6/10/09, Austin, TX, – NASPSPA Pre-Conference Executive Committee (EC) Meeting
Attending: Jill Whitall (President), Deb Feltz (Past-President), Craig Hall (President-Elect), Beverly Ulrich (Past-Presidents’ Liaison), Kent Kowalski (Communication Director), Dave Sherwood (Secretary-Treasurer), Graig Chow (Student Representative). Penny McCullagh (Conference Site Coordinator) was invited to attend to discuss conference-related items.
The meeting was called to order by President Jill Whitall Tuesday 6/10 at 8:39 am
I. Approval of Fall EC Minutes.
Ulrich moved and Feltz seconded the motion to approve the fall 2008 EC minutes as previously distributed. The motion passed unanimously.
II. Approval of Agenda. Whitall requested additions to agenda and several items were added.
III. Secretary-Treasurer’s Report
a. Financial matters. Sherwood distributed the financial and membership reports to the EC. Our balance as of June 9th 2009 is $54,975 compared to $65,056 as of September 1, 2008. We are expecting approximately $34,000 in conference registrations from HK for May, 2009.
b. Membership. We currently have 329 members for 2009, and we expect more people to join at the conference. Although membership is down about 40% compared to previous years we still have enough cushion in our saving, CD, and checking accounts to withstand the drop in membership.
IV. Communication Director’s Report.
a. Website. Kowalski reported that HK is still working on the new platform for the website. Their latest estimate on roll out is June 16, 2009. According to HK, the new communication director will be able to make changes directly to the website rather than going through the time-consuming process through HK. Kowalski questioned whether the new communication director should travel to IL for website training, but the EC agreed that training could take place via a conference call instead. Ulrich asked whether we know what the membership expects from the website. Feltz led a discussion of the issues regarding the website and the EC decided that the Communication Director should email the membership after the website is up to get feedback about the site. Other suggestions for the site included articles that might be of interest to the membership based on themes generated by the EC, and a “Members in the news” section. We could consider hiring freelance writers to pen articles for the website. To help the communication director, a $1000 budget will be available 9/1/09 to hire an individual to help organize material for the website. reads the newsletter (passed unanimously.
b. Newsletter. Kowalski reported that 53 members responded to the newsletter survey. He reported that 61% of the responders read the newsletter, and 64% prefer the current format of the newsletter, in part, to serve as a historical record for the society. Whitall suggested that we produce 2 newsletters per year rather than 3, and have more information on the website. The EC will return to this topic in the near future. The EC decided not to expand the job site section on the website, suggesting that this information could be promoted on the AKA site instead.
V. Austin Conference Manager Report
a. Attendance. McCullagh reported that 270 people were registered for the conference as of June 4th, 2009 and attendance will be down in Austin due to the economic situation. One major issue was how to meet the 80% hotel block commitment in the contract. McCullagh sent out an email to members to encourage them to register for the conference, and to book their rooms at the conference hotel. The GRIP report showed that 157 of the conference registrants were not booked at the hotel. Since future conference contracts are based on our current ability to fill the hotel block, several suggestions were made including a higher conference fee for those staying offsite and staying at a resort with few other options for rooms. McCullagh will review a document provided by Expedient to help organizations meet the 80% hotel block level and report back to the EC on relevant suggestions. Feltz suggested that the issues surrounding the 80% hotel block be explained to the membership at the business meeting.
b. Abstract Books. The preparation and publishing of the abstracts books is a major conference expense ($7000-8000). We contract for 400 copies each year and have many extra copies this year. Pros and cons regarding the abstract books were discussed. Pros included the ease of having the conference program and abstracts all in one place, and having the abstracts published by JSEP. Cons included the use of natural resources for the book, and the long-term utility of the publication. Alternative suggestions included a CD or flash drive instead. The EC will ask for a straw vote at the Business Meeting on this issue. Feltz and Ulrich will meet with Greg and Leon (JSEP production staff members) to discuss and review the abstract publication process.
c. Budget. McCullagh presented an updated budget for 2009 assuming 300 attendees, $3000 in walkup registrations, and $82000 in expenses, a loss of $7470 for the Austin conference.
