Addendum to CAMWS Program Committee Report, 2019-2020 (Virtual CAMWS 2020)
Submitted by Anne Groton, Chair
I am happy to report that Virtual CAMWS 2020 ran successfully from May 25 through May 30 with no technological disasters. Credit for this is due primarily to the 24/7 help provided by our Zoom experts Amy Pistone and Emma Vanderpool (they were rewarded with modest honoraria and official appointment to this year’s Program Committee) and by their willing team of 27 tech assistants. The tech report written by Amy and Emma is appended to this addendum.
In lieu of a banquet, we held virtual closing ceremonies that featured prerecorded powerpoints (organ and vocal music, necrology, recognition of the local committee, the program committee, and the 2019-20 award-winners), prerecorded introductions and presidential address, and live ovationes. Kelsey Myers (University of Arkansas) was selected as the winner of a new CAMWS Presidential Award for the best undergraduate student poster presentation (Isis as a Commercial Goddess? An Analysis of Egyptian Imagery in Pompeian Shops and Workshops). The virtual book auction raised $1195 for the Keely Lake Travel Grants for Student Groups.
COMPARISON OF STATISTICS FOR CAMWS 2020 & VIRTUAL CAMWS 2020
We were pleased with the 68% retention of presenters and with the total number of registrants, which exceeded the total number registered for the meeting in Birmingham.
Changes from original in-person program in Birmingham, Alabama:
516 registrants > 593 registrants = 15% increase
11 sessions (each with 7 sections) + plenary + banquet > 21 sessions (14 with 5 sections, 1 with 6 sections, 2 with 2 sections, 3 with 1 section) + closing ceremonies = 91% increase
94 sections > 78 sections [papers/panels/workshops/round-table discussions] (+ 2 organizational meetings, 1 table-reading, 1 ΗΣΦ reception, 1 final reception, and closing ceremonies) = 83% retention
410 presenters > 280 presenters (3 co-presenters, so net of 277 presentations) = 68% retention (8 of the 9 undergraduate paper presenters retained = 89%)
14 panels > 7 panels (but gained 1 ΗΣΦ panel, so now 8 panels; including 38 of the 277 total presentations) = 50% retention
8 workshops > 4 workshops (including 8 of the 277 total presentations) = 50% retention
13 posters (15 students) > 5 posters (6 students; including 5 of the 277 total presentations) = 40% retention
78 presiders + master of ceremonies > 66 presiders (+ 2 meeting organizers, 1 table-reading director, 1 ΗΣΦ reception host, 1 final reception host) + master of ceremonies = 85% retention
16 round-table discussions > 12 round-table discussions = 75% retention
22 moderators/co-moderators > 16 moderators/co-moderators = 73% retention
2 organizational meetings > 2 organizational meetings = 100% retention
1 table-reading > 1 table-reading = 100% retention
Summary:
The original meeting would have included 410 presenters (309, of which 9 were undergrads, in the 55 paper sections; 67, of which 5 were respondents, in the 14 panels; 19 in the 8 workshops; and 15 undergraduate presenters of 13 posters), 78 presiders, 22 moderators/co-moderators of the 16 round-table discussions, and everyone involved in the banquet.
Virtual CAMWS included 280 presenters (228, of which 8 were undergrads, in the 53 paper sections; 38, of which 2 were respondents, in the 8 panels; 8 in the 4 workshops; and 6 undergraduate presenters of 5 posters), 66 presiders, 16 moderators/co-moderators of the 12 round-table discussions, and everyone involved in the closing ceremonies.
BREAKDOWN OF ATTENDANCE FIGURES FOR VIRTUAL CAMWS 2020
Note that the figures for paper sections and panels (i.e., Zoom webinars) represent the actual number of “unique viewers” who attended. The figures for workshops, round-table discussions, organizational meetings, receptions, and the table-reading (i.e., Zoom meetings) represent the number of individuals who registered for that event.
