Red Cedar Review - MSU's literary digest for over 40 years

Red Cedar Review Constitution

Article I. Mission Statement/Purpose Statement
Red Cedar Review aims to provide a pre-professional experience in the world of editing and publishing to the entire staff, increase literary awareness and foster a literary community on campus and in the East Lansing area, and ultimately, to produce an annual publication that contains the highest-possible quality of literature.

Article II. Positions
A. Managing Editor
1. Is responsible for:
- organizing staff and holding meetings; weekly or as needed
- making all final decisions: including but not limited to: manuscript and arts/graphics acceptance, approval of events, selection of staff members
- communicating with Faculty Advisor and English Department
- approving all announcements/releases about events (i.e. to English Advisor)
- managing involvement with ASMSU and other RSO functions
- working with MSU Press to determine and meet production deadlines
- holding interviews to select staff members for the following year
- setting the calendar for RCR events based on meetings with other officers
- checking progress of staff members to ensure that tasks are being completed in a timely and competent fashion
- making editorial decisions on accepted manuscripts during the production process
- writing an Editor’s Intro for inclusion in each issue
- overseeing the production process directly by logging hours at MSU Press
2. Job Requirements: motivation, organizational skills, a vested interest in the literary arts, comfort in a leadership position, ability to work on and meet deadlines, grammatical proficiency, effective communicator, must be able to log time on a regular attendance schedule at MSU Press (although an internship or paid position is not required, it is highly recommended)
3. The outgoing Managing Editor is required to maintain a transition binder to document procedures for successors. Records will be kept for this throughout the entire term, and completed at the end.*
4. Reserves the right to make all final decisions.

B. Assistant General Editor
1. In the event that the Managing Editor cannot perform duties, the Assistant General Editor will be responsible for the duties normally held by the Managing Editor.
2. The outgoing Assistant General Editor is required to maintain a transition binder throughout their entire term and have it completed by the end of their term.*
3. Is responsible for:
- aiding the Managing Editor in all final decisions
- acting as a liaison between the Production Manager and Managing Editor
- overseeing communication with issue contributors
- documenting the production process on cover sheets at MSU Press
- aiding the Production Manager as necessary
- proof-reading the Editor’s Intro
- approving the design of staff t-shirts and placing the order (annually)
- attendance at all events and meetings with Managing Editor
- helping to brainstorm projects to solicit submissions and subscriptions
5. Job Requirements: motivation, organizational skills, a vested interest in the literary arts, comfort in a leadership position, ability to work on and meet deadlines, grammatical proficiency, must be able to log time on a regular attendance schedule at MSU Press (although an internship or paid position is not required, it is highly recommended)

C. Business Manager
1. Is responsible for:
- managing and maintaining RCR finances and bank accounts
- submitting regular financial reports (profit/loss) to Managing Editor
- completing all monetary-related paperwork
- registering RCR with ASMSU (this must be done annually)
- reimbursing staff members for RCR-related expenses
- documenting all expenditures (i.e. filing receipts and invoices)
- handling accounts for advertisements, room rentals, etc
- participating in the planning of all events
- approving events based on funding
- soliciting and applying for grants and donations
- organizing fundraising activities
- must clear all spending with Managing Editor before proceeding
Job Requirements:
- organizational skills, experience with basic accounting, recommended background in business or related college-level courses
2. The outgoing Business Manager is required to maintain a transition binder throughout their entire term and have it completed by the end of their term.*
D. Events Coordinator
1. Is responsible for coordination of events. Events must benefit Red Cedar Review reputably, even if they are not monetarily profitable, with the exception of staff social hours. Must approve events with the Managing Editor.
2. Works with the Publicity Coordinator and the Business Manager to set up and run events. Books reservations as necessary. Submits documentation of all event planning to Business Manager for approval before any professional commitments are made.
3. Must give the Arts/Graphics Editor all the information for the preparation of fliers, and contact the Publicity Coordinator so that they can assign the right areas to flier ahead of time. Provides Website Master with schedule of events each semester (this list must be pre-approved by the General Editor).
4. The outgoing Events Coordinator is required to maintain a transition binder throughout their entire term and have it completed by the end of their term*.
5. Job Requirements: organizational skills, ability to plan for public events, professional people skills, ability to adhere to deadlines, creative thinker, works well with others.

