2004 MINUTES

  INITIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING

The meeting of the Executive Committee was called to order at the Salt Palace Convention Center by President Angela James at 5:15 pm, November 13, 2004.  Present were Executive Committee members Ronald Ochoa, Michael Levin and Norman Fashing (also Secretary/Treasuer).  Committee members absent were Hans Klompen, Quentin Fang, Lynell Tanigoshi, and David James.  Also absent were President Elect Doug Norris, Past-president Carl Childers, Archivist James Keirans, and Newsletter Editor Harold Harlan.

Student Awards Committee:  President  James announced that Sandy Allan was stepping down as chair of the Student Awards Committee this year, and that Diana Sammataro volunteered to take over that position.  The topic then turned to a discussion of methods to encourage student membership.  It was decided that the ASA should formally recognize exceptional student contributions to acarology at annual meetings.  A committee will be formed to work out the details, and the first formal recognition of students will take place at the 2005 annual business meeting in Fort Lauderdale. 

Newsletter:  It was decided that newsletter issues should be published in March and July, and that the present dues structure should be retained. 

Journal:  The discussion then turned to membership benefits and the possibility of a journal.  President James said her e-mail poll of Executive Committee members resulted in a negative vote on negotiating a reduced membership price for Experimental and Applied Acarology.  The main objection was the cost of the journal and the minimum number of members that Kluer Publishing Company required in order to obtain a reduced subscription price.  It was suggested that the ASA investigate the possibility of joining with the Systematic and Applied Acarological Society in publishing their journal.  Ron Ochoa said he would discuss the issue with Zhi-Qiang Zang, Editor-In-Chief of Systematic and Applied Acarology, and report back to the Executive Committee. 

Formal Symposium Lecturer:  President James then brought up the establishment of a formal lecture by a prominent acarologist to be given at each annual meeting as part of the symposium.  The lecturer would be chosen by the symposium organizers and could also be provided an honorarium of a yet to be determined amount.  President James said that an earlier e-mail poll of Executive Committee members resulted in a 50:50 vote for such a lecture series.  A committee will be formed to study the issue and report back to the Executive Committee.

Constitution and Bylaws:  Secretary/Treasurer Norm Fashing reminded committee member that the Constitution and Bylaws were in need of updating and that he had sent copies of those documents as well as a copy of a file outlining the duties of the various ASA offices as e-mail attachments earlier in the year.  It was decided that officers and Executive Committee members should read those documents and send suggested revisions/corrections to all members of the Executive Committee.

2005 Symposium Topic:  A possible topic for next year’s formal symposium was then discussed.  The only topic suggested was by Ron Ochoa and involved “Invasive mites and ticks”.  With no other suggestions, it was decided that this topic would be proposed at the business meeting.   

Election Nominations:  President James informed the Committee of the candidates nominated for election at the 2004 annual business meeting: President-elect (David James and Michael Levin), and Executive Committee (Lorenza Beati, Joel Hutcheson, Gary Mullen and Jay Yoder).  Norman Fashing pointed out that a one year replacement for Executive Committee member Doug Norris was needed and that one more person should therefore be added to the list of nominees.  Ron Ochoa volunteered to be placed on the list since his current term will expire in 2004.  The Committee agreed to add his name to the candidate list.

The meeting adjourned at 6:15 pm.

ANNUAL BUSINESS MEETING


The annual business meeting was called to order in the Salt Palace Convention Center by President Angela James at 4:00 pm, November 14, 2004.  President James thanked the speakers and moderators for an excellent 2004 program. 

Student Awards:  President James announced the winner of the 2004 Camin Award, an annual financial award presented to a graduate level student to assist in attending the Acarology Summer Program at Ohio State University or an equivalent institution where they can obtain training in acarine systematics.  This year Hans Klompen, Angela James, and Norman Fashing reviewed the applications and selected Fiaboe Komi, Kenyatta University, Nairobi, Kenya, as the winner.  President James then called upon Student Awards Committee chair Sandy Allan to announce the winners of the ASA student awards.  Michael McAloon, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Connecticut, was the recipient of both the Travel Award and the Best Student Paper Award.
Election of Officers:  An election was held to fill the positions of President-elect, two three-year Executive Committee terms, and one one-year Executive Committee term.  Candidates proposed by the Executive Committee for President-elect were David James and Michael Levin, and for the Executive Committee, Lorenza Beati, Joel Hutcheson, Gary Mullen Jay Yoder and Ron Ochoa.  Nominations were opened to the floor, but none came forth. 
Secretary/Treasurer’s Report:  Norman Fashing reported that the balance in the ASA account stood at $8,488.66. Still outstanding for the 2004 meeting were the student travel award and the invited speaker honorarium. 

