Convention Policies and RestrictionsAll two- and three-person panels will be scheduled for 75-minute sessions. If you are slated to present on a two-person panel, each panelist will have 20 minutes to present his/her research. At a steady and measured speaking pace, a panelist will be able to read roughly 9–10 double-spaced pages of content. If, on the other hand, you are scheduled to a three-person panel, each panelist will have only 15 minutes, which roughly equates to 7–8 double-spaced pages. To ensure that all paper sessions have the same amount of time for the Q&A period, four-person panels will be scheduled for 90-minute sessions. As such, each panelist will have 15 minutes to present his/her research. At a steady and measured speaking pace, a panelist will be able to read roughly 9–10 double-spaced pages of content. Because rental agreements for Audio/Visual equipment must be signed months in advance and late requests incur hefty fees, all proposals for a Permanent Section, Pre-Organized Panel, Workshop, and Individual Paper must include information regarding the presenters' audio/visual needs. Late requests cannot be accommodated and are, therefore, not accepted. Session rooms will generally come equipped with a screen, digital projector, and HDMI cable for hook-up. Presenters who wish to display slides or images or play a short video during their presentation are asked to bring their own laptop computer with an HDMI output (or an adapter/dongle, if you are a Mac user). Laptops, adapters, and the necessary software are not provided by the MMLA or convention venue, so please come to the convention prepared.
A full panel includes three or four presenters, which ensures that each presenter has enough time to present his/her research and participate in a fruitful discussion. If the organizer of a Permanent Section or Pre-Organized Panel receives more than four individual proposals of sufficient quality, he/she may submit two separate panel proposals. The MMLA will make every effort to ensure those panels are scheduled in back-to-back time slots.
There are no restrictions regarding how many presenters on a single panel may come from the same educational institution.
The Chair of a Permanent Section or Pre-Organized Panel may also present a paper on the same panel. While an individual may only present on two panels in total, an individual may chair more than two panels should he/she choose to do so.
Participation in the MMLA Convention is limited to two presentations, which applies to all organizers, chairs, presenters, and respondents and includes both panels and workshops. No individual, however, may present the same paper twice.
Authors are not allowed to have other individuals present their papers at the convention in their absence. All presentations must occur in person.
A Permanent Section's Organizer-Chair may fulfill the same role on the respective section for the following year or choose to pass the chairmanship to another individual with the MMLA's approval.
Every November, the MMLA compiles a list of no-shows at the convention, which is then sent to the Program Committee, who is charge with reviewing proposals for the following convention. Barring extenuating circumstances, unannounced no-shows will not be allowed to participate in the next two MMLA conventions.
The MMLA is committed to ensuring a safe, welcoming, non-discriminatory environment for everyone, which depends upon all participants conducting themselves in a professional manner. This means, in positive terms, that convention participants should treat each other with respect and consideration. In particular, ensuring an environment that is actively antiracist means not only acknowledging the individual dignity of persons whose race differs from one’s own but also, and more importantly, recognizing that in doing so one is contributing toward advancing an urgent and unfinished project to remediate the race-based inequalities that have shaped our existing institutions. It also means, in negative terms, that people should avoid any inappropriate statements or actions to do with race, gender, sexual identity, or creed, as well as with group or individual differences in general. Disruptive or harassing behavior of any kind will not be tolerated. Harassment includes intimidating behavior and language, inappropriate sexual references, unwanted touching or attention, other forms of dehumanizing speech or action, and/or threats of physical harm. Creating a supportive environment that enables free, critical discourse is the responsibility of all participants. Violations to this code of conduct should be reported to MMLA organizers and staff. Sanctions may range from a verbal warning to ejection from the meeting without refund, to notifying appropriate authorities. Please Note: All convention participants must comply with CDC, state, and local guidelines regarding health and safety at all convention events. |