Resolutions Committee
Jobs Manual

RESOLUTIONS COMMITTEE

A) Committee Description & Membership

                  The role of the PES Resolutions Committee is to propose humorous “resolutions,” which poke fun at the society while also acknowledging members’ service. These resolutions are written at the annual conference and read aloud at the business meeting. One short resolution is generally composed for each PES officer, as well as some for the society’s committees.  The resolutions may take the form, “Whereas….be it resolved that...”

Members of this Committee should be longstanding members who are knowledgeable about the society and its membership. The President will approach potential committee members before or during the conference, leaving them enough time to write resolutions before the business meeting.

The humor of the Resolutions Committee should be generous and at most slightly barbed.   The resolutions are meant to lighten the mood at the business meeting and cultivate community.  There should not be an undue quantity of “inside jokes” that leave newer members, or members without leadership roles, feeling marginalized.  Good resolutions frequently play on current events, funny or unexpected episodes at the conference, and the state of the field of philosophy of education.

Targets for good-humored jokes

• Officers in the society
• Longtime members
• Our field
• The hotel/venue
• Our membership

The Resolutions Committee members should use their discretion to target people who are well known, and never target vulnerable members.

Checklist of key offices and bodies to thank (not necessarily in joke form)

• President (Outgoing)
• President (Incoming)
• Executive Director
• Program Committee
• Program Chair
• Executive Director
• Communications Director
• Philosophy of Education Editor
• Groundworks Editor
• Committee on Professional Affairs
• Committee on the Status of Women
• Membership Committee
• Committee on Race and Ethnicity
• Conference Planning/Hospitality Committee
• Elections Committee
• Any sponsors of the meeting
• Venue staff