Minutes

Caucus for a New Political Science (CNPS) and APSA Organized Section (NPS)

Annual General Membership/Business Meeting

Thursday, August 28, 2008, 6:15pm Boston, Hynes, Room 101

Meeting Chair: CNPS Co-Chair Jennifer Leigh Disney

I. Welcome and Introduction of Caucus/Section Officers: Christine Kelley, Co-Chair CNPS; Meredith Weiss, Treasurer; Bill Niemi, Secretary; Laura Katz Olsen and Michael Forman, Caucus Representatives to Journal Executive Committee; Clyde Barrow, Program Chair 2008; Jocelyn Boryczka, Program Chair 2009

II. Approval of Agenda: motion to approve, seconded, with striking of item XII; unanimous vote.

III. Approval of Minutes 2007 meeting (Distributed on NPS Listserve):

- Questions from membership:

o Purpose? The Caucus for a New Political Science was formed in 1967 to make the study of politics relevant to the struggle for a better world.” Check out website at: http://www.apsanet.org/~new/

o How to join? Need form here? Join as part of APSA membership; will make form available, as some may want to join without joining APSA.

- Minutes approved unanimously.

- Chairs’ Report - Christine Kelly and Jennifer Disney

IV. Chairs’ Report - Christine Kelly and Jennifer Disney

- Passing of Mark Roelofs, a founder; a moment of silence; winner the McCoy award last year

- Special Thanks to Joe Peschek and Mark Mattern: outgoing Editor and Book Reviews Editor of New Political Science

- Publications Executive Committee (PEC) Report: welcome to Nancy Love and Mark Mattern, incoming journal editors; PEC meeting last evening; and welcome to Book Series editor Shiela Collins; welcome to Reviews editor: Ruth Groth

- Website Updates: Thanks to Bruce Wright

o Listserve is assembly when we are not here

- Organizational Chart of CNPS [see website—link above]

Award Committees Report

Membership Update

- Award Committees Report [Jen: need list here***]

- Membership Update: 486 in 2006; 516 in 2007; 540 in 2008; consistent growth

o Question from membership with suggestion that CNPS have a membership committee

V. Treasurer’s Report - Meredith Weiss

- Treasurer’s report handed out to membership: both the APSA section and the CNPS are both doing well financially

o Net Income from APSA Section: 718.79; Ending Balance: 9437.99

o Net Income from CNPS: 5882.77; Ending Balance: 41544.48

o Some expenses for two years on this year’s report [awards]; expenses of commemorative program last year; most income is from NPS, and some book royalties

VI. Journal Editor’s and Book Reviews Editor’s Reports – Joe Peschek and Mark Mattern

- Report from Joe Peschek, NPS editor: Submission went up substantially from 35 to 50 over past year; 15 articles rejected [7 from peer review, 8 by editor] 21 accepted; 11 currently under review; journal was published on time; maintaining a good relationship with Routledge; December. issue special theme issue: “Alternative Globalizations: Challenges to Neoliberalism, Empire, and Militarism.” It was great to work with Mark Mattern and it is great that he is joined by Nancy Love to be the new editors;

o Question from membership on acceptance rate: probably 35% or so are accepted

- Mark Mattern, Book Review Editor: thanks to reviewers

VII. Program Chair’s Report - Clyde Barrow; report presented on Powerpoint overhead

- Call for papers on website

- Awarded 8 panels by APSA for 2008; increased to 14 with co-sponsorships

o Awarded 1 Theme Panel

o Awarded 1 Panel as Compensation

o Increased from 10 to 14 w/co-sponsorships:

o Women & Politics (2)

o Normative Political Theory (2)

o Political Communication (1)

o Labor Project (1)

o Politics & History (1)

o Race, Ethnicity, & Politics (1)

- Table on proposals accepted and rejected:

Chair: 11 proposals, 2 accepted, 18% rate

Discussant: 15-2-13%

Paper: 61-9-15%

Panel: 18-12-67%

- How to increase chance for selection: take conference theme seriously; submit complete or partial panel proposals; submit to more than one section/division if possible; posters [3 this year, but 7 un-used]; cancellations—there were a lot this year and we should address

VIII. Labor Project Report – Maggie Gray

- Website: http://www.apsanet.org/~new/Newlabor/labor_project.html

- A related group in apsa; newsletter; thanks to Peter Francia and Bruce Wright

- APSA Program: p. 6: get rid of bags would make a greener program

- Petition to Aramark that we support their workers; meet at 1:15 on Saturday to deliver petition; 12:15 business meeting for Labor Project; Sociology conference supported them and it was much appreciated

- APSA Prgoram: p. 24: issues on siting of apsa; newsletter going around

- Gordon Lafer: petition on labor law reform; depending on how elections go in November, a change to how to organize unions in labor law revision; much lobbying is going on by business against the reform; language of the argument is about democracy, language of political science; on online version; will answer any questions after meeting

IX. Elections

Program Coordinator 2010: nomination of Margaret Groarke; an emeritus; active in Peace and Justice Association and has organized three of last five conferences; unanimous

X. Resolution on Proposed Constitutional Changes – Jennifer Disney

- Separated Secretary and Treasure offices

- Caucus Representatives are now on coordinating council [will be elected at this meeting]; ex officio on PEC

- Added term limits—no more than 2 consecutive terms

- Some language clean up

- See draft Constitution on website; Christine encouraged everyone to read

- Question: Groth--make more explicit our mission [better world vague], social justice perhaps? Disney: We can have committee address; asked for volunteers

- Unanimously passed

- Question: Can Constitution be changed over list serve? Yes; Chair can appoint committee

XI. Resolution on CNPS Conference – Clyde Barrow

- Create a task force to investigate what is in involved in sponsoring a CNPS Conference; would not affect what we do in the organized section at APSA

o We cannot create a new political science with eight panels; good recruitment vehicle as well

o written proposal on the website; approve a task force

- there was 1975 conference at Brown University which was very successful

- a winter or early spring conference; rotate site

- suggested that nonmembers be welcome

- resolution approved unanimously

XII. Old Business: none

XIII. New Business

- Terry Groth, University of Brasilia: November deadline for International Political Science Association Meeting in Santiago, Chile for July, 2009; the LASA Meeting is in Rio as well

- Discussion over siting policy: fact sheet on LGBT circulated; Meeting on siting issue

- Jocelyn Boryczka, Program Chair 2009: See pp. 422-423 APSA Program for the call for papers for next year; looking for junior faculty, activists; on website

- Come to Saturday evening Awards and Plenary Speaker; Barney Frank; thanks to Clyde Barrow for his work setting this up