MUSE - Wisconsin Involvement Network

1 | Official Handbook for the Madison Undergraduate Society for English

The Official Handbook for

MUSE

The Madison Undergraduate Society for English

Founded in August 2012 at the University of Wisconsin – Madison


Table of Contents .

Part One: The Basics

ByLaws

Executive Board Application

Contacts

Advisors

Miscellaneous University Contacts

Madison Community Contacts

Passwords and Usernames

Email Etiquette

Section I: Choosing an email account

Section II: Writing an email

Section III: Responding to emails

Section IV: MUSE Gmail Protocol

Section V: To Do Lists

An Editor’s Guide

Section I: How to comment

Section II: Making meaty comments

Section III: Sending back comments

Section IV: Responding to comments

Part Two: The Specifics

The Executive Board

President

Vice President

Treasurer

Schedule

Secretary

Section I: Members in good standing

Section II: Updating the Upcoming Events

Section III: Writing minutes


Section IV: Writing newsletters

Community Service Chair

Schedule

Public Relations Chair

Section I: The Website

Section II: Social Media

Section III: Posters, Flyers, and Ads

Conference Subcommittee

Part Three: The Conference

Conference Purpose and Overview

Schedule

Call for Papers

Section I: Writing the Call for Papers

Section II: Sending the Call for Papers

Submissions

Section I: Evaluation criteria

Section II: Accepting and Rejecting Papers

Section III: Attendance Confirmations

Panels

Part Four: Important Documents


Literati Submissions Grading Scale

Literati Submissions Reader Report


Part One: The Basics


ByLaws Article I – Purpose Section 1. The purpose of MUSE is to provide a forum for students interested in English studies at the University of WisconsinMadison. Besides organizing an annual conference, sponsoring speakers, and participating in community service, the society will supply students with a space to explore the possible career paths of an English major and allow students to engage in intellectual conversations about language and literature. Article II – Membership Requirements Section 1. Any current student at the University of WisconsinMadison interested in language and literature is eligible to join regardless of declared major. Article III – Executive Board and Subcommittees Section 1. The Executive Board will be the governing and policymaking body of MUSE. It will act as advisor on matters of events and finances. All officers and subcommittee members must be current UWMadison students. Section 2. The Executive Board shall consist of the following officers:

President: The president will enforce rules, make sure all events are properly executed, be the point person for all issues within the organization, fill out paperwork for grants, reserve speakers, take responsibility for finance and event issues, will set Executive Board meeting agenda, and represent the group in all business with the University.

VicePresident: The vicepresident shall assist the president in his or her regular and special duties and shall oversee all committees. Any event created by a subcommittee or member must be submitted to the vicepresident for review and funding requests.

Secretary: The secretary is responsible for recording event attendance and keeping minutes on all Executive Board meetings, as well as General Assembly meetings. He or she is also responsible for sending out minutes after Executive Board and General Assembly meetings, and for keeping the online events calendar uptodate.

Treasurer: The treasurer is responsible for financial records including dues. He or she is also responsible for assisting the President in filling out paperwork for grants and taking responsibility for finance issues. He or she shall present a budget at all Executive Board meetings, and can also make decisions on the production of an event based on requested and available funding.

Public Relations (PR) Chair: The public relations officer is responsible for photographic documentation of events and for maintaining all social media affiliated with MUSE, as well as the MUSE website.

Community Service Chair: The community service chair is responsible for creating events related to the organization’s humanitiesrelated charity. The chair is also responsible for implementing fundraising events and community service events related to the humanities.


University of WisconsinMadison Conference of Language and Literature subcommittee: The conference subcommittee will consist of three chairs. The conference chairs are responsible for the advertising, catering, and execution of the conference. Although all club members are expected to contribute to the conference, the conference chairs are the point people for this event.

Section 3. The Executive Board shall meet once a month within a week before the monthly General Assembly meeting. The president will create the agenda for such meetings. Impromptu meetings outside of the normally scheduled meeting may happen if requested by an Executive Board officer and approved of by the president. Section 4. Executive Board officers and subcommittee chairs can be removed from their position if their duties are not fulfilled. The individual up for removal must be notified of this action by the president. The individual can prepare a speech in defense of their impeachment. The individual must be removed by an Executive Board vote at a general or impromptu Executive Board meeting. The individual up for impeachment cannot vote and is removed from his or her position with a 7/9 vote in favor of impeachment. If removed, the position will be up for general election. Section 5. All Executive Board positions are academic yearlong commitments (end of one spring term to the end of the following spring term). Article IV – General Assembly Meetings Section 1. General Assembly meetings will be held on Tuesday or Wednesday evenings once per month. Section 2. At all meetings, Executive Board members must be present unless they have an academic conflict such as an exam or a work conflict. Section 3. At all meetings, an overview of previous and upcoming events will be given. Each meeting will also host a humanitiesrelated speaker. Article V – Elections Section 1. Elections of all officers, with the exception of President and Vice President, for the following year shall be held at the second to last General Assembly meeting in the spring semester. Section 2. All officer nominations can begin the month before and can continue until a week before the scheduled election. Section 3. Eligibility for nomination: a. To be eligible for candidacy, a nominee must be a member of MUSE in good standing. b. A member must be a declared English major and have a minimum G.P.A of 2.75 and a

minimum English G.P.A of 3.0. c. A member must have concluded studies in one intermediate or advanced level English

course by election. d. If a candidate does not fulfill the above requirements, he or she can make a special appeal

to the Executive Board. The Executive Board will make final decisions on their eligibility. Section 4. All officer positions with the exception of President and Vice President will be determined by a majority vote. In order for this vote to occur, threefourths of all members must


be present. Section 5. Vice President nominees must be current members of the Executive Board, and must have served on the Executive Board for at least one semester. Section 5. Vice President is to be voted on at the second to last Executive Board meeting, at which all Executive Board members must be present. Nominees must receive 7/9 votes in favor to become Vice President. Section 4. The Vice President shall automatically become President for the following year, pending an Executive Board vote in favor of keeping the Vice President as President for the following year. This vote shall be conducted at the second to last Executive Board meeting in the spring semester, and must pass with a minimum of 7/9 in favor. If the vote does not pass, any Executive Board member may be nominated for President. Section 5. If the Vice President is not voted into the Presidency and there are multiple nominees for President, an emergency Executive Board meeting shall be held one week after the second to last Executive Board meeting to vote on nominees. A nominee must receive a minimum of 7/9 votes in favor to become President. Article VI – Amendments Section 1. Any provision of these ByLaws may be amended by a twothirds vote of all voting members present at any regularly scheduled General Assembly meeting, provided that the proposed amendment is presented in writing to the Executive Board two weeks in advance to the General Assembly meeting. In order for the vote to occur, threefourths of all members must be present. Section 2. The president shall enter all changes in the ByLaws into the official organization copy in his or her custody, immediately after the meeting at which an amendment is ratified.


Executive Board Application Executive Board member elections are to be held at the April MUSE General Assembly meeting each year. Approximately one month before this meeting, a call for applicants should be sent out, with the application attached as an editable Microsoft Word document. The application and call for applicants should also be posted online under the “Officers” tab, under “Apply”. The form application, to be updated each year, can be found in Part Four of this handbook. The call for applicants should be modeled after this: The Madison Undergraduate Society for English is calling for Executive Board Members

The Madison Undergraduate Society for English, an organization for students interested in language and literature, is soliciting Executive Board applications for the ____ year. MUSE’s Executive Board offers firsthand experience in leadership, conference planning, community and campus organization and fundraising, as well as a unique opportunity for professional growth. This is an excellent opportunity for all humanities majors. If you are interested in serving on the MUSE Executive Board, please complete the attached application and send it to MUSE at [email protected] with the subject “Elections.” Any questions about MUSE or the application process may also be directed to that address. We encourage underclassmen in particular to apply. The deadline for Board applications is ____.


