Hello IAFA Members!
Make sure to check the email account linked to your IAFA Member Profile for an opportunity to vote in our election. Voting is now open for the positions of Second Vice President and Public Information Officer. The link was sent to the email attached to your Member Profile, and only IAFA members may vote.
All current student members of the IAFA are encouraged to vote for their new representatives!
You have 3 wonderful candidates to choose from! To vote, please rank all candidates from 1-3 and email your selections to Skye Cervone at scervone@fau.edu no later than Monday, May 9th. The candidate with the most votes for first place will serve as the Student Caucus Representative, and the runner-up will serve as Student Caucus Vice-Representative. You will find the bios and pictures of the 3 candidates below.
Amandine Faucheux
Amandine is a second-year PhD student in English and Women’s and Gender Studies at Louisiana State University, where she studies feminist and queer science fiction, with a strong interest in alternative futurisms.
Throughout my graduate career I have helped organize conferences, workshops, and other events in various groups or organizations. I have been a member of the Writing Program Administration Graduate Organization (WPA-GO), a national organization, for over two years, and I serve as one of their grant readers. I am currently the President of the Women’s and Gender Studies Graduate Organization (WGSGO) at my university, which has given me the opportunity to work with a group of students across the disciplines and organize multiples events on and off campus. I also attend regular faculty meetings where I am in charge of representing the interests of the members of this group. Although relatively new to the ICFA community, my extensive experience with student organizations makes me a strong candidate for the job of SCIAFIA Representative.
Sarah Fish
I am currently a PhD Candidate in English and American Literature at the University of Houston. I am ABD, finishing my dissertation about national security and education framed through ideas developed while working with discourses about “zombie students.” I will graduate in May 2017, so I will not be a student for the full term, but I see myself as a good fit as Rep because I have been a member of IAFA and attended ICFA since 2014. Since the 2015 conference, I’ve made a bigger effort to connect with my student and professor colleagues (especially through social media), and I have a broader interest in working with graduate student development. At UH, I have organized TA classroom training and been a part of graduate student professional development panels. IAFA and ICFA have been a major part of my development as a scholar, and I would be happy to serve my fellow student members.
Amanda Rudd
Amanda Rudd is a PhD Candidate in British and American Literature at the University of Houston, specializing in Science Fiction and Globalization. She is working on her dissertation tentatively titled “Globalization and the Evolution of Science Fiction.” She is currently an adjunct lecturer at University of Houston-Downtown, and has taught First-Year Writing courses and Introduction to Science Fiction courses. In the Summer of 2016 she will be teaching two courses (Time Travel Narratives and The Art of Satire) at the prestigious Duke University Talent Identification Program. She has presented at many conferences including the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (2014, 2015, 2016), and the ACA/PCA Conference (2015). She has been published in Brigham Young’s Literature and Belief journal (2012). Her article “Paul’s Empire: Imperialism and Assemblage in Frank Herbert’s Dune” was recently published in the inaugural issue of the Museum of Science Fiction’s publication The Journal of Science Fiction, in January 2016. And her book chapter “‘Shut up and take my money!’: Exposing the Realities of Hyper-Consumerism and Consumption Through Parody in the World of Futurama” is forthcoming in the collection Neoliberalism and Television, currently in negotiation with Lexington Books.
I believe I am a good fit for Student Caucus representative because I have experience both in the field of science fiction and in planning and managing events. As both a PhD student and as a teacher, I have years of experience working in the science fiction field. In addition, I have presented at ICFA for the last three years, which gives me familiarity with the event and the community. Furthermore, I have been highly involved in running a conference: the Coastal Plains Graduate Liberal Arts Conference at the University of Houston, for which I was head of publicity in 2012, Assistant Chair of the Planning Committee in 2013, and finally Chair of the Planning Committee in 2014, during which I made the conference the biggest it has yet been. This position gave me experience in managing and working in collaboration with many people, coordinating with speakers, and fundraising. All of this demonstrates that I am very invested in being involved in and of service to the communities I care about.
Voting for the next IAFA President and 1st Vice President is now open. Please click the following link to read the candidate’s statements and place your vote. Elections will close on January 10, 2016 and the winners will be announced shortly thereafter.
Call for Nominations – IAFA President and 1st VP by October 30th
Download this call as a file from Dropbox here.
The International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts announces a Call for Nominations for the elected Executive Board positions of President and First Vice-President. Any IAFA member in good standing is invited to run for the position of First Vice-President; to be eligible for the office of President, a member must be in good standing and have served either as an IAFA Division Head or as a member of the IAFA Executive Board. Those interested in running for either position should send a nomination to both IAFA Immediate Past-President Jim Casey at <caseyj AT arcadia.edu> and IAFA Chief Technical Officer Michael Smith at <anarresti AT gmail.com> no later than October 30th, 2015 (self-nominations welcome). Candidates eligible for the offices to which they have been nominated and willing to run for those offices will be asked to submit position statements by November 20th, 2015. The Election Committee will distribute position statements and ballots to the membership on or about December 10th, 2015, and ballots will be counted by the Election Committee after January 10th, 2016. For those elected, the term will begin immediately following the conclusion of ICFA 37 in March 2016 and will last for three years. Duties of each position are listed below, along with additional information regarding IAFA elections procedures. Please contact Jim Casey if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!
