Dear Members and Friends of the GSA:
The members of the Executive Board met on Tuesday, August 10, 2021 and voted to move forward with both the in-person and virtual formats for our 45th Annual Conference in Indianapolis, IN (September 30 - October 3, 2021).
The Board considered its fiduciary responsibility for the Association as a whole. Cancellation of hotel contracts incurs six-figure debts and would have reduced our endowment by so substantial an amount that the Board felt it could not take an option that would not allow us to do our work moving forward.
The Board also considered its responsibility to its members, many of whom are unable to travel to Indianapolis due to travel bans, loss of travel funds, and concerns about public health. With this in mind, any seminars, panels, or roundtables currently scheduled as in-person may switch to virtual before 5:00PM EDT on Monday August 16, 2021, using the conference edit form. After that, no more changes in modality will be allowed. There is no penalty for withdrawing from the conference; you need only inform the GSA Operations Director, Dr. Benita Blessing (operations@thegsa.org).
For most sessions already on the preliminary schedule there should be no changes. Please note, however, that some virtual sessions may need to be rescheduled. We will add a new time slot on Sunday, October 3 for virtual sessions, beginning at 1:00PM EDT. We may also need to add some time slots for virtual sessions on Thursday, September 30.
We appreciate how uncertain the times are yet again this year. We have heard from members who do wish to come to Indianapolis, and we want them to have the best experience of this conference that is possible. We also want our members presenting virtually to have both time to present and to enjoy all the other interesting panels that will be on the program, which will kick off with a virtual “Arts Night” event on Tuesday, September 28 at 2:00PM EDT.
We recognize that there is no perfect solution in a situation such as the current one. The Board feels that the path outlined here is the best way forward to both accommodate the wishes of all parts of our membership and protect the Association itself. We appreciate your patience, your forbearance, and your flexibility as we all navigate yet another new normal.
With kind regards,
Margaret E. Menninger, Executive Director, ex officio, non-voting
Janet Ward, President
Sara Hall, Vice President
David Imhoof, Secretary
Thomas Haakenson, Treasurer, ex officio, non-voting
Executive Board Members:
Ela Gezen, University of Massachusetts, Amherst
Todd Herzog, University of Cincinnati
Joanne Miyang Cho, William Patterson University
Priscilla Layne, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Christiane Lemke, Leibniz Universität Hannover
Benjamin Marschke, Humboldt State University
Damani Partridge, University of Michigan
Eli Rubin, Western Michigan University
Jonathan Zatlin, Boston University
Kevina King (Student Member), University of Massachusetts Amherst
Sabine Hake (GSR Editor), University of Texas at Austin, ex officio non-voting
Johannes von Moltke (Immediate Past President), University of Michigan
