(Revised March 2021)
Article 1: Name
1.1 The name of this conference and its governing body is Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies. Vagantes was established in 2002 jointly by a group of graduate students from Harvard University and University of Toronto.
1.2 Vagantes was chosen as the name for the proposed itinerant conference because the vagantes were medieval clergy, students, and minstrels who adopted the nomadic life.
Article 2: Purpose
2.1 The foremost purpose of the Vagantes conference and its governing body is to provide junior medievalists with a framework for presenting their work in a national, scholarly venue that is not affiliated with one particular institution.
2.2 The conference and its governing body is also committed to building the scholarly community of junior medievalists by fostering conversation across and among all disciplines of medieval studies, including, but not limited to, Anthropology, Art and Architectural History, Classics, History, Languages and Literatures, Manuscript Studies, Musicology, Philosophy, and Religious Studies.
2.3 The conference and its governing body is further committed to providing an equitable and affordable experience for junior medievalists from universities and colleges across the United States and Canada.
Article 3: Board of Directors
3.1 The Vagantes Conference shall be maintained and overseen by its Board of Directors.
3.2 The Board of Directors shall consist of elected officers, as well as current and future host school representatives. These persons must be graduate students currently enrolled at an accredited college or university.
3.3 Elected Officers shall be elected for two year terms annually at the Vagantes Conference. Officers may be elected to serve additional terms.
3.4 Host School Representatives will be comprised of individuals selected from the three institutions who are involved with the process of hosting the Vagantes Conference representing, respectively, the host institutions of the previous, the present, and the following year. Host School Representatives shall be selected by the students of their institution.
Article 4: Officers’ Roles & Duties
4.1 The Board will be comprised of two types of roles: Elected Offices, and Host Institution Positions
4.1.1 Chair of the Board of Directors– The chair shall be the representative from the previous year’s host institution, who has served at least one full year on the board prior to their chairship. The Chairship term shall begin during the annual board meeting at the International Congress on Medieval Studies (ICMS) at Kalamazoo and will last until the beginning of the following year’s meeting. The Chair shall preside at meetings of the Vagantes officers, and the general membership, and will represent the conference and its purposes to other organizations and the general public. The Chair shall also maintain the Vagantes Board Listserv. The Chair shall supervise the operations of the Vagantes Conference and its governing body in a judicious, diligent, and kind manner. They should also act as the primary contact for the Current Host Representative and answer any questions that may come up, since this member has already successfully organized and hosted the conference.
4.1.2 Webmaster – The Webmaster’s term shall begin at the ICMS meeting and will last until the beginning of the following year’s meeting. The Webmaster shall be responsible for maintaining and promoting a social media presence for the Vagantes Conference both before and throughout the conference and for checking in with past attendees of the conference. In addition to being the primary administrator of the Vagantes Facebook and Twitter accounts, this officer shall write posts spotlighting the progress of Vagantes alumni/ae for the conference website. They shall be responsible for maintaining and updating the portions of the Vagantes Conference Website not directly related to the organization of the current conference.
4.1.3 Scribe – The Scribe shall be responsible for recording the proceedings of all meetings, including general meetings and meetings of the Board. The Scribe shall also supply to the Webmaster an updated and accurate record of the conference and conference programs for the Vagantes Conference Website. This officer shall be responsible for promoting the conference among scholarly circles and for developing potential relationships between Vagantes and other organizations and committees; this shall include writing emails to alumni and promoting the conference on various listservs. The Scribe shall be responsible for providing information about the most recent Vagantes conference to the GSC for its biannual newsletter.
4.1.4 Mentorship and Professionalization Coordinator – The Mentorship and Professionalization Coordinator shall be responsible for administering the mentorship program and the professionalization initiative in cooperation with the host institution, to take place at the relevant Vagantes Conference.
4.1.5 Member-at-Large – Positions within the Board of Directors shall be reserved for Members-at-Large, who are responsible for creating and implementing special projects to enrich the experiences of the Vagantes community. These officers may be elected to the Board in order to implement new projects or to improve upon existing programs. The scope and duration of their projects shall be determined on a case-by-case basis, in order to address the needs of the Vagantes community as they arise. No more than two Members-at-Large shall serve on the Board of Directors at the same time.
4.2 Host Institution Positions
4.2.1 Current Host Representative–The Current Host Representative is responsible for acting as a liaison between the board and the host institution’s organizing committee. The Current Host Rep should provide the rest of the board with updates on the progress of the current year’s conference. The Current Host Representative should email the board information on the CFP, deadlines, and funding updates. Since one of the primary features of Vagantes is a keynote presentation by faculty from both the current host institution and the future host institution, the representatives of these two institutions are also responsible for coordinating the keynote lecture from the faculty at the future host institution.