Contacts Advisors Undergraduate Advisor

Dr. Karen Redfield [email protected] [email protected]

Faculty Advisor Russ Castronovo [email protected]

Miscellaneous University Contacts Room Reservations and Supplies

Pam Chizek [email protected]

Funding Questions Tana House [email protected]

Union Contact Danielle Poad [email protected]

Madison Community Contacts Rainbow Bookstore CoOp

Colin Gillis [email protected]

Neighborhood House (Community Service) Dan Foley [email protected]

Wisconsin Books to Prisoners John Peck [email protected]

Writers in Prisons Project Steel Wagstaff [email protected] Laurel Bastian [email protected]


Passwords and Usernames MUSE utilizes a variety of websites and social media, including:

Facebook Twitter Gmail Wix Weebly SurveyMonkey Doodle Poll

Each of these hosts can be accessed using “[email protected]” or “museuw” as the username and “HelenCWhite7191” as the password. We have a separate account for conference emails, which can be accessed using “[email protected]” as the username and “HelenCWhite7191” as the password. If any variation of these usernames does not work, try “uwmuse” instead. This was the old email account, which needed to be changed for RSO reasons. If you access an account using “uwmuse,” you should change the username to “museuw” immediately, and inform the president of the problem.


WIN Network “WIN,” “WIN Network,” and “Wisconsin Involvement Network” all refer to the site the University uses to keep track of student organizations, which can be found at win.wisc.edu. This is the site that enables us to get RSO status, allows our Executive Board members to reserve rooms in the Unions and other University buildings, helps us contact interested students, and gives other organizations and important contacts a way to get in touch with us when there are free advertising opportunities, reminders about events, or they need to distribute other relevant information. Because the WIN Network allows us to do all of these things, it is absolutely necessary that all Executive Board members are on our roster for the WIN Network. In particular, the President must be registered to the MUSE WIN Network account as our primary and accessibility contact. Section I: RSO (Registered Student Organization) An RSO, or Registered Student Organization, is an organization that fulfills the requirements put forth by the University—such as abiding a set of ByLaws, adopting a policy of acceptance and nondiscrimination, etc.—and registers in the University’s system each year. Many grants are restricted to RSOs, and almost all the University’s perks for organizations apply only to RSOs. For these and other reasons, MUSE is, and must always be, an RSO. To become an RSO, the President must register the organization each year through the WIN Network. RSO registration begins on August 1, and should be done as soon as possible after this date to ensure any problems with MUSE’s registration are resolved before the registration deadline. Section II: Registering MUSE To register, the President should log into their personal WIN Network account, click the tab titled “Organizations,” and find MUSE on the list. There should be a button below our name that says, “Register this organization.” Click this button, and the site should give you a series of instructions to follow. During the registration process, you will be asked to provide updated ByLaws; the names and emails of the MUSE Executive Board; and identify Accessibility, Primary, Secondary, and Financial Contacts for the organization. Make sure you have these materials before beginning registration. When identifying the Accessibility, Primary, Secondary, and Financial Contacts, be sure to remove Executive Board Alumni from these positions—there can only be one of each kind of contact. Also during the registration process, you will be asked to watch a 2030 minute video about what it means to be an RSO. Please watch this carefully. While seemingly trivial and lengthier than necessary, this video has crucial information about how to follow RSO rules and the advantages RSOs have. You’ll be able to use this information later to locate grants, hold events, and avoid a registration failure. Section III: Updating Positions on the WIN Network


The President is also responsible for updating the WIN Network in April or May, at the end of their Presidency. At this time, all new Executive Board members should be approved on the roster, and their respective positions assigned to them. You can assign officer positions by having all new officers log in to their own WIN Network accounts and join the MUSE roster. By selecting “Manage Roster” on the left side of the screen when on the MUSE WIN profile, the President can then approve them first as members, and then assign their specific officer positions. The President must make the President elect the Accessibility Contact and Primary Contact at this time. Once this is done, the President may lose their ability to make changes to the MUSE WIN Network account. Any officer positions filled during the school year should be updated immediately after the elections.


Email Etiquette Email etiquette is crucial to professionalism, particularly in an org that depends on email as its primary form of communication (with other schools for Literati, with extraUniversity contacts, etc.). Your emails are often the very first time you will contact a person; they are the first impression you give, and you will be judged if you do not follow commonly accepted guidelines for online communications. For this reason, MUSE Executive Board members must abide by the following rules at all times. Section I: Choosing an email account For official conference business, such as sending out the call for papers, communicating with potential attendees, and contacting panel moderators, Executive Board members should choose “[email protected]”. For official MUSE business, such as collaborating with other organizations, contacting Executive Board applicants, and managing MUSE accounts, Executive Board members should choose “[email protected]”. When asking faculty and/or staff for favors, communicating with other MUSE Executive Board members, or conducting other business requiring more personal interactions, Executive Board members should choose their personal wisc.edu email. Section II: Writing an email Subjects, CCs, and Addressees

The subject of your email should always correspond to the body of your email. For example, if you are contacting someone you’d like to be a featured speaker at a MUSE event, the subject might read, “MUSE featured speaker”. Creating emails with subjects that don’t match the body can make it easy for the recipient to skim the email and miss important information or requests, or they might ignore the email altogether. Always click “Reply All” if people are cced in an email. Nothing is more confusing than missing out on one or two messages, and nothing is more offensive than forgetting someone because you retyped the email addresses instead of using “Reply All”. You can find most contacts’ email addresses by typing their name into the “To:” section, since everyone’s email is stored in WiscMail if they are part of the University. If the addressee is not a UWMadison student, staff, or faculty, find their email address on the MUSE Official Handbook Contacts page, or online.

Salutation You must always use a salutation in your emails, such as “Dear Jane” or “Hi John”. Try not to begin emails with “Jane”, as using the addressee’s name, and only their name, can sound short. A rule of thumb is to address emails the same way the contact signs off—Karen Redfield signs her emails “Karen,” so you might write “Hi Karen,” in an email to her. Brigitte Fielder, on the other hand, signs off as “Dr. Fielder,” and so you should address emails to her like this: “Hi Dr. Fielder”. Do NOT address anyone by their


full name in the salutation. “Dear Ms. Caroline Levine” sounds like spam, and she likely won’t read it. Do whatever is most comfortable for you; if you would rather not address faculty by their first names, feel free to call them “Professor”. At the end of your salutation, include a comma or colon, and double space before beginning the body of your email.

Body Begin by selecting a professional font—Times, Calibri, and Garamond are all fine. You should not use different colors, bold, italics, or underline.

As you write, use contractions to add a friendlier, more relaxed tone. You can drop the contractions (switch from “don’t” to “do not”) if you need to add emphasis. Keep in mind, however, that using a more informal style should not prevent you from maintaining a professional tone at all times. You do not need to write your name in the body of an email. You should, however, acknowledge your position in MUSE (“I’m president of MUSE this year, and we’d like to have you . . .”). Your name will show up in their inbox if you’re using your WiscMail, and if you’re using the Gmail, your name will appear at the end.

Emails should be brief when possible; smaller than the size of the computer screen, so they don’t have to scroll to read your message.

The last thing you should do before sending an email is read it through, twice, and then use spell check.

Signature Appropriate sign offs for MUSE emails include: best, cheers, and respectfully. Press “enter” once, and write your preferred name. Then enter a signature that begins with your full name, then your MUSE position, you college, your university, your email and your phone number. When dealing with conference business, it is sometimes more useful to replace the line with your email and phone number with the MUSE website and email. Your sign off might look like this:

Best, John Jonathan Doe President of the Madison Undergraduate Society for English College of Letters and Science University of WisconsinMadison [email protected] | (123)4567890

Section III: Responding to emails Respond to emails in the same time span you would respond to a missed call within one business day. Remember, everyone’s time is valuable, including your fellow Executive Board


members’. Many tasks cannot be completed without timely responses via email, so always respond promptly. If you receive an email in which the sender has given you information, put you in contact with another person, or done you some other kind of favor, you must respond to the email and thank them. This applies to personal favors, like locating an internship, or favors that affect MUSE, such as contacting a potential keynote speaker. We must always acknowledge the help of others, and making sure they know we appreciate what they have done for us is one of the easiest ways to maintain a good professional relationship. Section IV: MUSE Gmail Protocol All Executive Board members must log in to the [email protected] account at least once per week and review all emails not labeled “DONE”. If you find an email not marked “DONE”:

Open the email and read it through. If it pertains to your position, complete the task, add any pertinent labels, and add the “DONE” label. Do not add the “DONE” label unless the task is completely finished. A task is only considered finished when no response from an Executive Board member is required, there will be no further emails received pertaining to that original email, and there are no secondary tasks. If the email does not pertain to your position, add any pertinent labels, and continue to review other emails not marked “DONE”.

