Society for the Study of Social Problems

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 THE SOCIETY FOR THE STUDY OF SOCIAL PROBLEMS
Publishers of the Journal SOCIAL PROBLEMS
                                            
901 McClung Tower
The University of Tennessee
Knoxville, TN 37996-0490
W: 865-689-1531; F: 865-689-1534;
http://www.sssp1.org

TO:         Chairpersons of Special Problems Divisions

FROM:   Thomas C. Hood, Executive Officer
                 Michele Smith Koontz, Administrative Officer & Meeting Manager

DATE:     September 14, 2007

RE:          Roles and Responsibilities of Division Chairpersons

Introduction

The Executive Office recognizes and greatly appreciates the dedicated efforts of the Special Problems Division Chairpersons. Without their support in maintaining the deadlines for the various activities, the business of the Society could not be conducted by our limited staff.

The following material is designed to answer your questions. Please do not hesitate to contact the Executive Office for assistance.

Chairpersons should be able and willing to serve, including all three days of the Annual Meeting, and willing to commit themselves to service time during the year. Chairpersons are expected to provide an annual report of the activities of their divisions, via electronic correspondence, or other means to the Executive Office.

Serving the Society is an honor, but it also entails a lot of hard work. Candidates must be current members to accept nominations.

A. Nominations Committee

Division Chairpersons serve along with one member of the Board of Directors as the Nominations Committee. The Nominations Committee is chaired by the Chair of the Council of the Special Problems Divisions. Nancy Mezey is the chair for the 2006-2009 term, .

The Nominations Committee nominates persons to run for each of the following elected positions: President-Elect; Vice-President Elect; Board of Directors; Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee; Committee on Committees; and the Editorial and Publications Committee.

Prior to the Annual Meeting, it would be helpful for you to locate willing nominees for these positions to suggest at the Nominations Committee meetings.

B. Division Elections

1. Chairpersons are elected for two years. No Division Chairperson can serve for more than three consecutive years. Each Special Problems Division must elect a Chairperson, a Chairperson-Elect, and other officers as determined by the division. The transfer of responsibility of the Chair should be made at the appropriate divisional meeting at the Annual Meeting.

2. Division Election Procedures: 

a. There must be at least two nominees for each division office. The Chairperson is responsible for seeing that there is the widest possible participation in the nominations procedure. Initial nominations may be in one or more of the following ways. Note, self nominations are acceptable. 

1) call for nominations in the division newsletter 
2) email division members and solicit nominations 
3) nominations from the floor at the divisional meeting

Either 2 or 3 alone seems to be more effective than 1 alone.

b. If either 2 or 3 alone are used, the nominees should be reported in the division newsletter along with a call for additional nominees.

c. The Chair should advise the Executive Office in writing whom the nominees are. The Executive Office will contact the candidates and request their biographical information and statement.

d. Division elections for incoming Chairs should be held during the Chair’s first year in office. This will assure that the Chairpersons will help in the planning of programs and other division functions, and give the Chair-Elect some experience regarding the responsibilities of the Chair before taking office. Names of the nominees need to be in the Executive Office by (no later than) June 1. Try to hold your election during the fall, if possible. No division election mailings will take place between July 1 and August 15 due to work associated with the Annual Meeting.  Many divisions elect the Chair-Elect even earlier so that they may serve two years before becoming Chair.

e. The actual election process will be handled by the Executive Office. Election procedures will insure to all members of the Division an opportunity to vote in the election. If a Division member cannot be contacted by email, that member will receive a first class letter notifying the member that an election is taking place. The letter will include instructions on how to vote on the Society’s web site.

Election notification including candidate qualification will be sent by email from the SSSP Executive Office before the voting is opened. At least four weeks will be allowed from the opening of the web site to receive votes before the voting web site is closed. The Executive Office will monitor the computer tabulation of votes and will report any irregularities to Division Officers and to the Board of Directors. A majority of votes cast will be necessary to elect any Division Officer. If there are more nominees for an office and there is not a clear majority, a run-off election will be held between the two candidates receiving the most votes. The same election procedures described above will be followed for the run-off election.

f. The Executive Office will advise the Chair in writing who the winner is and the ballot count. The Chair will have the responsibility of advising, in writing, the candidates of the results. A copy of the letter should be sent to the Executive Office.

