Richard Butler: seeking volunteers for the SVPCA committee
October 15, 2015
Following on from his recent, and extensively discussed, offer to host SVPCA 2017, and a plan for the future, Richard Butler is now circulating his update, soliciting volunteers for the committee that virtually everyone agreed was a good idea.
Dear SVPCA/SPPC friends and colleagues,
We have identified you as a member of the SVPCA/SPPC community through having attended the meeting within the last five years. Many of you will doubtless be aware of the vibrant, lengthy, and occasionally fiery debate currently taking place about the future of the meeting on Mike Taylor and Matt Wedel’s SV-POW blog.
The least controversial proposal for change in the meeting has been my suggestion that we establish a ‘steering group’ to (i) try and solve some of the short-term and long-term logistical challenges (bank accounts, abstract submission and online registration issues etc.); (ii) provide support to meeting organisers and develop a comprehensive set of useful information; (iii) help identify and encourage future hosts to come forward; (iv) think about and discuss the future of the meeting, including discussing how best to make sure the meeting appeals to the entire community, from students to amateurs and from professors to preparators.
As there has been no opposition and plenty of support for a steering group, I propose we move forward with establishing this. No alternative to my proposal for the composition of this group has been put forward: I proposed a group of seven including past, current and future organisers (Gareth Dyke, Peter Falkingham, me as proposed host for a 2017 Birmingham meeting), and four elected members representing the student, early career academic (up to 10 years post-PhD), senior academic, and non-professional communities. This would not draw any museum/university distinction when it comes to students and academics. Although I have not heard formally from the GCG, I understand there is interest in one of their members being co-opted onto the steering group to represent SPPC. Elected steering group members could serve three-year terms, to match the terms served by meeting hosts.
At this stage we need volunteers: people willing to stand for election to this group and help secure and shape the future of the meeting! If you are a member of the SVPCA/SPPC community and are interested in serving, then please email me and Richard Forrest and let us know which of the four elected positions you wish to stand for. We would like volunteers by October 23rd. After this date, we will set-up online elections to allow the SVPCA/SPPC community to vote for each of the positions.
I look forward to hearing from you and to working together to shape the future of the meeting.
Sauropod Vertebra Picture of the Week 
October 15, 2015 at 9:52 am
Can we also nominate other people to be on the committee?
October 15, 2015 at 9:56 am
I don’t see a problem with that, as long as the individual in question agrees to stand.
October 15, 2015 at 10:02 am
Then (subject to his agreement, of course) I would like to nominate Richard Forrest as the representative of the “non-professional(*) communities”. This is in recognition of the amazing amount of work he has done over the years, and continues to do, to help keep SVPCA running, including maintaining the web-site. (Though if Richard looks at this and just thinks “Uh-oh, even more work, he is perfectly welcome to decline in the invitation!)
(*) With the understanding that “non-professional” here strictly means “not paid to do palaeo”, and is not a comment on the quality of someone’s work!
October 15, 2015 at 10:10 am
Thanks Mike – that seems entirely appropriate, and assuming Richard is happy to stand I will add him to the slate.