powers, vice president; Raymond-Jean Frontain, executive secretary-treasurer; John Ford, past president; Tita French Baumlin, Explorations editor; Phoebe Spinrad, Discoveries editor; members-at-large Donald Stump, Marguerite Tassi, Ellen Longsworth, Nabil Matar, Kate Frost, and Christine Getz; George Klawitter, program chair and webmaster; and David Hart, archivist.
1. The secretary-treasurer read the minutes of last year's meeting, which were approved unanimously upon a motion by Phoebe Spinrad that was seconded by Ellen Longsworth.
2. The secretary-treasurer reported that despite a continued drop in dues-paying memberships (from 197 in 1998, to 148 in 1999, to 1281n 2000) and particularly heavy expenses connected with the Jubilee celebration, the Conference remains financially stable. Last year's conference generated a profit of $497 that was returned by the Local Arrangements Committee to the treasury; Phoebe Spinrad has once again brought Discoveries in well under budget; and Explorations continues to generate significant income ($954 in 1998-9, $1.609 in 1999-2000, and $795 in 2000-1, for an average of $1119 per year over three years). Significant one-time-only expenses connected with the Jubliee, however, include a one-page advertisement in Renaissance Q; two mailings (three pages each, on colored stock) to everyone on the SCRC mailing list; the higher-than-budgeted cost of the souvenir paperweights that will be presented both to past presidents and to all attendees at this year's luncheon; and the cost of holding our opening reception in the George Bush Presidential Library.
In projecting the new year's budget, he noted that SCRC's "comfort zone" is for dues-paying membership to hold steady at 190-200 which, with the income generated by Explorations, would easily allow the Conference to meet its projected $4,350 annual budget. Growing our membership to 200-25 is the ideal to which we should aspire, as this would allow dues to support all budgeted activities, leaving the income from Explorations to fund the expansion of existing programs or creation of new ones. He noted that the CDs, which last year were anticipated might be needed to finance certain of the Jubilee celebrations, remain intact and will mature this fall; that there is $2,367 on hand in the checking account; and that anticipated record attendance at this year's conference should stimulate dues payments.
Discussion that followed the Secretary-Treasurer's report concerned the relative value of print mail vs. electronic mail in communicating with members, and the need for Executive Committee members to take responsibility for posting SCRC news on various list serves, in order to ensure the widest circulation possible of conference program and essay prize information.
3. Tita Baurnlin reported a number of important new library subscriptions to Explorations even as Blackwell's has had difficulty processing some of our institutional subscriptions and complaints rise about the United States Postal Service's delay in delivering issues. This year has seen more global submissions than before, from as far afield as Spain, Greece, Australia, and the Canary Islands, in addition to continuing submissions from Germany and the United Kingdom. And the journal's webpage is now averaging 1,550 hits per month. Southwest Missouri State University's administration has generously absorbed the rise in printing costs from $2600 to $3600 per issue, and continues warm in its support of the journal.
4. Phoebe Spinrad reported that continued strong support of Discoveries by the administration of Ohio State University has allowed her to meet rising printing costs without drawing upon her SCRC allotment for more than stationary supplies. She anticipated, however, that she will need her full budget in the coming year, both to finance a special Jubilee insert that is now scheduled to appear in the Fall 2001 or Spring 2002 issue, and to pay half the cost of the new printer that sheneeds. The treasurer explained that such an outlay is justified in that Phoebe can demonstrate that half of the work done on the printer is for Discoveries, so SCRC should pay half the cost of the machine. The president called for a will of the body, which unanimously voiced its support of covering that expense.
Spinrad also reported that this year Discoveries has been providing a free subscription to the newsletter to any institutional subscriber to Ealorations, thus furthering the newsletter's circulation. Submission information to the newsletter will appear in the next two-year issue of the MLA Directory of Periodicals.
5. George Klawitter provided statistics concerning the 89 papers submitted to the conference and suggested that a method be established for inviting to be read at the conference substantial papers which did not win the essay prize.
6. Katherine Powers reported on the operation of the first year's essay prize. Printing problems which delayed the mailing of both Explorations and Discoveries forced a postponement of the essay prize deadline. Altogether there were 5 submissions in art history and 10 in literature; approximately a third of total submissions were from graduate students. In addition to the winner, four people were invited to read their papers at the conference.
Discussion that followed stressed the need to advertise in the spring, rather than summer, issue of RQ, and the practicality of using identifier markers as we advertise the competition, so that we may learn who is responding to what kind of advertisement, allowing us to target future announcements.
7. David Hart reported his progress in organizing SCRC's correspondence files around each year's conference, and noted that he will be working in the upcoming year on the history of the constitution.
8. On behalf of the Nominations Committee, John Ford proposed Katherine Powers for president and George Klawitter for vice president; Donald Stamp was confirmed as 2002 Program Chair, and Nabil Mater proposed for 2003 Program Chair; Marguerite Tassi and Liana Cheney were proposed for three-year terms as Members-at-Large. Discussion concerned the 44 recycling" of talent, the value of which was affirmed as long as there is at least one new person joining the Executive Committee every year. Additionally, the Executive Committee voted to extend emeritus honors to Louis Martz and Joan Fields. Later discussion concerned possible candidates for Executive Secretary-Treasurer, Raymond Frontain's three-year term coming to an end.
9. In concluding old business, Phoebe Spinrad moved that the smaller CD be transferred to the treasury when it matures this fall, and the larger one be reinvested until the Conference's specific need(s) for the money become(s) clear. The motion, seconded by Katherine Powers, was approved unanimously.
10. New business concerned reaffirming St. Louis University as the host of the 2002 conference, and discussion of tentative plans to hold the 2003 meeting in New Orleans and 2004 meeting in Austin. Phoebe Spinrad noted that Ohio State University is willing to host a future meeting, acceptance of which arrangement must depend upon how far out of our traditional region members are willing to travel.
The meeting was adjourned at 11:58 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Raymond-Jean Frontain
Executive Secretary-Treasurer