C. Council of Special Problems Divisions

The Chairpersons of the Special Problems Divisions comprise the Council of Special Problems Divisions. The Chairperson of the Council is elected by the Council from among its members for a three-year term and serves as a voting member of the Board of Directors. The Council meets at the Annual Meeting to communicate common concerns and to convey through its Chairpersons these concerns and policy recommendations to the Board of Directors. PLEASE MAKE SURE THAT YOUR DIVISION IS REPRESENTED AT ALL SCHEDULED MEETINGS OF THE COUNCIL. If you cannot attend, appoint someone else to represent the division.

D. Divisional Meetings

1. Each division will hold a divisional meeting at the Annual Meeting with the Chairperson presiding. The divisional meeting should serve as a forum to discuss concerns of the division and nominees for Chairperson-Elect. The divisional meeting can be a place to: a) suggest sessions for next year’s program, b) plan special activities of the division, c) discuss awards to be made by the division, d) recruit members for the division and the Society, and e) plan publishing projects.

2. The Division Chairs meet as a group three times during the Annual Meeting: a) as the Council of Special Problems Divisions, b) as the Nominations Committee, and c) with the Program Committee in planning the following year’s meeting. The Council usually meets daily at the Annual Meeting.

E. Publications

1. Each division must have a current entry in the online booklet titled, Working Toward a Just World: Visions, Experiences, & Challenges.  SSSP’s mission is scholarship in pursuit of a just society. In this booklet, Division Chairs and members of each of the Special Problems Divisions address four questions in relation to their division’s focus and the creation of a just world.

a. What is your vision of a just world in relation to your division’s mission?

b. What are one or two demonstration projects, nations or states that have most effectively addressed your division’s mission at any time in history and what are/were their important features?

c. What are the key difficulties that you and others working toward your division’s mission face in your work toward a better world?

d. What are five to ten key articles or books you would recommend to SSSP colleagues and their students who work outside of your Division’s area but want to learn more about it?

This booklet is intended for SSSP members, their colleagues and their students who want to learn more about one or more areas of study and activism that are the foci of the Special Problems Divisions. It is meant to provide those of us who are members of SSSP with a fuller understanding of the visions and work of our own and other divisions. It is also intended to offer colleagues who have as yet to join SSSP with a better idea of what we do within each of our divisions. These entries are dated in terms of when they were last revised.

If your division’s entry is in need of revision, notify the Executive Office and begin the process. When the entry is complete, the Executive Office will review the electronic file, request revisions if necessary, date it with the current year and post it on the web site.

2. Several divisions have compiled edited readers published as SSSP-sponsored books. Proposals and contracts for such sponsorship must be reviewed and approved by the Editorial and Publications Committee and the Board of Directors. Responsibility for editorship of such a volume must be assumed by a member of the division.

3. Occasionally, special issues of Social Problems have been edited by a division. Proposals for such special issues must be submitted to the Editor of Social Problems for consideration of contents and the logistics of the editorial process.

4. New journals can be established by divisions. Proposals for new journals must be approved by the Editorial and Publications Committee and the Board of Directors.

F. Division Newsletter

1. Each division is entitled to have three division newsletters distributed electronically by the Executive Office each year. This effort will save time, money, and our natural resources. No division newsletters will be distributed electronically between July 15 and August 15 due to work associated with the Annual Meeting. All division newsletters will be placed on the website.

2. The division newsletter may be prepared by the Chairperson or someone within the division designated by the Chairperson. The Chair-Elect may be asked to edit the newsletter.

3. The content of the newsletter is entirely up to the person responsible for preparing it. Some divisions have used the newsletter as a means of communicating substantive content of professional concern to the division. It is recommended that the division newsletter concern itself at least with the following:

a. Program planning for the division sessions at the next Annual Meeting (to augment the call for papers) in the fall or late spring newsletter.

b. The call for nominations or additional nominees for division office(s) and division election results.

c. News or articles of interest to the division members.

d. List of recently published work in the area.

e. Encourage members to send you announcements, articles about their work, reviews of books and/or articles of interest to people in your division. The newsletter is a way to build networks of scholarly support and exchange within your interest area. When you receive an article, book review, or announcement that you think might be of more general interest, please send it to the editor of Social Problems Forum: The SSSP Newsletter, Ken Kyle, . 

4. The newsletter must be sent as a pdf file to the Executive Office for distribution. No other format will be accepted. If you do not have Adobe Acrobat Distiller (software needed to save a file as a pdf file), please let the Executive Office know and we will provide you with a copy.