Newsletter Editor’s Report:  Harold Harlan thanked Joel Hutcheson for his help in producing and sending the electronic newsletter.  Newsletters in 2005 will be published the last week of March and July, and Harold requested that information for the newsletter be sent to him well ahead of the publication schedule.  This year some items arrived too late to be included.  President James announced that 2005 dues must be paid by mid-March to remain on the membership list and receive a newsletter.   

Membership Decline:  :President James commented on the membership drop in ASA, and announced that the Executive Committee was working on ways to potentially increase membership by providing more benefits.  A committee will be formed to investigate the implementation of a method to recognize exceptional acarological research by students, both undergraduate and graduate.  Another committee will investigate the possible implementation of an annual lecture by an acarologist of national or international stature at the annual meeting symposium.  Ron Ochoa will head a committee to investigate the possibility of an association of a journal with membership in the ASA.  And, last but not least, it was suggested that mentors encourage their students to join the ASA.

2005 Symposium Topic:  President James called for topics for the 2005 ASA symposium from the floor.  None came forth.  She said the Executive Committee had discussed the issue and proposed the topic “Invasive mites and ticks”.  After a discussion, it was decided to go with the Executive Committee topic and that Ron Ochoa would organize the symposium.  It was suggested that an attempt be made to coordinate the ASA program with the ESA Section D program.  Angela James said she and Doug Norris had attended the Section D business meeting last year and requested Section D not schedule programs to conflict with the ASA program.  They will request this again this year.

Election Results:  It was announced that David James had been elected to serve as President-elect, and  Joel Hutcheson, Gary Mullen (three-year terms) and Ron Ochoa  (one-year term) to serve on the Executive Committee.  
Installation of New President:  President James installed Doug Norris as the 2005 ASA President and passed the gavel.  President Norris then presented Past-president Angela James with a plaque recognizing her contributions to the Society.  President Norris then asked for new business from the floor, but none was brought forth. 

The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 pm.

FINAL  EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEETING


The Executive Committee meeting was reconvened at 4:35 p.m. on November 15 by President Doug Norris in the Hilton Salt Lake City Center lobby.  Members present included Angela James (Past-president), David James (President-elect and Executive Committee member), Norm Fashing  (Secretary/Treasurer), Harold Harlan (Newsletter Editor), and Garry Mullen, Michael Levin, and Ron Ochoa  (Executive Committee Members).  Absent were Archivist James Keirans, and Executive Committee members Hans Klompen and Joel Hutcheson.

Committees:  The formation of the committees discussed at the initial Executive Committee meeting and the Business Meeting were discussed.  The Lecture Committee will include Angela James and Gary Mullen, and  the Student Recognition Committee will include Michael Levin and Sandy Allan.  The committees will request the help of others as necessary.

Constitution and Bylaws:  Executive Committee members were reminded that they should review the Constitution and Bylaws and the Officer Duties booklet and send comments concerning corrections and modifications to all Committee members by January 1, 2005.  Committee members will then examine all comments and make suggestions for final changes.  Doug Norris will be in charge of reviewing the comments, revising the documents, and producing rough drafts to be sent to the Executive Committee for approval.

Symposium Speaker Honorarium:  The amount of the honorarium for the 2004 invited speaker was discussed.  It was decided that $700 would be appropriate.  It was suggested that a maximum honorarium amount should be established, and the Executive Committee agreed.  The Executive Committee will wait for the report from the Lecture Committee before determining a maximum for honoraria. 

2005 ASA Meeting:  Discussion turned to the 2005 ASA meeting.  Ronald Ochoa will organize the symposium, and David James will coordinate the submitted papers session. It was pointed out that there will again be an early deadline for the submission of papers since the session is now handled as an ESA “symposium”.  It was suggested that a call for papers be sent to ASA members by e-mail and also to all acarologists who subscribe to the acarology list server.
President Norris adjourned the meeting at 5:15 p.m..

Minutes respectfully submitted,
Norman Fashing, Secretary/Treasurer