Amendments to the By-Laws

adopted October 2010

Amendment 1

To separate the role of the Managing Editor from the roles of Treasurer/Membership Coordinator. New language for the by-laws would read: The Treasurer/Membership Coordinator is elected by the general membership of the Society for a five-year term. As Treasurer, this officer is responsible for collecting dues, paying bills and fees, and processing all costs associated with the MFF and SMFS administration. It is expected that s/he will hold the treasury in an academic institution, through which the Society will have non-profit status. The Treasurer reports on the Society’s finances at the Society’s annual meeting. As Membership Coordinator s/he will maintain a membership information database and be responsible for compiling information on the membership’s teaching and research areas. The Membership Coordinator will report directly to the President and Vice President on a regular basis and will provide annually a detailed report of membership to the Advisory Board at the annual business meeting. The Managing Editor of the Society’s journal Medieval Feminist Forum is appointed by the Advisory Board for a five-year term. S/he is responsible for the day-to-day management of the physical production of the journal, which includes coordinating with the General Editor and the Associate Editors on each issue, as well as the production staff. In addition, s/he chairs the Information Technology Committee and is responsible for the oversight of the website of the Society and of the website where the journal is published and archived. As Chair of the IT Committee, she oversees the running of the Ad Board listserv and medfem-l (an unmoderated listserv), and explores opportunities for developing the SMFS/MFF cyberpresence.

Amendment 2

To add the Treasurer/Membership Coordinator to the Executive Committee. New language for the by-laws would read: Four officers (the President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer/Membership Coordinator), the General Editor, and the Managing Editor of the Medieval Feminist Forum make up the Executive Committee of the Society for Medieval Feminist Scholarship. All office terms begin January 1 and end December 31.

Amendment 3

To add three additional seats to the Advisory Board, as well as add the Treasurer/Membership Coordinator. New language for the by-laws would read: The Advisory Board consists of all SMFS officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer/Membership Coordinator, and MFF Managing Editor), two current editors of MFF, the Society Bibliographer/Book Review Editor, one founding mother, and twelve elected representatives of the Society. Three of those twelve will be currently enrolled graduate students at the time of election. The Board should represent a variety of academic disciplines and will ideally reflect the varied national and professional backgrounds of the Society’s membership. Board members are nominated by the general membership, the Advisory Board, or by the Election Coordinator, elected through a mail ballot, and serve staggered three-year terms. Board members advise the officers and the editors on matters of submissions, issues, and policy, and may take on various other tasks as agreed upon by the Advisory Board and the Executive Committee. The Executive Committee and the Advisory Board meet together annually in the spring of each year at the International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University, Kalamazoo, Michigan. Advisory Board members also contribute to the running of the Society via e-mail discussions throughout the year.

Amendment 4

To expand the role of the Secretary to assist in the disbursement of information and coordination of conference liaisons. New language for the by-laws would read: The Secretary is chosen in alternate years from the Vice President from among currently serving members of the Board. S/he serves a two-year (renewable) term. The Secretary is in charge of taking minutes at the Society’s Advisory Board and Business meetings and of organizing sessions sponsored by SMFS at the annual International Congress on Medieval Studies at Western Michigan University (Kalamazoo). The Secretary also is responsible for distributing announcements and news about SMFS and for serving as the Coordinator of Conference Liaisons.

Amendment 5

To define the elections process and the procedure for filling of vacancies of the Advisory Board. New language for the by-laws would read: The Election Coordinator is selected from among currently serving Advisory Board members (excluding the Graduate Representatives) who have served as least one year of their term. S/he serves a two-year term and is responsible for putting together a slate of candidates for any open positions among the Officers or Advisory Board. S/he will also manage the elections, which must be completed by 15 November of each year. Should a vacancy occur in the Advisory Board, the Election Coordinator provides the results of the previous election to the Advisory Board for review. Upon the approval of the Advisory Board, the President shall invite the top vote-receiving candidate to fill the vacant position.

Amendment 6

To define the role of the IT Manager and the IT Committee. New language for the by-laws would read: The Information Technology Committee is chaired by the Managing Editor, and the IT Committee is chosen from among current Board members and advises the Advisory Board on all matters related to the website, the Ad Board listserv, medfem-l (an unmoderated listserv), and other cyberpresence venues. The Secretary serves on the IT committee, as the person responsible for disseminating announcements and news.

Amendment 7

To summarize the role of Conference Liaisons to reflect the growing number of affiliations SMFS has with medieval conferences. New language for the by-laws would read: Conference Liaisons are chosen from among current Advisory Board members and represent SMFS at various conference venues with which SMFS has a direct affiliation (including the Modern Language Association, the American Historical Association, the Medieval Academy of America, the International Medieval Congress at the University of Leeds, and the Australian and New Zealand Association for Medieval and Early Modern Studies). Conference Liaisons work closely with the Secretary to coordinate sessions sponsored by SMFS at these conferences and to organize receptions for members at the various conference sites.

Amendment 8

To include language detailing how the SMFS by-laws may be amended. New language for the by-laws would read: Additions and amendments to these by-laws shall be approved by the Advisory Board at the annual business meeting and presented to the current membership of the Society for ratification by vote. A simple majority will ratify the amendment.