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020
Session 1 (10:00 a.m.-noon CDT) Total: 174
Section A: Latin Satire 53
Section B: Greek Epic 1 45
Section C: Archaeology and Art History 1 23
Section D: Panel Being a Classicist in the Digital World: Public Scholarship in the Age of Twitter Sponsored by the Graduate Student Issues Committee 30
Section E: Round-Table Discussion: The Interdisciplinary Latin Classroom 23
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020
Session 2 (12:15-2:15 p.m. CDT) TotalL 176
Section A: Latin Poetry 1 53
Section B: Greek Prose 1 34
Section C: Archaeology and Art History 2 29
Section D: Panel Numismatics and Narratives: How a Classicist Can Read Coins 32
Section E: Round-Table Discussion Tailgating with the Classics: Creating Annual Events to Increase Campus Visibility and Diverse Community Relationships 28
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020
Session 3 (2:30-4:30 p.m. CDT) Total: 127
Section A: Latin Poetry 2 37
Section B: Greek Drama 1 34
Section C: Greek History 20
Section D: Ancient Religion 1 12
Section E: Panel Medicine and Literature in the Classical World 24
TUESDAY, MAY 26, 2020
Session 4 (4:45-6:45 p.m. CDT) Total: 37
Section A: Presidential Workshop Salvete, Spectatores! Student Productions of Plautus 26
Section B: Organizational Meeting for Contingent Faculty 11
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020
Session 5 (10:00 a.m.-noon CDT) Total: 158
Section A: Theocritus, Vergil, and Lucretius 47
Section B: Greek Drama 2 46
Section C: Reception Studies 1 33
Section D: Round-Table Discussion Lupercal: A Latin Reading Group for Women and Non-Binary Latinists 8
Section E: Round-Table Discussion Assessment in Classics Programs 24
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020
Session 6 (12:15-2:15 p.m. CDT) Total: 157
Section A: Tacitus 45
Section B: Greek Drama 3 19
Section C: Ancient Philosophy 1 15
Section D: Classical Studies 1 36
Section E: Round-Table Discussion The Challenges and Opportunities of Diversity for Classics and Latin in K-12 Schools Sponsored by the Committee on Diversity and Inclusion 41
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020
Session 7 (2:30-4:30 p.m. CDT) Total: 123
Section A: Latin Oratory and Rhetoric 35
Section B: Greek Poetry 1 19
Section C: Reception Studies 2 26
Section D: Ancient Philosophy 2 17
Section E: Round-Table Discussion Preparing Your Students for Life after Classics 25
WEDNESDAY, MAY 27, 2020
Session 8 (4:45-6:45 p.m. CDT)
Table-Reading of Sophocles’ Trachiniae 34
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
Session 9 (10:00 a.m.-noon CDT) Total: 103
Section A: Latin Poetry 3 15
Section B: Greek Poetry 2 25
Section C: Ancient Religion 2 32
Section D: Panel Quilting Homer: Reading, Translating, and Remaking the Homerocentones of a Christian Bishop a Roman Empress, and a Pagan Philosopher, among Others 9
Section E: Round-Table Discussion The Best Class I Ever Taught 22
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
Session 10 (12:15-2:15 p.m. CDT) Total: 126
Section A: Greek Drama 4 27
Section B: Greek Novel 14
Section C: Reception Studies 3 29
Section D: Roman History 1 35
Section E: Round-Table Discussion Queer Educators in Antiquity Studies 21
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
Session 11 (2:30-4:30 p.m. CDT) Total: 97
Section A: Latin Poetry 4 25
Section B: Reception Studies 4 19
Section C: Panel Utopias, Women in Power, and Pitiable Husbands: New Readings of the Ancient Greek Novels 15
Section D: Round-Table Discussion Graduate Student Issues Sponsored by the Graduate Student Issues Committee 24
Section E: Round-Table Discussion Lone Wolf Classicist: Are You It? 14
THURSDAY, MAY 28, 2020
Session 12 (4:45-6:45 p.m. CDT) Total: 37
Section A: Workshop The Metamorphosis of CPL Sponsored by the Committee for the Promotion of Latin 22
Section B: Organizational Meeting for CAMWS Drama Group 15
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2020
Session 13 (10:00 a.m.-noon CDT) Total: 153
Section A: Sallust and Cicero 42
Section B: Greek Poetry 3 33
Section C: Pedagogy 1 38
Section D: Archaeology and Art History 3 30
Section E: Round-Table Discussion The CAMWS Podcast 10
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2020
Session 14 (12:15-2:15 p.m. CDT) Total: 139
Section A: Ovid and Sulpicia 24
Section B: Greek Epic 2 33
Section C: Language and Linguistics 15
Section D: Roman History 2 32
Section E: Workshop Cultivating Translation Skills in Intermediate and Advanced Latin Classes 35
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2020
Session 15 (2:30-4:30 p.m. CDT) Total: 123
Section A: Latin Poetry 5 27
Section B: Greek Historiography 21
Section C: Egypt and Education 18
Section D: Panel Sex and Revolution in the Ancient World 7
