ACADEMIC JUSTICE
Co-Chairs: LaTonya J. Trotter and Andrea N. Hunt
The Committee on Academic Justice’s mission is to support members in navigating structural and institutional forms of exclusion and inequality in academia. One of the key ways we live out that mission is by continuing to organize the Higher Ed Action Team (H.E.A.T.) as a space to share experiences, support, and strategies to address the increasing austerity measures on our campuses. These conversations have connected people across campuses and increased awareness of the ways in which administrative decisions are part of the corporatization of higher education.
As a direct result of these conversations, the committee organized a session at the SWS winter meeting co–sponsored with the Social Action Committee (co-chairs Heather Hlavka and Kris DeWelde) and Heather Laube and Rebecca Plante were the panelists. The panelists provided some initial thoughts for the attendees on what authority measures might look like across institutions followed by more informal conversation in small groups. The focus then shifted to strategies, and attendees discussed with each other and then with the larger group actions that they have taken at their institutions. The session was well-attended and engaging. Thank you to Heather Hlavka, Kris De Welde, Heather Laube, and Rebecca Plante for your guidance and assistance. The goal of “consciousness-raising” was met. Be on the lookout for spring H.E.A.T. meetings and find out what’s next! H.E.A.T. meets monthly during the academic year, so if you want to get involved, stay tuned to the listserve for dates and times!
At the winter meeting, we also supported a panel through co-sponsorship with the Student Caucus, “Navigating the Conflicts Around Scholar Activism.” Thank you to Alexis Grant-Panting for her leadership in co-sponsoring the panel, to our panelists Florence Castillo, Popy Begum, Pedrom Nasiri, Esther Hernández–Medina, and Rui Jie Peng, and to the moderator, Angela Vergara.
Finally, our committee is actively in conversation about how to revise and re-envision both the Lavender and Feminist Reports that informed members about how feminist friendly departments were. Both historically served as a resource for SWS members; however, there was a clear need to move both towards a more intersectional lens, as well as to create a set of shared resources that could be more flexibly updated and, therefore, more sustainable. At our winter committee meeting, many good suggestions were made by those who attended. So stay tuned for how we ultimately decide to build on these important reports.
We continue to move forward on these and other collaborations throughout the year. So if you’re looking to get involved, feel free to contact the co-chairs or attend our open committee meetings!
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Co-Chairs: Sharla Alegria and Mindy Fried
Dear SWSers –
Ask Alix: We’re thrilled to announce that Rebecca Plante and Asmita Aasaavari are the new Co-Coordinators of the Ask Alix column!
As you may know, this column – formerly called Hey Jane – was launched in 2004. The first entry started with this question:
“Hey Jane! I’m not sure if I should put up a poster about a political rally on my office door. Should I?” Jane launched into a nearly 400-word response, including: “What is the “door culture” in your department/on your campus? Do others hang such items on their doors? If so, then you might feel free to do the same. If political views are not expressed, then don’t do it”.
Over the years, topics have included advice on service loads, negotiating and navigating a joint appointment, finding a postdoc, dealing with a difficult chair, and many more.
Going back to 2013, editors have included Laura Kramer and Christin Munsch. And writers have included Tina Fetner, Michele Jacobs, Kristine Kilanski, Trenton Haltom, Stephanie Nawyn, Garbrielle Roesch-McNally, Wanda Rushing, Michele Scott, Stacy Williams and Kathrin Zippel. And thanks to Susan Deitch, who helped us launch Ask Alix.
As Asmita and Rebecca take over the reins, there will be some changes. For one thing, the advice column will be more easily accessible, as it will be published both on the SWS blog and in Network News. Please welcome Rebecca and Asmita! And think about YOUR burning questions for Alix (and answers)!
SWS Applied Sociology Website: Also, we are thrilled to announce the new SWS Applied Sociology Website! (https://socwomen.org/sws-applied-sociology/) Thanks to Christelle Lachapelle for persisting with endless additions and edits, and creating this wonderful site! And thanks, as always, to Barret and Natasha, for their consistent support!
We are ALWAYS looking for more resources, so PLEASE send me your resources related to applied sociology, including your applied sociology video stories and/or audio interviews, and your blog posts and podcast episodes.
Finally, thanks to all the contributors to the site, as listed below. Can’t wait to see how this site grows with your input!
The site includes:
- Biographies of SWS applied sociologists, done in partnership with Applied Worldwide, founded by Stephanie Wilson.
