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Regional Chapters Committee
Report from the Regional Chapters Committee 1999
Membership
Five nominations were submitted and approved to replace members from regions who have term end dates of June 1999. These new members are: Gail Jardine, San Jose State University (California ASA); Simon Bronner, Pennsylvania State University-Harrisburg (Middle Atlantic ASA); Catherine Lavendar, The College of Staten Island/City College of New York (New York Metropolitan ASA); Jean Carwile Masteller, Whitman College (Pacific Northwest ASA); and Gena Caponi, University of Texas at San Antonio (Texas ASA). Because of a transition in officers, there is one new member serving a replacement term: Matthew Mancini, Southwest Missouri State University (Southern ASA).
Four nominations will be submitted to replace members from regions who have term end dates of June 2000. These regions are Chesapeake ASA, Mid-America ASA, New England ASA, and Rocky Mountain ASA.
In addition, the term of the current chairperson (from New England ASA) of the ASA Regional Chapters’ Committee ends June 2000.
Regional Chapter Revivals
The New York Metro ASA chapter, revived in 1996, continues its progress with sponsorship of a variety of events, including an annual conference. They now publish a quarterly newsletter, The Metro, and keep members connected through a listserv and a website.
The Middle Atlantic ASA chapter has been revived. It has approved a new constitution and officers and held its first conference, “American Studies for the New Millennium,“ on April 17, 1999, in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The chapter plans events for the coming year.
The Regional Chapters’ Committee can extend any help requested to those regions not currently active where individuals within the region begin activation efforts.
Regional Chapters’ Annual Conferences, 1999 and 2000
Regional Chapters usually hold annual conferences in the late winter and spring. Conferences in 1999 have ranged in subject matter: “Labor and Leisure in Everyday Lives”; “On the Edge”; “Both Sides Against the Middle: American Culture in Middle America”; “American Studies for the New Millennium”; “Erasures, Evasions, and Absences: Contestations for Control of the Public Record, Past and Present”; “Centennial Views: New York City History and Culture”; “Looking Back and Moving Forward: American Studies on the Cusp of the 21st Century”; “Memory and the American Century”; and “Jubilation, Celebration, Revelation, Joy, Triumph, and Epiphany in America.“
Regional Chapters begin planning for their annual or biannual conferences at their annual business meetings. Calls for papers for the year 2000 conferences have begun to appear in the ASA Newsletter. Regions will distribute conference/call for papers flyers in Montréal, Québéc.
ASA Regional Chapters’ Exhibit Booth in Seattle, Washington, 1998, and Montréal, Québéc, 1999
For the first time, the ASA Regional Chapters’ Committee sponsored an Exhibit Booth in the Book Exhibit at the Seattle, Washington ASA conference. The committee publicized the booth prior to the conference in the September ASA Newsletter, on the ASA Regional Chapters’ home page on Crossroads, and on H-AMSTDY. Various members of the regional chapters staffed the booth during the 1998 conference. The committee at the Montréal conference will also sponsor an exhibit booth.
The following announcement distributed through the above channels illustrates the goals of the exhibit booth:
“At the 1999 ASA Annual Meeting in Montréal, Québéc, the ASA Regional Chapters will sponsor a booth in the book exhibit, where you can see how these organizations add to the life of American Studies. At the booth, you will find journals (from American Studies to Border States to the Journal of the American Studies Association of Texas); information about books published from conference proceedings, chapter newsletters and brochures; and calls for papers for upcoming conferences; and information about a variety of other regional chapter activities. Throughout the annual meeting, representatives from the various chapters will be present at the booth to talk about chapter activities and ways to become involved. At a time when American Quarterly and the national ASA convention programs are overflowing with riches, the Regional Chapters offer productive environments for sharing scholarship, for talking about teaching, and for localized collegiality. Stop by and see how the grassroots grow!“
ASA Regional Chapters’ Homepage on Crossroads,“ASA Regional Chapter News” in the ASA Newsletter, and “Handbook for Regional Chapters of the American Studies Association”
With the assistance of ASA staff, chapters post conference programs and registration materials on the ASA Regional Chapters’ Homepage. In addition, chapters usually elect new officers and/or board members during the spring and summer months and post the election results with new contact information. Other information about chapter activities is also posted by different chapters. Some chapters also have links to their own homepages. Regions regularly post announcements and calls for papers on H-AMSTDY. The “ASA Regional Chapter News” section appears in each ASA Newsletter. Most chapters regularly update their activities for ASA members in this publication.
Updating and revision of the Handbook for Regional Chapters of the American Studies Association will be discussed at the Montreal Regional Chapters’ business meeting.
