Qualitative Research in Geography Specialty Group (QRSG)

Minutes

Denver Business Meeting, April 2005

I. Opening

The session opened with the co-chairs (2003-2005), Heather Merrill and Karen Till, thanking the specialty group board and members for support during their two years of service as chairs. The members in turn thanked Heather and Karen for their commendable efforts.

II. Notes from the Specialty Group Chairs’ Meeting:

• AAG Diversity Task Force attempting to recruit, especially undergraduates. How can the QRSG help with this?
• AAG is encouraging/demanding a shift to on-line administrative functions, such as chairs’ reports, membership lists, discussion boards, and SG archives.
• AAG wants SGs to come forward with suggestions and requests for next year’s meeting.
• Question of holding SG meetings in the morning (this was not popular).
• We should put technical business stuff on-line, such as the Treasurer’s Report.
• There were complaints about overlap of sessions à we need to send e-mail to Oscar Larsen at the AAG re: overlap. Check the preliminary program carefully and e-mail Oscar. [Who should do this?]
• With 3400 sessions at the Denver meetings, the AAG is pushing for more posters and illustrated paper sessions as well as creative new formats that will take less time than traditional sessions.
• Apparently there are discounts to AAG members on non-AAG journals. Not known which ones.
• Outreach: we need to be active in defining our strengths. The question of getting free passes for meeting registration was raised, for outside speakers, etc. The Council is reluctant on this matter but we wondered about petitioning them.

III. Ideas for Restructuring the Board positions and related group activities/division of labor:

• Student Research Grant Competition Coordinator (plus one helper, 5 total referees for the competition)
• AAG sessions and Special Events Coordinator (approvals for session sponsorship, organizing speakers, coordinating with webpage)
• Teaching and Research Resources Coordinator (managing syllabi, bibliographies, weblinks, other resources)
• ‘Progress Reports’ for Webpage (conference summaries, book reviews, article reviews, new methods/approaches, etc.) – Secretary?
• PR/Fund-Raising Coordinator (tips on finding money for research, software and equipment grant info, matching grants from departments, conducting fee-based workshops, etc.) – Treasurer?

IV. Treasurer’s Report

Patricia Ehrkamp delivered the Treasurer’s Report.

V. Student Paper Competition Report, Fernando Bosco (see spreadsheet)

Winners: Luke Dickens, Royal Holloway University of London

            Morgan Windram, Pennsylvania State University

It was suggested to move the deadline somewhat later in the spring, though that may be hard in 2006 with the early dates of the meeting. All other suggestions regarding the competition may be submitted to Fernando.

VI. Newsletter and Webpage update

·        Newsletter editor has left school. Perhaps the Newsletter position should be a Board member job? Do we need a newsletter?

·        Webpage: Meghan Cope will continue to update. Please send content and ideas.

VII. Sessions and Events: Ideas for 2006

·        Sessions focused on ethnography, focus groups, participatory research, geo-ethnography were suggested

·        A session on writing proposals and finding funding (the success of this year’s session was noted and it was suggested to repeat this every year)

·        Author meets the critics: Dydia DeLyser and Karen Till both have new books out

·        Linked sessions were proposed: match a paper session based on research presentations with a panel on methodologies used in the research papers

·        Panel discussion on using Computer Aided Qualitative Data Analysis Software (CAQDAS). Hilda Kurtz volunteered to organize this.

·        Funding for events: this remains an open question

VIII. Software Funds

Many of the student research competition proposals included requests for money for CAQDAS. Perhaps we need to make suggestions regarding sources for software: discounts from companies? Commitments from department chairs or university offices of research? Faculty grants? Advertising? [Not clear who will spearhead this discussion]

IX. Elections of Officers

By unanimous vote, the following members will take on these positions:

Co-Chairs: Fernando Bosco and Dydia DeLyser (2005-2007)

New Board Members (2005-2007):

Sasha Davis (UVM)

Jennifer Fluri (Dartmouth)

Rebecca Sheehan (LSU)

Perry Carter (Texas Tech)

It was also unanimously decided that the group would take up the offer of Heather Merrill and Karen Till to serve as “Past Chairs” for one year. This will allow past chairs to share their knowledge and experience with new chairs and create better continuity for the governance of the QRSG. [This should be added to the by-laws.]

There being no other business, the meeting adjourned.

Respectfully submitted by ad hoc minute-taker, Meghan Cope