E. Publicity Coordinator
1. Composes release announcements (such as advertisement text) for review and approval by the Managing Editor.
2. Must organize the readers into flier groups to assist with publicity.
3. Must report all monetary activities to the Business Manager if reimbursement is necessary. Must include receipts.
4. Is responsible for:
- making copies and distributing them to the readers for fliering
- working with the Arts/Graphics Editor on advertisement for creative content and image development
- coordinating events promotion with the Events Coordinator
5. Job Requirements: organizational skills, competence with promotional endeavors such as advertisement, professional people skills, ability to adhere to deadlines, creative thinker, works well with others.
6. The outgoing Publicity Coordinator is required to maintain a transition binder throughout their entire term and have it completed by the end of their term.*

F. Production Manager
1. Must have a Fall Semester internship with MSU Press.
2. Job Requirements:
- literate, grammatically proficient, ability to meet deadlines, computer proficient, responsible for entering all editorial changes on accepted manuscripts, responsible for accepted files throughout the entire production process, reports to Assistant Editor on matters of deadlines – or the Managing Editor as necessary.
3. The outgoing Production Manager is required to maintain a transition binder throughout their entire term and have it completed by the end of their term.*

G. Website Manager
1. Is responsible for:
- upkeep of the website: maintenance and redesign as necessary
- works closely with Arts/Graphics Editor for design elements of the site
-approves site design and updates with Managing Editor before posting
2. The Website Manager is required to maintain a transition binder throughout their entire term and have it completed by the end of their term.*
3. Job Requirements: familiarity and competence with web design and routine site maintenance. Able to update site to reflect event schedules, contest information, staff portraits, etc.

H. Art/Graphics Editor
1. Is responsible for:
- soliciting black and white photography for inclusion in the issue (this includes but is not limited to: contacting art programs at other colleges, working with the Publicity Coordinator to make fliers soliciting submissions, and determining where to send and/or post said fliers)
- taking staff portraits, or arranging to have them taken (fall semester)
- providing the Website Manager with staff photos to be posted on the RCR website
- reviewing all submitted artwork and ranking the top 10 pieces in order of their overall success and appropriateness for the issue
- discussing which pieces should be accepted and helping to choose a cover photo with the Managing Editor
- managing all accepted artwork through the production process: this includes making sure that they comply with MSU Press formats and standards for publication
- designing and creating fliers for all events
2. Job Requirements: ability to work under and meet deadlines, proficiency with formatting and editing photography in programs such as Adobe Photoshop.
3. The transition binder for this position must pay close attention to including contact information for further submission solicitation.*

I. Genre Editors
1. There will be three Genre Editors, one each for: Fiction, Poetry, and Nonfiction.
2. Responsibilities:
- overseeing an assigned group of readers for the review of manuscripts
- designating reader meetings and keeping the Managing Editor informed about meeting times, as well as progress with manuscript review
- Making sure that each manuscript is reviewed by 3 or more readers
- Stimulating discussion between readers about which manuscripts should be accepted and which should be rejected
- Sending rejection letters to authors of manuscripts that have been rejected. Rejection must be approved by the Genre Editor, but if 2 or more readers feel strongly that the piece should be accepted, the General Editor must be consulted.
- The top 15 manuscripts (for Poetry, this number is 20, each poem counting as one piece) will be ranked in order of preference, by the Genre Editor (taking into account the readers’ feedback).
- Genre Editors will discuss the top manuscripts for their specific genre with the Managing and Assistant Editors to aid in the acceptance/rejection process
- Attendance at all meetings and events
- Participation in projects designed to solicit submissions, promote events, and generate subscriptions
3. Job Requirements: ability to organize and stimulate discussions about literary manuscripts, vested interest in the literary arts, completion of college-level literature or creative writing courses, leadership abilities.

