Council Policy Manual: J. Convention Affairs

The APA Policy Manual is a collection of policy actions taken by the APA Council of Representatives. This edition includes actions taken after 1960 and up to but not including August 2001. The texts included in the Manual are the texts of the actual motions passed by Council.

• I. Child Care
  
• II. Dates and Length of Convention
  
• III. Division Programs
  
• IV. Listing Author Names
  
• V. Listing Non-APA Meetings
  
• VI. Physical and Social Accessibility
  
• VII. Selection of Site
  
• VIII. Speaker Expenses
  
• IX. Student Attendance

I. CHILD CARE

1. 1977

Council voted that a child care facility be provided as a regular convention service, with APA's paying the unavoidable costs, but that no hourly fees be charged to students registered at the convention or to other convention registrants with annual family incomes under $10,000. (Hourly rates for others will be according to a sliding scale based on annual family income.)

II. DATES AND LENGTH OF CONVENTION

1. 1958

Council voted that the time span of the convention should be allowed some flexibility to meet exigencies of space, but in no case should it exceed seven days.

2. August 1992

Council approved having the dates for the annual convention remain as presently defined by the Board of Convention Affairs from the second Friday in August to the following Tuesday.

III. DIVISION PROGRAMS

1. 1958

Council recommended to divisions that they designate divisional program chairmen at least a year before they are to assume office so that planning discussions for the next convention can be initiated during the week of the proceeding convention; and that the lack of experience which handicaps divisional program chairmen could be minimized by adoption of a scheme of succession similar to that employed for the APA Convention Program Committee, whereby a member of the committee progresses from membership to the chairmanship over a three-year period, or such other rotation plan as seems feasible.

2. 1958

Council voted that in order to assure adequate scientific screening of programs for which the APA may be held accountable by the public, all substantive programs should be submitted through an APA division, whether such programs are initiated by an individual or by some organization not an integral part of the APA.

IV. LISTING AUTHOR NAMES

1. 1958

Council approved the policy that the order of listing of authors' names on joint papers should follow the principle that the person who will read the paper be listed first.

V. LISTING NON-APA MEETINGS

1. 1958

Council directed the Convention Program Committee to list pre- or post-convention sessions, limited attendance meetings, and meetings for which a fee is charged, provided the committee judges the meeting to be: (a) of interest to the membership, and (b) the requesting organization be nonprofit making, or governmental, or an organization affiliated with the APA.

2. 1958

Council voted that business meetings and presidential addresses for organizations not an integral part of APA should be scheduled at the discretion of the Convention Program Committee.

VI. PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL ACCESSIBILITY

1. 1982

On the recommendation of the Board of Social and Ethical Responsibility for Psychology and the Board of Directors, Council voted to adopt the "Guidelines on Physical and Social Accessibility" as a statement of goals, with specific reference to the annual convention. [See Appendix J - VI.1]

VII. SELECTION OF SITE

1. 1956

Council voted that the Board of Directors shall have the power to determine the location of convention sites.

2. 1988

APA reaffirms its opposition to laws criminalizing consensual adult sexual behavior in private and directs the Board of Convention Affairs to consider the presence of such laws as a factor in the selection of future convention sites and in programming.

VIII. SPEAKER EXPENSES

1. 1961

Council voted that expenses incurred when APA officers invite non-APA members to participate in the APA-wide programs at the Annual Convention be considered a legitimate convention expense and that distinguished speakers who are invited to address the convention should be offered reimbursement for expenses and may receive an honorarium when they are not members of the APA.

IX. STUDENT ATTENDANCE

1. 1990

Council voted to approve the following resolution concerning student attendance at the convention:

"That the Board of Convention Affairs develop procedures to reduce expenses for students to attend the APA annual meeting. These procedures should include but not be limited to:

1. procurement of low-cost housing (e.g., university dormitories, hotels, Y's etc.)

2. procurement of low-cost meals (e.g., package housing and meal arrangements through universities, hotels, Y's, etc.)

3. procurement of low-cost transportation packages including bus, train, and air specifically for students."

Council Policy Manual: Table of Contents | Introduction | A. Elections | B. Awards | C. Membership | D. Human Resources | E. Ethics | F. Board of Directors | G. Divisions and State and Provincial Associations | H. Organization of APA | I. Publications and Communcations | J. Convention Affairs | K. Educational Affairs | L. Professional Affairs | M. Scientific Affairs | N. Public Interest - Part 1 | N. Public Interest - Part 2 | N. Public Interest - Part 3 | N. Public Interest - Part 4 | N. Public Interest - Part 5 | O. Ethnic Minority Affairs | P. International Affairs | Q. Central Office | R. Financial Affairs