What Am I Doing Here? When Conference Acceptance Doesn’t Mean Conference Inclusion
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Karen R. Tellez-Trujillo, Ph.D. Cal Poly Pomona
The following are some of the barriers I thought I’d come up against, versus what I really experienced:
| The Fear | The Reality |
| Getting accepted/presenting nerves | Presenting to an empty room |
| Finding money to attend | Hundreds of dollars of debt |
| Answering questions during the Q&A | Verbal MMA during theQ&A |
| Autoimmune energy deficiency | Don’t worry, you’renot invited |
| Saying the wrong thing | Being consistently insulted |
| Not fitting in | My body and name won’t/don’t fit |
The following are some ideas for eliminating the difficult reality that is conference attendance for many:
Free
- Allow ALL to celebration of acceptances, publications, awards without attempts at behavioral modification through correction in public and private spaces.
- Introduce graduate students, junior faculty, others to people you know at conferences.
- Consider antiracist language in Calls for Proposals (CFPs). Who are you including/excluding?
- Revisit how we list accommodations on conference websites.
- Assure that all meetings are open to those in attendance.
- Avoid social meetings held by special invitation that don’t welcome “walk-ins.”
- Respect the work that has been done by conference presenters by listening, responding thoughtfully, and offering critical feedback that extends research questions. My presentation isn’t your office.
- Consider and then re-consider conference locations for safety and comfort of BIPoC.
Requires Labor
- Request sponsorships from publishers, hotels, and various vendors make significant amounts of money from registration fees and basic consumerism.
- Train moderators who also work as facilitators at each panel to protect presenters from aggressions and microaggressions disguised as questions.
- Request questions on index cards to avoid surprises for presenters – to be managed by moderator/facilitator/speaker.
Requires Money/Sponsorship
- Wave registration fees for attendance or ask sponsors to pay a number of fees.
- Offer book stipends created in partnership with publishing companies.
- Seek marked discounts on hotel accommodations e.g., “If we have X attendees, number of rooms will be free or discounted.”
- Scholarships and fellowships for flight stipends. (More of these)
- Offer course releases, ample recognition on Retention, Tenure, and Promotion packets for faculty members committed to large conferences that do not have money to pay organizing contributors. I understand this is university specific.
Next Conference
The next Watson Conference is on the horizon. Stay connected for announcements about themes, calls for proposals, and registration.