Election Fever Spreads to RSA
Since everyone has been in the mood to vote on various matters recently, it seems appropriate for RSA to get into the act. So RSA members are asked to weigh in on two changes to the RSA Constitution that have been recommended unanimously by the Board.
The first would permit the RSA Nominating Committee to nominate candidates for the office of President-Elect out of a broader pool of possibilities. The second would add another, i.e., second, (graduate) student member to the Board. Both revisions have been endorsed unanimously by the Board. (Both are described below, for your convenience.)
Members have until December 1, 2008 to vote. The ballot has been placed on the Members Area of our website, http://www.rhetoricsociety.org/. To cast your vote, simply log in to the Members Area and click on the ballot link.
Note: you must register and establish your user name and password before access to the Members Area page will be permitted. Please follow the prompts under the Members Area tab labeled 'Register Here'. Please contact Kathie Cesa, RSA@kocmemberservices.com if you need assistance in registering.
Thanks for taking a moment to fulfill your civic duty!
Issue 1:
ARTICLE IV of our constitution currently reads as follows:
Section B. The President shall be appointed from among the Board. A subcommittee of the Board, called The Nominating Committee, composed of the Immediate Past President, a member of the Board, and a Member-at-Large, shall nominate a member of the Board for the office of President Elect. Ratification of the nominated Board member is constituted by securing a majority of votes from the Board. The President Elect shall succeed to the office of President. The President Elect shall be announced in the fall preceding the election year. The Immediate Past President, President, and President Elect shall all hold such positions for two years. They shall sit ex officio as voting members of the Board.
The proposal is to add the underlined words below:
The President shall be appointed from among current or former members of the Board. A subcommittee of the Board, called The Nominating Committee, composed of the Immediate Past President, a member of the Board, and a Member-at-Large, shall nominate a current or former member of the Board for the office of President Elect. Ratification of the nominated Board member is constituted by securing a majority of votes from the Board. The President Elect shall succeed to the office of President. The President Elect shall be announced in the fall preceding the election year. The Immediate Past President, President, and President Elect shall all hold such positions for two years. They shall sit ex officio as voting members of the Board.
Rationale: This will give the Nominating Committee a wider range of possible candidates while preserving the expectation of prior Board service. The Board includes both junior and senior scholars but, as a practical matter, the Nominating Committee will seek senior scholars as President. Since the Nominating Committee also seeks to achieve reasonable disciplinary and gender balance, the pool of available candidates is often quite small. This in no sense is a criticism of those currently available for selection, but our current policy permits very few people to be considered. The proposal will open the pool (e.g., including making those who became senior scholars after serving on the Board into possible candidates) while retaining the principle that service on the Board is essential preparation for the presidency. The Board has endorsed this proposed change unanimously.
Issue 2:
ARTICLE V of our constitution currently reads as follows:
Section A. The Board shall consist of nine (9) members of the Society elected by members of the Society. . . . Each member will serve a four-year term except the Designated Student Member, who will serve a two-year term (see Section G). At least one of the members of the Board shall be a student member. ...
Section G. The designated student member of the Board shall serve a two-year term. . . . Efforts will be made to encourage a student caucus, out of which a student board member will be elected for a two-year term. If a caucus is not possible, nominations for elections should indicate the status of the student when appropriate. In addition to the designated student member, it also is possible for a student to be elected to the Board for a normal four-year term, providing that the student declares nomination for that role and is elected on that condition.
The proposal is to change the passages slightly so that two student members are chosen:
Section A. The Board shall consist of ten (10) members of the Society elected by members of the Society. . . . Each member will serve a four-year term except the Designated Student Members, who will serve a two-year term (see Section G). At least two of the members of the Board shall be students. . . .
Section G. The designated student members of the Board shall serve a two-year term. Efforts will be made to encourage a student caucus, out of which the student board members will be elected for a two-year term. If a caucus is not possible, nominations for elections should indicate the status of the student when appropriate. In addition to the designated student members, it also is possible for a student to be elected to the Board for a normal four-year term, providing that the student declares nomination for that role and is elected on that condition.
Rationale: The Board seeks additional student membership to better reflect the composition of the RSA membership, to better ensure that student needs are addressed by RSA, and to provide additional help with Board issues related to student concerns. The Board has unanimously endorsed this recommended change to the bylaws.
Jack Selzer
President, RSA