The International Susan Glaspell Society By-Laws

Article I: Name and Object

Section 1: The name of this society shall be the International Susan Glaspell Society (hereafter “the Society”).

Section 2: The purpose of the International Susan Glaspell Society (ISGS) is the recognition of Susan Glaspell as a major American dramatist and fiction writer through the ongoing publication of high-quality scholarship and critical analysis of all her works, participation in national and international conferences, performances and public readings of her plays, and the commitment to reprinting and teaching her plays, stories, and novels.

Article II: Officers

Section 1:
a. The elected officers shall be the Vice President, Membership and Finances Officer, and three Standing Members to serve on the Executive Council, all elected for three-year terms by a majority of members who vote in the election. The President and the Vice President will be eligible for one further term of office if they so desire and if re-elected. The Membership and Finances Officer will be eligible for further terms if s/he so desires and if elected. The Vice President shall be the President designee and will assume the office of President upon completion of one or two terms as Vice President. The outgoing President will be an ex officio member of the Executive Council for one year.

b. The offices of Webmaster and Bibliographer will be volunteer positions, approved by a majority of members who vote, for a term of three years when review and re-approval is
required for continued service, and at which point other volunteers may be considered by the Executive Council and put forward to the members.  These Officers shall be responsible for the maintenance and production of the website and bibliography, and for reporting on the status of these to the Executive Council either in person at the Executive Council meeting or in writing, either on paper or electronically, thirty days prior to the meeting.

c. If any of the above offices becomes vacant, through any cause, the Executive Council shall elect an interim volunteer officer until elections can be held. He or she shall be eligible to stand for office at these elections.

d. All officers shall serve without compensation.

Section 2:
It shall be the President’s duty to formulate policies and projects, including conference and panel planning, for presentation to the Executive Council and to fulfill the obligations and purposes of the Society. In addition, the President shall entertain any proposals from Society members for meeting agendas or for projects or panels; and shall, in consultation with the Vice President, put forward the agendas for Executive Council meetings and Society business meetings via e-mail in a timely manner to all members; shall convene and preside over such meetings; and shall cause official minutes to be prepared.

Section 3:
The Vice President shall assist the President at meetings of the Society and of the Executive Council and in formulating policies and projects, including conferences and panel planning, for presentation to the Council. The Vice President shall prepare the official minutes of all Meetings which shall include a record of all motions and their disposition, together with all votes cast thereon, when recorded. Minutes of the Business Meeting shall be sent out to members by e-mail.

Section 4:
The Membership and Finances Officer shall maintain the membership of the Society; collect the dues at the established time; provide reports on finances to the President, Executive Council, and others as required; maintain the Society’s funds and distribute those funds as required for routine expenses, conference costs, and other expenses as approved by the President and Executive Council.

 Article III: Executive Council

Section 1:
The Executive Council shall be constituted as follows: the President, Vice President, Membership and Finances Officer, and three Standing Members. The Executive Council may also include one voluntary Graduate Student Representative. The immediate past President will be an ex-officio member for one year.

Section 2:
a. It shall be the duty of the Standing Members to attend Executive Council meetings and to advise and support the President and Vice President in all decisions pertaining to the Society.

b. The voluntary Graduate Student Member of the Executive Council shall be responsible for promoting the Society among graduate students.

Section 3:
It shall be the duty of the Executive Council to determine an annual Society meeting at the ALA or another national or international conference. The Executive Council shall itself hold a meeting at the designated conference prior to the general Business Meeting of the Society and may plan additional meetings as deemed necessary and whenever it is possible for all its members to coincide. Otherwise, business will be transacted by e-mail and all decisions will be posted on the website by the Webmaster and via e-mail by the President or Vice President to members as appropriate.

Section 4:
It shall be the duty of the Executive Council at the annual meeting to hear reports from all Officers, elected and voluntary; to deliberate on the proposals and plans put forward by the President and Vice President and other officers; to make decisions regarding the disposition of the finances of the Society; and to ensure that all projects embarked upon by the Society fulfill and promote the stated mission of the Society. Approval of all proposals shall be by verbal agreement or, if necessary, by majority vote of the Executive Council standing members.

Section 5:
A quorum of the Executive Council shall be four members.

Article IV: Elections

Section 1:
Only individual members in good standing shall have the right to vote or hold office in the Society.

Section 2:
Elections shall be held when due and shall be run by one Election Officer appointed for this purpose. The Election Officer will be proposed and approved by the Executive Council. The Election Officer will not be a member of the Executive Council and will not run for office.

Section 3:
All nominations, ballots, and election results will be conducted through e-mail. The Election Officer will: send an e-mail to members soliciting nominations; ask nominees if they are willing to serve; send final nominations on to the Executive Council and, after receiving the approval of nominees from the Executive Council, send out a ballot to members. The Election Officer will then collect the ballots, count the votes, and distribute the results of the Election to all members of the Society.

Section 4:
a. Elections for officers shall be decided by a simple majority of members who vote in the election.

b. Policy proposals by members shall be submitted in writing, either on paper or electronically, to the President of the Society at least thirty days prior to the annual meeting of the Executive Council. Policy proposals shall be debated and endorsed by the Executive Council, then submitted to the members for voting by the President via e-mail, and decided by a simple majority of members who vote on the proposed policy.

c. Proposed amendments to the By-laws must be submitted in writing, either on paper or electronically, to the President of the Society at least thirty days prior to the annual meeting of the Executive Council. Any proposed amendment must be endorsed by the Executive Council before submission by the President via e-mail to the membership for voting. A favorable vote of two-thirds of current members is required for passage of any amendments to the By-laws.