Do not delete any emails from the Gmail account. It is the responsibility of the President, and only the President, to delete emails. This prevents us from erasing emails we might need later on, allows one person to be responsible storing information, and ensures the President is up to date on all MUSE happenings. Section V: To Do Lists The MUSE Gmail account is also home to the MUSE To Do List spreadsheet. You can access the To Do List by logging into the Gmail account, selecting the “Drive” tab along the top of the screen, and choosing “General Docs – To Do Lists”. A spreadsheet will open. Along the bottom of the spreadsheet you will see tabs with each Executive Board member’s name; each Executive Board member has their own page on the spreadsheet, with their own tasks. Each task has a column for the date the task was posted, the due date, the date the task was completed, and a short description of the task. The President is responsible for adding tasks to Executive Board members’ pages or asking another Executive Board member to do so. If a task is past due, the President will highlight the task in bright yellow, and send a reminder email to the person responsible for completing that task. Executive Board members are responsible for checking their To Do Lists at least once per week. Tasks will be uploaded at least one week in advance of the deadline, so this guarantees Executive Board members will view all of their tasks before they are due.


Do not delete tasks when complete; instead, write the date on which they were completed in the appropriate column. This will help future MUSE Executive Boards remember what should happen at each point in the year, if they can’t find it in the MUSE Official Handbook.


An Editor’s Guide Because MUSE is frequently required to communicate in a clear and professional manner, through the website and through other official documents, all Executive Board members will, at some point, be required to comment on their fellow Executive Board members’ writing. The following guidelines apply primarily to copy, letters, and emails written for MUSE, but can also be considered when editing pieces of literary criticism and creative writing for Literati. Section I: How to comment Comments are most useful when they are obviously separated from the original text, so the author is able to identify the changes being made. Use the “Track Changes” function, and make grammatical changes intext (grammatical changes here refers to punctuation, passive/active verbs, and simple word replacements). For longer comments or broad suggestions, use comments by highlighting the section of text you would like to refer to, selecting the “Review” tab at the top of the screen, and clicking “New Comment”. Type your comment in the box that appears. You should not comment by: writing your comments in all caps intext; highlighting and writing intext; simply making changes without marking them. Section II: Making meaty comments Comments such as “Great sentence!” and “Nice vocab!” can be a good way to let someone know when they’ve done good work, and that is an important part of revision. You should always include at least one positive comment when editing another person’s work. However, if your only comments on someone’s work are positive comments, no real changes will be made, and we won’t have the best copy we can. This is why it is important to criticize as well as praise any writing you edit. A good editor will have a 60/40 balance in their comments, with the majority being constructive criticism. It is essential that these critical comments are constructive. Comments like, “This sentence doesn’t read well,” aren’t helpful to the author. Why doesn’t it read well? Is it the content? The structure? The word choice? The best comments are “meaty”—they’re hefty, specific, and have as much information as the editor can give the author. To make a meaty comment, start by highlighting the entire section you are referring to. In your comment, start by explaining why the original text isn’t working well. Then move into a discussion of how it can be improved, giving at least two, but hopefully more, potential solutions for the author to choose from. For longer pieces of writing, it can also be helpful to have an endnote, in which you explain your top two or three concerns and give the author an overview of your thoughts on the paper—essentially, a summary of all the comments you made. An endnote should only be used for pieces of text longer than 5 pages. Section III: Sending back comments


Once you’re done revising, you’ll need to send your comments back to the author. There are different procedures for sending comments back to Executive Board members and to potential Literati presenters. If you are responding to an Executive Board member, adhere to the following guidelines:

The first thing you must do when you are sending your comments to an Executive Board is change the title of the document. Keep the original name, and then add _Revisions_Your Name. For example, if the original document was titled Jane_Webcopy, your revisions would be titled Jane_Webcopy_Revisions_Your Name. It is important to put your name in the title, because, in most cases, multiple Executive Board members are editing the same copy at the same time. It is easier for the author to stay organized and locate everyone’s comments if they all have a different title.

Next, you’ll need to write an email. The email cannot be left blank, and must follow the guidelines in the Email Etiquette section of this handbook. Don’t forget to attach your revisions before sending, and cc the appropriate people.

If you are responding to a potential Literati presenter, adhere to the following guidelines:

When sending comments to a potential Literati presenter, the first thing you must do is read through your comments a second time, and add even more comments that praise the work. We want to encourage our presenters to revise thoughtfully, but we also want to stay positive and make them feel their work is important. Everyone should feel welcome and comfortable presenting at our conference. Next, change the title of the document. It should begin with the author’s name, then the title of the paper, and then “Revisions,” like this: Doe, John_Paper Title_Revisions. It is not necessary to put your name in the title of the document for potential Literati presenters because they don’t know you, and you are likely the only person sending them revisions at this time. After this, you’ll need to send your revisions to the potential presenter. The President should have informed you of the best way to return your revisions when they sent you the paper to revise. Your revisions will likely be attached to the same email that informs the presenter of their acceptance to the conference.

Section IV: Responding to comments If you’re the person receiving comments, you must respond to your editor. After you receive the edits, review each comment and respond to it. If the comment looks good, write something like, “Great idea, change made!” If the comment was a broad suggestion, you could comment back explaining what you chose to change, and how their comment was helpful. When you choose not to take an editor’s advice, you should explain why you thought your original copy worked better.


After you have made all of your revisions, with the explanations stored as comments, save the copy as Jane_Webcopy_Revisions_Your Name_Response. Then you’ll need to write an email back to your editor following all the Email Etiquette guidelines, and attach the document with your response. Remember to thank your editor—they’ve done you a favor!—and be very kind, even if you didn’t find their comments helpful. Every set of eyes is important in creating a polished document.


Part Two: The Specifics


The Executive Board The MUSE Executive Board is comprised of nine extremely talented, incredibly focused, determined individuals seeking to make a space for the humanities on the University of WisconsinMadison campus, and in the community that surrounds it. They are a diverse group of thinkers who crave challenge and innovation, and represent some of the most promising students at the University. As an Executive Board member of MUSE, you are expected to represent the organization in a positive manner. You are, at all times, a reflection of MUSE, whether you are in a campus building or socializing on a Saturday night. MUSE Executive Board members are expected to maintain a high level of selfcontrol and be aware of the world around them; they should never act in a manner contrary to the organization’s mission, and should always strive to be an accepting, open, and welcoming community. Executive Board members must communicate clearly and effectively, being direct, but never insulting. They must fulfill their responsibilities to MUSE, making the organization a priority for their full term on the Board. A good attitude is essential, as is being dependable and accountable. To lead effectively, Executive Board members must own their actions, taking pride in successes, and accepting responsibility for failures and errors in judgment. Executive Board members are responsible to their fellow Board members, MUSE General Assembly Members, the University of WisconsinMadison community, and the City of Madison. They must keep all of these communities in mind when making decisions about the organization and their actions. But most of all, the MUSE Executive Board is a tightknit group of students, a support system and source of friendship. They help each other out both academically and emotionally, they are loyal and caring, and they stand by one another in times of extreme stress and difficulty.


