Guidelines for Session Chairs

See also specific guidelines for:
Local Institutional Hosts | Types of Sessions | General Guidelines | Presenters | Alternate Chairs

• Every session at the RMMLA convention has a chair; most also have an alternate chair.

• The alternate chair may replace the chair if the chair has to cancel, but is not obliged to do so.

• The current alternate chair of a session has first claim to be chair the following year and will be listed in the program, as long as his/her RMMLA dues are current by April 1 of the convention year.

• Session chairs MUST be current in the following year's dues by November 1 to be listed in the Call for Papers. Failure to renew by this date will mean that a replacement chair will be sought or the session cancelled.
• Alternate chairs must be current in dues by April 1 of the convention year to be listed in the program and to take over as session chair the following year.

• It is the chair's duty to remind all members of his/her session that they must be current in their RMMLA dues by April 1 of the convention year. When submitting their program information, session chairs will not be able to add the names of presenters who have not paid dues.

• Each session needs a minimum of three papers, although four is acceptable.

• The chair reviews paper proposals submitted by March 1 and selects at least three, if not four, of the best proposals. If proposals are few, the chair is responsible for soliciting additional proposals from among colleagues, from field- specific listservs, etc. If the chair receives an overwhelming number of very good proposals, s/he may request of the Executive Director a second section of a session. These requests will be taken on a first-come, first-served basis, but cannot be confirmed (a) until all sessions listed on the CFP have been accommodated and (b)until it is determined that meeting space is available.

• Chairs should NOT accept papers from more than two members from his/her home institution or more than two members from the same institution, unless the focus of that session is specifically related to the institution, unless it is the local host institution, or unless last minute cancellations force the chair to recruit colleagues into the session. If the chair is presenting in his/her own session, no more than one other person can be from that institution. Such situations must have the approval of the RMMLA Executive Director.
• Requests for sessions involving undergraduate students should be addressed to the Executive Director.
• The chair notifies all who proposed papers of their acceptance or rejection by March 15.

• If a chair has not received enough good proposals by March 1, s/he may request an extension of 30 days maximum from the Executive Director. If, after the extension, the session is still not full, the Executive Director may cancel the session.

• Chairs may present in their own session, but are encouraged to find another session in which to present.

• Requests for waivers of membership dues and convention registration fees for a special presenter/discussant whom a chair wishes to invite must be submitted to the Secretariat by April 1.

• Waiver requests must be accompanied by a brief justification and a biographical summary of the proposed special speaker.

• The decision to grant the waiver will be made by the Executive Board.

• Only a limited number of waivers is available per convention and only one waiver is allowed per session.

• The chair MUST submit session/presenter information to the RMMLA Secretariat by May 1 so that online program can be set in a timely manner.

• The chair submits this information using the PROGRAM FORM FOR SESSION CHAIRS on the Conventions page of this site. The chair enters the name of the presenter, as well as the paper title and abstract.

• The information provided by the Chair on this form will be used to generate the print version of the program. Notices will be sent to all chairs of final deadlines for changes/additions to programs, giving ample time for them to respond. Once the program is sent to press, however, changes will only be reflected on the online version of the program. Organizers of special topic sessions should note that substantial changes to the original list of panelists may result in the cancellation of the approved session, since sessions are approved on the basis of the proposals and paper titles submitted.

• The system will block the entry if the chair and/or the presenter is not current in dues. Once payment is made, however, chairs may go back to the online form and enter the information.

• The chair and the RMMLA Secretariat should be notified immediately if a presenter is not going to be able to attend the convention. If more than one presenter cancels, the chair has the option of (a) cancelling the session, or (b) if notified early enough, contacting the author of a paper s/he was not able to accept for reasons of space (rather than the quality of the proposal) to see if this author will serve as an alternate presenter.

• Contact the Secretariat with any questions - 509-335-4198 or rmmla@wsu.edu.

• NOT all meeting rooms at the convention hotel are equiped with audio-visual equipment. Session chairs and/or presenters must request this equipment.

