SEA Minutes and Correspondence 1993

Minutes of the Business Meeting
Society of Early Americanists
Friday, May 28, 1993

All officers present. Fourteen persons in attendance.
Called to order, 12:13 p.m. Closed, 1:00 p.m.

1. Carla Mulford opened the meeting, announced the structure of the
Society, introduced the officers to the audience, and talked about future
operations of the Society, including the first set of elections.

2. The minutes of the previous business meeting, dated May 31, 1992, were
approved.

3. Carla Mulford announced that the membership would be asked the ratify
the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society via a mail ballot to be distributed
this fall. She asked that those with comments about these documents should write
to her before that time.

4. Sharon Harris reported on the Society's membership and finances. It
currently has 166 members and $1,142.95 in the Treasury. The Society also
acquired non-profit status on May 13, 1993. Carla Mulford thanked Sharon Harris
for her work on all these details associated with setting up the Society
membership rolls, its finances, and its non-profit status.

5. Bill Scheick asked members to forward to him offprints of articles on
early American subjects for purposes of discussion in the newsletter, especially
if these articles appear in small journals or those not usually or only
peripherally associated with early American literature. He also requested that
he be placed on authors' lists of review copy recipients. Carla Mulford also
asked for names of dissertations in progress to be given to Bill Scheick for his
newsletter.

6. Ray Craig distributed information about the Electronic Bulletin Board.
He announced that about 65 people have been using it, only half of them SEA
members, and that it averages 2-3 messages a month. He encouraged members to
sign on, announcing that they can access it through Compuserve and Progeny, as
well as the usual university sources.

7. Rosemary Guruswamy announced that members would be receiving a letter
in the spring about their interest in conferences other than those under the
aegis of ALA. She also announced that a future newsletter would contain a
calendar of important commemorative dates in early American literature and
history, via the suggestion of Leo Lemay, as possible themes for future
conferences.

8. The floor was then opened up for other business. People present
introduced themselves and discussed their works in progress. Charles Mignon
suggested that the Society facilitate an exchange of syllabuses, book orders, and
handouts. Ray Craig suggested that the Electronic Bulletin Board could
facilitate this easily. This topic was discussed at some length, culminating in
a general request that the Society sponsor a possibly two-session long discussion
on the classroom teaching of early American literature subjects at the next ALA
meeting. Members should be asked to come prepared with one or two exercises to
distribute to others. Topics of special interest included how to integrate all
the new materials that are emerging in the field and how to teach graduate
seminars when the students have very little, if any, early American literature
background. In response to another question, Carla Mulford announced that a
Directory of members will be put together during the next academic year.

9. The meeting concluded at its time limit, with many more persons wishing
to speak about the state of the profession of early American studies.


Respectfully submitted,



Rosemary Fithian Guruswamy
Vice-President, SEA


Minutes of the Council of Officers
Society of Early Americanists
Friday, May 28, 1993.

Present: Carla Mulford (Chair), Rosemary Fithian Guruswamy, Sharon Harris, J.A.
Leo Lemay, William Scheick, Raymond Craig, Jeffrey Hammond.

Meeting Called to Order: 10:04; Meeting Closed: 11:30.

1. The Chair talked to Bill Scheick about announcements concerning the
recruitment of future members and the compilation of a Directory of members, as
well as a call for papers for the 1994 ALA conference sessions, which should be
put in the next newsletter. Raymond Craig agreed also to post the announcements
on the Electronic Bulletin Board.

2. The Council looked at the agenda for the business meeting of the whole
Society to follow, as well as the current membership list which had been compiled
by Sharon Harris.

3. The Minutes of the last meeting, dated May 30, 1992, were approved by
consensus.

4. The ratification of the Constitution and By-Laws of the Society was
discussed. It was decided to seek the ratification via a mass mailing to be done
around October 30, which will also include requests for membership renewal, an
information sheet for the proposed Directory, and a call for papers for both
conferences upcoming in 1994. Bill Scheick suggested putting a terminus date on
the requests for Directory information, which we agreed to make November 30.

5. Carla Mulford congratulated Sharon Harris on her efficient, immense
amount of work in getting the Society started and organizing its non-profit
status. She was thanked unanimously by the Council.

6. Sharon Harris reported on the Society's non-profit status, its overall
membership, and its financial status. She began by saying that she has received
the letter from the IRS confirming the Society's non-profit status and will soon
have mailing status which will give the Society reduced mailing rates. The
status is also Society-centered so mail can come from any institution. She also
reported that the Society currently has 166 members and that persons are still
seeking membership. The Institute for Early American History and Culture, Early
American Literature, and American Literature have all announced the formation of
the Society, thus helping us expand our membership list. The Society currently
has $1,142.95 in the Treasury. Sharon Harris and Bill Scheick also agreed that
the Society and the newsletter accounts were aligned well at this time.