President The President’s responsibilities are various and encompassing. The President must lead the organization, provide a safe space for all members, aid other Executive Board members with their tasks, and function as a liaison between MUSE and the English Department, among other things. The President’s duties will vary each year. The President is also responsible for finding speakers for each event, and should do everything in their power to ensure speakers with a variety of backgrounds are contacted. The goal should be to have at least one event per year pertaining to: creative writing; literary criticism; editing; journalism; teaching. The President is responsible for overseeing the schedules of all other Executive Board members, including the Conference Subcommittee, and should refer to each member’s section of the MUSE Handbook as they go through the year. The President should track the Conference Subcommittee schedule and Unbound (Community Service Chair) schedule carefully each week to make sure things are completed in a timely manner. In addition to these schedules, the President might find the following schedule useful: May

Ask graduating Executive Board members for updated bios, photos, and email addresses for the Alumni page; send to PR Chair, or post them online yourself

June Remind Treasurer to continue to look for grants through summer Remind PR Chair to keep social media accounts active throughout summer

o Less frequent posts are acceptable July

Take the month off! August

Ask Executive Board members for updated bios and photos CFLI RSO registration on August 1 MEETING Executive Board meeting to review handbook, professionalism, and choose a

speaker for the first meeting o Email preferred speaker

Remind Conference Subcommittee to look for fundraising and keynote speakers o Keynote speaker must be chosen by the end of August

Have posters for kick off meeting created Plan October event

o Try to make this event a career workshop; contact undergraduate career advisor for help

September Post kickoff meeting flyers MEETING Kick off meeting MEETING English department welcome Fall org fair


Confirm October event/career workshop October

MEETING Career Workshop Plan end of the semester party/goodbye party for fall graduates, to occur in December

November Spring Org Fair registration via WIN Network UNBOUND

December MEETING End of semester party/graduates’ goodbye Plan February event

o Contact speaker; try to look for a creative writing person January

Send out call for applications for Executive Board positions, due last week of February February

Confirm Literati room reservations MEETING General assembly; hopefully creative writing Review Executive Board applications and discard any incomplete applications or

applicant who do not meet requirements stated in ByLaws and did not request an appeal March

MEETING Vote on Executive Board members CONFERENCE

April Plan end of the year social for graduating Executive Board members, to be held the last

week of April or the first week of May Remind PR Chair to update the About page, summarizing major events of the year

In order to reflect changes in organization, structure, mission, and programming responsibilities, the President is responsible for updating the MUSE Handbook each year. Each member of the Executive Board will update the section pertaining to their position and send the updates to the President for revision by May 1. The President must integrate the updates into the existing Handbook, update their own section of the MUSE Handbook, and read through all other sections of the Handbook in case any other updates or additions are necessary. The updated MUSE Handbook should be complete and posted to the Google Drive by August 1.


Vice President The Vice President is responsible for aiding the President whenever necessary, shadowing them throughout the year. Because the Vice President will become President the next year, the Vice Presidency consists mainly of learning how the MUSE President should communicate with faculty, staff, and other important contacts, and getting an overview of the responsibilities of the President in each month. Due to the vague nature of the Vice President’s role, they may be required to: lead meetings; apply for grants; collaborate with other Executive Board members; write copy; work closely with the Conference Subcommittee; and any other miscellaneous tasks the President may assign. After Literati, the Vice President will take over all President duties. This gives them about one and a half months to ask questions and adapt to their new leadership role. During this last month and a half, the Vice President should plan and introduce a meeting, and have a one on one meeting with the President and the Vice President elect to discuss the next year. In order to reflect changes in organization, structure, mission, and programming responsibilities, the Vice President is responsible for updating this section of the MUSE Handbook at the end of each year. Revisions are due to the President by May 1.


Treasurer Duties of the Treasurer are restricted mostly to the collection of dues and Literati conference fees, and researching and applying for awards and grants to support MUSE. The Treasurer may also be required to organize fundraising events, often in collaboration with the Community Service Chair, and is expected to handle all financial transactions, maintaining a ledger of all income and expenditures. The Treasurer and President will both have access to the MUSE checking and savings accounts, which are held at the UW Credit Union. The Treasurer will work closely with the President and Vice President on grant applications, and must be continuously searching for new sources of funding for the organization. MUSE’s two major events, Unbound and Literati, are both costly. Awards and grants the Treasurer should look into include: the Open Fund, the Anonymous Fund, the ASM Event Grant, the Bucky Awards, the Wisconsin Experience Grant, Kemper K. Knapp Bequest Committee, Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) grants, and any other grants or awards that will help MUSE acquire funds or recognition. The Treasurer should maintain a schedule for future MUSE Executive Board use that details when each grant or award is typically applied for. The schedule should also include any other important meetings the Treasurer should schedule or attend. Schedule June July August

APPLY TO Open Fund September

MUSE dues are due; send list of members who have paid their dues to Secretary Meet with President to discuss budget for the year. In particular, discuss the budget for

Literati October November

Final budget assessment for Literati Unbound donation

December January

APPLY TO Anonymous Fund February

APPLY TO Bucky Awards Literati conference fees due MUSE dues are due; send list of members who have paid their dues to Secretary Final budget, with itemized list

March April


May Revisions to Treasurer section of the Handbook due on May 1 to President Meet with new President and new Treasurer to add their names to the UW Credit Union

account Rolling Deadline

APPLY TO Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Grants In order to reflect changes in organization, structure, mission, and programming responsibilities, the Treasurer is responsible for updating this section of the MUSE Handbook at the end of each year. Revisions are due to the President by May 1.


Secretary The Secretary’s responsibilities include: keeping minutes of all MUSE meetings, whether Executive Board or General Assembly; maintaining a list of MUSE members in good standing; taking attendance at MUSE events; managing the General Assembly and Executive Board listservs; emailing a monthly MUSE newsletter to the MUSE General Assembly listserv; and updating the “Upcoming Events” page on the website. Section I: Members in good standing For an Executive Board member to be in good standing, they must have less than two unexcused absences each semester. For a General Assembly member to be in good standing, they must be on the MUSE General Assembly mailing list. The spreadsheet used to track good standing can be found in the Google Drive, and is accessible using the following instructions:

Log into [email protected] Select the “Drive” tab along the top of the screen Scroll down and select “General Docs – Member List”

Section II: Updating the Upcoming Events All events should be posted on our Upcoming Events page online as soon as they are scheduled. To do this, you should:

Go to weebly.com, and log in using [email protected] Select “Madison Undergraduate Society for English” (not the test site) Click the “Events” tab, and then choose “Upcoming Events” Delete any old events, and then add the new event in the following format:

September 1, 2013 6:00pm in 7191 Helen C. White Event Title Description of the event

Click “Publish” in the upper right hand corner when you are finished Each line of the event should be formatted differently; the first line is large and bold, the second and third are smaller, and the description is smaller still. Check the website for an old event as an example. The Secretary is responsible for writing the description of each event. When possible, the description should begin with a hook that tells the reader what the event can do for them, then move into a description of the event itself. If appropriate, an explanation of why MUSE supports the event can be included, though you should never say “MUSE supports this because…” Instead, if an explanation of our support is necessary, you might explain why the cause is worthy. For example, we worked with the Writers in Prisons Project because it provides incarcerated people with the opportunity to better themselves through education, giving them a chance to make better decisions in life. The first few times you write this copy, send it to the


President before posting so they can give you edits and help you create the most appealing copy you can. Section III: Writing minutes When writing minutes for General Assembly meetings, the Secretary should include the date, time, and location of the meeting at the top, along with the title. After this, a general summary of the speaker or main points of the workshop can be given. For Executive Board meetings, the Secretary must be much more specific. The President will have emailed an agenda at least six hours prior to the meeting; the Secretary can use this as the bones of the minutes. At the top, include the date, time, and location of the meeting, followed by a list of those present. Then a summary of each point discussed must be included, and any assigned tasks should be given their own bullet point. Minutes are to be kept in “outline” format, using bullet points and numbers to keep everything concise and organized. The Secretary must send out the minutes within 24 hours after any meeting. Make sure to cc the undergraduate advisor when sending Executive Board meeting minutes, since s/he is not on the Executive Board listserv, but should be kept up to date on MUSE happenings. Section IV: Writing newsletters Newsletters should be sent out on the first of every month via email to the MUSE General Assembly listserv. They should be in prose, and look like an article explaining what MUSE accomplished in the past month, upcoming events, and any other important notices. The first newsletter of the year should be sent out on September 1, and should include what MUSE has done over the summer (perhaps a mention of the Literati date) as well as a description of upcoming events. Newsletters are not required in June, July, or August. In order to reflect changes in organization, structure, mission, and programming responsibilities, the Secretary is responsible for updating this section of the MUSE Handbook at the end of each year. Revisions are due to the President by May 1.