• AV Request Deadline = May 1. NOT ALL MEETING ROOMS have equipment. If audio-visual equipment is needed, please notify the session chair AND the RMMLA Secretariat (by email at rmmla@wsu.edu). RMMLA offers the following AV equipment:
  • Computer projection with a PC laptop with USB ports
  • Pverhead projector
  • Slide projector
  • DVD-VCR players (Region 1, NTSC compatibility only)
  • CD-boombox
  At the present time, RMMLA does NOT offer Internet connectivity.

• The chair or individual presenters must submit requests for audio-visual equipment by May 1. No requests will be taken after this date.

• Requests may be made using the Program Info form on the web or by emailing the Secretariat at rmmla@wsu.edu

• The Program Committee sets the schedule based on the session topic (trying to avoid overlap in all time slots), the anticipated size of the session, and any audio-visual requests. We also try to rotate sessions, so that a session does not get placed in the same time slot year after year.

• Scheduling requests must be received by May 1 in order to be considered.

• Prior to the convention, the chair may want to contact the presenters to obtain some information with which to present them at the convention.

• At the convention, the chair introduces the topic and the speakers, moderates the session, making sure presenters have equal time to present and that time remains for discussion.

• Sessions at the RMMLA convention run 90 minutes. If a chair has three papers, that gives approximately 5 minutes for introductions, 20-22 minutes per paper, and 15-20 minutes for questions. If a chair has three papers, that gives approximately 5 minutes for introductions, 15-17 minutes per paper, and 15-20 minutes for questions.

• Chairs will be given 2 and 5 minute cards in their packet to signal to a presenter, if need be, that his/her time is running down.

• The Chair of each session may recommend an outstanding paper(s) to the editors of the Rocky Mountain Review, who will, in turn, contact the presenter to encourage him/her to revise the paper with a view to possible publication in the print or online journal.

• The Chair of each session may recommend an outstanding presentation by a graduate student for the "Charles Davis Award for the Outstanding Graduate Student Presentation at the RMMLA Convention." Nominations are due to the Secretariat by November 15. Nominees are then notified and asked to submit five copies of their papers to the Secretariat by December 15. The full text of the winning proposal(s) will be published in the following fall’s issue of the Rocky Mountain Review.

• The current alternate chair of a session has first claim to be chair the following year, as long as his/her RMMLA dues are current by April 1.

• Prior to the convention, the Secretariat emails all alternate chairs to ask if they wish to serve as chair the following year. If no response is received by the end of the early registration period of the convention, it will be assumed that the alternate chair does not wish to serve. This information is given to the session chair, so s/he will know whether to hold the election for (1) a new chair and a new alternate chair or (2) a new alternate chair only.

• At the end of the session, the chair holds the election and then submits the results to the RMMLA Secretariat by November 1 -- either at the convention registration desk convention or by email.

• For the new chair to be listed in the Call for Papers, s/he must be current in dues for the following year by November 1 at the latest.

• The Call for Papers is posted on the RMMLA Web site by mid-November, using the contact information that we have on file for the new session chair. Please make sure that the address / email / phone / fax that you have given us is the one you wish to appear in the CFP, which is available worldwide. If you wish to change any portion of your contact information, please email us at rmmla@wsu.edu.

• RE: Elections in Special Topic Sessions: Elections in Special Topic Sessions may be held IF the group wishes to be listed in the Call for Papers for the following year, but approval of the session is not automatic. Special Topic Sessions must be requested and are included on a space-available, topic-approval basis. See Special Topic Sessions-How To for more complete information.

• Should the chair not be able to attend the convention or fulfill the duties of chair, s/he should notify the Secretariat immediately.

• The alternate chair will be asked to do assume those duties, if possible.

• Should the alternate chair not be able to do so, a presenter of the session will be asked to chair the session.

• To encourage new member participation in organizing Regular Sessions at the convention and to allow members to develop new directions of inquiry in these sessions, chairs should encourage rotation in the election of new session officers, such that no one person may chair the same session two years in a row OR more than twice in a five year period.

• The Executive Director may intervene and name a chair if the rotation system fails.

• Former chairs may present papers in that session and/or chair other regular or special topic sessions.

Our sincere thanks to all Session Chairs, Alternate Chairs and Presenters for their hard work in making the RMMLA convention such a success.

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