Duties of the President
The President is the chief executive officer, responsible for directing and coordinating all functions of the organization, including the annual conference, the quarterly journal, other sponsored publications, the Awards Program, and public relations of all kinds. The President sets the agenda for, and presides at, all meetings of the Executive Board and the annual Business meeting at the ICFA. The President is also the chief planning officer, responsible for setting agendas in all Association projects. The President oversees the work of the other officers, recruits special guests, seeks institutional support, confirms non-elected Board members, etc. The President is elected by majority vote of the membership of IAFA.
First Vice-President
The First Vice-President coordinates the ICFA Program, overseeing the work of the Division Heads and scheduling paper sessions, and the Annual Conference Program. The First Vice- President also consults with the President concerning appearances by special guests in panels, readings, and lectures, and with the Conference Chair about physical arrangements such as AV equipment, room assignments, etc. The First Vice-President substitutes for the President when necessary. The First Vice-President also oversees the IAFA Graduate Student Award: advertising the award, organizing and chairing the prize committee, and collecting and forwarding submissions to the committee for a blind reading process. The First Vice-President is elected by majority vote of the membership of the IAFA.
Election Procedures (from the IAFA Constitution):
The Election Committee for the IAFA will be chaired by the Immediate Past President and will include two other members chosen from the Executive Board by the Executive Board.
The election process will typically span several months, from the summer preceding the voting period through to the announcement of the results at the annual business meeting in the spring of the election year.
All notifications, announcements, and ballots will be distributed primarily through electronic means (via the Internet via e-mail or secure web-site), though print and surface mail distribution will be employed where necessary.
The Election Committee will announce upcoming elections with a call for nominations, including self-nominations. The opening date for nominations will be on 30 September. The closing date for nominations will be on 30 October of the year preceding the actual vote.
The Election Committee will notify each nominee of his or her nomination and will provide each with the names of everyone else nominated during that election cycle.
Candidates declining nomination must notify the Elections Committee immediately upon notification of their nomination.
Candidates eligible for the offices to which they have been nominated and willing to run for those offices will be asked to submit position statements by 20 November of the year preceding the vote.
The Election Committee will distribute position statements and ballots to the membership on or about 10 December, and ballots must be returned by 10 January of the election year.
The Election Committee will count the ballots immediately after the 10 January deadline, and if no candidate has a clear majority (51% or more), a run-off election will be held between the two candidates who have received the most votes. The run-off election will be conducted promptly, with appropriate announcements, and with ballots being distributed by 10 February, and with a final vote deadline of 1 March of the election year.
The Election Committee will announce results of the election at the IAFA business meeting during the annual conference of the election year, with additional announcements in appropriate IAFA venues thereafter.
The elections’ calendar described here serves as a guideline rather than as a table of fixed deadlines: when circumstances require it, the Elections Committee will adjust the calendar for the elections process as needed to insure an orderly, open, and fair process.
Dear IAFA Student Caucus,
It’s time to VOTE! We have four lovely candidates for your next Student Caucus Representative: Stina Attebery, Skye Cervone, Daniel Creed, and Kiersty Lemon. Please read their attached bios/statements, and make your selections.
To vote: please rank the candidates 1-4 in an email to me (elizabeth-lundberg@uiowa.edu) by Friday, 5/2. If there are no ties, the person with the most votes will be the new Rep and the runner up will be the Vice-Rep. In the event of a tie, I will use instant runoff voting to determine the Rep and Vice-Rep. If you would be so kind, please include your own name and institutional affiliation in your email, so I can confirm that you’re a student.
Thanks, and good luck to the candidates!
Liz Lundberg
Student Co-Representative to the Executive Board
International Association for the Fantastic in the Arts
Dear Graduate Students of IAFA,
I’m extending the deadline for sending in bios to run for Student Caucus Representative. We haven’t received enough submissions to hold an election yet, so now you have until the end of the day Friday, April 18. If you know someone who would be good at this job, poke them until they agree to run. If you have questions about what the job entails, feel free to email me (elizabeth-lundberg@uiowa.edu). I’m pasting below my original email, and I hope to hear from you soon!
Liz
—————
It’s that time again: we need to hold elections for the next Student Caucus Representative to the Executive Board. If you are interested in running, please send Liz Lundberg a short bio/statement for circulation to the caucus. These statements will be how the voters decide among candidates, so include any qualifications you have for the position, as well as any ideas for the caucus or for conference programming. Please also send a small headshot with your bio/statement. Send your statement and headshot to Liz at elizabeth-lundberg@uiowa.edu by the end of the day Friday, April 18.