Community Service Chair The Community Service Chair is responsible for organizing all philanthropy events, and for collaborating with the Treasurer to raise money for the Unbound reading. The Community Service Chair’s chief responsibility is organizing the Unbound reading. The following schedule is a record of past Community Service Chair’s duties. All responsibilities relating to Unbound—which should be made a priority above all other philanthropy events—begin with “UNBOUND”. Schedule June July August

UNBOUND Research potential organizations to collaborate with September

UNBOUND Work with President to select organizations to collaborate with, and send emails inviting them to work with us

UNBOUND Select a date for Unbound UNBOUND Email the Rainbow Bookstore Cooperative to ask if we can hold Unbound

there UNBOUND Plan fundraising event to take place in late October to raise money;

advertise immediately UNBOUND Contact creative writing organizations to have them attend, and/or to have

their writers read. o Possible orgs to contact: MJLC, Illumination, Working Title

October UNBOUND Plan second fundraising event to take place in the first week of November;

advertise immediately UNBOUND Fundraising event

November UNBOUND Second fundraising event UNBOUND Reading

December January

Plan community service event for April February March April

Community service event May

Revisions to Community Service Chair section of the Handbook due on May 1 to President


The President should be cced on all Unbound communications. If the Community Service Chair needs help planning events or finding contacts, the President and Vice President will be responsible for aiding the Community Service Chair. Fundraisers are essential for a successful Unbound event, and the entire MUSE Executive Board will help plan and execute them. Common fundraising events include cup nights, bake sales, book sales, karaoke nights (pay per song), etc. In order to reflect changes in organization, structure, mission, and programming responsibilities, the Community Service Chair is responsible for updating this section of the MUSE Handbook at the end of each year. Revisions are due to the President by May 1.


Public Relations Chair The Public Relations (PR) Chair is responsible for maintaining the MUSE website, social media accounts, designing flyers and posters for events, and for handling all other public interactions. The PR Chair’s closest partners on the Executive Board are the President and Vice President, who will help him or her with all of these things whenever necessary. Section I: The Website Our website, which can be found at museuw.com, can be altered and updated by accessing our weebly.com account using [email protected] as the username. The website should be constantly updated when changes to the organization are made. Each year, the following pages must be updated:

Home About Us Apply

In August each year, the Home page should be updated to reflect MUSE’s goals for the year. Toward the bottom of the page, you’ll see a block of text explaining what we hoped to accomplish in the previous year. You can delete this text, and substitute your own. The About Us page functions as a record of MUSE’s accomplishments. The first paragraph or two explain our purpose, and below that are descriptions of what we accomplished in each year. In April each year, the PR Chair should write a short paragraph describing MUSE’s accomplishments that year, and add that paragraph to the bottom of the page. The Apply page, where we solicit Executive Board applications, must be updated each year to reflect the change in academic year and application due date. The .doc attachment—the actual application form—must also be updated. The PR Chair is not responsible for maintaining the Literati pages or the Upcoming Events page, but is required to provide edits and comments for the copy on those pages if asked. Update all other pages as needed. The PR Chair is also responsible for keeping track of the site’s statistics, which can be found by clicking “Stats” on the front menu, before you go into the website design. Section II: Social Media The two social media MUSE is most active with are Facebook and Twitter. The PR Chair is responsible for a minimum of 5 Facebook posts per week, and 40 tweets per week. These tweets and posts should link to other sites when appropriate, include hashtags when possible, and include tagged people when it makes sense. Tweets and posts should always be appropriate, and


should advertise activities MUSE supports, including MUSE meetings and events, themselves. The PR Chair is welcome to use a tweet or post scheduler so they can write these ahead of time. The PR Chair must also keep tabs on the statistics of our social media sites and do their best to tweet and post when more of our followers are online. They are also responsible for followingback our followers, but should only follow someone if their Twitter account does not:

Serve only to support a political party Appear to be for a person related to the UW or English Spam (you can identify this kind of account by looking at the number of tweets and

number of people they follow—if they have no tweets, they are likely spam, and if they follow more than 1,000 be wary)

Finally, the PR Chair is responsible for the esthetics of these sites, and must ensure the profile and header photos on each are appropriate and attractive. Section III: Posters, Flyers, and Ads The PR Chair is responsible for designing posters, flyers, and ads for MUSE events. These should always include the following:

Time of Event Date of Event Location of Event—including room number if applicable Title of Event Speaker at Event MUSE logo “Madison Undergraduate Society for English” “MUSE”

Any poster or flyer without these items will be rejected. Once the PR Chair has created the poster, flyer, or ad, they must send a copy to the President and Vice President for review. The President and Vice President will give constructive feedback, if necessary, and see that the document is printed and posted accordingly. If the PR Chair needs help with design, they can consult any of their fellow Executive Board members, or visit the Design Lab in College Library for more help. In order to reflect changes in organization, structure, mission, and programming responsibilities, the PR Chair is responsible for updating this section of the MUSE Handbook at the end of each year. Revisions are due to the President by May 1.


Conference Subcommittee The Conference Subcommittee’s primary responsibility is to plan Literati, communicating effectively throughout the year with the MUSE President and Vice President. For more information on the conference, see Part Three: The Conference. As part of the conference, the Conference Subcommittee must also update the Literati pages on the MUSE website each year. The Subcommittee may consult with the PR Chair, President, and Vice President for help completing website related tasks. In order to reflect changes in organization, structure, mission, and programming responsibilities, the Conference Subcommittee is responsible for updating this section and Part Three of the MUSE Handbook at the end of each year. Revisions are due to the President by May 1.


Part Three: The Conference


Conference Purpose and Overview Literati was created to provide undergraduates with a forum where they can exchange ideas, learn from their peers, and improve their writing. Through Literati, undergraduates are supplied with a comfortable and welcoming atmosphere in which they are able to test their professional abilities and explore their skills in public speaking, networking, and maintaining composure when faced with opposing ideas. We hope the conference will be a source of professional development for undergraduates, and give them a glimpse into the world of academia. All important Literati documents are saved to the Google Drive, and have titles beginning with “LITERATI 20XX”. To access these, go to gmail.com, log into the [email protected] account, select “Drive” along the top of the screen, and scroll down until you find the appropriate document. You can view or download any of these documents. When you need to update the website with Literati information, go to weebly.com and log in. Select the Madison Undergraduate Society for English site (not the test site). Weebly is fairly selfexplanatory, so the first time you use it, spend a few minutes looking around. To update Literati things, select the “Literati” tab, and click on the page you’re looking for. You can erase old text and paste in new text; the site will format everything automatically. The Conference Subcommittee is responsible for updating all Literati pages.


Schedule The following is a schedule by month for conference production. Changes can be made where necessary, but as a general rule, get things done as early as possible. The schedule begins in April, directly after the conference, when the President begins to hand responsibility over to the Vice President. April

Research conference dates o Make sure you don’t choose a conflict with any major holidays, spring break, or

major conferences May

Revisions to Conference Subcommittee sections of the Handbook due on May 1 to President

Email union to reserve rooms June

Take the month off! July

Confirm room reservations with the Union August

Confirm conference theme and date Get in contact with the preferred keynote speaker in the first two weeks

o The request to speak at an undergraduate conference is often more appealing coming from faculty than it would be coming from a student. If we know a faculty member that know the preferred keynote speaker, see if they’ll make the request for you.