7. Bill Scheick announced that the newsletter costs between $75-100 per
issue to produce and distribute, making it very cost effective, especially
because of the arrangements with the University of Texas at Austin due to Bill's
faculty status there.

8. Raymond Craig announced that the bulletin board has not had many
technical problems, except for a mailing loop at Penn State which was quickly
resolved. He said, however, that it has been too quiet with only 65 people on
line, of which half are SEA members, and averaging 2-3 messages a month. Ray
agreed to post queries for dissertations in progress that Carla Mulford suggested
might be added to the newsletter in the future. Bill Scheick requested that such
information be solicited for him, rather than asking him to search for it. He
and Ray agreed to work on the solicitation of such information together. Carla
Mulford agreed to write an announcement about the solicitation of the names of
dissertations in progress for the next newsletter and the Electronic Bulletin
Board. It was agreed that the whole newsletter should not be published on the
Electronic Bulletin Board, however, because of issues of privacy and free access
to privileged information.

9. Carla Mulford announced that she has mentioned to Ronald Hoffman,
Director of the Institute of Early American History and Culture, the possibility
of co-sponsoring a conference at some future time. A cooperative relationship
with the American Studies Association was also discussed. Leo Lemay suggested
that the Society draw up a decade-long schedule of logical early American dates
for conferences and run it in a future newsletter. Carla Mulford stressed that
conferences growing out of these dates should be open to the whole membership.
Bill Scheick suggested we poll membership sentiment as to the feasibility and
value of conferences separate from the ALA ones. Carla Mulford said she would
conduct such a poll via a separate letter to the members in February 1994, which
would ask about member interest, what seem to be the best possible dates, and who
might be willing to offer his/her institution as possible co-sponsors of such a
conference.

10. The Council then discussed the possibility of having Society sessions
and meetings at the 1994 ALA conference all on the same day. The general feeling
was that the schedule works better if the sessions are spread out over two or
three days. The Council agreed that the call for papers for that conference
should remain open, although Carla Mulford proposed that a loose focus on new
texts and voices in early American literature might be good, considering the
nature of the papers received for this year's conference. Leo Lemay suggested
that one panel be composed of more established scholars in the field who should
be invited rather than expected to respond to an open call. He suggested Robert
Arner as the person to set up such a panel. Carla suggested that one slot in
this panel remain open for a respondent to the call. Other names suggested
included Mason Lowance, Sidney Krause, Harrison Meserole, Owen Aldridge, Everett
Emerson, Thomas M. Davis, Larzer Ziff, Norman Grabo, Mitchell Brietwieser, Karen
Rowe, and Donald Stanford. Carla will forward this list of names to Arner as
suggestions for people to consider.

11. The Council went over the agenda for the Business Meeting and
discussed the upcoming meeting.

12. Carla Mulford announced that arranging a time and place for a party
at this conference was too difficult, given the fact that the ALA was in a hotel
that was "new" to participants.


Respectfully submitted,



Rosemary Fithian Guruswamy

GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE FOR 1993




October 30, 1993

Dear Member of the Society of Early Americanists:

Our first year as an official "society" has passed! This year
brought us many advances as a growing organization created for
friends to the field of early American studies.

Membership has more than doubled since this time last year! We
continue to have an increased number of sessions at the American
Literature Association meetings, and these sessions are both
well-attended and well-received. We have very successfully run
our first ever session at the American Literature Association's
Symposium on Women Writers, held this month in San Antonio.
Thanks to Bill Scheick's editorial acumen, we have an enviable
newsletter, which continues to print the most updated
information--preceding any other hard-copy publication by at
least a year--about publications in the field, along with
professional news and notes. Ray Craig has established an
electronic network for early Americanists, which will tie our
organization in with early Americanists both national and
international. And we have, through the untiring efforts of
Executive Coordinator Sharon Harris, achieved IRS status as a
non-profit group. This will assist our functioning and cost-
efficiency now and in the future.

As members could see by the last newsletter, we have developed a
Dissertations in Progress section in the newsletter. We are also
aiming to publish by next spring a preliminary Directory of
Members of the Society of Early Americanists. Our aim from the
outset has been to increase interpersonal and interprofessional
relations among scholars of early American studies. We are
hoping that the Dissertations in Progress information and the
forthcoming Directory will assist our getting to know better one
another, our interests, and our work.

