Big Event, Executive Board Elections, and T-Shirts!

Lots of Ars Rhetorica news to report!

For our service project this year, we're once again volunteering to help with KU's Big Event. We've done this the last several years, and it involves performing various tasks (light yard work and the like) for Lawrence residents. KU requires all campus organizations to complete a service event each year, and this is a fun way to fulfill that requirement without a significant time commitment (and I believe you get a t-shirt).

The Big Event will be held on Saturday, April 18 from 10-2. If you are able to join us, please email Charlene Summers (cksummers@ku.edu) at your earliest convenience. We can't register our group until we have enough volunteers. You can also contact Charlene with any questions.

In other news, it's time to elect a new executive board for KUAR's 2015-2016 academic year! We're currently asking for nominations for Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer, and Events Coordinator. Serving on the exec board is a great way to get a service line on your CV, and it's easy to fit into your busy grad student schedules. If you would like to nominate yourself or someone else for any of these positions, please let Amanda Sladek (asladek@ku.edu) know by Monday, April 13. We will then give the nominated people a chance to accept or decline their nominations before sending out the ballot. Email Amanda if you would like a description of any or all of the offices.

Finally, thank you to everyone who submitted an idea for our KUAR t-shirt design contest. Be on the lookout for an announcement soon regarding our final selection and how to order one of your very own!

ENGL v. COMS Kickball October 4!



General Meeting Minutes from Sept 4

ARS Rhetorica General Meeting
9/4/2014

Members in attendance:
Chelsea Graham (Chair)
Lindsay Harroff (Co-Chair)
Amanda Sladek (Secretary)
Angela Murphy (Treasurer)
Charlene Summers (Social Events Chair)
Emily Bosch
Vince Meserko
Michael Eisenstadt
Julie Perino
Daniel Overton
Liz Miller

1. Introductions

2. Summary of last year:  fall--Childers/Farmer research talk and RSA abstract workshop; spring--Rosa Eberly and Big Event

3. Ideas for scholarly events this year: 

• Non-academic job search workshop 
• RSI application workshop (applications are due Oct 1, so it should happen before then; perhaps the graduate write-in on Sept 20 would be a good day/venue) 
• Some sort of discussion of disciplinary differences between COMS and English--maybe workshopping one article from each discipline
• Scholars to bring in? Vanessa Beasley is an option. Look for official email asking for suggestions in the coming week.
• We need to know how much fundraising we'd have to do.
• General consensus that Thursday afternoons should work for events/meetings for most members

4. Service event:  Service event is mandatory for campus organizations. Big Event in spring is always easy to coordinate. Thoughts about doing service event that ties into civic dialogue about something like campus sexual violence. Practice what we preach--rhetoric matters!

5. Goals for this year:  more fundraising and increased campus presence (in terms of both membership and visibility)

6. Angela is Grad Affairs Director and wants to recruit more graduate senators. Contact her if interested or if you have an issue you would like her to address. Vince is GSO President for Comm Studies, so bring any issues to him as well.

7. Fundraising ideas:

• Silent auction where members auction off homemade goods (baked and knitted things, etc.) and services (babysitting, airport rides, etc.). Possibly tied to an end-of-year social with faculty.
• Sell KUAR tshirts
• English v. COMS kickball game
• Senate funding (Angela says each campus group gets $100 automatically)
• Basically, anything but cleaning up Allen Fieldhouse. Contact exec board with any suggestions. 

8. Social event ideas:

• Bowling (maybe costume bowling around Halloween)
• Halloween party
• End-of-year party
• Playing a sport (possibly tied to fundraiser) or going to a sporting event (Sporting KC, basketball, etc.)

9. Please bring any comments or suggestions to the executive board. Chelsea adjourns meeting.

The Big Event and Other KU Ars Rhetorica Events

KU Ars Rhetorica is volunteering at the Big Event on April 12. The starting time is 10 am, and I'll send out more information about where and when to meet after I attend the Volunteer Info session tonight.

Participation isn't too grueling. We will probably do a couple of hours of yard work on a sunny and warm Saturday, so come on out and help us give back to the Lawrence community!

In other news, our annual Scholarly visit is coming up. Dr. Rosa A. Eberly will be giving a talk entitled,

"My Rhetorical Yoknapatawpha" from 4-5:15 in the Malott Room of the Kansas Union on Monday, April 28. 

We will also be having a few meals with Dr. Eberly and faculty members from the Communications and English Department, so keep an eye out for more updates!

General Meeting Minutes from March 25

ARS Rhetorica General Meeting

March 25, 2014

Members in Attendance:

Jen

Tyler

Vince

Chelsea

Angela

Lindsay

Evan

1. The Big Event- April 12^th 10am-2pm.

·         Community service around Lawrence

·         Job sites are communities and businesses

·         Dress comfortably

2. Rosa Eberly April 27-29

·         Speaking on Monday afternoon, April 28^th 4-515.

·         Need to find things for her to do.

·         We have funding for meals with her

o   Need people to let us know if they would like to have a meal with Dr. Eberly.

·         She will also need airport rides. Arrives at 5 pm on Sunday and leaves at 6pm on Tuesday.

o   Jen can do Sunday

o   Lindsay can do Tuesday

3.  Social event in early May

·         Cookout

·         Picnic/Field games

·         Clinton Lake

·         Suggestions welcome!

4. RSA Chapter Grant

·         May 1 deadline

·         Chelsea will work on the application materials.

Announcing the KU ARS RHETORICA Fall Social!