Hi Everyone;
I am in agreement with the sentiments posted by Raju J Das and Andy Herod. I
would just like to add that in the latest AAG Newsletter, Dr. Abler has
expressed that the registration fees will have to increase. I don't see how
this will improve the participation in the annual meetings except by a more
elitist group (i.e., Faculty) of attendees.
As a graduate student at Indiana State University, I make less than 1/10 of
what some of the faculty members make. This increase will only hurt the
students, undergraduate and graduate which are the newest members of our
field, any curious cross-disciplinary individuals, and emeritus faculty on a
limited budget.
Dr. Abler, make the presenters from the larger, more resourceful institutions
bring their own, or pay a part of, their presentation equipment. Most
graduate student presenters never need more than an overhead projector for
their presentations anyway.
Maybe the AAG membership can put together a presentation fund that can take
donations from throughout the year from the membership and the funds can be
used to defray the cost of authors who fail to notify or request the need for
equipment.
As a graduate student I see the eroding of participation by the least
resourceful group in our discipline, but also, a group whose future of this
discipline rests.
There has got to be something done, and its wrong to make the most vulnerable
suffer.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Perry
Naim P. Zeibak
Department of Geogrpahy, Geology, and Anthropology
Indiana State University
Terre Haute, IN 47809
(812) 237-3468/2444
[log in to unmask]
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|