Article V: Members

Section 1:
Membership in the Society shall be open to:

a. Any person interested in the study of Susan Glaspell, her oeuvre and times, upon payment of one year’s dues;

b. Any cultural or educational non-profit organization interested in the study of Susan Glaspell, her oeuvre and times, upon the payment of one year’s institutional dues; and

c. Any Honorary Members of the Society. Honorary Members shall be elected by an affirmative vote of two-thirds of the voting members of the Executive Council and be exempt from the payment of dues.  Proposals for Honorary Members may be put forward by any member of the Society, and must be sent in writing to the President thirty days prior to the annual meeting.

Section 2:
Any member whose dues are six months in arrears shall be dropped from the rolls. Members who are so dropped may be reinstated at any time by the payment in advance of one year’s dues.

Section 3:
Only Society members may present papers at International Susan Glaspell Society sponsored panels. Any presenters who are not members and whose papers are accepted for presentation must become members of the Society prior to the conference.

Section 4:
The Membership and Finances Officer will ensure that all members pay their dues biannually, by December 31 of every other year, as follows:

Full-time faculty or Arts Professionals: $50

Students, Part-time or Retired faculty: $25

Lifetime Membership: $300

Dues may be adjusted by the Executive Council as deemed necessary and appropriate.

Article VI: Website and Bibliography

Section 1:
The website will continue as launched, will incorporate new material on the activities of the Society as appropriate, and will archive previous year’s activities annually. Members may request inclusion of activities, notices, publications, or photographs on the website by sending information to the Webmaster at susanglaspellsociety@gmail.com
The current address of the website is:  https://blogs.shu.edu/glaspellsociety/
This should only be changed should the institutional host for the website be changed.

Section 2:
The Bibliography, which is already on the website, will be updated annually by the Webmaster (VP Martha Carpentier). Members should email Carpentier at susanglaspellsociety@gmail.com with any new bibliographic information, new publications, or program information regarding new performances. Links and photos appreciated.

Article VII: Grants and Awards

Section 1 Travel Grants:
The Society will fund grants of up to $200 to help defray registration or travel costs for Society members presenting papers on ISGS-sponsored panels or participating in ISGS readings. The awards may be granted once a year. Members may apply for a grant only once during any three-year period.

Section 2 Awards:
The Society will award annual or biannual prizes of $100 for the best published paper and $50 for the best conference paper on any aspect of Susan Glaspell’s life and works. This award is open to non-members as well as ISGS members. Awards will be determined by the Officers and Executive Council of the ISGS and will be announced at the ISGS Business Meeting and posted to the ISGS Facebook page and website. Articles and papers must be emailed as pdf (articles) or Word (papers) attachments to the President at susanglaspellsociety@gmail.com for submission to the Executive Council at least four weeks prior to the posted date of the Business Meeting (if available). Please ensure that the author’s identification is masked on the submitted work itself, as the work will be assessed through a blind peer review process.

Section 3 Translation Grants:
In order to encourage the translation of Glaspell’s writing, the Society offers a translation publication grant to assist financially with the publication of Glaspell’s work in languages other than English.

Application Details
1.The translation of any Glaspell work from English into any other language is eligible. Publication may be electronic, or in hard copy books or journals, or both. Only full, unabridged translations of Glaspell works are eligible.

2.Applications must include documentation that confirms the press’s or journal’s commitment to publish the translation (either a formal acceptance on letterhead or the publishing contract) and the press’s or journal’s publication budget for the translation. The published translation must include an acknowledgement of the financial support of the International Susan Glaspell Society. Please note that no applications for self-published works, or for works that will appear from vanity presses or journals can be considered.

Applicants should also submit their short c.v., including details of previously published translations. Submitting reviews of previously published translations is also encouraged. Applicants who have not previously published translations should submit their short c.v. and a colleague or press/journal editor letter of recommendation, on institutional letterhead, that addresses the quality of the forthcoming translation.

3.Translation publication grants of up to $300 are available. Applicants may only apply once every three years for a grant.

4.Applications may be submitted at any time. Send via email to current ISGS President at susanglaspellsociety@gmail.com. Translation publication grant applications are evaluated by the Executive Committee of the International Susan Glaspell Society, and every effort will be made to provide their decisions within three months of application submission.

Section 4 Production Grants:

In order to encourage the production of new creative work based on the writings of, or on the life and career of Susan Glaspell, the Society offers grants of up to $300 to assist financially with theatre or media production. The Society will award no more than two such grants in any calendar year.  Applicants may apply only once per project; funded applicants who successfully complete their project may apply for new funding after three years.

Application Details:
1.Applications must include a brief description of the project, the project timeline, and the outlet for the completed work (250 word maximum). Applications should also include documentation of project support (e.g., a letter from an instructor or theatre/film program chair, or from a prospective or contracted producer/producing organization). Applications from independent artists without current project support must include information on other recent successfully completed projects.

2.Applicants must include a curriculum vitae or resume detailing relevant training and creative experience.

3.Any recipient of grant money from ISGS is required to acknowledge the International Susan Glaspell Society as a supporter of the work in the production program or credits, and in any related publicity materials (print and/or media). Upon project completion, grant recipients must provide the ISGS with a brief summary of the work and its impact, along with documentation of the acknowledgment and related visual materials (e.g., production photos or video clips), which will be posted to the ISGS website.

4.Any recipient of grant money from ISGS is required to become a member of the International Susan Glaspell Society for at least one two-year period.  Membership information and application form can be found here: https://blogs.shu.edu/glaspellsociety/membership/

5.Applications may be submitted at any time.  Send via email to current ISGS President at susanglaspellsociety@gmail.com. They will be evaluated by the Executive Committee and Officers of the International Susan Glaspell Society.  Every effort will be made to provide their decision within three months of application submission.