To the ACSA Membership:

I am writing to follow up our previous emails about the 108th ACSA Annual Meeting. The ACSA Board of Directors met online last week to review our plans regarding the COVID-19 pandemic and ways to help our member schools respond to their local conditions.

Virtual Format
Since we announced our decision to move the conference to an online format, the ACSA staff has been developing models for holding a virtual event that would preserve the dissemination of peer-reviewed content and other previously scheduled panel sessions.

Registration Fees
We will offer options for your registration fees, including a refund and the option to apply your fees to the virtual conference or a future conference.

We ask for your patience as we finalize our next steps. Thank you for your continued support, and we will be in touch as soon as possible.

Additional Resources Online
Last week ACSA held a series of open online conversations about pivoting to online learning. HERE is a link to find recordings of the sessions that took place as well as links for future discussions. We invite you to share these resources with colleagues.

Sincerely,
Rashida Ng, ACSA President

Message: March 7, 2020

To the ACSA Membership:

I am writing to inform you that the 108th ACSA Annual Meeting will not take place in San Diego next week. The Board of Directors reviewed public health data about the coronavirus and its impact on travel and our conference venues, and determined it would be an unacceptable risk to hold the conference and related activities at this time. We regret having to make this decision, but determined we must prioritize the health and safety of our conference attendees.

Recognizing the scholarly work that is shared throughout the conference is important and timely, we are exploring alternate options to deliver the conference content by virtual means. We will work with our staff and the Annual Meeting Committee to determine how best to do so over the next two weeks.

We will also revise our refund policy for conference registrations in light of these extraordinary circumstances. We ask for your patience as we finalize these details as quickly as possible.

What to do now.
If you are not going to travel to San Diego, please take steps to cancel or change your hotel reservation. The reservation policy for our conference hotel block requires 72 hours notice before arrival to avoid a penalty. Don’t forget to change your transportation arrangements. Many airlines are altering their cancellation and change fees.

We will continue to update you on our plans. We appreciate the feedback and support we have received so far and look forward to continuing to serve you in the future.

Sincerely,
Rashida Ng, ACSA President

 

Message: March 5, 2020

To the ACSA Membership:

As a follow up to our communication on February 27, we are contacting you about the 108th ACSA Annual Meeting. In light of the public health emergency declared by the governor of California, we have called a meeting of the ACSA Board of Directors tomorrow to discuss how best to proceed.

The health and safety of our conference attendees remain our primary concern.

We continue to review the facts from credible public health sources, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control, the San Diego County Government, and the State of California Department of Public Health. We are also collecting more information about travel restrictions and are exploring alternatives to deliver a meaningful scholarly meeting despite these unexpected circumstances.

Please continue to update us on any changes in how your university is managing travel, particularly travel within the United States, so we can follow that trend as well.

We will be in contact with you no later than Saturday with a further update.

Sincerely,
Rashida Ng, ACSA President

 

Message: February 27, 2020

To the ACSA Membership:

With the 108th ACSA Annual Meeting in San Diego two weeks away, we want to let you know that we are monitoring the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says on its website that COVID-19 is a public health threat but “individual risk is dependent on exposure.” The immediate health risk is low to “the general American public, who are unlikely to be exposed to this virus at this time.”

We want you to know that the health and safety of our conference-goers are of paramount importance. We monitor the situation daily, using the CDC as our primary source of understanding about potential public health risks.

We will continue to communicate with you over the next two weeks about the situation. At the same time, we encourage you to monitor how your university is managing travel, particularly travel within the United States.

Please feel free to contact us with questions or feedback.

Sincerely,
Rashida Ng, ACSA President