4.2.2 Future Host Representative–The Future Host Representative is asked to provide the rest of the board with a progress update at the Vagantes Conference Board meeting, and should be willing and able to either attend the conference or send a representative from the future host institution in their stead. Usually, the Future Rep should be able to give an update on the funding situation, and should have chosen the dates for the next year’s conference. Since venue is one of the more important things associated with planning the conference, it is best to have this settled as early as possible (i.e. about 1 year in advance). Since one of the primary features of Vagantes is a keynote presentation by faculty from both the current host institution and the future host institution, the representatives of these two institutions are responsible for coordinating the keynote lecture from the faculty at the future host institution.
Article 5: Board Members Terms of Service
5.1 Elected Board Members will serve two year terms.
5.2 Elected Board Members will begin their terms immediately following the election at the Vagantes Conference, in so far as they will be added to the listserv and be included in board matters. However they will not assume their major duties until ICMS.
5.3 Elected Board Members will end their terms immediately following the annual business meeting at the International Congress on Medieval Studies. However, board Members may be asked to stay on by the remaining board for a limited period following their term to provide for a smooth transition in leadership.
5.4 Host School Representatives shall agree to serve beginning in the fall of the year before they host the conference, and to serve until the annual business meeting at the International Congress on Medieval Studies that takes place one year after they have hosted, for a total of three (3) years of service on the Board.
Article 6: Procedures for the Election of Officers
6.1 Election of Board Members will be held annually at the Vagantes General Meeting during the Vagantes Conference.
6.1.1 In the event of the cancellation of the Vagantes Conference (or other circumstances precluding elections according to the rules outlined in Article 6) election of new officers may be held remotely. Methods of communication and procedures for voting may be determined at the discretion of the Board, but the following rules must be observed:
(a) The electorate shall comprise those persons registered for the conference at which the vote would normally have taken place.
(b) Before the vote shall take place, the Board shall announce the upcoming vote to the electorate, provide descriptions of each role for which an election will be held, make clear and accessible all voting procedures and tools, and provide reasonable time for the nomination and consideration of candidates.
(c) All nominees shall submit to the Board their names and proposals for election, to be disseminated to the electorate for consideration.
6.2 Traditionally, announcements about joining the board are made on Thursday and Friday at the end of the day to encourage people to think about becoming a board member and to introduce all the board members so that they are available to answer any questions.
6.3 In the past, voting has taken place on Saturday during lunch, however the exact timing is up to the host institution to plan.
6.4 Officer Candidates must be:
(a.) Graduate students enrolled at an accredited institution
(b.) Willing to serve a two-year term
(c.) Willing to attend all Vagantes Conferences and board meetings, including the annual meeting at ICMS, throughout the duration of their term. If candidate is unable to attend ICMS, they must be willing to join the board meeting electronically through Skype or other means.
6.5 Officer Candidates need not be present to be elected.
6.6 Eligible voters are:
(a.) Graduate Students who are registered Conference Attendees
6.7 All elected officers shall be elected by a plurality vote by all students attending the General Meeting.
6.8 The Chair of the Board of Directors shall officiate the voting process.
6.9 All nominated parties are allowed to vote.
6.10 The voting shall take place through secret ballot, or by reasonable method determined at the meeting itself.
6.11 Eligible voters may vote for up to two nominees.
6.12 In the event of a tie, a run-off election will ensue between the tied candidates. Therefore, the voting population shall not be dismissed until the votes have been tallied by current board members.
6.13 Newly elected officers will assume office immediately in the capacities outlined above in 5.2.
6.14 If an elected officer receives their degree while in office and has less than one year remaining in their term, they may complete the term. Should said member have more than one year remaining, their office will be up for election at the next General meeting for the period of time remaining in the original term.
Article 7: Removal or Resignation from Office
7.1 Should any member of the Board of Directors become unable to continue their duties, they must inform the Board immediately.
7.2 If the said officer is a Host Institution Representative, they must be replaced by that institution immediately.
7.3 If the said officer is an elected representative, their position shall remain vacant until the next election, at which point a new officer shall be elected. A replacement may be appointed by the Board of Directors until the next election.
7.4 Should it occur that, due to direct violation of the purpose of the Board of Directors, or through continuous and inexcusable negligence of the duties described therein, an officer is determined to be unfit to continue in their capacity as officer, they will be notified by written statement signed by five (5) of the remaining members of the Board, requesting their immediate resignation. An officer may be removed from office by a unanimous vote of the other officers.
Article 8: Host School Duties
8.1 The host school is in charge of organizing the conference and raising the appropriate amount of funds to hold the event. The Vagantes Board of Directors serves as a resource to offer advice or share past experience but the task of organizing the conference is the responsibility of the organizational committee convened by the host school. During the first year, the Future Host Institution Representative or their designee should plan to attend the Board of Directors meeting at the current host school. In addition to submitting proposals to present papers, students from the future host institution will also be invited and strongly encouraged to chair sessions at the conference at the current host school. This will help future hosts gain valuable experience.
