SGSG Update from the Executive Board – No Immediate Action Needed

[Sene-Gambian Studies]

Dear SGSG Members,

Greetings from the interim Executive Board. We wanted to offer an update on some key developments for the group.

Annual Meeting and the Need for a Revision of the Bylaws Regarding Elections

Unfortunately, attendance at our group meeting at the ASA was low – fewer than half the members were present. Many of us were not able to be in DC so could not attend; others had competing obligations. As a result, those assembled at the meeting were not able to nominate and elect new members to the Executive Board. The bylaws stipulate that in order to run for office a member has to be present at the meeting, but it became clear at the meeting that this requirement is not realistic. Therefore, the current board proposes revising the bylaws to allow for the collection of nominations via email and voting via electronic ballot. Once this revision is voted on, we propose a call for nominations/confirmation of those nominations made at the annual meeting and an electronic election for the 2017 and 2018 term.

Toward that end, please keep an eye out in your email for a message regarding the revision of the bylaws, and presuming the revision passes, a call for nominations and eventually an electronic ballot. We would like to do all of this ASAP.

Revision of the Bylaws Regarding the Role of Previous President

We would also like to revise the bylaws to allow for an advisory role for the former SGSG president on the new board. We recognize that the former president will have an important institutional memory that the new board may need to call upon and believe this is the best way to allow for this exchange of information.

Proposals for ASA 2017

We will be sending out a separate call for panel ideas for ASA 2017 in the next few days. Please speak with colleagues and come up with ideas you would like us to consider for our sponsored panel at ASA.

French Communication

We are committed to providing documentation and communication in both French and English. We will try to have the bylaws translated as soon as possible. Please let us know if you might like to volunteer to help with translation.

Affiliation with ASA

We are working with ASA to find out more about coordinate group status. Changing our status could potentially help with the logistical challenge of non-profit tax status and accounting, so we believe it is an option worth exploring. We will, of course, consult the general membership before making any decision on the best step forward.

Please email us with any questions or concerns you may have regarding the group. And keep an eye out for more on the bylaws and elections!