From the President

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From the President

Hugh O’Connell

I want to use my column this issue to talk about some ways to get more involved with the SFRA. We have a number of positions at the organizational level—appointed and elected, immediate and forthcoming—that we are looking to fill. Coming up for immediate appointment are the positions of Web Director and Outreach Officer (information about each position below). A little further down the line, we’ll be sending out official calls for candidates to run for the elected Executive Committee positions of Vice President and of Treasurer. The SFRA is an entirely unpaid volunteer run organization, and we are dependent on our members’ enthusiasm and generosity with their time and skills to keep the wheels turning. So, if you are someone that is looking to get more involved in running and shaping the organization (or you know someone that might be), please take some time to look over and share the various call for volunteers below.

Positions for Immediate Appointment

SFRA Web Director (unpaid volunteer, appointed position)
The web director position is particularly pressing as our current web director is unfortunately moving on from the position imminently. Here is how the SFRA bylaws describe the role of the web director:

The office of the web director shall be responsible for the maintenance of the SFRA website. The web director will report to the Executive Committee and will update the contents and format of the website as deemed appropriate by the Executive Committee. The web director will be appointed by the Executive Committee, and will serve an open-ended term, which can be terminated by either the web director or the Executive Committee. The web director shall not be a member of the Executive Committee.

Our current web director provided this list of the usual tasks performed by the position:

• Assisting users with any technical issues relating to logins and memberships
• Uploading any new or updated content for the website
• Updating the expiration dates on the membership at the end of each year
• Adding new pages and memberships each year for the annual SFRA conference
• Implementing a voting system (for example, using MailPoet) for any SFRA membership votes
• Keeping site plugins and the WordPress version up-to-date

SFRA Outreach Officer (unpaid volunteer, appointed position)

The second position of outreach officer has remained unfulfilled since its creation. Here is how the bylaws describe the outreach officer:

The outreach officer will organize, in coordination with the vice president, the various internet and social media outlets, in order to publicize and further the goals and mission of the organization. They will also be responsible for seeking opportunities for collaboration and outreach with other scholarly organizations, especially organizations that serve populations that have historically been underrepresented in SFRA. The outreach officer will be appointed by the Executive Committee and will serve a three-year term, which can be terminated by either the outreach officer or the Executive Committee. The outreach officer shall not be a member of the Executive Committee.

If you have questions about either position, please, reach out—and we would love to see your application. Working with the SFRA has been one of the highlights of my academic career. The sense of camaraderie and openness is highly rewarding. If you are interested in serving as the next web director or the outreach officer for the organization, please send a (short!) letter of interest and a CV to hugh.oconnell@umb.edu.

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