We hope you'll remain with us as we enter our second year as an
official organization affiliated with the American Literature
Association. While we are developing a directory of members, we
are attempting as well to plan for future conferences to be held
in addition to our sessions at the annual American Literature
Association. We will solicit members' advice on this matter next
February. We are also planning to co-host annual gatherings at
future MLA conventions--beginning in 1994, when I will be Chair
of the MLA Division of American Literature to 1800--and to host,
on an annual basis, our own gatherings for members at the annual
American Literature Association conventions. Within the next two
to three years we will be running our first election for the
position of Executive Coordinator.

This packet encloses a number of items for your attention:

TWO CALLS FOR PAPERS. You'll find a Call for Papers for the
Society's sessions at next May's American Literature Association,
along with a Call for Papers for the 1994 MLA Division of
American Literature to 1800 sessions. Please follow the
directions on the separate calls, and please note their
deadlines.

RATIFICATION REQUEST. You'll find copies of the Society's Bylaws
and Constitution, designed to secure affiliation with the
American Literature Association and to gain IRS non-profit status
but designed as well to allow us to organize our own activities
and programs. Please return, by December 15, 1993, your vote on
ratification of these documents to Sharon Harris.

REQUEST FOR DIRECTORY INFORMATION. When you renew your
membership, you'll be eligible to be included--optionally--in the
Directory of Members of the Society of Early Americanists. The
directory listing will include your preferred mailing address,
your electronic address (if you like), and a listing of up to
five areas and/or authors you are studying. The listing will be
indexed by topic and author for ease of use. We are hoping to
have it compiled and mailed to members by the spring of 1994. To
be included in the Directory, you'll need to return this
information, along with your membership renewal, by December 15,
1993, to Sharon Harris. If your directory information sheet is
not returned when your membership renewal is received, we'll
assume that you do not wish to have your name in the directory.

MEMBERSHIP RENEWAL FORM. In an effort to streamline the
membership renewals process, the officers are implementing a
request to have membership renewals every fall, in October-
November. The renewal form in this packet will identify any
credit you might have on your account. (We have been scrupulous
in our accounting, but if you think there is an error, please let
Sharon Harris know.) If no credit is named, this means that to
renew for the year, you'll pay the amount relevant to your
membership category: Regular Membership, $10; Independent
Scholars, Students, $5; Foreign Scholars, $12; Institutions, $3.
The paperwork for the Society is cumbersome for us all. You can
help us a good deal by sending in your renewal right away.
Please renew your membership by December 15, so your records with
us are accurate. Send the renewal, with your check made out to
the Society of Early Americanists, to Sharon Harris.

We hope you have enjoyed the newsletter and found your membership
in the Society a fruitful one. As always, the officers of the
Society of Early Americanists wish to remain responsive to
concerns of the membership. In case you'd like to reach one of
us, our addresses are provided (the last side of the Bylaws and
Constitution information) for your convenience.

All best wishes,




Carla Mulford
Founding President, Society of
Early Americanists


I wish to thank the Department of English at Penn State for
granting me duplicating and mailing privileges and staff
assistance so that this mailing could go out to all members.


Names and Institutional Addresses of Council of Officers of the
Society of Early Americanists, 1992--


EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

President: Carla Mulford
Department of English
Pennsylvania State University
117 Burrowes Building
University Park, PA 16802-6200
----------------------------------------------------------------
Vice-President: Rosemary Fithian Guruswamy
Department of English
Radford University
Radford, VA 24142
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Executive Coordinator: Sharon M. Harris
Department of English
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68588-0333
Electronic Address: sharris@unlinfo.unl.edu


ADVISORY OFFICERS

Newsletter Editor: William J. Scheick
Department of English
Parlin Hall
University of Texas
Austin, TX 78712
----------------------------------------------------------------
Electronic Bulletin Raymond Craig
Board Editor: Department of English
Kent State University
Kent, OH 44242-0001
Electronic Addresses: BITNET: rcraig2@kentvm
INTERNET: rcraig2@kentvm.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------
Honorary Past President:J.A. Leo Lemay
Department of English
University of Delaware
Newark, DE 19716-2537
----------------------------------------------------------------
Honorary At-Large Jeffrey Hammond
Representative: Division of Arts and Letters
Montgomery Hall
St. Mary's College of Maryland
St. Mary's City, MD 20686





The new Society of Early Americanists owes a great deal to the
collective efforts of several key individuals. Representing the
interests of early Americanists, J. A. Leo Lemay and William J.
Scheick worked with Alfred Bendixen from the beginning, when the
American Literature Association was being established. All three
helped secure early Americanists a standing presence at the ALA
meetings.