More information about the election: Liz Lundberg will collect all bios and circulate a ballot the week of April 14. She will then collect all ballots and tally the votes. Voters will be asked to rank candidates, and in the event of a tie, Liz will apply instant runoff voting rules to the ballots to arrive at a winner. The runner up will be the Vice-Representative.
More information about the positions: Both the Representative and the Vice-Representative serve two-year terms (August 1, 2014 to July 31, 2016), so if you want to run, you should plan on being a student for at least two more years. Below are the official job descriptions for both positions. If you have any questions about either position, please contact Liz at elizabeth-lundberg@uiowa.edu.
Thank you, and I hope to hear from some of you soon!
Liz (and Daryl)
Job Description: Student Caucus Representative
Formal titles: Representative of the Student Caucus of the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (SCIAFA)/ SCIAFA Representative to the Executive Board of the International Conference of the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA)
The SCIAFA Representative is elected by the student body of the IAFA. During the two year term, the Representative is responsible for addressing and advocating for the needs of student members of IAFA. This responsibility includes representing student membership on the Executive Board of the IAFA (the SCIAFA Representative is serves on the Executive Board). The Representative must attend biannual board meetings during their term and participate in the Board’s online discussion list. At the conference, the Representative will run SCIAFA programming, including the SCIAFA Mentorship Program. The Representative is expected to attend all IAFA business meetings, as well as most Board-sponsored events. The SCIAFA Representative should remain visible and accessible for the duration of the conference both to assist and guide fellow students as well as to assist fellow Board members, organizers, and volunteers.
Job Description: Student Caucus Vice-Representative
Formal title: Vice-Representative of the Student Caucus of the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (SCIAFA) (formerly the Shadow Representative)
The SCIAFA Vice-Representative is an elected position. The Vice-Representative runs for the full SCIAFA Representative position—the Vice-Representative position is filled by the runner-up. The duty of the Vice-Representative is to assist the Representative, this includes stepping in for the Representative in the event of emergencies or scheduling conflicts. The Vice-Representative is expected to attend all SCIAFA and Board-Sponsored events at the annual conference, but does not attend the summer board meeting (though the Vice-Representative should be available to attend in the Representative’s place if needed).
It’s that time again: we need to hold elections for the next Student Caucus Representative to the Executive Board. If you are interested in running, please send Liz Lundberg a short bio/statement for circulation to the caucus. These statements will be how the voters decide among candidates, so include any qualifications you have for the position, as well as any ideas for the caucus or for conference programming. Please also send a small headshot with your bio/statement. Send your statement and headshot to Liz at elizabeth-lundberg@uiowa.edu by the end of the day Monday, April 14.
More information about the election: Liz Lundberg will collect all bios and circulate a ballot the week of April 14. She will then collect all ballots and tally the votes. Voters will be asked to rank candidates, and in the event of a tie, Liz will apply instant runoff voting rules to the ballots to arrive at a winner. The runner up will be the Vice-Representative.
More information about the positions: Both the Representative and the Vice-Representative serve two-year terms (August 1, 2014 to July 31, 2016), so if you want to run, you should plan on being a student for at least two more years. Below are the official job descriptions for both positions. If you have any questions about either position, please contact Liz at elizabeth-lundberg@uiowa.edu.
Thank you, and I hope to hear from some of you soon!
Liz (and Daryl)
Job Description: Student Caucus Representative
Formal titles: Representative of the Student Caucus of the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (SCIAFA)/ SCIAFA Representative to the Executive Board of the International Conference of the Fantastic in the Arts (IAFA)
The SCIAFA Representative is elected by the student body of the IAFA. During the two year term, the Representative is responsible for addressing and advocating for the needs of student members of IAFA. This responsibility includes representing student membership on the Executive Board of the IAFA (the SCIAFA Representative is serves on the Executive Board). The Representative must attend biannual board meetings during their term and participate in the Board’s online discussion list. At the conference, the Representative will run SCIAFA programming, including the SCIAFA Mentorship Program. The Representative is expected to attend all IAFA business meetings, as well as most Board-sponsored events. The SCIAFA Representative should remain visible and accessible for the duration of the conference both to assist and guide fellow students as well as to assist fellow Board members, organizers, and volunteers.
Job Description: Student Caucus Vice-Representative
Formal title: Vice-Representative of the Student Caucus of the International Conference for the Fantastic in the Arts (SCIAFA) (formerly the Shadow Representative)
The SCIAFA Vice-Representative is an elected position. The Vice-Representative runs for the full SCIAFA Representative position—the Vice-Representative position is filled by the runner-up. The duty of the Vice-Representative is to assist the Representative, this includes stepping in for the Representative in the event of emergencies or scheduling conflicts. The Vice-Representative is expected to attend all SCIAFA and Board-Sponsored events at the annual conference, but does not attend the summer board meeting (though the Vice-Representative should be available to attend in the Representative’s place if needed).
Farah Mendlesohn and Michael Smith independently tabulated the ballots cast and reported their agreed conclusions to the Executive Board. The Board had ratified the results.
Eighty-eight ballots were cast.
We congratulate the new officers and thank everyone who offered their service!