Section E: Workshop Interrogating the Hidden Curriculum: First Steps for Designing Inclusive and Accessible Courses Sponsored by the Graduate Student Issues Committee 50
FRIDAY, MAY 29, 2020
Session 16 (4:45-6:45 p.m. CDT) Undergraduate Poster Session 19
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020
Session 17 (10:00 a.m.-noon CDT) Total: 115
Section A: Livy 31
Section B: Greek Poetry 4 17
Section C: Pedagogy 2 43
Section D: Archaeology and Art History 4 12
Section E: Eta Sigma Phi Undergraduate Paper Session (10:00-11:00 a.m. CDT) 12
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020
Session 17 (11:00 am-noon CDT)
Section F: Eta Sigma Phi Reception for Undergraduates 16
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020
Session 18 (12:15-2:15 p.m. CDT) Total: 218
Section A: Latin Novel 20
Section B: Greek Prose 2 20
Section C: Pedagogy 3 35
Section D: Archaeology and Art History 5 23
Section E: Round-Table Discussion The “Limits” of Classics: What Expanding the Field Looks Like 44
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020
Session 19 (2:30-4:30 p.m. CDT) Total: 126
Section A: Greek Drama 5 21
Section B: Roman History 3 23
Section C: Classical Studies 2 16
Section D: Panel Going Beyond the Text: Incorporating Experiential Learning in Classics Courses 31
Section E: Panel It’s Coming: Are You Ready? College-Level Methods to Accommodate Students Instructed in Active Latin 35
SATURDAY, MAY 30, 2020
Session 20 (4:45-6:45 p.m. CDT) Virtual CAMWS Closing Ceremonies 90
Session 21 (7:00-10:00 p.m. CDT) Virtual Reception 53
RESULTS OF THE SURVEY OF VIRTUAL CAMWS 2020
The survey was completed by 91 (15%) of the 593 registrants. 65% of the respondents had planned to attend the meeting in Birmingham. 77% of them served as presenters, presiders, or moderators. 53% attended just 1-5 events; 30% of them attended 6-10 events. 58% planned to listen to the recordings during the week when they would still be accessible, and another 32% thought they might. The level of satisfaction with the overall meeting and with the number and length of events was quite high. Reasons most often given for not participating as much as desired were school and family obligations, dates/times, and fatigue from too much Zooming!
Your Meeting Attendance
How often do you attend the annual meetings of CAMWS?
|
every year or almost every year |
32 |
|
frequently |
24 |
|
occasionally |
13 |
|
rarely |
3 |
|
This was my first CAMWS meeting. |
19 |
Birmingham 2020
Were you planning to attend the 2020 meeting in Birmingham?
|
yes |
59 |
|
no |
32 |
Factors Affecting Attendance
Which are the most important factors in determining whether you attend a CAMWS meeting?
|
dates |
47 |
|
location |
57 |
|
program topics |
10 |
|
officer/committee obligations |
11 |
|
cost |
44 |
|
other |
24 |
Other
If you checked "other", please indicate here what those other factors are.
Overall Satisfaction
What was your OVERALL level of satisfaction for Virtual CAMWS 2020 on a scale of 5 very satisfied to 1 very dissatisfied?
|
5 |
30 |
|
4 |
51 |
|
3 |
10 |
Meeting Length
Considering the VIRTUAL nature of the conference, please rate the LENGTH of the day (10 am to 6:45 pm CDT).
|
just right |
68 |
|
too long |
23 |
Number of Events
Considering the VIRTUAL nature of the conference, please rate the simultaneous NUMBER of events (papers, panels, workshops, etc.).
|
too few |
1 |
|
just right |
74 |
|
too many |
16 |
Length of Events
Considering the VIRTUAL nature of the conference, please rate the LENGTH of events (typically two hours).
|
just right |
72 |
|
too long |
19 |
Event Attendance
How many events (papers, panels, workshops, etc.) did you attend?
|
1-5 |
48 |
|
6-10 |
27 |
|
11-15 |
10 |
|
16+ |
6 |
Recorded Sessions
Do you plan to watch any of the events as recordings after the fact? Why or why not?
|
yes |
53 |
|
no |
9 |
|
maybe |
29 |
Virtual Exhibit Hall
Did you visit the Virtual Exhibit Hall?
|
yes |
48 |
|
no |
43 |
Virtual Auction
Did you participate in the Virtual Auction?
|
yes |
9 |
|
no |
82 |
Reception
Did you attend the reception following the Closing Ceremonies? Why or why not?
|
yes |
17 |
|
no |
74 |
Happy Hours
At a typical CAMWS meeting, there are multiple happy hours and occasions for networking. Please mark the statement with which you identify most strongly.
|
I wish we had had some built-in "happy hours" for set groups (e.g., University, Spoken Latin, CPL, etc.). |
30 |
|
I wish we had had an empty meeting room BETWEEN sessions to "run into" people. |
13 |
|
I wish we had had an empty meeting room DURING sessions to "run into" people. |
4 |
|
I was happy with having only a "reception" at the end of VIRTUAL CAMWS 2020. |
31 |
|
Other |
13 |
Happy Hour Comments
Use this space to explain your previous answer.
