Photo: New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau
Under threat of Hurricane Isaac, APSA cancelled the 108th Annual Meeting, scheduled to begin in New Orleans August 30, two days prior to its start. Preconference activities scheduled for August 29 already had been canceled because of the storm threat. In the words of then-president G. Bingham Powell, Jr. and incoming president Jane Mansbridge this cancellation was “a disappointing intellectual loss and a particular problem for the untenured members of our association who were counting on various ways on their participation.” The storm's slow, persistent trajectory over the Gulf Region made it impossible to seek to restart the meeting after its opening days. The devastation to the Gulf Region from Hurricane Isaac was significant, and APSA expresses sympathies to the families of those who lost their lives and their homes, and to the thousands who suffered emotional, financial, and physical damage.
Program chairs Lynn Vavreck and John Carey had planned a full program on the theme “Representation and Renewal.” More than 800 panels were scheduled and 7,823 papers were to be presented. Nearly 5,500 had registered for the meeting, and 99 exhibitors were planned for the Exhibition Hall. None of the regularly scheduled meeting activity was able to go forward in New Orleans, including President G. Bingham Powell's address “Representation in Context: Election Laws and Ideological Congruence between Citizens and Government.” Other events that were canceled included the opportunities to meet APSA's new editorial team for the APSR, a reception for international attendees, APSA graduate student happy hour, the reception honoring teaching, a panel and reception for the 10th anniversary of Perspectives on Politics, and the APSA Annual Awards Ceremony. The APSA Council and All Member meetings were also canceled. Many APSA groups and affiliated organizations rely on the APSA Annual Meeting to conduct their business, and APSA's 40 organized sections, many related groups, and APSA and other political science committees, editorial boards, and other bodies all face the need to find alternative ways to deliberate on new officers and move forward their programming.
The APSA 2012 Annual Meeting cannot be rescheduled, and all registration fees are being refunded. APSA carries meeting cancellation insurance, and the policy covers net lost revenues in this case. In response to the meeting cancellation, presenters, panel chairs, and division heads have been inventive in establishing alternative ways to present their work, including department-wide seminars, presentations at other scholarly conferences, and regional networks. APSA has established a clearinghouse for information about these alternative venues. Visit the APSA website www.apsanet.org/mtgs/program_2012/virtual.cfm to find all the paper submission information. The presidential address will be presented at an alternative conference and is scheduled to be published in the March 2013 issue of Perspectives in Politics.
The preparations for the Annual Meeting in New Orleans had stimulated an active discussion with APSA about meeting locations, inclusivity, and engagement. APSA's Siting and Engagement Committee was established following council discussion about these issues, initiated by discussion about changing the site of the meeting because of a state constitutional amendment, passed after APSA had committed to meet in New Orleans, that denied recognition of same-sex partnerships established in other states. As part of a complex decision to hold the meeting in New Orleans, the council had also affirmed a commitment to recognize and speak out about issues in the communities where we meet. Extensive engagement activity had been planned for New Orleans and Louisiana. Some members had expressed intention to boycott the meeting over issues related to state law and marriage and partnership rights. Prior to the meeting dates, APSA delivered to Louisiana governor Bobby Jindal a public letter expressing how state action on same-sex marriage had made it difficult for the association to meet in Louisiana. This public letter was distributed widely to the press and rights groups in the state and was given prominent media attention in the city.
APSA's program included a number of panels about the city and issues it faces, including issues spawned by Hurricane Katrina. APSA's Perspectives on Politics prepared a special issue devoted to Hurricane Katrina to be discussed at special Perspectives panel. City-based activities included tours and a hands-on service-learning initiative. A city-wide plenary was to have been delivered by Larry Bagneris, executive director of the New Orleans Human Relations Commission, with a video introduction by US Representative Barney Frank.
Cancellation of the 2012 APSA Annual Meeting is a profound loss. At its heart, the annual meeting operates on a human scale: face-to- face interactions with colleagues, direct conversation with long-time research partners, discovery of potential new colleagues, reconnection with former professors and classmates, perhaps a little self-promotion, and certainly the advancement of scholarly projects. The resourcefulness so many have shown in moving forward is affirming! Nevertheless, we regret what we have lost as well, and look forward with great anticipation to 2013.
For full details about the cancellation, letters from the APSA presidents, information on refunds, alternative venues for paper presentations and panels, and to review the entire program visit www.apsanet.org.
