Oh, dear. I for one, while remembering with gratitude the unique intellectual stimulation and camaraderie of the Inkshed/CASLL community, sadly but respectfully bid the entity that fond farewell and the wish that it rest in peace. With wonderful memories, Ginny Ryan Memorial University of Newfoundland On 10/04/2017 12:27 PM, Brock MacDonald wrote: > Hi, all. > > (I’m sending this message to both the CASLL and CASDW lists, in the > hope of reaching all former Inkshedders. Apologies for duplications!) > > The announcement Roger Graves recently sent out re the latest book > from Inkshed Publications makes this a timely message . . . > > This is the second year in a row without an Inkshed conference. None > of our efforts to reboot and reinvigorate the conference in the years > 2012 through 2015, though sometimes moderately successful as one-off > meetings, have generated the collective commitment needed to truly > revive Inkshed and keep it going. Taking stock of this situation, the > CASLL Board of Directors has decided that it’s finally time to face > the music and accept that Inkshed and its parent association aren’t > coming back. (Re the association, it effectively no longer exists: > for several years now there have been no paid-up members apart from > some of us on the Board and Margaret Procter, who manages the > Inkshed/CASLL website.) > > No doubt there are a number of reasons for this situation: one is the > growth of CWCA in recent years, based on its great success in bringing > together the Canadian Writing Centre community; another is the way > that CASDW has become a big tent association for Canadian writing > studies and writing pedagogy in general since its metamorphosis from > CATTW. Most pertinent of all may be the fact that a great many > (almost all?) of Inkshed’s founding generation of members have retired > in recent years: the core of the community that once sustained the > conference and its parent association just isn’t there any more. > > I’m sure many of us will feel some sadness about this, remembering how > significant Inkshed has been in our professional lives. However, > although the Board has decided that it’s time to shut CASLL down, this > isn’t an absolute ending. The Board proposes to transfer the > remaining funds in the CASLL bank account, roughly $7000.00, to > Inkshed Publications. Unlike the Inkshed conference, Inkshed > publications is very much alive: besides the recently published > /Cross-Border Networks in Writing Studies, /it has two more books > coming out in the near future, following which it will still have > sufficient funds to produce perhaps one more. The infusion of the > funds from CASLL will make possible up to four more books over the > next few years, following which new funding will be needed, perhaps > from CASDW and CWCA. According to its Constitution, the purpose of > CASLL is "to provide a forum and common context for discussion, > collaboration, and reflective inquiry in discourse and pedagogy in the > areas of writing, reading (including the reading of literature), > rhetoric, and language.” We on the CASLL Board feel that devoting the > association’s remaining funds to supporting Inkshed Publications, the > one and only Canadian imprint devoted to work in our field, is the > best way to ensure that CASLL’s dissolution is in keeping with its > fundamental purpose. > > Regarding the association's online presence: it's currently (and > rather awkwardly) in two cyber-places, the Inkshed newletter/blog site > that Margaret maintains (http://www.inkshed.ca/blog/) and the older > Inkshed site (http://inkshed.ca/), now essentially an archive of > material from the association’s earlier years. Ideally all the > association’s records should be brought together on one site, either > under the aegis of CASDW or as part of an independent Inkshed > Publications site (which would be effectively a repurposed version of > the Inkshed newsletter site, where Inkshed Publications currently has > its online presence). The key thing is that the association’s archive > needs to be maintained by an active organization to ensure its > long-term viability. This will be on the agenda for discussion at the > CASDW AGM at Congress. As for the CASLL list serve, once the > association has been dissolved it would be shut down. > > I should say something regarding the constitutional aspects of > dissolving CASLL. The one explicit mention of dissolution procedures > in the CASLL constitution is a clause that says "In case of > dissolution of the association, the profits and liabilities of the > association will be shared equally among all of the paid-up current > voting members.” The Board’s plan to transfer the association’s > remaining funds to Inskhed Publications is in effect an agreement > among the paid-up current voting members to use their “shares” that > way, rather than simply cashing out (!!). > > As for the decision to dissolve the association, while there is no > specified procedure for this, the constitution does say that "The > Board of Directors of the association shall have the responsibility of > carrying out the management of the association. This responsibility > should be carried out with the knowledge and cooperation of the > membership.” In our view, in the absence of any specific clause re > dissolution, it clearly comes under “management of the association.” > As for "the knowledge and cooperation of the membership," as I’ve > already mentioned, at present the membership is effectively > non-existent, leaving the Board on its own. However, in keeping with > the spirit of the constitution, the Board agreed that this notice > should be sent out: we hope it will reach all former CASLL members and > prompt some discussion, from which we further hope will emerge general > agreement in support of the decision we’ve taken. > > If there is strong opposition to the Board's decision, those opposed > would need to take a number of steps to give their opposition effect, > starting with paying fees in order to become current CASLL members and > thus be entitled to vote on the Board’s plan. If a sudden flood of > membership payments materializes, obviously we’ll have to think again! > However, we sincerely hope that this will not happen — that everyone > will agree that it’s best to bid CASLL and Inkshed a fond farewell and > let them rest in peace. > > Best wishes, > Brock > > On behalf of the CASLL Board of Directors (membership as of 2016, when > we met and made this decision): Clare Bermingham, Kim Garwood, J. > Barbara Rose, and Dena Taylor > > > > W. Brock MacDonald > Vice-Principal > Director, Academic Writing Centre > Woodsworth College, University of Toronto > 119 St. George Street > Toronto, ON M5S-1A9 > (416) 978-0246 > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL-L command > to [log in to unmask] > <mailto:[log in to unmask]> or, if you experience > difficulties, write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]> > > To view or search the list archives, go to > https://listserv.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CASLL-L -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- > -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- To leave the list, send a SIGNOFF CASLL-L command to [log in to unmask] or, if you experience difficulties, write to Russ Hunt at [log in to unmask] To view or search the list archives, go to https://listserv.utoronto.ca/cgi-bin/wa?A0=CASLL-L -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-