GA Pre-Professional - Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora - Editorial Assistant - Fall 2024/Spring 2025

Title: GA Pre-Professional - Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora - Editorial Assistant - Fall 2024/Spring 2025
Division Name: Academic Affairs
Department: English
Campus Location: Normal, IL

Obsidian: Literature & Arts in the African Diaspora Graduate Pre-Professional Assistantship (GPA)
PT Editorial Assistant (10 hours) Fall, Spring, Summer | Reports to Editor in Chief (EIC)

The following list generally defines the scope of work of the Obsidian GPA/Editorial Assistant, the primary paid support staff assisting the Editor in Chief (EIC) and Managing Editor (ME) with the publishing platform’s administrative and management tasks
• assist EIC with customary day-to-day journal and publishing platform administration (such as scheduling meetings, attending and recording meeting minutes, keeping schedule for tasks and responsibilities, general research as needed, tracking software and miscellaneous renewals, managing Obsidian email)
•assists EIC with fundraising (including grant proposal writing, report writing, funding campaign development and management, attending Getting Word fundraising campaign meetings, and development and management of other funding opportunities like awards or contests)
•assists ME with promotions/publicity/marketing (acts as a public face of the publishing platform; coordinates online and social media presence, campaigns, and communications, e.g., newsletters; participates in conference appearances; helps find venues for advertisement and exchange ads; submits works for prizes and awards, e.g., Pushcart, IACA, CELJ, etc.)
•assists ME with day-to-day communication with authors, editors, board members, and Publications Unit staff
•assists ME with management of accepted submissions in Submittable and contributor communications
•assists ME with review and approval of all pre-publication proofs from authors and production
•assists ME with the coordination of production of the print journal with Publications Unit

The Obsidian Editorial Assistant works with a range of frameworks, software, and other platforms, including:
Submittable
FileMaker
Chicago Manual of Style (CMS)
MLA citation format
CLMP (Council of Literary Magazines and Presses) best practices and guidelines
COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) best practices and guidelines
CAYUSE 424 & SP (ISU)/Grants.gov
NYFA Source
Microsoft Office
Adobe Creative Cloud
TouchNet Information Systems/UStore
Wordpress
SoundCloud
Vimeo

$1944/mo

1. Eligible for appointment as per the requirements in the Graduate Assistant Handbook which can be found at http://hr.illinoisstate.edu/downloads/GA_Handbook.pdf
2. Must be a degree seeking graduate student at Illinois State University in English, Marketing or Communication.

-B.A. or B.S. in English or related field (M.A. or M.S. preferred);
-Strong time management and organizational skills;
-Strong verbal communication and writing skills;
-Self-starter, track record for self-direction with assigned tasks;
-Creativity;
-Promptness on tasks and track record for responding to emails and other communications quickly;
-Ability to learn software quickly and problem solve software, database, and information management obstacles;
-Familiarity with database and/or website management and design.

TBD

8/16/24

Resume
Cover Letter
Reference List

Please Note: These documents are required to be submitted online in order to complete the application process. Please have these documents ready prior to clicking on "Apply"

Note: If you have not yet been assigned a University ID, but are interested in applying for this graduate assistantship, please proceed with the graduate assistant application process. For the first question regarding your University ID, simply enter in nine (9) zeros (e.g., 000000000).

You must be eligible for employment in the United States and at Illinois State University and/or for the number of hours required for the position.

Illinois State University student employees are restricted to no more than 28 hours per week of on-campus employment for all positions held. International students are restricted by their visa status to no more than 20 hours per week of on-campus employment when the university is in session but may work up to 28 hours per week when the university is not in session. Please contact the Office of International Student and Scholar Services for guidance on visa restrictions on work hours. The University cannot grant exceptions to visa status rules/laws.

Libby Harness, [email protected]

This position is subject to a criminal background investigation and if applicable, an employment history review, based on University Policy 3.1.30 and any offer of employment is contingent upon you passing a satisfactory criminal background investigation and/or an employment history review. You may not begin work until the criminal background investigation results have been received and cleared by Human Resources.

Illinois State University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

If you are an individual with a disability and need a reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) or other state or federal law you may request an accommodation by contacting the Office of Equal Opportunity and Access at (309) 438-3383 . The Office of Equal Opportunity and Access will hold any confidential information you provide in confidence.

If you are having difficulty accessing the system, please call Human Resources at (309) 438-8311 .