VI. Past President Conference Director Report
a. Abstracts. Feltz reported a lack of clear understanding for those who submitted abstracts and a greater number of people withdrew their abstracts than in previous years. She suggested that authors need to check a box during the submission process agreeing to present at the conference. Another check box should be used to inform the submitter that the abstract should not have been previously published. The EC agreed that it will deal with violations of this issue on a case-by-case basis. Feltz also reported that Kim at HK expressed frustration in dealing with a new group of Program Chairs and reviewers each year. It was suggested that the Chairs take part in a conference call or some other training program in January. It was decided to send Feltz and Whitall to HK to discuss the review process in person. Also a copy of Luc Tremblay’s email on suggestions regarding the review process was provided to Feltz for her discussions with HK.
b. Tracking Award Winners. It was suggested that a excel file be created to track award winners obligations for presentations, and whether they have received their award and/or payment. Whitall agreed to set up the file to share with relevant members of the EC. The wording of the Graduate Student Research Award in the Policy Manual (section 3B) will be changed to read “to have the home department willing to advance funding in the amount that NASPSPA awards”.
VII. Future Conferences
a. Tucson-2010. McCullagh reported that the 2010 conference would be held at the El Conquistador in Tucson. Room rates are estimated to be $140 per night. Negotiations are underway for conference space.
b. Burlington/Montreal 2011. McCullagh provided estimated room rates for hotels in Burlington and Montreal and site maps for hotel in Montreal. Room rates range from $159/nt to $199 for a single and $179 – $207 for triples/quads, depending on hotel. The EC was impressed with Burlington due to the “small town feel” and location adjacent to lakes and bike paths. The advantage of Montreal was the tourist opportunities of a large city. Feltz moved and Ulrich seconded the motion to go to Burlington in 2011 with Montreal as a back up. The motion passed unanimously.
c. Hawaii 2012. Concern was voiced about the possible loss of attendees holding NASPSPA so close to the AASP Hawaii conference in September 2011. Factors in our favor are a June date when families may be able to attend, and the fact that the conference has never been held there. However, the hotel costs will probably range from $220-259 per night. The motion for making Hawaii our site for 2012 passed 6-1 (moved by Hall and seconded by Sherwood).
VIII. President’s Report
a. Slate. Whitall reported that Jody Jensen and Dan Weeks are candidates for President-Elect, Jennifer Etnier and Wally Bixby for Communications Director, and Matt Brown and Rebecca Bassett for the Student Representative.
b. Awards. Whitall announced Bob Malina to be the Distinguished Scholar winner for 2009 with the award to be presented in 2010. The Early Career Distinguished Scholar award will be going to Timothy Welsh. International Travel Grants will be awarded to Rebecca Bassett, and Moe Machida. Research Grants were awarded to Kelly Gamble, Matt Brown, and Neha Loda ($500 each). The Outstanding Student Paper Awards will go to Anastasia Kyvelidou (Motor Development) and Jennifer Gapin (Sport & Exercise Psychology) ($350.00 each).
Some EC members wondered why we were not getting more applicants for the student
awards. Ulrich suggested that we use focus groups of graduate students to find out possible barriers to application. Whitall proposed that we increase the pool for Research Grants to $2000. Whitall will develop a spreadsheet to track the award winners and their responsibilities relative to participation the following year, as well as payment, and travel information.
c. Program Chairs. The program chairs for 2010 will be Dale Ulrich (Motor Development), Carolee Winstein (Motor Learning/Control), and Danielle Symons-Downs (Sport and Exercise Psychology).
d. Organizational costs. Whitall provided information on the costs for organizational management and with comparisons with AASP, Motor Control, and Posture and Gait organizations. It was clear from the material presented that NASPAPA is paying a very reasonable fee ($2500 a year) for website and management services.
e. Absentee Ballots. The EC will advertise the availability of absentee ballots in the future by announcing the fact in the Winter newsletter and via email in the spring. Some discussion followed considering whether we should use electronic voting in the future, but the predominant feeling was that the election was a strong draw for the business meeting.
f. Agenda for the Business meeting. Whitall distributed a draft of the agenda for the business meeting for comments. It was decided to hold a straw vote on the issue of the abstract book and the CD version.
