FAQ

The guidelines below are adapted from the MLA policy statement, “Appropriate Conduct at the MLA Convention.”

The Louisville Conference is committed to providing an inclusive and harassment-free environment for everyone, regardless of gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, physical appearance, ethnicity, religion, or other group identity.

Attendees should be aware of the MLA’s policies on discrimination and harassment and on professional ethics, which the Conference follows.

Behaviors that are unacceptable at the Louisville Conference include

• Harassment or intimidation based on gender, race, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, disability, physical appearance, ethnicity, religion, or other group identity

• Sexual harassment or intimidation, including unwelcome sexual attention, stalking (physical or virtual), or unsolicited physical contact

• Shouting down or threatening speakers

Speakers are asked to frame discussions as openly and inclusively as possible and to be aware of how language or images may be perceived by others. Attendees may exercise their option to leave a session or a conversation.

All attendees are expected to follow these guidelines in all conference venues and at conference social events. Attendees asked to stop a hostile or harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

Adapted from the guidelines of the American Library Association and the Modern Language Association.

All conference sites and buses are in compliance with university and ADA accessibility guidelines. Support services for visually impaired and hearing-impaired participants are available on request via the registration process.

Chairing an In-Person Panel at the Louisville Conference (February 24, 25 and 26 2022)

Thank you for agreeing to chair a panel at the Louisville Conference.

If you’re a veteran and comfortable with what you’ll be doing, we still ask you to review this information, and pay particular attention to the issues concerning:

• COVID protocol
• IT assistance
• Reporting incidents and/or problems.

Most importantly, please remember that campus police can be reached at 502 852 6111.

1. Covid Protocol

   Effective August 9 2021, all members of the University of Louisville community are required while on campus to mask in public, indoor spaces, regardless of vaccination status. Public, indoor spaces are defined as any space inside a campus building that is not considered a private room or private office. Indoor classrooms, teaching labs, common areas, libraries, hallways, elevators and restrooms are all considered public spaces that are subject to the mask requirement.

   1. If individuals in your session are not wearing their masks properly, you, as chair, should remind them to comply.
   2. If an individual does not have a mask—or has a substandard mask such as a bandanna–please ask them to report to the registration area in Bingham Humanities 300 and request a mask.  Conference officials will keep a supply of masks on hand to meet this need.
   3. If space is available, as Chair please take a moment before convening the session to order attendees to sit in an arrangement that fosters the most space between individuals.
   4. If an individual fails to comply with the masking mandate, first ask the individual to leave the session and the building.  If the individual will not comply, suspend the session.  Exit the room and report the matter to conference officials in the main registration area located in Bingham Humanities 300.
2. Conventional IT (“Tech”) Assistance

   Encourage your panelists to make sure their technology is working before the panel starts.    You will find controls in the room to lower the screen and power up the projector. These are usually located on the wall or on the top of the lectern.    You will find a computer station in the classroom’s lectern.  If it is not powered on, you will need to press the power button on the computer until it illuminates.    Contact registration in Bingham Humanities 300 with any problems.

3. Convening and Running the Session

   Please arrive at your session early to meet your panelists. Due to staff cutbacks, we’ve been unable to provide everyone with detailed panel contact information in advance as we would have liked. Just ask your speakers for a few biographical notes that you can use to introduce them.  At minimum read off the information provided in the program.We are casual here at the LCLC and it is not out of order to invite the speakers to contribute as you work your way down the list, supplying a few pertinent facts.

   It generally works better (it makes for fewer interruptions) to introduce everyone all at once at the beginning (as noted above).

   Absent a compelling reason to do otherwise, please stick to the order of speakers as listed in the program. People do panel-hop…

   As a rule of thumb, allow 20 minutes per paper for a 3-person panel, 15-17 minutes for a 4-person panel, and 15 minutes for a 5-person creative session.    Let your speakers know in advance that you’ll be signaling them somehow and asking them to conclude when their time is up—or you can agree on some kind of “2-minute warning” signal. A sheet of paper with 5 minutes to go on one side and 2 minutes–time to wrap up on the other is fine for the purpose.

   After the papers are concluded, open the floor to discussion but have one or two questions of your own prepared to kick off discussion in case you don’t get responses from the floor.

   The rules of thumb here are those that you would apply in a classroom setting: elicit comments from as diverse a range of respondents as possible, avoid having any one person or question thread dominate conversation.

   Keep an eye on the clock and make sure to announce that “we have time for one last question” and then formally conclude the session on time.  Thank your panelists and the audience.  If you are familiar with the campus, feel free to offer to answer questions. If you don’t know the answer, encourage the party to report to Bingham Humanities 300 for an answer.  If your session is prior to a keynote, encourage your audience and panelists to attend the keynote.

4. Reporting Problems

   We have provided an INCIDENT REPORT FORM for the reporting of any problems or issues.  Issues, of course, can range from tech failure to medical emergencies to the need for police intervention.  If the need is immediate call campus police at 502 852 6111.  If the issue is of the sort that can be best addressed through proper administrative channels, then we urge you to fill out the form (which can be submitted anonymously if desired).  As chair, you should feel free to encourage any conference participant to file such a form or to bring the matter to the attention of conference organizers by reporting the incident to representatives present in 300 Bingham.

Conference buses will run throughout the day between the University of Louisville and the Brown Hotel. At the Brown Hotel, buses pick up and drop off at the Broadway entrance. On the university campus, buses pick up and drop off at the North Information Center. All attendees, regardless of where you are lodging, are welcome to use the shuttles to the University of Louisville and back to the Brown Hotel. There might be a morning rush for those intending to arrive around 8:45-9 am on Friday.

There is also a free bus service as part of the Louisville TARC public transit system. The route 01 Lou Lift runs along 4th street, right outside the Brown Hotel, and stops off at the University of Louisville campus. For further information, see the schedule online at the TARC website or inquire at the Brown Hotel Reception.

If you miss the bus, or if you prefer a time not listed, here are some links to some services that you might take instead:

• Lyft: https://www.lyft.com/
• Über: https://www.uber.com/cities/louisville/​
• Green Cab of Louisville—Eco-Friendly Cab Service: (502) 635-6400
• Yellow Cab Louisville: (502) 636-5511Parking

If you wish, you can purchase a conference parking pass for use in the Speed Art Museum’s Parking Garage, which is located at 2317 S 2nd Street, Louisville, KY 40208. This garage is located on UofL’s campus and it is only a short walk to the Bingham Humanities Building from there. On Saturday, you are free to park in any blue or green University lot. A pass/permit is not required. Click here for a color-coded campus parking map.