Edited by author 06-11-2007 02:02 PM
I strongly support three of the committee's recommendations.

1. Moving away from the Labor Day weekend. APSA during the Labor Day weekend is a nightmare for parents of children whose school year gets under way in mid-August. My husband and I are both political scientists, who live miles away from family members who could babysit. What are we supposed to do -- yank our kids out of school just as they are getting used to their new routines, classes, and teachers -- just so we can attend a professional conference? We have done it, but feel terrible in doing so, especially since our kids have learning disabilities and need to be in the classroom as much as possible. We also don't understand why the association doesn't make much use of Sunday and Monday of Labor Day weekend, as opposed to Thursday and Friday. Our kids are expected to be in school on Thursday and Friday; they have Sunday and Monday off!

Finally, I hate to schedule substitutes for myself a week or two into my teaching! I do it, but my classes start in August, and you have to set the tone early rather than later.

2. Having discussants for posters. Discussants should be required for those presenting papers in a poster session. Someone who has taken the time to write a great paper for one of these sessions should get some feedback!

3. Encouraging presenters to post their papers on PROceedings. In fact, I would make it MANDATORY. APSA did away with the paper room and established PROceedings, but I find it more difficult to get papers today than in the old "paper room" days! Being chosen to present at APSA involves responsibilities, including sharing one's preliminary findings with as many people as possible.