5. Keep total newsletter pages to no more than 10 pages. Longer newsletters may not be read.

G. Annual Meeting Program

The Annual Meeting is designed to give as many persons as possible an opportunity to participate. However, the number of sessions cannot be increased to the point that there is not enough audience left to attend and not enough adequate hotel meeting space. The procedures below are designed to transform this very delicate balance into a great meeting.

1. Each division is entitled to at least three paper program sessions at the Annual Meeting. With the approval of the Program Committee Chair, additional sessions may be scheduled if meeting space is available. These paper sessions are assigned on a first-come, first-serve basis to those divisions that indicate in writing to the Program Committee Chair and the Executive Office the names of presenters on panels or paper sessions. Priority is given for additional sessions to divisions planning joint sessions with each other or with the Program Committee. However, there are exceptions for colloquia (round table discussion) and poster sessions.

2. You have full determination in regard to how your program sessions are used. However, consider using one session for an overall theme proposed by the President. At least one should offer opportunity for those who submit papers to you. Other sessions can reflect your particular interest(s) or what you consider the most intriguing topic(s) in your area.

3. One session may be a colloquia session, rather than a paper session, to maximize participation. Colloquia receive the same academic credit as paper sessions.

a. Assign up to five papers in a related area at each colloquium. You can also have a moderator at each colloquium. Colloquia normally are round tables with ten seats.

b. Colloquia are supposed to generate discussion, so it is not advisable to assign unrelated papers to the same roundtable.

c. To expand the number of participants in your division program, you may have three colloquia sessions, with up to five tables per session. This could accommodate up to 75 papers.

4. Poster sessions are available in addition to the regular sessions at the discretion of the Program Committee. You may have as many participants as you wish in poster sessions. Posters are graphic presentations of the author’s report. They consist of illustrative materials that may take the form of graphs, diagrams, charts, tables, or photos. For example, the slides of a Powerpoint presentation might be printed as 8x10 documents and displayed on the poster board. They include a small amount of text. Posters must be headed by a title. Any lettering should be large enough to be visible from 5' and the individual displays should fit on a 3' x 4' poster. The Society will provide a way to mount the posters. While the poster is on display, the author(s) should be present to answer questions. If several poster sessions are proposed, they may be combined in a large room.

Authors of poster reports must submit an abstract to the Division Chair (or Program Chair), and must bring the completed posters to the meeting. Depending upon the number of submissions, presenters will be allotted a regular session period to display their materials in an assigned space during the Annual Meeting. Each day there will be one or two poster sessions during which the authors must be present to explain and/or discuss their presentations. Poster sessions get the same academic credit as the reading of papers at sessions. This is an established practice at scientific and other academic organizations. If you are planning a poster session, please let the Executive Office know no later than March 1, since display equipment must be rented to accommodate the posters.

5. Division Chairs may assign a preferred day to each session – first, second, or third day of the Annual Meeting. You must distribute your sessions across the days of the meetings. No division will be allowed to concentrate its sessions on the overlap days with ASA. The Program Chair and Executive Office will try to honor all preferences, when arranging the program schedule.

6. You are responsible for screening papers or topics that will appear in the program sessions of your division. You may share this responsibility with a committee appointed for this purpose or assume full responsibility yourself. It is recommended that you have at least one person to share the responsibility for each session you organize. Your Chairperson-Elect may serve in this capacity.

7. All participants (except those listed below, in ‘a’) must be current members (they may join on acceptance of their presentation) and must pre-register for the Annual Meeting. Persons who have not paid their registration fees by July 1 will not be listed in the final program.

In order to expedite pre-registration, your letter of acceptance should specify that participation is contingent on the return of the registration form and fee, when received from the Executive Office. Be sure to verify contact information (mailing address, work number, home number, and email address) for all participants. We must have accurate information. Non-members must submit a membership application and dues along with their registration fee. One check may cover both registration and membership. Registration fees have been waived for the following reasons:

a. Non-students who are unemployed and/or receiving monthly financial assistance to meet living expenses may request a waiver of registration fees to participate on the program.

b. Non U.S. and non Canadian scholars who are from less advantaged countries.

c. Co-authors of papers who will not be attending the meeting. One of the co-authors must be a paid registrant in that session. Both co-authors must pay if both expect to attend the meeting.

d. Persons excused by direct request of the Program Committee Chair.

8. Registration fees can be refunded only to persons who notify us that they will not attend the meetings prior to July 15. Once the final program is printed and participant packets have been prepared, the cost of processing the participant has already occurred.

