I have recently received an e-mail asking for my vote in the upcoming election of the BasketWeaving Science Academy. The e-mail is likely done via a mail merge, but it is done very well.
I find this to be a combination of off-putting, unseemly, and just plain weird. Why would I vote for anyone that wanted that badly to be vice-president of member relations?
So, what are the customs or expectations of academic society elections in your field? Is campaigning okay or just creepy?
Who the hell would want to hold one of those offices badly enough to campaign for it? I'd vote for the opponent just on principle.
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ReplyDeleteI don't know about creepy, but weird. I always assumed the majority of such positions were, as people list them on their c.v.s, service to the profession -- something done, with due awareness that there are more costs than benefits, for the good of the whole. The exception, I guess, is the presidency of some major associations (in my field, the MLA or the ASA (American Studies Association) come to mind). I assume people campaign in a way for those, but very, very discreetly.
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