September Assess conference budget and discuss further funding sources if necessary Draft the Call for Papers Make sure Literati is on the English Department Calendar (undergraduate advisor can

most likely do this) Contact the Madison Journal of Literary Criticism to request they mention Literati in

their emails for submissions October

The Literati website must be completely updated by the first week o Including the updated Call for Papers

Create a Call for Papers flyer to post around campus Send out Call for Papers

o Ask undergraduate advisor to send to the undergrad listserv o Refer to LITERATI Schools to Contact on Google Drive and send to those

English departments o Ask a grad student to send the Call for Papers to the grad listserv so TAs can

spread the word to their students—it will look better coming from a fellow grad student than an undergrad, and people will be more likely to read it


o Ask a faculty member (Department Chair, if possible) to send the Call for Papers to the faculty listserv so they can spread the word to their students

o Email Call for Papers to all presenters from last year saying we’d love to have them back, or have them tell their friends about it

o Email it to UW departments like Philosophy, Comp Lit, etc. Any relevant department. For science and computer departments, write your own copy that highlights their connection to our conference

o Post Call for Papers on the UPenn Call for Papers Board (this must be done weekly)

o Make tweets and Facebook posts about the conference with links to the site and Call for Papers

o Require Executive Board members to post on personal social media accounts about the conference

Conference Subcommittee must begin checking [email protected] every other day, or more, to respond to received submissions

November In the first week, email faculty about ways they can get involved with the conference (as

moderators, to introduce the keynote speaker, etc.) and encourage them to tell their students about the conference

Final budget preparations Email undergrad listserv again to remind them to submit Continue to tweet and make posts about submitting to the conference Email grad students and faculty individually (NO SPAM MAIL OR LISTSERV) asking

them to ask their best students to submit December

Get in touch with keynote speaker o Ask for the title of their talk

Make sure the title sounds interesting enough that someone who doesn’t know much about it would want to listen in

o Ask for an abstract of their talk Email faculty and grad students to remind them of the conference date

o Remind grad students you’ll be soliciting them as moderators in the next month Email the undergrad listserv for submissions again Ask Department Chair when Anonymous Fund is due for next year’s grant, DO NOT

FORGET THIS, it is due in January January Week One

Confirm deadline for Anonymous Fund Send out submissions to Executive Board to locate any problematic submissions, fill out

evaluations (grading rubric in Part Four) and Reader Reports (in Part Four) Week Two

Pretend to extend the conference deadline 710 days o Email all listservs to let them know about the deadline change o TONS of Facebook and Twitter posts from now until the deadline


Call for nominations for teaching awards—continue to advertise this throughout the next few weeks

Week Three President, Vice President, and Conference Subcommittee Meeting

o Choose which submissions to accept and reject o Email submitters to let them know if they’ve been accepted, and ask for

confirmation and registration fee, due in three weeks o Confirm catering o Final budget break down

Major MUSE meeting o Choose panels o Delegate work for the time leading up to the conference

Poster design 50 for the conference, 30 advertising just the keynote speaker

Hanging posters Program design and printing Final schedule of events Post schedule and .pdf of program to the website

Week Four Email schedule to undergrad listserv Email schedule to all UW departments you sent the Call for Papers to, as they may be

interested in attending despite not submitting Email grad list to solicit panel moderators

o Include panel names and ask them to choose two or three they’re interested in o Mention the free lunch!

February Week One

Create conference program Create conference posters Continue to check [email protected] Decide necessary items in folders

Week Two Create list of teaching award nominees, and create SurveyMonkey for votes Email all nominated faculty and grad students, including the body of their nomination (to

remain anonymous) and ask if they would like to attend Literati. Tell them the awards ceremony takes place at lunch, and they get a free meal.

Double check room reservations Meet with Union contact to finalize schedule and payment Continue to check [email protected] to answer presenter questions Print all posters Send out another conference announcement to all uw undergrads, grads, and faculty Finalize what should go in the folders Create table assignments

Week Three Send SurveyMonkey vote to listserv again, due by the end of the week.


o Get credit card from Pam Chizek to purchase award books, and create a card for inside the award book saying “This book is given on behalf of the Madison Undergraduate Society for English for excellent teaching,” and have President, Vice President, and the Conference Subcommittee sign it

Confirm panel moderators, keynote speaker, and other speakers Assign MUSE members jobs for entire day of conference, have each MUSE member

email presenters asking for bios to introduce them Week Four

Advertise conference in large lectures Post posters everywhere Email moderators with responsibilities and the papers, if they want them Contact school newspapers to request they cover the conference Contact MJLC to ask them to come

March First Week

Advertise conference in large lectures Consult Treasurer to make sure we have all registration fees Confirm which Executive Board member will photograph conference

Second Week Folders created and ready—completely put together Email all faculty and grad students individually asking them to advertise in class MUSE meeting at conference location to discuss where rooms are and where people will

be o Discuss professionalism, how to dress and conduct yourself, how to engage with

presenters, to ask questions, etc. Email moderators a gentle reminder to be at the conference Send an email to presenters reminding them that the conference is next week, welcome

them, tell them where to go when they arrive, and give them a map and explain where the conference will be

Ask undergraduate advisor to email listserv Friday morning Third Week

Ask undergraduate advisor to email listserv Wednesday morning Advertise conference in lectures again! Ask grad students and faculty to send out one more email for us CONFERENCE

Fourth Week Thank all presenters for attending and ask them to check our site and come back next

year o Award winners’ emails should also request permission to publish their papers on

our website as examples of great work Thank the keynote speaker Thank moderators Thank faculty who attended Update website

o Post pictures


o Upload exemplary (awardwinning) papers o Update “Awards” page o Put up “coming soon” notices on all yearspecific pages—Call for Papers,

Schedule, etc.


Call for Papers The Call for Papers is essentially a letter asking for submissions to Literati. It will be sent to a variety of schools, professors, and advisors, and should be an extremely professional document edited by every MUSE Executive Board member, and by the Undergraduate English Advisor, if possible. Section I: Writing the Call for Papers The theme of the conference will dictate much of the body of the Call for Papers, so it is important that the theme is chosen early on to give the Conference Subcommittee ample time to write the Call for Papers. The theme must be open ended, but must also relate easily to language, literature, and the humanities. Past Literati themes have included “On the Margins” and “Speaking Bodies”, to give you an idea. The Call for Papers should explain the basic information about the conference—what, where, when, and why—in the first two to three sentences. It should then move into a discussion of the theme and provide several thought provoking questions that encompass as many concepts and ideas as possible, so as to not deter any potential submissions. A disclaimer may be necessary informing readers that all submissions meeting standard English class criteria are acceptable submissions. Toward the end of the Call for Papers, the requirements for submissions should be included. To be considered for acceptance at Literati, a submission must be written by an undergraduate and meet the criteria for its genre: Literary Criticism Be under 10 pages in length Engage in literary criticism Well researched Contain a debatable thesis Meet standard English class criteria Creative Writing Prose must be under 15 pages in length Poetry must be under 10 pages in length, total Digital Projects Must take the Pecha Kucha format We also require each student identify a faculty or graduate student as a sort of sponsor; essentially, they need to include the name of the teacher who worked with them on their paper in their submission. This helps ensure we are receiving papers that have been revised at some point, and cuts back on the amount of comments and revisions we need to give presenters. It is also a great way to get University of Wisconsin faculty to come to the conference—if one of their students is presenting, they are much more likely to attend a panel.