Role
What were your role(s) in the conference? (You may choose more than one.)
|
presenter |
45 |
|
moderator/presider |
25 |
|
attendee only |
38 |
|
other |
8 |
Likes
What aspects of the virtual meeting did you most like? Please explain your answer.
Dislikes
What aspects of the virtual meeting do you wish had been done differently? Please explain your answer.
CAMWS Tech Report:
Virtual CAMWS 2020
This report has been written by Emma Vanderpool (Springfield Honors Academy) and Amy Pistone (Gonzaga University) to summarize the running of the VIRTUAL 2020 Annual Meeting of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (CAMWS) for benefit of other organizations, who have chosen or are considering a transition from an in-person conference to a digital platform.
Program:
All panels, workshops, and individual submissions had been submitted in August-September 2019 and notified of their acceptance in November. After CAMWS decided to offer an online meeting in late spring, we offered all those who had had papers accepted three choices: (1) to withdraw, (2) to present their paper live, and (3) to present a recording of their talk. The latter choice allowed flexibility for our members in case of a time conflict as well as great accessibility in terms of varying Internet capabilities.
Once presenters had made their decisions, the CAMWS President, Anne Groton (St. Olaf College) set a new schedule. This included accommodations in terms of time. As a conference with attendees that spanned both across the United States of America as well as internationally, we shifted our conference to a later starting time to allow for participants from those in the west. Additionally, we limited later/evening sections to account for familial responsibilities.
Participation:
Our program consisted of 21 sessions, which included 53 sections for individual papers, eight organized panels, four workshops, 12 round-table discussions, an undergraduate poster session, two organizational meetings, one table-reading, two receptions, and the closing ceremonies. 280 individuals participated as presenters, 66 as presiders, and 16 as moderators, together with two lead tech assistants, 27 tech assistants, and everyone involved in the closing ceremonies. 593 CAMWS members registered for the virtual meeting, 77 more than the 516 who had planned to attend the original meeting in Birmingham.
Registration:
Only CAMWS members who registered for the meeting were able to access the ZOOM events which were password-protected.
CAMWS made the decision to charge a small registration fee to help offset the cost of the conference.
- $25 for regular CAMWS members
- $15 for contingent members,
- $10 for students.
However, to ensure accessibility during a time of economic uncertainty, anyone who could not afford the registration fee could request that the fee be waived.
Although Zoom offers a built-in way to charge a registration fee, it is for each Webinar rather than for a series. We had participants register and pay through our website. Should we be online again, we would be certain to ask for the email associated with their Zoom account.
We then exported that data and imported names and emails into each Zoom Webinar. Because they had to be manually transferred between the website and Zoom, participants had to register by 8 a.m. CDT on a given day in order to have access to the sessions scheduled for that day. Participants had to register separately for each Zoom Meeting and be approved manually.
Nota Bene: Zoom recognizes accounts not by the associated name but by email. Therefore, we had to manually admit some members and adjust email addresses for those who had registered with one email but had a separate email associated with their Zoom account.
Alternatively, if there was not a registration fee, attendees could independently register for separate Zoom Meetings/Webinars and be automatically or manually approved from there.
Advantages/Disadvantages:
Attending a conference from home has certain benefits. While ensuring safety from the current pandemic, it also increases accessibility by removing the costs of travel/hotel and decreasing the cost of registration due to the lowered conference overhead. It also decreases the ecological footprint caused from traveling to conferences.
Yet, it also creates some new barriers. For example, it is reliant on presenters and attendees having reliable Internet access. We attempted to circumvent this by allowing presenters to prerecord their talks and by having tech assistants (who had better equipment/Internet access) play these talks during the sections. It also could have been more prohibitive to those who could not step away from their home/familial duties. Furthermore, some older members felt uncomfortable presenting in this new digital format and withdrew their papers. Should we do this again, we will have to consider how to alleviate any concerns prior to submission.
Platform Choice:
Due to its familiarity to both organizers and general members, the organizers decided to proceed with Zoom and its Meetings and Video Webinar extensions as its digital platform.
Workshops and Round Tables were held using Zoom Meetings. In such Meetings, all attendees could see and hear each other. They could also communicate via the Chat function.
Traditional paper panels were held using Zoom Webinar. In such Webinars, only panelists and the presider could be seen and heard. Attendees could neither be seen nor be heard; they could submit questions via the Q&A function. The Chat function allowed for communication between panelists as well as between attendees, both privately and at large.
