Friday, Aug. 29, 2003 (6:15 p.m.) Philadelphia, PA
The meeting began at 6:18 p.m.
1. Caucus President Judy Baer Welcomed Attendees
Judy passed around a volunteer list for members to sign.
2. The minutes of last year’s (8/31) meeting were read and approved unanimously.
3. Treasurer Dorothy Stetson shared the 3-year treasurer’s report.
She mentioned that the caucus received $4000 from Hayworth and she will introduce a motion at tomorrow’s breakfast meeting to contribute that money to the Rita Mae Kelly award. Overall, we had more income than expenses.
This is probably based on cost-saving on an e-mail edition of the newsletter.
Stetson announced that she had membership checks for regional caucuses and encouraged treasurers (or members of the regional caucuses) to claim the checks.
4. Kristen Monroe provided a report on the APSA Mentoring Project.
She discussed the fact that much has changed, including three recent female APSA presidents.
The mentoring project will have a regular column in APSA and will co-sponsor APSA panels. They are also seeking outside funding (NSF, Carnegie, etc). Future panel topics include career choices for people in non-research I institutions, people with small children, etc. The Task Force will also be sponsoring meetings at regional meetings.
We need to reconceptualize the concept of mentor. Often the “mentee” feels needy. Scholars at ALL stages of their careers need friendship and advice.
She encouraged EVERYBODY to sign up for the mentoring program. Linda Lopez will be the APSA contact person for this project. APSA has provided funds. We need members and networks to overcome continuing discrimination and barriers facing women in the academy.
5. Martha Ackelsberg presented Sheilah Mann with a framed certificate from the caucus. She thanks Sheilah for her service to the profession and to women. Numerous people described her has a hard-working, quiet feminist activist within the system. Her contributions in the area of teaching were highlighted. Her legacy as project staff person for the commission on the status of women and early women and politics texts were particularly important for women in the profession. Martha acknowledged our collective debt to Sheilah Mann and presented her with a framed certificate.
Sheilah responded that her work was always a labor of love. It was pleasurable to work with caring, energetic women while staffing the committee.
6. Karen O’Connor explained that her official term as editor of Women and Politics ended a year ago. She stayed on one additional year, but will now look ONLY at revise and resubmit proposals. Hayworth has yet to select a new editor. Submissions received this summer were sent to Hayworth.
7. Noelle Norton shared a report from the Nominating Committee (The committee included Noelle Norton, Eloise Buker, and Michele Hoyman. Special thanks was given to Martha Ackelsberg, Judith Baer, and the Committee on the Status of Latinos/Latinas in the Discipline for their help and advice). Norton announced the proposed sets of nominations to the APSA and WCPS committees and executive boards:
85 nominations to APSA standing committees and awards committees. 8 nominations for APSA council
(3 selected: Judy Baer, Joanna Scott, Manny Avalos)
3 nominations for APSA Executive Board
(1 selected Rodney Hero for Vice President)
The Committee proposed three nominations for the WCPS Executive Committee: Laura Woliver for President; Elizabeth Bennion for Secretary (2-year term); and Ronnee Schreiber for Treasurer (2-year term).
The new slate was accepted unanimously.
8. Melissa Haussman reported on the WCPS Quarterly.
We send 380-400 newsletters. Mailing label includes your last renewal date.
Members also receive an e-mail version. Also, she is soliciting news from members and from the regional caucuses and international associations.
Melissa can be contacted at : mhaussma@suffolk.edu
9. Judy Baer discussed the caucus membership in the National Council of Women’s Organizations. Members have been getting e-mails forwarded by Judy. Those in the DC area have been able to attend some of the meetings announced in these e-mail messages. The president will inform members before signing the group’s name to any petitions. All of us do not need to agree with the NCWO positions, but we should not actively oppose these positions.
10. Joanna Scott discussed the nominations to the APSA council. There will be a challenge to the nominations. There will be all-member e-voting within 30 days of this meeting. The election will be open for 30 days. Members should vote by e-mail. (NOTE: The officer slate has not been challenged. They will take office at the conference business meeting.)
11. Pippa Norris made an announcement from the Women & Politics Research Section. The section has proposed a new journal called Politics & Gender. They will discuss this at the section business meeting and are seeking an editorial board.
12. Martha Ackelsberg announced that the Committee on the Status of Women is working on a collection of best practices regarding family-friendly policies. Members are encouraged to submit their ideas and experiences for a report in PS to be published next year.
A member suggested that we might send this report DIRECTLY to chairs.
13. Georgia Duest-Lahti reminded members about the Rita Mae Kelly fund that will provide a young scholar with a scholarship. Members were urged to contribute.
14. Michael Britnall answered a question about the fact that we had three female presidents in a row after the membership suggested that we not have more than two presidents of the same gender consecutively. He stated that the nominating committee was aware of the resolution.
15. Judy passed the (proverbial) gavel (actually 3 years of volunteer lists) to the new president Eloise Buker.
Eloise thanked the outgoing officers for the work they have done on behalf of the caucus and reminded members to attend the reception and tomorrow’s breakfast meeting.
Respectfully Submitted,
Elizabeth A. Bennion, Secretary


