[Comicsstudiessociety] Proposed Amendments to the Constitution of the Graduate Student Caucus

[Zach Rondinelli]

Hello Comics Scholars of CSS,


   To those of whom I’ve not yet had the pleasure of meeting, my name is Zachary J.A. Rondinelli (Zach), and I am the current President of the Graduate Student Caucus (GSC) of the Comics Studies Society (CSS). This email is intended primarily for current members of the GSC (so defined within the current CSS Bylaws as “graduate students, postdoctoral students, and adjuncts in the field”<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://comicsstudies.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/CSS-20-21-Bylaws.pdf__;!!KGKeukY!zi0PKyjyYKMuHy2xEoA_hfjSIVHA_WMPGHIt6zbmoJcbSAIxVwFnQfaBjxoDd59PTHcPlbvd6kVpTXyiEqTuwq2EN_w12d3Nu9fZ$ >) and I am sending it out across the CSS Listserv in hopes of reaching as many members as possible. However, CSS general members may also be interested in the work that the GSC Executive Committee has been doing throughout the year. We encourage and invite all members to read our exciting announcement!


   Since January, your GSC Executive Committee has been committed to a substantial process of amendment for our current Constitution. These revisions were undertaken to ensure that our organization continues to reflect the expansive vision and exciting futures of our field. They include an aesthetic and organizational redesign, the addition of six entirely new sections within the document, and revised language to previously established articles. Some highlights include:

  *   Ensuring the alignment of the GSC Constitution and CSS ByLaws
  *   Addressing a lack of clarity surrounding GSC membership
  *   Refining and expanding the GSC’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion
  *   Reflecting the financial responsibilities of our newly acquired GSC Annual Budget
  *   Clarifying responsibilities of Executive Officers
  *   Creating an additional appointed Executive Officer: The Social Media Specialist
  *   Defining transparent procedures for Executive appointments
  *   and much more…


   We invite GSC members (and interested CSS general members) to please review the documents attached to this email. First, you will find a PDF copy of our current Constitution, titled “Current GSC Constitution (rev. 2019).” Second, you will find a PDF copy of our proposed revisions, titled “Proposed GSC Constitution (rev. 2022).”


   Readers may find it easiest to review the “Proposed GSC Constitution (rev. 2022)” first since all revisions and newly added language are identified in bolded, blue text such as this: example of revised language. Using this approach, the “Current GSC Constitution (rev. 2019)” might be referred to as necessary when one wishes to review the old language that the GSC Executive Committee is proposing revisions for. Due to the substantive nature of these revisions, a single comparative “At A Glance” document proved to be unwieldy and so we have chosen not to include one.


   In order to ratify these revisions to the GSC Constitution, we will hold a vote at our GSC Business Meeting, which will be held during the 5th Annual CSS Conference at Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI this summer. To accommodate those members who are unable to join us in person this year, and in order to ensure that the diversity of GSC member voices are heard, we will be providing a method for joining our Annual Business Meeting virtually. Both those present in-person at the conference and those joining us online will be permitted to vote on the ratification of the proposed amendments to the Constitution.


   We are confident that these revisions reflect the best interests of the GSC membership and so present them to you today for your consideration. If you have questions, thoughts, or concerns regarding any of the proposed revisions, we invite you to send an email to cssgscpresident at gmail.com<mailto:gsccsspresident at gmail.com> and we would be happy to hear and consider them. To facilitate this process, we ask that any feedback be shared with the GSC by June 30, 2022. This is so that the GSC Executive can address smaller clean-ups and corrections as soon as possible, or prepare the information required to discuss more substantial questions and comments at the Annual Business Meeting.


   We recognize that the summer is upon us and that you are all very much due for some rest and relaxation after what has been a long and busy academic year, so we are very grateful for your attention here. We look forward to hearing from you and meeting you (in person or virtually) at this year’s conference.


Yours truly,

Zachary J.A. Rondinelli, M.A., B.Ed., B.Mus
Ph.D. Student [Educational Studies], Brock University
President, Graduate Student Caucus of the Comics Studies Society
#WelcomeToSlumberland<https://urldefense.com/v3/__https://zrondinelli.wixsite.com/welcometoslumberland/about__;!!KGKeukY!zi0PKyjyYKMuHy2xEoA_hfjSIVHA_WMPGHIt6zbmoJcbSAIxVwFnQfaBjxoDd59PTHcPlbvd6kVpTXyiEqTuwq2EN_w12QWq7IdC$ > Social Media Research, Principal Investigator (@LittleNemo1905<https://urldefense.com/v3/__http://www.twitter.com/LittleNemo1905__;!!KGKeukY!zi0PKyjyYKMuHy2xEoA_hfjSIVHA_WMPGHIt6zbmoJcbSAIxVwFnQfaBjxoDd59PTHcPlbvd6kVpTXyiEqTuwq2EN_w12VnrfECV$ >)

“Comicbook should be written as one word… I want you to remember that. I never want to see the word comicbook written as two words. They are not funny books. They are not comic books, they are comicbooks! Remember that, or incur my wrath.”  -  Stan Lee


-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://lists.osu.edu/pipermail/comicsstudiessociety/attachments/20220613/090a516f/attachment.html>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Current GSC Constitution (rev. 2019).pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 106215 bytes
Desc: Current GSC Constitution (rev. 2019).pdf
URL: <http://lists.osu.edu/pipermail/comicsstudiessociety/attachments/20220613/090a516f/attachment.pdf>
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: Proposed GSC Constitution (rev. 2022).pdf
Type: application/pdf
Size: 1185597 bytes
Desc: Proposed GSC Constitution (rev. 2022).pdf
URL: <http://lists.osu.edu/pipermail/comicsstudiessociety/attachments/20220613/090a516f/attachment-0001.pdf>