Executive Meeting (1999)

MINUTES: 14 October 1999

Holiday Inn
Rue Sherbrooke
Montréal, QC

Meeting called to order at 07:45.

Present: Frans De Bruyn, Marie-Laure Girou-Swiderski, Benoît Melançon, Mark Phillips, Betty Schellenberg, Alex Sokalski, Raymond Stephanson

1. Minutes of the previous meeting adopted as presented (Fell/Schellenberg)

2. Conference President's Report

Benoît Melançon presented the operating budget for this year's conference. Revenues are projected at $36,144 and expenses at $34,692, leaving a surplus of some $1,400, which will be applied to subsidizing the travel costs and registration fee expenses of graduate student participants. Benoît noted that the Université de Montréal has been very generous in its institutional support. Some highlights of this year's conference: 122 papers to be presented, of which 40 will be presented in French; three plenary speakers; three round-table discussion, including two focusing on teaching; and a graduate student forum. Benoît noted a few problems that future organizers may wish to take note of. These include the difficulty of obtaining any financial support outside the university, a high number of last-minute cancellations, the difficulty of obtaining a SSHRC conference grant under their current guidelines (which favour "occasional" over "annual" conferences like ours), and the large number of papers at the conference not directly related to the conference theme.

3. President's Report

The President thanked Benoît Melançon for his hard work in preparing this year's conference. She pointed out that since her term as President will expire in 2000, it is time to begin encouraging members who may wish to run for the presidency. She raised the issue of the role of the society's president: the fact that the President has very few defined duties.

4. Secretary-Treasurer's Report

Frans De Bruyn presented a consolidated statement of income and expenses for the year (Oct. 1998-Oct. 1999) and a balance sheet of the Society's current assets and liabilities. Currently the Society's net worth, once long-term liabilities (production costs for Lumen 96, 97, and 98) are taken into account, stands at approximately $34,000. These figures include the Lumen accounts currently managed by Alex Sokalski.

On the membership side, Frans noted that this year's membership stands at 218, with more memberships still to come in before the books are closed for 1999. To date this year, $8,509.29 has been collected in membership dues. Of these memberships, 40 are from outside Canada, representing 18% of the Society's membership and 16% of revenues from membership dues. Thus, non-Canadian members are an important element in the Society.

5. Lumen: Managing Editor's report

Alex Sokalski reported that volume 16 of Lumen (1995) is finally published. This issue saw many delays and cost overruns. The final cost was $7,630.66, most of which was borne by the Society. Some delays are being experienced with volume 17: some contributors are late in returning page proofs. For the period July 1998 to June 1999, $2,472.05 was received in sales; after deductions for commissions, postage, and handling, the Society realized $736.57 in net sales. The current balance in the Lumen chequing account is $2,391.01 and the value of the Lumen GIC account is $7,821.35. It was agreed that the Lumen GIC account would be closed and that the balance would be transferred to the Society's main investment account at CIBC. Alex mentioned the possibility of receiving a subsidy for publication costs from heritage Canada, but this would require publishing at least twice yearly.

Problems with the operation of Lumen were discussed, including cost overruns and declining sales and circulation. Some solutions were suggested, including tighter production schedules and guidelines, and the appointment of a permanent editor. It was decided to bring up the issue of the future of Lumen at the Annual Meeting for general discussion.

6. Bulletin: Editors' Report

Raymond Stephanson reported that the costs for publishing the Bulletin over the past year have been $854.90. Of this, the University of Saskatchewan has contributed $500, leaving a balance for the Society of $354.90. To control costs, members will be encouraged to receive the Bulletin in electronic form, but because of technical problems, it is still necessary to make printed copies for some members. Making the Bulletin fully electronic involves issues of Internet security, readability (Web-based versus e-mail versions), and members, access (some Society members still have no e-mail or access to the Web). Ray suggested doing a survey of members to see who can receive the Bulletin in an electronic version, and setting up a three-year schedule for going fully electronic.

Ray indicated that he wishes to step down as English-language Bulletin editor in January 2000. Thierry Belleguic is also stepping down, as French-language editor. He is being succeeded by Marc André Bernier.

7. Future Conferences

CSECS will meet in Toronto in 2000 (John Baird), in Saskatoon in 2001 (Ray Stephanson), and in Quebec City in 2002 (Peter Sabor). Both McMaster University (Jane Rush) and UBC (Nicholas Hudson) have indicated an interest in hosting future conferences. It was noted that CSECS hasn't met in Atlantic Canada for a number of years.

8. New Executive Positions

New candidates will have to be found for the following positions: ISECS, ASECS, and HSSFC delegates, and area representatives for Philosophy and Other Languages and Literatures. The President will approach members who may be willing to run for these positions.

9. Madoff Prize

Jean Coutin is the winner of the Madoff prize for 1997. The winner for 1998 is still being chosen.

10. ISECS, ASECS, HSSFC and Other Organizations

ISECS has passed a resolution exempting members of a national society from paying dues to join another national society when they present papers at meetings abroad. Given the high foreign membership of CSECS (currently almost one-fifth), an application of this rule would have a strongly adverse effect on the finances of the Society (an estimated loss of $1,365 or 16% of revenue for 1999 alone). Under the circumstances, it was decided to continue requesting non-Canadian participants at CSECS conferences to become members of CSECS.

11. Report from ISECS Congress in Dublin

There was no official report, but members who attended have reported a fruitful, stimulating, and enjoyable conference.

12. Other Business

Benoît Melançon presented two items for discussion.

i. The location of the CSECS Web site. Because of limitations at the University of Montreal, he suggested moving the Society's Web site to C-18, which is based in Switzerland. They will host our site gratis, and we will be free to terminate the arrangement at any time. This proposal was approved.

ii. Nothing is being done currently to maintain the Society's archives. Benoît proposes that the Executive devote some funds over the next two years to gather, organize, and update archival materials. This would involve hiring a student to do some organizing work. The Executive approved this plan in principle, so long as the budget of the Society would permit such an expenditure.

Meeting adjourned at 09:45.

Submitted by: Eleanor Ty

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