Classical Association of the Middle West and South

Program Committee Charter

This document sets forth the duties and responsibilities and governs the operations of the Program Committee (the “Committee”) of the Classical Association of the Middle West and South (the “Association”).

I. Purpose

The Committee’s purpose is to review all submissions of abstracts and proposals for the Program of the Annual Meeting, including proposals for panels and workshops as well as all abstracts for individual papers, during the fall preceding the Annual Meeting in the spring. The Committee reports its recommendations to the President, who organizes the accepted panels, workshops, and individual abstracts into the Program.

II. Membership

Composition: The Committee shall consist of six to eight regular members, with broad representation from the various sub-fields of Classics, appointed in accordance with the Association’s constitution. Each regular member shall serve for a term of three years. The President of the Association shall chair the Committee for a term of one year. In addition, the immediate Past-President and incoming President-Elect shall serve as members of the Committee ex officio. The Chair shall convene meetings, set agendas, and communicate the Committee’s findings as necessary to the Secretary-Treasurer and other relevant officers and committees of the Association.

III. Meetings

Meetings shall be held as often as its business requires, utilizing electronic media for communication. Decisions of the Committee shall be made by a majority vote of the members. A majority of members will suffice as a quorum for taking action on the agenda.

IV. Duties and Responsibilities

Review of Proposals for Panels and Workshops: Proposals for panels and workshops are received by the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association at the end of August of each year. Once the Secretary-Treasurer has removed all identifying markers, the S-T sends all the proposals to the Chair of the Committee. The Chair of the Committee reads all proposals for panels and workshops. The Chair of the Committee shall send all proposals for panels and workshops to the Committee. The Chair shall set up a rating system to be used by the members of the Committee, and give any further instructions about the evaluation process as necessary. The deadline for submitting ratings for panels and workshops back to the Chair shall be no later than the end of September of that year. Based on the Committee’s ratings, the Chair will decide which panels and workshops will be included in the Program. The Chair may consult with the immediate past-President and/or President-Elect, as ex officio members of the Committee, during this stage of the process.

Review of Abstracts for Individual Papers: Abstracts for individual papers are received by the Secretary-Treasurer of the Association at the end of September of each year. Once the Secretary-Treasurer has removed all identifying markers, the S-T sends the abstracts to the Chair of the Committee. The Chair of the Committee shall send a selection of abstracts to each member of the Committee based on that Committee member’s expertise. The Chair shall read all the abstracts for individual papers. Each abstract should have no fewer than three readers, with the Chair being the fourth. Abstracts submitted by undergraduate members of the Association will be evaluated separately and assigned to panels specific to them. The Chair shall set up a rating system to be used by the members of the Committee, and give any further instructions about the evaluation process as necessary. The deadline for submitting ratings for individual abstracts back to the Chair shall be no later than the end of October of that year. Based on the Committee’s ratings, the Chair will decide which individual papers will be included in the Program. The Chair may consult with the immediate past-President and/or President-Elect, as ex officio members of the Committee, during this stage of the process.

VI. Amendment

This Charter shall not be amended except upon approval by the Executive Committee.

Adopted by the Executive Committee on June 25, 2014.