Immediately after edits and revisions are complete, the Call for Papers should be posted to the Literati section of the MUSE website following the procedure detailed in Conference Mission and Overview. To view sample Calls for Papers, visit the Google Drive following the instructions detailed in Conference Mission and Overview. Section II: Sending the Call for Papers After the Call for Papers is posted to our site, the Conference Subcommittee must send a paper solicitation email to University of WisconsinMadison undergraduate advisors, professors, and heads of departments. The email should contain the Call for Papers attached as a .pdf, and the body text should look like this:

Dear Professor [Last Name],

I'm writing to inform you of an opportunity for your undergraduate majors to present at the University of WisconsinMadison. The Madison Undergraduate Society for English (MUSE) has organized the university’s [insert year number (second, third, fourth)] annual undergraduate conference on language and literature, Literati, to take place on [insert date, time and location]. This is an excellent and rare opportunity for your students to engage in critical discussion outside of the classroom and to meet other students and faculty in a professional setting, while distinguishing their CV through inclusion in a selective conference. We hope they will submit. Submissions and any questions can be sent to [email protected]. The deadline for submissions is [insert submissions due date]. I've attached a Call for Papers, if you would like to contact the major's listserv. Please let me know if you have any questions at all; we look forward to hearing from you. If there is a different administrator this email should be sent to in your department, please let me know, and I will contact them. Thank you for your time.

Best, John Jonathan Doe President of the Madison Undergraduate Society for English College of Letters and Science University of WisconsinMadison museuw.com | [email protected]


We must also advertise to other universities across the country. We have two separate lists of universities to contact; one contains the schools that have already had students present at Literati, and the other contains the schools we’d like to have presenters from. You can find these lists in the Google Drive under the title “LITERATI Schools to Contact” saved as a .xls. If there is a school not on the list that the Conference Subcommittee would like to contact, send an email to the President informing them that the school has been added, and add it to the list of schools we’d like to have presenters from, along with the contact information for that school. The emails to universities other than the University of WisconsinMadison should be almost identical to the emails sent to department heads, faculty, and advisors at the University of WisconsinMadison.


Submissions Literati receives hundreds of submissions each year, and it is MUSE’s responsibility to sift through these papers to find the best. All members of the MUSE Executive Board will aid the Conference Subcommittee in evaluating submissions following the procedure detailed below. Section I: Evaluation criteria When selecting submissions in literary criticism for Literati, you will review the following criteria:

Critical lens Using a critical lens simply means using a certain perspective or theoretical tool to analyze literature. Common critical lenses include feminism, Marxism, existentialism, etc.

Originality Articles should acknowledge the body of criticism surrounding the literature they’re analyzing, but more importantly, they must add to it. A paper is only suitable for Literati if it approaches the literature from a new perspective or disagrees with existing criticism.

Clarity of Argument Arguments should be clear, coherent, and concise. A good paper does not include extraneous information; each element connects logically to the next, building on the ideas discussed earlier in the paper and contributing meaningfully to whole.

Quality of Research and Depth of Engagement Accepted papers should have multiple sources from other critics, and should engage their arguments in meaningful ways throughout the paper, rather than parroting or citing them topically.

Overall eloquence Clear, concise, and sophisticated language is a prerequisite for papers presented at Literati. Any papers requiring intense copy editing or extreme restructure should not be accepted.

To help evaluate each criterion, utilize the Literati Literary Criticism Assessment Rubric inPart Four. Remember that creative writing pieces are graded on a different scale, though almost all creative writing pieces should be accepted. Rejections should be based on inappropriate content or obvious lack of thought and/or revision. If a creative work needs significant revision before being presented at Literati, make comments in an endnote, which you may attach as a separate file to your email response. To help evaluate creative writing pieces, utilize the Literati Creative Writing Assessment Rubric in Part Four. Literati also accepts papers in other humanities subject areas, provided they discuss language or communication in some way. Because these are so variable and come in a number of formats, we do not keep an assessment rubric for these pieces. Instead, you will be asked to write a very brief


summary of the piece as well as identify the subject area in your reader report so that the board as a whole can decide if it fits in Literati. Because MUSE strives to create an interdisciplinary conference, it is advisable to accept as many of this kind of paper as possible. Section II: Accepting and Rejecting Papers Keep in mind as you select papers that it does not behoove us to reject submissions. While poorly written papers should not be accepted, part of MUSE’s mission is to bring undergraduates together, and we can’t accomplish that goal without accepting students from a variety of schools. Papers that are rejected should receive an email modeled after this one:

Dear [insert first name],

I'm sorry to inform you that your submission was not selected for this year’s Literati Conference. Please know that this is not a reflection on your personal ability as a scholar; we were absolutely overwhelmed with submissions from top schools across the country this year, and our decision was a very difficult one. I would like to emphasize how impressed the board was with your submission, and personally encourage you to submit again next year. If you would also like further feedback on what we thought of your piece and how we think it might be improved, please respond to this email and we will be happy to send you some feedback within the next month. Best, John Jonathan Doe President of the Madison Undergraduate Society for English College of Letters and Science University of WisconsinMadison museuw.com | [email protected]

Accepted submissions should receive an email modeled after this one:


Congratulations! You’ve been accepted to present your paper titled [insert paper title here] at Literati on [insert date of conference here] at the University of WisconsinMadison. We were absolutely overwhelmed with submissions from top schools across the country this year, and our decision was a very difficult one. I would like to emphasize how impressed the board was with your submission, and how excited we are to listen as you present your work. Literati does welcome revisions to papers, as long as the final


presentation does not exceed 20 minutes. You can find more information about the schedule, location, and what to expect at Literati by visiting museuw.com. Please respond via email to let us know that you’re able to attend the conference. All confirmations must be received by February 15, 2014. Literati provides a catered luncheon for all presenters, so if you have any dietary restrictions, please let us know in your confirmation email. If you plan to make other lunch arrangements, please let us know ahead of time.

We’re looking forward to meeting you! Best, John Jonathan Doe President of the Madison Undergraduate Society for English College of Letters and Science University of WisconsinMadison museuw.com | [email protected]

Section III: Attendance Confirmations After you have received a presenter’s confirmation form and fees, add them to the spreadsheet on the Google Drive titled LITERATI 20XX Attendance Sheet. Make sure to add any registered attendees in the appropriate column. After this, a Reader Report must be filled out for their paper. You can find the form for Reader Reports in Part Four of this handbook. The Executive Board member that fills out the Reader Report must also make comments on the paper following the guidelines in An Editor’s Guide. After the Reader Report is complete, log on to [email protected] and send a confirmation email to the presenter with your comments on their paper attached. The email should look like this:


We have received the confirmation form and fees for [insert presenter first and last name] to present at Literati on [insert date here] at the University of WisconsinMadison. We have also received the confirmation form and fees for [insert names here] to attend Literati as registered attendees. We look forward to hearing from you at the conference, and hope you will take advantage of this excellent opportunity to engage with other undergraduates interested in language, literature, and the humanities. Part of Literati’s mission is to help undergraduates improve their writing, so attached to this email you’ll find a few comments we had about your work. We welcome revised


papers at the conference, and encourage you to continue to work on your piece as the conference draws closer. Best, John Jonathan Doe President of the Madison Undergraduate Society for English College of Letters and Science University of WisconsinMadison museuw.com | [email protected]

Panels The Board will meet the day after confirmations and fees are due to organize the panels for Literati. The number of panels will vary dependent on the year and number of submissions, but in general each panel should have three presenters and one moderator, as well as one Executive Board member to introduce the presenters and moderator. Panels can organized in any number of ways, and are based on the information gained through the Reader Reports. Here are the general rules to follow:

Try not to organize based on time period Do not mix creative writing, digital studies, and literary criticism—each gets their own

separate panel Each panel should have a range of strengths—one excellent paper, one mediocre paper,

and one paper that needs a little help Moderators should have some relation to the subject of their panel If a moderator is the sponsor of a paper, do not schedule them for a panel during their

student’s presentation Panel names should be interesting and enticing—the names should take more time than sorting. Use your creative skills, and do your best to choose titles that will make people want to listen in!


Part Four: Important Documents



Executive Board Application for the Madison Undergraduate Society for English

Applicants must be declared English majors with a cumulative GPA above 2.75 and a GPA in the English major above 3.0. Applicants who do not meet the requirements stated in the ByLaws may request an exception by appealing to the Executive Board. For more information about making an appeal, email [email protected].