J. Readers
1. The number of readers on the staff will depend on the number of qualified individuals who have interviewed for the position. They will be assigned genres according to their interests, but also based on the volume of manuscripts submitted in each genre. For example, there will be the most readers for Fiction, as the pieces tend to be longer and a large volume of fiction submissions are received. It is ideal to have no less than 5 readers per genre.
2. Responsibilities:
- attendance at full-staff meetings as well as Reader Meetings, established for each genre by the corresponding Genre Editor
- reviewing manuscripts for the assigned genre, and rating as “Yes,” “Discuss,” or “No,” based on the piece’s overall success, interest, and the quality of writing
- discussing manuscripts with other readers and the Genre Editor to determine which should be rejected and which should be considered for publication
- as part of an assigned team, distributing fliers on campus and/or locally
- participation in RCR events
3. Readers are encouraged to help with projects beyond the review of manuscripts, and will be notified during the course of each semester about opportunities to help
4. Job Requirements: vested interest in the literary arts, must be literate and demonstrate an enjoyment of reading literary works, able to differentiate between successful and unsuccessful pieces, able to discuss why a piece is successful or unsuccessful.

Article III. Staff Selection Procedures
A. Interviews will be held in the last half of Spring Semester for positions that will open in the fall of that same year.
B. Interviews will be conducted taking into account position evaluations submitted by that year’s staff. For example, the Business Manager will communicate with the Managing Editor about what could be improved for the following year, and which skills are ideal for a person to meet the requirements of their position.
C. Everyone interviewed will be asked a series of questions specifically tailored to the position they are interested in having. Based on their responses, the Managing Editor and Assistant Editor will make final decisions about who will and will not be invited to participate in the following academic year. Officers will be consulted, especially in cases where they will be training an individual or working closely with them.
D. Request a tentative schedule from all interviewees that accurately reflects their availability for the coming year. Make sure to get the necessary contact information to notify them if they will invited to join the RCR staff for the next academic year or if they will be declined.

Article IV. Staff Release Procedures
A. When a Staff member does not fulfill their duties in a satisfactory and timely manner, and when their work proves to be consistently unsatisfactory, incomplete, or insufficient judged according to the standards set forth in this constitution and by specific assignments given by the Managing Editor, the staff member in question must be disciplined by the following steps. Failure to comply with the following will result in the termination from our organization.
B. Written letter/email from Managing Editor; in the case of readers this letter will be sent by the Genre Editor and the Managing Editor will be copied.
C. Meeting with Managing and Assistant Editors, or Genre Editor in the case of readers
D. Final written warning and subsequent letter from Managing Editor
E. Termination
F. Readers are required to notify their editors with one weeks notice, where as staff is required to have three weeks notice to Managing Editor. Editors are required to report resignation of Readers to the Managing Editor.
G. These steps may be skipped, and termination may be determined immediate if the circumstances justify it. The Managing and Assistant Editors must be in agreement that the circumstances justify this action, unless the Managing Editor feels strongly enough to consult the Faculty Advisor.

Article V. Events
A. Annual Events
1. Open Mic Nights – 4 to 6 per year, at least 2 a semester
2. Issue Release Party during the spring semester
3. Creative Writing Contest, once annually, on a local and/or national level
4. Presentation of Guest Speaker during spring semester
5. Participation in the English Department’s Creative Writing Awards Week
B. Suggested Events
1. Staff Holiday Party around Thanksgiving
2. Student Reading where professors have nominated participants
3. Sponsoring a book sale

All non-annual events must benefit the Red Cedar Review monetarily or reputably. Annual events are amendable.

*Staff transition binders MUST include any and all materials pertinent to the success and continuation of said position in order to properly transition successive position holders. The binder MUST also include a personalized transition letter addressed to the successive position holder. Materials should include: receipts, fliers, contact lists, operating procedures, meeting notes, photographs, etc. Materials must be arranged in an organized fashion.