College English Association Resolutions 2000

Be it resolved that the members of the College English Association (CEA) express their appreciation and gratitude to the following:

a. To Norm Stafford, of Arkansas S U, who in moving during the past three years through the Vice-Presidencies to the pinnacle of current President, with still one more year to go as an officer, and who has shown energy and hearty humor as well as Arnoldian “sweetness and light” in the conduct of CEA business; and who has represented the state of Arkansas in a manner similar to that of another great president from that state whose name we all know and who was elected and served before Norm, and I speak, as all of you know by now of that President, a model of integrity, good sense, and dedication (and you may say his name with me now if you wish) (no, no, no—not Bill Clinton)—I am speaking of James Richard (Dick) Bennett, president in 1996–97.

b. To Bonnie Braendlin, of Florida S U, First Vice-President and Program Chair, who turned “Back to the Future” in order to elicit a spectacular array of “Diversity for the New Millenium,” and who by good judgment and skillful manipulation of the program variety is managing during these days in April to exemplify these lines in George Meredith’s “Modern Love:” She keeps / The Topic over intellectual deeps / In buoyancy afloat.”

c. To that dynamic trio of Board members, whose terms expire with the end of this convention, and who over the past three years in the marathon meetings of the Board have exhibited patient endurance, analytical insight, and eloquent comment on CEA matters, viz. to Carolyn Bruder, U of S W Louisiana; Sandra Stephan, Youngstown S U; and Julia Whitsitt, Lander U; each of whom has been a practitioner of Clemenceau’s dictum “that the finest eloquence is that which gets things done,” and each of whom also has avoided the corollary “that the worst is that which delays them.”

d. To Julia Gergits, of Youngstown S U (who has resigned as Co-editor), for her disciplined and dedicated service as one of the Publications Editors, and especially for her work with the Online Forum; and who never once responded as Rupert Murdoch reputedly did when he was asked why he allowed page 3 to develop: “ I don’t know. The editor did it while I was away.”

e. To John Beard, GAC-CEA Program Chair, and Co-Chair with Mary Sadler, College of Charleston, of the Local Arrangements Committee, with her colleagues: Sylvia Gamboa, Marie Fitzwillian, Genie Comer, Anne Fox, and Bonnie Devet, for their tireless and patient service and labor in those tasks that go largely unnoticed until such time as they are not done, and for their geniality and kindness and for sustained hard work. They may have thought prior to the conference that Beatrice Webb was right that, indeed, “labor was an abstraction,” and now they can safely say with Twiggy that they hope “never to have to work again.”

f. To the twenty-three publishers and/or their representatives who provided the numerous books being exhibited and those which will be given away at tomorrow’s book drawing, for they know that as English teachers we would never heed the advice of Philip Larkin: “Don’t read too much now. . . . Books are a load of crap.”
 

RESOLUTION II

Be it resolved that the membership of the College English Association express its appreciation and gratitude to Professor Karyn Sproles, Head of the English Department, and Dean Richard Whitman of the College of Arts and Letters at James Madison University for their support of the Association. This assistance is invaluable in helping the College English Association to fulfill its purpose as “a vibrant, growing professional organization of teacher-scholars who regard the instruction of students, undergraduate and graduate, as the profession’s proper focus” and to promote “the diverse membership” which “connects the various segments of the profession—large and small institutions, state-supported and private schools, liberal arts colleges and technical institutions, community colleges, and universities.”
 

RESOLUTION III

Be it resolved that the College English Association refrain from the public conduct of business in the state of South Carolina, including the convening of its annual convention, until such time as the official governing agencies of the state cease their sanctioning of the activity of flying the Confederate Flag as a public action; and that copies of this resolution shall be sent to the following persons and agencies: the Governor, leaders of the State Legislature, Director of State Tourism, and the Office of South Carolina Chamber of Commerce.
 

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