Applications are due by [INSERT DUE DATE HERE]. Please send all materials to [email protected]. In addition to this application, please include a resume, cover letter, and literary criticism writing sample either at the end of this document or as attachments to the email containing your application. Resumes should not exceed one page. Responses in the questionnaire should not exceed 300 words each. Late or incomplete applications will not be considered.

Available Positions

Treasurer: The treasurer is responsible for the bank account and keeping track of MUSE funds. They are responsible for applying to grants for the following year’s exec board and working to bring up MUSE funds each year. S/he should also be actively seeking out fundraising opportunities.


Secretary: The secretary is responsible for taking notes at all exec board meetings and sending out the minutes within 48 hours. The secretary must keep track of attendance and work with the PR to increase active members in MUSE. The secretary is also responsible for sending out newsletters about things going on in MUSE to the undergrad English advisor to be sent out to the undergraduate listserv.

PR Chair: The PR chair is responsible for connecting and maintaining relationships with other campus, community, and department organizations. They are responsible for increasing attendance at events throughout the year and for branding the organization. Applicants should have a sense of InDesign or Photoshop or graphic design as they are responsible for creating flyers for events, and should be comfortable maintaining social media accounts.

Community Service Chair: The community service chair is responsible not only for maintaining MUSE’s current partnerships, but also in striving to build new ones. The community service chair is in charge of organizing one fundraising event every semester and one volunteer event every semester. This position requires an individual who is confident in their communication skills, is proactive, and is able to accomplish goals.

Conference Subcommittee (3 positions): The conference subcommittee is responsible for planning and organizing MUSE’s annual Literati conference.

Name: ______________________________________________________

Year in School: _______________________________________________

Major(s) and Certificate(s): ______________________________________

Grade point average: ____________________________________________

1. Why are you applying and what would make you good at the position? Do you bring any special skills or experience to your desired position? (200 word max.)

2. What areas of literature and/or theory have you had the most experience or interest in? Can you describe this experience/interest?

3. Do you have any additional abilities or interest in layout, graphic design, publishing, copyediting, ad sales, or business management?


4. What are your thoughts on the English organization and do you have any ideas to help make MUSE successful this year? How would you increase membership and participation?

5. What do you hope to do after graduation?

6. What is the most difficult situation you have encountered in the workplace and how did you deal with it?

7. Please list the English courses you have taken in chronological order (starting with most recent) and include the professor’s name. If there are any other courses that you feel would help you in this position, please add then at the bottom of the list.


Thank you for your application! Remember to edit well and turn in your application on time. In the meantime, keep up with the latest MUSE goingson at museuw.com, check out our

Twitter at twitter.com/museuwisc, or visit our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/MadisonEnglishMUSE.

https://twitter.com/museuwisc

http://www.facebook.com/MadisonEnglishMUSE


Literati Literary Criticism Assessment Rubric

Critical Thinking

Originality Clarity of argument Research Quality

Overall eloquence

13 Use of a critical lens is absent; paper is confined to author’s personal interpretation of the text

Paper states the obvious or repeats common arguments

Thesis of paper is unidentifiable; object or aim of analysis is indeterminate. Paper itself is unfocused, lacks logical structure

No secondary sources engaged

Sentence structure is weak and/or confusing, sometimes grammatically incorrect

45 Paper gestures toward a critical lens through oblique reference

Paper forms common argument, but with a little nuance

Clear thesis, but couched in vague or confusing language. Paper occasionally diverges from its stated purpose.

Shallow engagement with 12 sources; fails to successfully situate argument within existing criticism

Sentences are grammatically correct, if stylistically uninteresting

67 Paper identifies and implements a critical lens, but with limited success or shallow engagement

Paper shows some twist or slight divergence from what is expected

Thesis is clearly articulated. Paper may include some extraneous information.

Paper situates argument within existing criticism, but lacks a nuanced engagement with secondary sources

Grammatically correct and clearly written, with an engaging style

810 Paper identifies and implements a critical lens while demonstrating a deep and nuanced understanding of both the subject matter and the critical perspective

Paper takes unexpected or neglected approach to the subject matter; makes a marked departure and addition to the secondary literature

Argument, as well as stakes, is clearly articulated in thesis. Paper remains focused throughout, and each element adds to the argument’s logical progression

Paper gives clear sense of the subject’s existing terrain of criticism and how the argument interacts with it. Outside sources are often used as support without eclipsing the argument.

Style is unique, sharp, and elegant, making the paper a generally enjoyable read. Always clear and accessible, even when discussing complex subject matter


Literati Creative Writing Assessment Rubric (810) (67) (45) (13) Creativity Writing is extremely

creative. Ideas and style are refreshing and imaginative. Excellent writing.

Writing is somewhat creative. Some new and imaginative ideas. Good writing.

Writing contains a few creative ideas but style is mostly uninspired.

Writing contains many cliche ideas and an uninspired style.

Spelling and Grammar

Proper use of spelling and grammar is employed consistently throughout the writing assignment. No copyedit necessary.

There are a few spelling and grammar errors, but these can be cleared up with a single readthrough.

Poor spelling and grammar muddle the overall effectiveness of the piece. Heavy copyedit necessary.

Incomprehensible. Punctuation makes it almost impossible to ascertain the meaning of a sentence.

Word Choice

Strong, vivid words and descriptions throughout. Author seems to recognize the nuance and connotation of each word, no word seems out of place.

Strong words and descriptions throughout. Word choice is usually spoton, but some descriptions are average or uninspired.

Some strong words and descriptions. Word choice is generally average. Some words are used inappropriately.

Poor word choice and descriptions throughout. Elementary word choice, misused words. Boring language overall.

Fluidity Strong rhythm and flow of language. Sentence structure varied throughout piece. Flow contributes to author’s style.

There is a rhythm and flow of language. Sentence structure appropriately varied.

Obvious attempt to create rhythm fails. Sentence structure is rarely varied.

No identifiable rhythm. Lacks flow, sentence structure is not varied. Reads monotone.

Organization and development

Story builds on itself in an interesting way. Pieces of plot flow in an order that makes sense, details necessary to reader’s understanding are introduced at appropriate times. No gaps in the unrolling of the plot.

Story builds in an appropriate but conventional way. Attempts to break from typical plot structures fall flat. Plot points introduced at appropriate times. No gaps in unrolling of plot.

Story builds in a typical way. Pieces of plot are sometimes missing, or introduced at inappropriate times. There are gaps in plot development.

Pieces of the story appear in an inappropriate way—flashbacks, extracts are disruptive to the plot. Plot points are poorly organized, or not organized at all. Plot may be absent or incomplete.


Character Characters seem real and accessible. Each character has their own personality. Distinct movement away from tropes and clichés.

Characters seem real and accessible. Characters’ personalities are interesting, but are not inventive.

Characters fall flat. Dialogue does not match personality. Characters are defined, but somehow not real.

No attempt to create character. Characters are either completely inhuman or so cliché as to become boring. Characters are inconsistent, and reader cannot identify with them.

Literati Submissions Reader Report _

Title:

Reviewer Name:

Please check one:

_______ Two apply, as this is a comparative piece

_______ Medieval

_______ Early Modern/Renaissance

_______ Restoration/18th Century (e.g. Swift, Pope, Rochester, Behn, Defoe, etc.)

_______ 19th century/Romantics/Victorian (Wordsworth, Tennyson, etc.)

______ Modernism (Joyce, Fitzgerald, etc.)


______ Postmodernism/Contemporary (Morrison, Nabokov, Atwood, etc.)

______ Creative Writing

______ Not an English piece (give a brief summary after listing themes and keywords)

Please check one:

_______ Translation

_______ British

_______ American

_______Comparative

_______ Not an English piece (write subject area here: )

Themes/keywords. Please write down at least 5. Your choices are not limited to those below.

The goal of this is to find overlaps between papers so we can group them in panels. We will strive not to group based time period.

Here are some examples—body, gender, identity, mimesis, land/geography, animal, family, migration, exile, trauma, religion, philosophy, history, society/community, race, art/aesthetics, etc.

Date post:	02-Feb-2023
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