Our particular thanks are due, however, to Bill, who founded
ACASN within the year, to insure the affiliation of early
Americanists with the ALA. ACASN, first published in the summer
of 1989, has continued in an informative and very timely fashion
to network our otherwise rather isolated population of scholars,
providing comprehensive and useful bibliographic information,
various columns, and wonderful graphics. This is an amazing and
generous gift of time and energy that deserves our continued
thanks.

I would also personally like to thank the other members of the
1990 Executive Committee of the MLA Division of American
Literature to 1800 who fully supported my attempt to create a
census, along with permission to request from the MLA the
Division's mailing list. Those at the Executive Committee
meeting, where I launched the proposal to send an initial letter
of inquiry, include Philip Gura, Sydney Krause, and Mason
Lowance. I wish to thank them for their continued interest in
and support of the project to create a census of early
Americanists. The other members of the Executive Committee who,
unable to attend that meeting, have since lent their support
include Cathy Davidson and Karen Rowe. The initial inquiry about
a census and a society was sent to nearly 1500 persons whose
names came from the MLA Division to 1800 list, Bill Scheick's
ACASN list, and Philip Gura's Early American Literature list. I
especially wish to thank Bill and Philip for printing special
notices about the effort to form a society in their respective
publications. I would also like to thank the Penn State English
Dept. and especially the Head, Robert Secor, for finding the
funding for my series of mailings during the academic year 1991-
92.

From the start, the group has received an immense amount of
support from far too many people to name here. One person
deserves special mention, though. Jeffrey Hammond continually
offered cordial and useful advice--and moral support--at crucial
moments as the society was developing. Most importantly, I'd
like to thank the 135 scholars who wrote to me about the society,
with suggestions (many of which they will see implemented in the
constitution and bylaws currently being developed) and with
information about their work. Their efforts in response to the
first letter were critical to the formation of the Society of
Early Americanists (SEA).

The organizational structure of the SEA is as streamlined as
possible for efficient and effective operations. The SEA has a
two-part Council of Officers. The Executive Officers include the
President, Vice President, and Executive Coordinator. After this
initial period of development, the Executive Officers will be the
elected officers of the organization. The Advisory Officers are
appointed by the Executive Officers. They include the Editor of
the Society Newsletter (the requisite and only official forum of
the Society); the Coordinator of the Early Americanists'
Electronic Bulletin Board (who will collect information from the
Bulletin Board for the Editor); the Past President of the
Society; and, as the President wishes, an At-Large Representative
of the membership.

The official group with which we will affiliate is the ALA, but
it is possible that the officers will in the future consider
affiliating with other scholarly groups as well.

Several of those who wrote to me offered general assistance and
cordial support. Some offered institutional resources as well as
their own labor. Dozens of people were consulted on
organizational questions, until I finally realized it would be
best, to get the Society going, to name officers. I am happy
that Rosemary Fithian Guruswamy has agreed to stand as Vice
President of the organization and that Sharon M. Harris will
stand as Executive Coordinator. During this initial interim, I
will serve as President. The Advisory Officers have all been
informative and supportive of our efforts. I am extremely
grateful to Bill Scheick, who has agreed to stay on as Editor of
the newsletter. Raymond Craig generously offered to set up and
serve as Coordinator of the Electronic Bulletin Board. Leo Lemay
has kindly agreed to serve as Past President of the Society, and
Jeffrey Hammond has generously agreed to serve as the At-Large
Representative.

After an initial period of 2 or 3 years, the Society membership
will elect a new Executive Coordinator. The existing Executive
Coordinator (Sharon Harris, in this instance) will automatically
become the Vice President, and the Vice President (Rosemary
Guruswamy) will automatically become President. As Past
President, I will become an Advisory Officer (in Leo Lemay's
place).

Membership dues for the SEA will cover the cost of printing and
mailing the newsletter, and they will assist as well in covering
the initial application fee for the SEA's non-profit status and
in supporting costs of receptions or other gatherings of the
general membership at conventions. The dues schedule is printed
on p. 2 of this newsletter. Sharon Harris will credit advance
subscriptions to the newsletter toward memberships in the SEA.
Advance subscriptions to ACASN by people who do not join the SEA
will be honored until their subscriptions expire. Sharon will
post her letter regarding individuals' accounts sometime during
the early fall, 1992.

It is our wish to remain responsive to the interests and requests
of the membership. I hope we'll hear from you during the course
of the next year as to the role the Society might play in
assisting your work and your networking with other early
Americanists.