IX. President Elect’s Report.
a. Changes to Policy Manual. Hall will make changes to the policy manual following the business meeting and pass the manual on to the new president-elect. He will also check the section on the consequences when a member might present a paper elsewhere and at NASPSPA.
b. Survey. The EC decided that each conference should be evaluated via a survey formatted by the president and sent to the communication director. The survey should allow for a sub-division by the three major disciplines of NASPSPA. The survey should be sure to assess whether the current site would be appropriate for a future NASPSPA meeting.
c. Sponsorships. Hall reported that a letter to prospective sponsors sent in the summer was not effective. A better idea would be to send a letter in the early fall. The secretary- treasurer will provide Hall with sample thank-you letters. Several suggestions were made to help the sponsors advertise their products like allowing them to mingle at the reception, giving them a few minutes to introduce themselves at the HK lecture. Sponsors generally report that Friday is the best day for them to interact with the membership.
IX. Student Representative Report.
a. Student Social. Chow reported that a boat cruise will provide the social context for the student social. The cost is $7 per person for drinks and snacks. He reported that for large groups, a 20% gratuity is usually added, effectively reducing the budgeted amount to $800.00. Future increases in the budget should be considered by the EC.
b. Timeline. Chow distributed a time line for the next student representative to follow. This document will be added as an appendix in the policy manual.
X. Past President’s Liaison Report.
a. Action Items from fall 2008. Ulrich recommended that the EC continue to consider ways to get more faculty involved in the conference via a greater number of symposia, and re-instituting the Past Presidents Breakfast. Perhaps the past-presidents could be linked to some task or issue to get them motivated to attend. A limited number of graduate students from the three areas could attend the breakfast. Also lunches could be hosted by senior faculty. Ulrich will email a list of past-presidents to Zelaznik.
President Whitall adjourned the meeting at 5:23 pm, 06/10/09
Respectfully Submitted,
Dave Sherwood
NASPSPA Secretary/Treasurer
Official minutes -- approved by the NASPSPA Executive Committee on November 11, 2009
Appendix A.
2009 Program Committees and Human Kinetics Lecturer
Program Committees
Motor Learning/Control:
Chair: Luc Tremblay (University of Toronto)
Bill Berg (Miami University)
Dominic Simon (New Mexico State University)
Timothy Welsh (University of Calgary)
Motor Development:
Chair: Jose A. Barela (Universidade Cruzeiro do Sul)
Carl Gabbard (Texas A&M University)
Geert Savelsbergh (Vrije University – Amsterdam)
Marcio Oliveira (University of Maryland)
Sport & Exercise Psychology
Chair: Jennifer Etnier (University of North Carolina @ Greensboro)
Amy Latimer (Queen’s University)
Mark Williams (Liverpool John Moores University)
Tiffanye Vargas-Tonsing (University of Texas @ San Antonio)
Danielle Symons-Downs (Penn State University)
2009 Human Kinetics Lecturer
Dr. Jason Scott Robert is a Lincoln Associate Professor of Ethics in Biotechnology and Medicine in the School of Life Sciences at Arizona State University. He is also Associate Professor of Basic Medical Sciences at The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Phoenix in partnership with Arizona State University. He teaches in the Bioethics Program within the Center for Biology and Society. He received his Ph.D. in Philosophy from McMaster University in 2000. Within the philosophy of biology, Dr. Robert has published extensively on philosophical issues in developmental biology, especially at the intersections of genetics and developmental biology. His first book, Embryology, Epigenesis, and Evolution: Taking Development Seriously, was published by Cambridge University Press in 2004. Dr. Robert currently serves on the Institute Advisory Board for the Canadian Institute of Population and Public Health. He also serves on the Advisory Committee on Ethical, Legal, and Social Issues of the Canadian Lifelong Health Initiative. In addition, Dr. Robert is one of the co-editors for Philosophy of Biology of the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, and serves on the editorial board of Biological Theory. The title of his Human Kinetics talk is, “Human ethology: The comparative biology of human nature.”