CUE Annual General Meeting

The CUE AGM was held November 23, 2007, from 5:55 to 6:55 in Rm. 309 of the National Olympics Memorial Youth Center. About 15 CUE members were in attendance, including the current CUE officers. The agenda included:

• Recapping 2007 Events
• Officer reports
• News about the "new" OnCUE Journal, 1(1)
• Plans for upcoming 2008 events

First on the AGM agenda was a recap of 2007 events, including the 2007 CUE Conference in Nagoya at Sugiyama Jogakuen, the co-sponsoring of the GALE 2-day Mini-conference at Temple University Japan and Kansai University in Osaka, and the special Donald Richie lecture at the Kokusai Center in Sannomiya, Kobe.

Next, individual officers gave their reports:

• Outgoing Membership Chair Juanita Heigham updated us on the number of CUE members — currently 330 and climbing -- although very few CUE members seemed to be active in the SIG. She sounded a call for more active participation from CUE members in upcoming 2008 SIG events. Juanita will be stepping down after four years as Membership Chair (Otsukaresama deshita!) and also introduced the new Chair, Umida Ashurova, who was unfortunately unable to attend Friday's meeting due to teaching obligations.
  
  

• Treasurer Terry Fellner reported that the financial state of CUE SIG is very stable, with expected revenues exceeding expenses thus far to the tune of 3 to 1; the cost of the new OnCUE Journal 1(1) and 2007 CUE Conference Proceedings book are estimated at 180,000 and 200,000 respectively, not including shipping. The biggest change in CUE's finances is the transfer of all funds from the now defunct postal banking service to a Shinsei Bank account, as required for all JALT Chapters and SIGs. Terry expected the transfer to take place within the next two to three weeks, before the end of the 2007 year.
  
  

• Publications Chair and OnCUE Journal Editor Dexter da Silva noted that due to the change in design and layout of the new OnCUE Journal, publication had been delayed one month. OnCUE Journal, volume 1, issue 1, will also sport a new ISSN number, which should make it easier for researchers and educators inside and outside Japan to find OnCUE articles in the future. Webmaster/SIG Coordinator Matt Apple also unveiled plans for uploading previous OnCUE issues in pdf format to a new section of the CUE web site (check the OnCUE Journal web pages in the future for pdfs of OnCUE 10.1 through 15.2).
  
  

• Publicity Chair John Gunning and Member-at-Large Steve Quasha had other commitments and were unable to attend; however, both John and Steve are Co-Editors of the upcoming 2007 CUE Conference Proceedings book and they left a report on the status of the book: 10 papers consisting of roughly 110 pages underwent a double-blinded reviewing process, and authors are currently revising their submissions. Final edits are expected by the middle of December, and layout is scheduled to begin in late January. Expected publication is the end of February . We hope the resulting book will set a new standard for excellence and quality in CUE SIG publications, and hope you look forward to it! All CUE SIG members will receive a copy for free; non-member price is yet to be determined.
  
  

• Programs Chair Tim Micklas was unable to attend due to work obligations, but left a report on the success of the CUE co-sponsored Donald Richie event in Kobe this past October. Tim writes:
  
  

  "On October 15th CUE and the Kansai Society of Writers, Editors and Translators hosted an afternoon with Donald Richie, a 50 year resident of Japan whose accolades are too numerous to mention and I'm sure he would not want to be defined by them. However, as one of Mr. Richie's most recent publications is the Japan Journals: 1947 - 2004, he agreed to talk to us about journaling. He talked for an hour to a diverse audience of over seventy people, and then answered questions for another 50 minutes. The lecture was recorded and we are doing a bit of editing so hopefully some of the high-lites will be available on the CUE website pretty soon."

  Check here on this web site for information on the Richie lecture.

Can You help CUE?

Matt Apple, SIG Coordinator (left), shares a laugh with Dexter da Silva, OnCUE Editor (middle) and Juanita Heigham, Outgoing Membership Chair (right)

Several of those in attendance at the CUE AGM volunteered (thank you!)to be new section editors and proofreaders for OnCUE Journal. CUE SIG and OnCUE Journal are run entirely by the efforts and expertise of CUE members like you!

The most pressing concerns at the CUE AGM was the need for volunteer help, specifically for Programs and Publicity. Unfortunately, we still need help in these areas in order to function properly during the upcoming academic year.

CUE needs a Co-Programs Chair to help Tim Micklas, who will also be the Co-Conference Chair this year for 2008 CUE Conference. Tim will also continue to edit the From the Chalkface section of OnCUE Journal and the Materials page of the CUE web page.

We could also use a hand with the Publicity Chair to help John Gunning, who also has officer duties in the Gifu Chapter and is a Co-Editor of the upcoming 2007 CUE Conference Proceedings.

Since JALT and the CUE SIG are now officially an NGO in Japan, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government requires that CUE SIG fill five officers positions or disband as a non-governmental organization. These positions are: SIG Coordinator, Treasurer, Programs Chair, Membership Chair, and Publications Chair. However, we believe that Co-Chairs (i.e., two CUE members working side-by-side in an equal capacity) makes operating CUE SIG much more efficient and effective, and also provides CUE SIG with a much stronger base for the future.

CUE needs energetic members to step up and help out the CUE officers to expand our roster and inject new energy and fresh ideas so that CUE SIG can continue to serve as a conduit for information and research among university educators in Japan.

If you are interested in helping out with Programs, Publicity, and Upcoming CUE events, please contact one of the current CUE officers:

Tim Micklas (assisting with Programs and events in general)

Etsuko Shimo (to help out at 2008 CUE Conference at Kinki University, Osaka)

John Gunning (for those interested in helping with Publicity)

If you are interested in becoming a reviewer or proofreader for OnCUE Journal, please contact Dexter da Silva via email.