Minutes of the Women’s Caucus for Political Science Meeting
Saturday, August 30, 2003 (7 a.m.) Philadelphia, PA
The meeting began at 7:15 a.m.
1. Eloise Buker asked all members present to introduce themselves, and their institutional affiliations, and to announce any job openings in their departments. Several members announced job openings and encouraged people to pass the word to strong candidates.
2. Members were encouraged to send Melissa Haussman items for the caucus newsletter.
President Elect Laura Woliver was introduced by Eloise who will be working with her throughout the year.
3. Margaret Levi, President-Elect APSA, was please to make some brief remarks to the caucus. She was particularly pleased to get the invitation from former classmate, Judy Baer. She thanked the caucus for its support of women and its role in changing the face of the association. She also thanked us for initiating the mentoring program, and asked for our help in keeping it strong. She also mentioned the rule about gender succession, and said she was never happier to break a rule.
4. Members learned more about the upcoming election and Perestroika’s movement to nominate Perry Swartz-Shea for council in order to force the association to hold a mail vote (rather than simply voting up or down on a complete slate). All 14,000 APSA members will receive the ballot.
5. Members indicated a need to receive information about membership renewal via e-mail as well as in the hardcopy newsletter.
6. Julie Jordan-Zachery mentioned that the Women of Color Committee has struggled with its relationship to the women’s caucus. The nature of the relationship, and the mandate of the committee, has been unclear. They provided a proposal to maintain the relationship with the caucus while making links with other APSA sections.
The proposal entitled: “A Modest Proposal for Reorienting the Women of Color Committee of the Women’s Caucus for Political Science” was approved unanimously.
The proposal reads as follows: The Women of Color Committee (WCC) has, for the past several years, struggled with its identity and purpose in relationship to the Women’s Caucus. While seeing this relationship as valuable and worthy of continuation in a number of ways, it also has seemed insufficient to continue as it has. Among central points of reflection has been the Committee’s desire to reach into areas better associated with the research sections such as Women and Politics and Race and Ethnicity. Further, the Thursday reception–a wonderful event made possible by the Women’s Caucus–has many co-sponsors. Those co-sponsors are also important to the work of the Committee. Therefore the committee recommends the following changes, both official and in common practices.
A Caucus Committee • The WCC remains a committee of the Women’s Caucus, and the president of the Caucus appoints its leaders.
• Leaders will include co-chairs, who serve for two-year, staggered terms, and two additional members who hold similar terms.
• Each year the Caucus nomination committee will ask the current co-chairs to recommend new leaders, and the president is expected to consider seriously those recommendations.
• Additional working members may join at the pleasure of the co-chairs. With Bridge: Joint Members Because the work of the Committee necessitates widespread collaboration, the Committee will seek collaborations with relevant sections and caucuses.
• The WCC leadership will approach APSA affiliated groups and research sections that are consistent with the Committees initiatives seeking partners. The aim is for each partner to appoint one “joint member” for a term of one or two years. The joint member’s purpose is to strengthen collaborative efforts, including improved communication and effective use of resources.
• Once established, each year, WCC co-chairs will approach partners informing them of initiatives, and to secure the appointment of a joint member.
The Women of Color Committee then remains a committee of the Women’s Caucus for Political Science, but has a formal mechanism to ensure greater collaboration with appropriate affiliated groups and sections of the APSA.
7. Dorothy Stetson noted that we will donate $100 to Schlesinger to maintain archive files. She also made a motion that the secretary should be responsible for maintaining archives by taking files and sending them into the library once each year.
Members discuss the concern about adding this responsibility to a junior faculty member’s duties. Yet, they also indicated concern about losing records.
One member suggested an archival secretary with a long (ongoing) term. This would require a bylaw change. We will need to propose this next year. A new motion was proposed: Secretary will act as archives secretary this year. The motion passed.
8. Dorothy Stetson mentioned our 2-year gift for $4000 from Hayworth Press to recognize a person who pursued the goals of the caucus. She suggested that we donate this money to the Rita Mae Kelly Fund.
The motion passed unanimously.
9. Members ask about the Mary Leper Award. Accounting-wise, there is no separate fund. Over time, all the money was lumped together and award was paid out of general fund. Members wondered whether APSA could set up endowments. Caucus officers will look into the possibility of establishing a separate fund for this and similar award accounts.
10. The Rite Mae Kelly award is set up as a Centennial Account. The goal is to raise $50,000. The caucus, the section, Race & Ethnicity, and Latino Politics will all be asked to contribute. It will provide a $3000 award for a junior faculty member.
11. Eloise mentioned that she will update the website. She will take care of this, but she would like help in establishing a listserv. If members have ideas for the website, they should e-mail Eloise.
12. Eloise announced this years panels sponsored by the Caucus. The meeting was adjourned.

Respectfully Submitted,

Elizabeth A. Bennion, Secretary

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