Preparation
While Zoom is a relatively well-known platform, not all of our members had experience with all of the features or, most importantly, with the Zoom Webinar extension. To help offset this, we posted written instructions for speakers/presiders and attendees; created how-to videos, which walked participants through the platform; as well as offered live Q&A sessions the week before to answer more specific questions.
On the back-end, the lead tech assistants created through Zoom all the necessary Zoom Meetings and Webinars. They then compiled these Zoom codes on a password-protected page to be accessed by attendees when the time came. Approved registrants could access any/all sections and switch between them, as they wished.
As noted above, if there had not been a registration fee, rather than posting the Zoom codes, we could have posted the registration links. Registrants could then have registered independently for each section in which they were interested (rather than having to be registered for all of the sections first) and been manually or automatically approved for individual sections.
Setup/Cost
Because CAMWS had five panels running concurrently for most of the meeting, we had one main licensed account accessed by the lead tech assistants and then five linked licensed accounts, which were accessed by the tech assistants. All six had Webinar capabilities (500 capacity). It is necessary to have one linked licensed account for each panel as an account can host only one Webinar/Meeting at a time.
|
Item |
Number |
Cost |
Total |
|
Host |
6 |
$14.99/month |
$89.94 |
|
Webinar (500 participants) |
6 |
$140/month/host |
$840 |
|
Setup*** |
$154.99 |
||
|
$1084.93 |
*** For Setup, we had one Host and one Webinar for an additional month before the meeting to allow for behind-the-scenes setup in the month leading up to the conference.
Presentation Materials
Presenters were allowed to upload their own materials for attendees to download and see. They also could Share their Screen during their presentation, whether to show their handout or a PowerPoint/Google Slides presentation.
Presenters who did not wish to Share their Screen but rather wished to focus on reading their paper, and presenters who had chosen to prerecord their talk, were asked to submit materials ahead of time through a Google Form. These materials were compiled by section and then shared with the respective tech assistant to have on hand.
Tech Assistants
Throughout the conference, the lead tech assistants spent each day monitoring the designated email for tech, helping participants login, helping presenters upload their handouts and share materials with their tech assistants, and troubleshooting in various ways. Additionally, they acted as back-up assistance for the tech assistants.
At all sessions, there was a tech assistant present. The tech assistant helped with the Screen Share function, played the videos of prerecorded talks, and monitored the Q&A and chat for tech related issues. Their presence ensured that the presider only had the duties of introducing speakers and facilitating Q&A and panelists only had the duties of presenting their papers and answering Q&A/comments.
We chose to compensate our tech assistants because it was a dedication of not only time but also specialized skill. It was also an acknowledgment of their integral role in facilitating these sessions and ensuring a smooth experience for presiders, presenters, and attendees, so that the transition from an in-person to digital conference experience was more seamless than distracting. We were happy to be able to offer paid work for graduate students and contingent faculty during a time of job scarcity and economic insecurity. If someone worked for two sections, they received a CAMWS Membership for 2020-2021. For every subsequent session, they received $25.
Recordings
All events were recorded with the exception of one panel that was accidentally not recorded and two round-table discussions (in which sensitive personal information was likely to be divulged) that were left unrecorded for the privacy of attendees.
The recordings were subsequently posted on YouTube as Unlisted, meaning that each video could be found only with a specific URL. All of the URLs were posted on a password-protected page accessible only to registrants of Virtual CAMWS 2020. This ensured that registrants had flexibility on when they could watch the recording of a particular paper or section. The limited nature of the videos’ availability, however, ensured security and privacy for participants in the conference.
Uploading the recordings was a major, time-consuming task. As a result they were not all posted until Monday, June 8, a week after the conference ended. Beginning on that day, they remained live for a full week, until Monday, June 15.
Security
While concerns were raised about Zoom Bombing, several precautions were put into place. All Zoom meeting codes were behind a password-protected page, and all participants had to be registered.
Exhibit Hall:
Exhibitors who had already chosen to have booths were offered the opportunity to have a “virtual booth” in the digital form of their choice. This allowed them to showcase their products and offer discounts to attendees.
Advertisements:
Advertisers who had paid for an advertisement in the print program had the option to have them posted online in a digital exhibition with other advertisements or to receive a refund.
Silent Auction:
To raise funds for the Keely Lake Travel Grants for School Groups, we moved our silent auction into a digital format, which featured books donated by publishers and CAMWS members. Bidding prices started at $5 to cover shipping. All proceeds otherwise went towards this CAMWS award. Just under $1200 was raised in the silent auction.