8.1.1 In the case that there are surplus funds after a conference, and if it is permissible by institution guidelines, it is encouraged that the money be given as a gift to the future host institution.
8.1.2 Should a current or future host institution receive a gift of surplus funds from a previous host institution as outlined in 8.1.1, the gift should be used for conference expenses only after discussion with and approval by the Board of Directors, with a recommendation that these funds be used for bursaries for presenters, speaker expenses, or necessary conference expenses.
8.2 In order to ensure consistency from year to year, host schools must agree to the following conditions:
(a.) The conference will be free and registration will be open to the general public.
(b.) The conference will run from a Thursday-Saturday in or around March.
(c.) The conference will include a keynote by a faculty member from your school on the opening day and a final keynote by a faculty member from the future host school.
(d.) The conference will conclude with a final banquet.
(e.) Your school will send a faculty member to serve as a keynote at the current host school. You will provide the current host school organizers with the speaker’s name and contact information no later than August 15.
(f.) Three graduate students from your school must agree to serve as abstract submission readers in November in the year before the conference is hosted, during the year the conference is hosted, and in the following year. The abstract submission review committee is comprised of members from the past host institution, current host, and future host institution.
(g.) The host institution representative from your school must agree to serve a three-year term on the Vagantes Board of Directors.
Year 1: the position of Future Host Institution Representative on the Vagantes Board of Directors begins as soon as the new host institution is named (c. June). Conference preparations begin.
Year 2: the position becomes Current Host Institution Representative in May and continues for one year. Conference preparations continue; hosting the event occurs in or around March.
Year 3: in May the Current Host Institution Representative becomes the new Chair of the Vagantes Board of Directors and serves in that capacity until the following May. The Chair is primarily an advisory role. The Chair ensures a smooth transition to the new host institution and supervises the operations of the Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies and its governing body.
(h.) The host school will feature the Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies seal logo on the conference program and other print and electronic marketing materials.
8.3 Planning Guide
The Vagantes Board of Directors has assembled the following guide to serve as a reference for host schools. Some deadlines are firm as noted but the host school has flexibility in determining their individual schedules.
Article 9: Abstract Review Guidelines
9.1 Any person who will be enrolled in an accredited graduate program by the starting date of the conference for which they have applied is eligible to submit an abstract for consideration. Those who have completed an accredited Masters (or equivalent degree) program up to two years before the starting date of the conference may also submit abstracts for consideration. Those who have completed (or will complete) a doctoral program by the starting date of the conference are not eligible to submit abstracts.
9.2 The abstract peer review committee is always made up of graduate students from the three host schools – past, present, and future. Each host school supplies three readers to facilitate the double-blind peer review process.
9.3 The quality of the Vagantes Conference on Medieval Studies is highly dependent upon the quality of papers presented each year. Indeed, the abstract review process is vitally important to ensuring the long-term success of the Vagantes Conference. With the importance of this work in mind, proposals should be evaluated according to the criteria below:
(a.) the originality of the paper proposal and its likelihood to contribute significantly to medieval studies;
(b.) the cogency of the writing and organization of the paper proposal;
(c.) the clarity of its methodology and argumentation;
(d.) the feasibility of the proposal (i.e., is the proposed paper topic suitable for the 20 minute presentation format?).
Article 10: Board of Directors Timetable
January
February
– Discuss agenda for Board meeting
– Draft call for future hosts and share with current host
– Feb. 15th MAA/GSC grant due (applicants must be MAA members by Jan.
15th)
March
– Attend Vagantes Conference and Board Meeting
– Advertise call for future hosts
– Vote in new board members and add them to listserv
– Ensure current host school renews domain name and hosting with Blue Host
April
– Write summary of last month’s conference and update website archive
– Advertise call for future hosts
May
– Host applications due first week of May
– Review host applications individually
– Attend ICMS Kalamazoo Board meeting
– Board transition and update website
– Discuss and vote on new host school
– Add new host representatives to listserv
June
– Ensure new host representatives have access to planning documents and files
July
August
– Help current host disseminate Call for Papers
– Board members can submit proposals to give papers
September
– Help current host disseminate Call for Papers
– Submit request for meeting space at ICMS
October
November
December
– Remind future hosts about MAA GSC Grant for Innovation in Community Building and Professionalization
Article 11: Amendments
11.1 Amendments to the constitution may be proposed to the Board of Directors in writing by any graduate student involved with the Vagantes Conference at least thirty (30) days before the General Meeting.
11.2 Proposed amendments to the constitution will be voted on at the General Meeting before which it was proposed, and must be approved by a two-thirds (⅔) majority of those present, including half of the Board of Directors in order to take effect.
11.3 Alternatively, the Board of Directors may, through unanimous vote, amend the constitution during their board meeting.