[URBANTH-L] International Visas, the Question of a "Counter-Conference," and other Queries

[Angela Jancius]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jamila Bargach" <jamila_bargach at usa.net>
To: "'Angela Jancius'" <acjancius at ysu.edu>
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2004 4:27 AM
Subject: RE: [URBANTH-L]AAA Meetings moved to Atlanta

Dear All,

Is this business of moving the meeting to Atlanta already decided? I
can't believe that this is an option that was just thrown in without
even prior mention in earlier exchanges. For those of us who are not ON
the American soil, we have additional hassle business with visas, money
exchange, permissions from our school... etc. The visas given by
consulates are 'limited' in date ... If the AAA is trying to 'buy' time,
it is again jeopardizing its small number of 'foreign' AAA members which
then prompts me to think and rethink about its true 'anthropological'
spirit; being a venue for all those wishing/willing/able to add their
voice to the exchange (well, apparently).  
Thanks for the feedback. 

Jamila Bargach, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor
National School of Architecture
Rabat, Morocco


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Michal Osterweil" <mosterweil at mac.com>
To: "Angela Jancius" <acjancius at ysu.edu>
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2004 11:10 AM
Subject: Re: [URBANTH-L]Feedback On the Move to Atlanta

I agree that we need to publicly refuse to attend, this decision is 
OFFENSIVE and if the AAA insists on sticking by it I would argue that 
we need to organize some sort of response to them ,as feigning a 
democratic "survey" and then making a decision completely out of order 
with any choices offered PAYING and VOTING members is completely 
insane.

I agree with the suggestion for our section to collectively refuse to 
attend. I would go further and say we move to demand registration fees 
in return if AAA persists with this logic in which the only winners are 
the HILTON.

Michal Osterweil
Graduate Student, UNC-Chapel HIllW


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Robert T. O'Brien" <robrien at temple.edu>
To: <urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu>; <angrad at listserv.temple.edu>; <H-MEDANTHRO at H-NET.MSU.EDU>
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2004 12:31 PM
Subject: Mid East Anthros

A colleague in the MESA (which is having the same labor 
problems in SF as the AAA) is looking for Mid East anthros 
who might be willing/able to suggest/support alternatives to 
crossing a picket at their conference.

Any ideas?
R
 ******************************************** 
Robert T. O'Brien 
Ph.D. Candidate
Department of Anthropology 
Temple University 
robrien at temple.edu 
215-803-5181 

[URBANTH-L Moderator's Note:  the Middle East Studies Association has an annual meeting at the SF Hyatt Regency planned for  11/20/2004 - 11/23/2004. For more info:  
http://http://fp.arizona.edu/mesassoc/MESA04/mesa04.htm ]

****************************************

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Maranatha Ivanova 
To: urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu 
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2004 1:13 PM
Subject: counter-conference sounds great

I must say that I found Rob O'Brien's letter compelling and principled. Moving to Atlanta  does nothing more than obviate direct confrontation with the problems faced by the locked out employees--it's like taking an alternate route to avoid having to look at the homeless people sleeping in cardboard boxes on the sidewalk, and calling that detour "solidarity." I cannot see how moving the booking from the SF Hilton to the Atlanta Hilton changes much more than that. The only people who are punished by this choice are the poor grad student members who routinely subsist off less than 20K a year for whom the switch may be prohibitively expensive, adjuncts, lecturers, and other financially vulnerable members of AAA. The Hilton loses very little in this new arrangment, and the locked out workers gain very little from our (symbolically impotent) switch. Not to mention that it's going to be nearly impossible to get plane tickets the weekend before the XMAS holiday, and many of us have final exams to proctor and grades to turn in that cannot be rescheduled. I don't understand why such a huge choice was taken without consulting AAA members. Given the expenses involved in changing plane tickets, hotel reservations and the like, I would not be surprised if many others felt as I do. I would rather voluntarily give a donation to help AAA ofset the costs of moving to San Jose, where our move actually punishes the Hilton and supports the locked out workers, than have to spend even greater sums to make a move that is largely gutted of meaning and does nothing to address the reasons why so many of us prefer to stand is solidarity with the workers of San Francisco. I'm frankly perplexed by the decision and hope that AAA will take Rob's letter seriously. 

--Maranatha Ivanova 
PhD Candidate 
UC Berkeley 

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <asteiner at mail.utexas.edu>
To: <urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu>
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2004 1:24 PM
Subject: strike

Dear Urbanthers:

There is one more option: come down so hard on Hilton that they end 
their lockout in time for our meeting.  After all, there are Hiltons 
and other Hilton-related hotels in all university cities and towns. 
I think we should picket them aggressively, pass out pamphlets saying 
why people shouldn't cross the line, and alert the media at each 
location.  It's obvious we have some eloquent members who could 
compose impactful wording for a pamphlet and a press release focusing 
on the plight of the workers.  Can any of you volunteer to do that? 
Let's get this on national TV as well as in our own venues.

We're starting to plan a strike against Hilton in Austin, but the 
more places strikes occur, the stronger the message.  I suggest we 
shoot for pickets by Oct. 30 and give it a full-blast effort since 
there's not much time before scheduled meetings.  More importantly, 
there are some hard-working, deserving people that need paychecks to 
survive.

Audrey

----- Original Message ----- 
From: Anna Jessica Theissen 
To: Carol Mukhopadhyay ; mjweis at northwestern.edu ; sterling at snowy.SSCL.Berkeley.EDU ; fem-anth-l at uclink4.berkeley.edu ; Elizabeth Dunn ; urbanth-l at lists.ysu.edu ; SEA-L at LISTS.PSU.EDU ; grad-anth at lists.berkeley.edu 
Sent: Saturday, October 23, 2004 1:46 PM
Subject: Re: [AFA] Fwd: Re: AAA EXEC BOARD & LABOR SITUATION IN SF (fwd)
I agree with Carol-
I interpret this move as a way by the AAA to cancel this year's meeting inofficially (well knowing that this is an impossible time -and at this point location- for most of us), without breaking their contract with the hilton. of course, they cannot come out and say so without incurring a lawsuit with hilton.
if nobody shows up in atlanta it will not the AAAs problem, since they have officially moved the meeting. in my opinion the executive committee has essentially honored the membership's vote, while covering the association's back.
So, let's boycott Atlanta in good faith!


Anna Jessica Theissen
>That was my first reaction.
>But then I said perhas this was an unofficial way of essentially canceling the meetings without >doing so officially.
>Because it's hard to imagine very many people coming at that time of the year...right in the midst >of final exams for us, at least.
>So...maybe lots of sessions will be cancelled, it will be a scarecrow meeting, the AAA won't lose >1.2 million dollars.....etc.

>carol mukhopadhyay

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