Guidelines for Participation

9. A person may appear in the program as sole author only once unless he or she is a student paper competition winner. Student paper competition winners may appear in the program as sole author twice. Persons who are giving papers or participating in panels or colloquia may not serve as a session chairperson or discussant with the following exceptions: 

a. A person may chair a session in which he or she is also making a presentation. 

b. A co-author of a paper and whose co-author is a paid registrant may author (or co-author a second paper) or may serve as a chair or a discussant in a second session.

10. The Executive Office encourages submission of an abstract and a paper to Sociological Abstracts. A registration form and information on how to submit an online abstract will be sent to each participant in March. Since the Society does not publish proceedings or abstracts, providing this information makes other scholars who search the literature aware of your work.

11. All authors are expected to supply an advance copy of the paper to the discussant at least 2 weeks before the meeting.

H. Division Budgets

1. Annual Meeting Program. The amount of discretionary money per year available to divisions is set by the Board of Directors, upon recommendation of the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee. Each Division Chair is asked to provide budget projections and requests for the current year and the following year. These projections should be sent to the Executive Office no later than March 31. The Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee will review these requests at their annual budget meeting in May. If a Division Chair does not supply a written request, the committee will allocate $300 for that division. A maximum of $700 may be requested per division. How this money will be expended is entirely up to the division. Some divisions award a cash prize, provide membership, annual meeting registration and a banquet ticket to the student paper competition winner, serve refreshments at an informal division social function, or pay expenses of participants on the program. All requests for reimbursements for money spent must be accompanied by a receipt as proof of expenditure. This is required by our auditors. The Division Chair may authorize expenditure.

2. Telephone Calls and the Internet. To save Society funds, most of our communication is done via the internet. Please try to limit your phone calls for Division business. The Society has paid, in the past, for telephone costs incurred in carrying out duties of the Chair (including those incurred in the organization of your division sessions at the Annual Meeting) if no other reimbursement source is available. You are strongly encouraged to use your university or agency phone facilities. However, if these costs cannot be absorbed, the Society will refund the cost upon presentation of a telephone bill (or photocopies) with SSSP business calls indicated.

3. Requests for reimbursement must be made before our fiscal year ends on December 31.

I. Division Listservs

The Society does not have a listserv; however, the Executive Office encourages all divisions to create one, if desired. The Executive Office will supply you with the names and email addresses of your division members upon request. Listservs should be monitored by a member of the division. The Executive Office will provide suggestions/guidelines for operating a listserv, on request from a Division Chair.

J. SSSP Division Chair Calendar

SEPTEMBER: Prepare information for the Call for Papers and email it to the Administrative Officer (in response to request). Contact candidates and request their ballot information, if you are electing new officers.

OCTOBER: Prepare fall newsletter for your division members and send a pdf file to the Executive Office for distribution.

NOVEMBER: Send ballot information to the Executive Office, if you are electing new officers. If your division’s entry in “Working Toward a Just World: Visions, Experiences & Challenges” has not been updated recently, prepare a revision and submit it to the Executive Office (in response to request).

DECEMBER: Submit any outstanding receipts for reimbursement to the Administrative Officer (in response to request). Prepare information for the Student Paper Competition and Outstanding Scholarship Awards and email it to the Administrative Officer (in response to request).

JANUARY: Receive and review papers from program participants. Prepare winter newsletter for your division members and send a pdf file to the Executive Office for distribution.

FEBRUARY: Send program information to the Administrative Officer (in response to request). Notify program participants of their acceptance or referral of paper/proposal. Send unwanted papers/proposals to the Program Committee Chair.

MARCH: Send budget request to the Chair of the Budget, Finance, and Audit Committee (in response to request). Prepare spring newsletter for your division members and send a pdf file to the Executive Office for distribution.

APRIL/MAY: Notify Executive Office of the names, addresses and award amounts of your division’s Student Paper Competition and Outstanding Scholarship Award winners (in response to request).

JUNE/JULY: Send your catering request to the Administrative Officer (in response to request).

JULY/AUGUST: Prepare for your divisional meeting. Provide an annual report of the activities of your division, via electronic correspondence, or other means to the Executive Office (in response to request).

AUGUST: At the Annual Meeting, attend division sessions, the divisional meeting, and the Council of Special Problems Division meetings. Prepare for the program for the following year. Talk about possible sessions at the divisional meeting, line up session organizers, etc.