Graduate Student Caucus

With the generous support of NeMLA, the Graduate Student Caucus is able to provide the below privileges for graduate students. Please visit our website for further information about events and opportunities.

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Graduate Student Travel Awards

The Graduate Student Caucus provides a number of travel awards to graduate students. The awards are open to any graduate student (including international students) who has been accepted to present or chair a session at the Annual Convention.

Evaluation is based on the quality of the student’s abstract, the quality of the accompanying statement, and the relevance of their topic in their respective fields. The argument should be well-articulated and understandable to someone outside the field.

GSC Travel Awardees may only receive one travel award, and may not be the recipient of any other travel award for the same conference.

Applicants must submit, in the body of an email to gsc@nemla.org, the following:

  • the accepted abstract and its title (if the accepted abstract is in a non-English language, submit BOTH the original abstract and an English translation)
  • a statement of no more than 250 words describing the presentation's relevance, contribution, or intervention to the research field to their field

Applications not following the guidelines will not be considered. Decisions by the Travel Awards Committee are final.

Please send abstracts and statements to gsc@nemla.org between October 31 and November 30. Applicants can expect to hear about the decisions from the GSC Travel Award Committee during the first week of January 2023. Awards range from $110 to $400 depending on the number and strength of applications.

Checks will only be available in paper format and released directly to Travel Awardees at the NeMLA conference. Travel Awardees are responsible for confirming that their bank will accept a paper check from NeMLA (i.e., awards cannot be sent as a wire transfer, bank fees are the responsibility of the award recipient).

Travel Awardees must pick up their award checks at the NeMLA convention for the year they receive it at the GSC Business Meeting (typically held on Thursday evening). If Travel Awardees cannot be in attendance at the Business Meeting, GSC officers will share the window of time when awards may be claimed at the GSC table in the Exhibit Hall during the conference. Please note that the GSC is unable to mail out unclaimed travel awards to their recipients.

Room and Ride Share

The GSC and CAITY Caucus collaborate each year on cost-sharing resources like the annual Room and Ride Share Forum. Through the forum, NeMLA participants can seek other attendees to split the cost of travel or housing with.

Graduate Student Caucus Essay Award

NeMLA awards an annual prize to the best graduate student paper presented at any of the previous three convention’s sessions. The Essay Award is open to any participant who was a graduate student when they presented.

Email submissions as two separate Microsoft Word document files to gsc@nemla.org by January 15 with:

  • a cover sheet with the title, author's name, address and academic affiliation
  • the essay and "NeMLA GSC Essay Submission" in the subject line

Criteria for Essay Awards

  • Essays should be between 6,000 and 9,000 words (there is a 10,000-word limit, notes and works cited included). 
  • Submissions should be unpublished manuscripts revised and expanded from original papers presented at previous NeMLA convention(s).
  • Submissions should be written in or translated into English.
  • Current NeMLA membership is required to be considered eligible.
  • Each Caucus Essay Award winner will be awarded a $100 prize that will be handed out at the membership brunch, and their essays will automatically be considered for publication by Modern Language Studies. All essays are subject to MLS's double-blind review.

ABD Brew-Ha-Ha (Meet-and-Greet/Welcome Reception)

Join NeMLA's graduate students for a night of socializing and networking while enjoying drinks and light snacks!

Graduate Student Caucus Business Meeting

The Graduate Student Caucus invites you to discuss how NeMLA can better serve its graduate student members. At our business meeting, we will discuss sessions the GSC might propose, graduate student experience at the Convention, what we can do during the rest of the year to advocate and keep you informed, and opportunities for you to get involved.

Officer Descriptions

President

The President oversees the caucus and is elected for a three-year term and is expected to be affiliated with a North American institution, ideally from the northeast region. The President serves on the NeMLA board, and as such is the liaison between the graduate student constituency and NeMLA. The President attends both fall and spring board meetings (the fall board meeting is a virtual meeting using conferencing software) and is expected to be physically present at the yearly convention. Other responsibilities include chairing the Travel Award and Essay Award committee, organizing the Meet and Greet, chairing the business meeting at the NeMLA convention, and assisting other committee members in GSC operations. The President may also propose and chair a GSC session at the yearly convention. 

Vice President

This is a two-year position. The Vice President assists the President with caucus affairs. The Vice President is responsible for administrating the Travel Awards and Essay Award, holding GSC elections, attending the yearly convention, and conducting the GSC post-convention survey. The Vice President will also propose and chair a GSC session at the yearly convention. The Vice President may be asked to assist in other GSC-relevant duties as the need arises.

Secretary

This is a two-year position. The Secretary assists the President and Vice President with caucus affairs, specifically in Travel Award and Essay Award evaluations, proposing and chairing a GSC session, and attending the yearly convention to facilitate any GSC-related events. The Secretary may be asked to assist in other relevant duties involving both internal and external communications.

Current Officers

President 

Christian Ylagan
cylagan2@uwo.ca
Comparative Literature, Western University

Vice President

Currently unfilled.

Secretary

Currently unfilled.

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