- Video and audio interviews with applied sociologists, including: Melissa Abad, Machienvee Lammey, Andres Lopez, Colleen Schoenfeld, Chriss Sneed
- Blog posts and podcast episodes by applied sociologists and/or about applied sociology, including: Applied Sociology group, Dani Jauk-Ajamie, Mindy Fried, Meg Krausch, Stephanie Wilson, Zuleyka Zevallos
- Webinar speakers, including: Melissa Abad, Chloe Bird, Jenny Irons, Andres Lopez
- Information on the Mentoring program for those interested in or currently working as applied sociologists.
- A current list of applied sociology programs
PUBLICATIONS
Co-Chairs: Chaitanya Lakkimsetti and Manisha Desai
This past quarter was a very busy and exciting one for the Publications (Pubs) Committee. The co-chairs participated in the successful search for the next editors of Gender & Society, Professors Patricia Richards and Sharmila Rudrappa, the first time that the journal will have co-editors. Meet them and learn about their vision for the journal in the next edition of Network News!
Thanks to Professors Josephine Beoku Betts, Victoria Reyes, Amy Stone, and LaTonya Trotter for their work on the Gender & Society Editor search committee.
The co-chairs also participated in the Sage Contract Negotiating committee made of Professors Chris Bose, Dana Britton, and Don Ferree in addition to officers Jennifer Brown, Melanie Heath, Veronica Montes, Mary Osirim, Lisnic Rodica, and Roberta Villalon. The team successfully negotiated the new contract with Sage. Thanks to all members of the Contract Negotiating committee for their work.
In addition to these two important achievements for SWS, over the past year, Pubs has produced two documents that are currently under review by Council. One is a visual map of Pubs responsibilities and a document that outlines how to handle racism and sexism in reviews. Based on the co-chairs’ experience on the search for Gender & Society editors, we also produced another document related to future Editor searches. This document is also under review by Council. Once we hear back from Council we will share these with the membership at large.
At the Winter meeting, Pubs organized a workshop with Professor Barbara Risman, Gender & Society Editor, Manisha Desai and LaTonya Trotter (members of the Editor Search Committee), on what’s involved in being a Gender & Society Editor. It was much appreciated by participants who were at various stages in their academic careers but appreciated the myriad aspects of an editor’s work and its implications for publishing in Gender & Society.
In the future we plan to organize workshops on how to review manuscripts and welcome our members’ ideas on what they might find useful.
Another important initiative that Pubs will be launching in collaboration with Sister to Sister, International Committee, and Professional Development is a group mentorship program to increase visibility for BIPOC and Global South scholars in Gender & Society.
In the coming months, we will be searching for a professional publicist and will continue important discussions related to open data and open access.
Finally, at the Winter meeting we bid an emotional adieu to our indefatigable outgoing members, Senior Chair, Victoria Reyes and member Zakiya Luna, and welcomed new, although highly experienced long time SWS members, Professors Marlese Durr and Laurel Westbrook.
STUDENT CAUCUS
Co-Chairs: Alexis Grant-Panting and Pedrom Nasiri
The student caucus has been very busy over the past few months! First, we want to congratulate and welcome Pedrom Nasiri as your Student Representative-Elect. We also want to thank all the students who participated in our student sponsored sessions and activities at the Winter Meeting. We had many great conversations about public sociology and scholar activism. We also raffled off two books to session participants, The Activist Academic: Engaged Scholarship for Resistance, Hope and Social Change by Colette Cann and Eric J. DeMeulenaere and Anti-Racist Scholar-Activism by Laura Connelly and Remi Joseph-Salisbury.
After the Winter Meeting, on February 1, 2023, the Student Caucus, in collaboration with the Association of Black Sociologists Professional Development Committee and Graduate Student Committee, hosted an information session with the Federal Office of Personnel Management (OPM) on its Pathways Program. The Pathways Program offers students and recent graduates career opportunities in the Federal government through paid internships and leadership development programs. Our session had over 170 registrants and nearly 60 participants via Zoom. Thank you to everyone who registered and participated. Additionally, OPM has offered to host more workshops related to resumes for Federal jobs, interviewing, and so on. Please reach out to our contact at OPM, Lawrence President at Lawrence.President@opm.gov if you would like to schedule workshops on your campus.
Lastly, the student caucus hosted its open committee meeting on February 15, 2023. We will be hosting a follow up meeting for students in March. Please check your email for dates. In the meantime, if you have not completed the SWS Annual Student Caucus Committee Survey 2023-2024, please take the time to do so. The survey helps to shape our student priorities and program for the year.
If you’re interested in helping with the student caucus, please reach out to your student representatives Alexis Grant-Panting and Pedrom Nasiri at students@socwomen.org
To read the latest publication of Network News, please visit: https://socwomen.org/networknews/