ASA Annual Conventions and Regional-National Coordination Efforts
For the 2000 annual ASA convention in Detroit, Michigan, the newly elected president of the Great Lakes ASA, Linda Borish, has formally invited ASA President-Elect, Michael Frisch to work with the GLASA chapter on efforts to coordinate regional/national planning. In addition, current officers and council members of New England ASA have begun preliminary conversations about coordination of planning for the 2003 ASA convention if it is held in Providence, Rhode Island, including the formation of a Providence 2003 Committee. GLASA and NEASA are hopeful that successful regional-national cooperation will occur for these conferences.
ASA Students’ Committee Liaison
The ASA Students’ Committee requested that the ASA Regional Chapters’ Committee provide the names of students from each of the regions who will act as liaisons between the individual regional chapters and the ASA Students’ Committee. The ASA Regional Chapters’ Committee agreed during the business meeting in Seattle that chapters would forward the names and email addresses of students who would act as liaisons following regional chapter annual conferences (usually held in the spring) and elections. Twelve of the thirteen regional chapters have forwarded names, affiliations, and e-mail addresses. The thirteenth region will determine their student liaison when their officers meet during the Montreal ASA conference. Through the efforts of the Chairperson of the ASA Student’s Committee and other members of the ASA Students’ Committee, a listserv of the student liaisons has been established. The chairpersons of the Students’ Committee and the Regional Chapters’ Committee will attend portions of their respective business meetings in Montréal to discuss this collaborative effort with committee members. In addition, the Mock Interview Co-Chair is contacting Regional Chapters’ Committee representatives among many others) to invite them to participate in the Mock Interview process.
ASA National Council Decisions on Affirmative Action Policies and the Regional Chapters
At its annual business meeting in Seattle, Washington, the ASA Regional Chapters’ Committee discussed the ASA National Council’s decision to continue to observe a boycott of California and to extend that boycott to Washington in light of passage of anti-affirmative action initiatives in these states. The Regional Chapters’ Committee decided to relay its concerns to the ASA National Council about prior consultation with representatives of the regions affected by National Council decisions on affirmative action boycotts. Thus, the Regional Chapters’ Committee discussed over its listserv the content of a memo to be sent to President Janice Radway and the ASA National Council. After consensus on the memo was reached, an email was sent by Jennifer Tebbe, ASA Regional Chapters’ Committee Chairperson on behalf of the committee. Its major point is expressed in the following passage:
“Members of the ASA Regional Chapters Committee strongly urge that the ASA National Council consult with the regional chapters’ appropriate representatives prior to reaching any decisions about issues, such as a boycott, that may have an impact on that region and its members quite directly. Consultation demonstrates a spirit of respect for the various regional chapters which comprise the national American Studies Association. Although we are in support that the ASA National Council protest Anti-Affirmative Action legislation, some on our Committee wondered what message was being sent and to whom, when boycotts announced by the National Council in regard to the California region in 1995 and the Pacific Northwest region in 1998, were taken without consulting those affected regions, yet effectively separated those regions from equal participation in the life of the national ASA. Regional Chapter representatives also noted that regions which included states (e.g. Michigan and Massachusetts) which were being targeted for anti-affirmative action ballot initiatives in 1999 were aware of the need to be pro-active. Regions which are being boycotted would welcome support to their groups from the national council as they continue to work for better education and social justice in their home areas.“
President Radway responded to the Regional Chapters’ Committee and invited the regional committee chair (with my acceptance) to attend the National Council’s meeting at the 1999 ASA conference in Montréal to discuss the ASA’s Affirmative Action policies and the nature of the relationship between the regional chapters and the ASA National Council.
ASA Community Development Fund Proposal
The ASA Community Development Fund Proposal (received on September 23) was distributed to members of the ASA Regional Chapters’ Listserv on September 24, 1999 with requests for feedback prior to submitting this report. It was also distributed to members of the New England ASA Council. At this date, there are examples of comments and suggestions received form NEASA Council members:
“The ASA Resource Fund looks like a great idea. I support it entirely.“ “This is a wonderful way for ASA to get into the community and actually be a participant and partner in further understanding each other and our communities!“ “The community resource proposal looks really good to me! I support it wholeheartedly. Clearly it represents exactly the sort of thing we hope to do in Providence by getting the conference participants out of the hotel and into the community.“ “This proposal would present ways for regions and the ASA to work to together to coordinate and support efforts to help scholarship have a larger impact upon the communities in which we live.“ “It would be important to consult with organizations who already do similar things mentioned in the proposal to learn from them what has worked well, with what long term effects, what sorts of feedback they tend to get, what sorts of requests they’re not able to fund and why, and any logistical expertise that they have for evaluating proposals.“ “Keep a focus on how to integrate the work into something with long term impact, e.g. the examples given that support teachers and community organizations, because those programs could hopefully, translate into concrete, long term changes in behavior, teaching materials, and organizational structure.“ “The Community Resource Fund proposal can provide American Studies scholars and teachers a new opportunity to learn from communities outside academia.“
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