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GET INVOLVED
There are numerous ways to get involved with the College Language Association throughout the year. See some of the volunteer, service, and involvement opportunities below that are available to members.
Get Involved with the CLA Mission
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The College Language Association continues to thrive through recruitment of new members and attendees at our annual convention. The best recruiters, however, are all of you. Bring a friend or colleague with you to the next convention. Organize a panel with students or peers in one of your classes. Hang copies of the CLA convention poster and call for papers in your department to stir interest for each year's event.
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Several of the College Language Association's initiatives flourish due to the invaluable contributions of members like you. Donations go to support the Carroll Mills Young Study Abroad Scholarship, the Margaret Walker Prizes in Creative Writing, and more. Consider making a donation today to help support this important work.
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Consider joining one of the College Language Association's Standing Committees, which are aimed at advancing the mission of the Association. For more information about these vital committees, see the Standing Committees page of the website. Accessing the online committee pages is a member-only benefit.
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Every other year, the College Language Association holds elections for positions on the Executive Committee. Consider running for one of the available positions to bring your leadership skills to the table. After all, as former president Marie H. Buncombe once wrote, "[L]et us proudly lift the torch, keep it lit, and pass it on" (50).
Get Involved in the Convention
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Volunteer to serve as a session chair at the College Language Association annual convention. Please make sure to review the Convention Chair and Presenter Guide first to familiarize yourself with the expectations for this position and then reach out to the Program Chair to indicate that you would like to serve in this capacity once the program draft has been published.
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Sign up to help run and/or organize the convention registration desk. This might include greeting new members, collating and organizing name badges, filling tote bags, dispersing CLA swag, etc. There will always be a trained member of the registration team available if you have questions or concerns.
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Given the number of sessions and events that the College Language Association offers at each annual convention, members will have to travel throughout the convention hotel to fully engage. Help guide attendees to room locations (a map of the convention site is included within each program) and consider joining us at the First-Time Attendees Welcome Session to celebrate the new members of our CLA family.
Get Involved in Mentoring
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Part of the important work that we do in the College Language Association is guiding and supporting emerging scholars at both the undergraduate, graduate, and early-career levels. While there is not a formal mentoring program currently in place, we encourage members to network throughout the year, to engage in collaborative research projects, and to tap into the wealth of knowledge our CLA members have from years of esteemed service and scholarship.
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Do you serve as an editor of a scholarly or creative publication? Are you an acquisitions editor for a university press? Let us know in advance and we can set up Chat with an Editor sessions at the annual convention so that members can have an opportunity to talk with you about their work-in-progress, the requirements for your publication or press, etc.
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The College Language Association wants to ensure that it provides members and the community at larger invaluable resources for conversations about literature, language, culture, anti-racism, and more. To that end, we are always accepting teaching resources to be added to our publicly available repository. Consider sharing your syllabi, assignments, etc.
These are just a few ways to get involved with the College Language Association. Let us know what ideas you have.
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