MINUTES OF MEETING OF 4S COUNCIL
21st/22nd Sep 2022
Agenda September 21st 2022 @ 10:00-12:00PM UTC
Emma Kowal called the meeting to order at 10:00 PM UTC. ITEM 1 Greetings In attendance: Emma Kowal, Bryn Seabrook, Amanda Windle, Chihyung Jeon, Tim Neale, Canay Özden-Schilling, Misria Shaik Ali, Pablo Kreimer, Aneesh Aneesh, Vivian Choi, Angela Okune, Maka Suarez.
Luciano Levin attended for item 8, and Courtney Addison for item 12, and Chris Kelty for item 13 only.
ApologiesVivette García-Deister and Lucy van de Wiel arrived later on in the meeting, and Barkha Kagliwal and Duygu Kaşdoğan sent their apologies in advance. Natasha Vally did not attend.
ITEM 2 Review actions tableActions were reviewed from the actions table. Outstanding and ongoing actions remain on the actions table. Thanks to Amanda Windle and Shiv Issar for work on the website rebuild and on the data conversion progress.
ITEM 3 Approval of June MinutesEmma Kowal went through each page of the minutes and there were subsequent comments or revisions to note.
VOTE: The motion to approve the June minutes was moved by Maka Suarez and seconded by Vivette García-Deister, and approved by (12) votes, with zero (0) against, and (0) abstention. The motion was carried. Action: Add June minutes to the website. ITEM 4 Incorporation UpdateAn update had just been published in the Technoscience newsletter on incorporation progress, and there are two information meetings planned for this week.
ITEM 5 Executive CommitteeWindle presented on the work done by the executive committee who met on September 5, to review progress on the conference, infrastructures, prizes, publications, Memorandum of Understanding, and the recent council budget. Aneesh Aneesh presented the financial proposal document for 4S. We may be able to improve our reserves this year based on our digital infrastructure, but with inflation our investment will be losing money. The proposal is to invest around 100k USD, and in 1-5 year horizon it will rise by more than 10 percent on an annual basis, then the amount can be invested into scholarships and travel funds. Angela Okune thought investments are likely to go down initially, but then subsequently go up. Kowal also thought this was a low-risk and low-fee initiative. Okune, was curious at what time the council would review the performance of investment, and when would additional amounts be invested i.e., how/when would the portfolio be adjusted over time? Kowal would suggest that the finance updates would include basic reviews against a planned risk threshold. García-Deister suggested investing an amount and leaving it for a couple of years, and review it after that. Canay Özden-Schilling asked about the supervision of the investment, and who will oversee it? Windle said, that the finance committee is there to review, with Aneesh adding that we don’t really need to review it, but the managing director is the link between different presidents and updating on the investment. Aneesh noted that the portfolio will have a sector rating, but what matters is the share of each part of the ETF. We should not be selling at a loss, the aim is to generate revenue, of which can be re-invested into activities of further investment. Suarez asked who will be doing this investment for the society, will we ask Chase, or do we choose those who we are investing in, ethically? Misria Shaik Ali discussed whether certain monies would be used for a specific reason. Aneesh, noted that it’s an important concern, but there is no tech company that is ethical if they are for-profit, they will all cut corners.
Action: Aneesh and Özden-Schilling to write the principles for the investment portfolio. Action: Lucy Van de Wiel to research the process by on investment.VOTE: The motion to approve the investment of 100k in a fund to be determined (by the executive committee on the principles of ethical investment) was moved by Maka Suarez and seconded by Vivette García-Deister and approved by (12) votes, with zero (0) against, and (1) abstention. The motion was carried. ITEM 8 Cholula Conference Update *Luciano Levin joined for this item only.Luciano Levin gave an update to council on the changes to the preliminary programme which will take place until September 26, with the following month for changes. The programme will be launched at the end of October. When asked about the last day for changes, Levin reported that there are some minor problems, not major ones, in relation to changes to the program, and people are asking for changing from one session for another, like changes to the names and titles, and presently the organising team, is up to date with those changes. The organising team will talk with Windle and Kowal about a joint ceremony of prizes (4S/ESOCITE).
Windle reported the numbers on registration—1,284 in-person and 262 online, with 446 signed-up for the banquet (including 18 guest tickets). Only 28 registrations were presently unprocessed thanks to Issar.
Action: Amanda to reach out to the publishers that García-Deister noted.Action: Levin to add Pablo Kreimer as Chair for the Fleck on the programme.Action: García-Deister and Windle to liaise about transport from Mexico City. ITEM 9 Harassment Policy Follow-upVivian Choi gave an update on the committee’s progress and the forthcoming code of conduct training for the committee members. Suarez is translating the policy, and the trigger warnings are being researched presently between Vivian Choi and Barkha Kagliwal.
Action: Suarez to translate the ethics policy for Cholula’22. ITEM 12 ST&HV *Courtney Addison attended for this item only.Courtney Addison presented
ST&HV’s annual report. There have been a couple of changes with publishing the last issue which would raise the submission numbers (from 230 submissions this year). There have been some changes of processes from a two-person team to a five-person team with a reviewing collective processes and the setting up of workflows. EB has been refreshed, and the special issue process has been updated for coherence (i.e., yearly intake), and to more extensively use the scholar-one infrastructure. Kowal noted that the impact factors are doing really well, and it’s been a smooth transition between editorships. Kowal gave an update on the Sage contract negotiations, announcing an agreement for a 10 percent increase of income, and a stipend increase from 8k to 28k. Altogether this totals 100k (USD) from Sage for the journal. The stipend money will be split between the four editors. Kelty, thanked the editorship for all their hard work, and also to Emma Kowal for the work on the contract negotiations.
ITEM 13 ESTS Lyrasis—OACIP proposal *Chris Kelty attended for this item only.Kowal presented the proposal that 4S Council endorses the Memorandum of Understanding for Lyrasis–OACIP. Kelty, Okune and Windle each presented a little context about the intermediary organisation, and discussions with consultants and the publications committee. Kelty felt that the MOU is a necessary document—helping to guide any questions about what either party requires. Kelty said there’s no foreseen red flags, but it’s not a sure thing, and a process to revisit and report on this initiative would happen annually. Kelty said there’s no exclusivity in this, so
ESTS could pursue other strategies at the same time. The journal is not being given away to a publisher.
VOTE: The motion to endorse the MOU with Lyrasis and OACIP was moved by Aneesh Aneesh and seconded by Tim Neale and approved by (12) votes, with zero (0) against, and (1) abstention Okune. The motion was carried. ITEM 6 Hawaii Conference UpdateKowal discussed progress with co-chairing commitments for the 2023 conference, which had not yet resulted in success.
ITEM 7 Travel Grants and NSF Application UpdateKowal thanked Choi and Windle for the revisions of the NSF application, which built on the first application from Aneesh. Thanks also to Noela Invernizzi for the travel grants report and the amazing work that Invernizzi continues to do on the committee. Those who were not successful were able to receive a fee waiver for registration for either virtual or in-person attendance.
ITEM 10 Digital Infrastructures The item was taken earlier within the executive update.
ITEM 11 ElectionsBryn Seabrook noted that this had been a smooth process, and 262 people had voted at this time.
Kowal discussed that 4S Council affirms that only one presidential nominee is required for election.
ENDORSEMENT: 4S Council affirms that only one presidential nominee is required for election. VOTE: The motion to approve was moved by Emma Kowal and seconded by Lucy Van de Wiel, and approved by (12) votes, with zero (0) against, and (0) abstention. The motion was carried. ITEM Any Other BusinessThere was no other business to discuss, and the meeting was brought to a close on time, by Emma Kowal.
