S-USIH 2017 Conference Updates

Our conference is less than two weeks away!

Here are some important updates and reminders:

REGISTRATION

If you have not already registered for the conference, please do so before Monday, October 16.  We need the most accurate count we can provide to the hotel catering for our Thursday Meet & Greet, our Friday Presidents’ Luncheon, and our Saturday reception.  To register, follow this link:   https://sfusih.wildapricot.org/event-2633470

MENTOR MEETUPS

In addition to the many opportunities for casual socializing during break times and meal times, graduate students attending the conference have the chance to enjoy a conversation with a senior mentor scholar.  Conference committee members Andrew Seal and Christopher Cameron are coordinating this year’s Mentor Meetups.  If you are a graduate student and you want to take advantage of this opportunity to discuss your work and your plans with an established scholar, you can email Andrew at Andrew [DOT] Seal [@] yale [DOT] edu.  If you would like to serve as a mentor, please email Christopher at

SIXTH FLOOR MUSEUM DISCOUNT

Our friends at the Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza in downtown Dallas are offering discounted admission to S-USIH conference attendees.  Registrants will receive this discount offer, good through November 15, as well as a promotional gift from the Museum, in their conference goodie bags.  (Our thanks to the University of North Carolina Press for providing the bags!)

NURSING / INFANT CARE ROOM

We are pleased to provide conference attendees and partners caring for little ones with a quiet room for nursing or infant feeding/care.  Information on the location of that room will be available at registration.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM NOTES

Our thanks to Publications Committee member Ethan Chitty for his diligent work on the design/layout of this year’s conference program.

Our program is now available for download as a .PDF, for those of you who like to keep a copy of the program handy on your smartphones.  You can download that PDF here.

You will receive a hard copy of the program at registration.

Please note that all panels requesting audio-visual capabilities have been assigned to Trinity Ballroom.  This is the only room at the conference that will be equipped with a projector, a screen and a sound system.

For our Friday luncheon, those who have RSVP’ed for lunch will enjoy beef, turkey or portobello mushroom sandwiches, fresh fruit, chips, cookies, and soft drinks. (If you RSVP’d “no” and want to change your mind, drop me an email before Monday, please.)

We have left some open time in the schedule on Friday evening between the last afternoon session and our evening plenary in order to give attendees a chance to grab dinner at one of the many excellent restaurants within steps of our conference hotel.

Coffee and tea will be available for conference attendees in the book exhibit room before the first morning session each day, during the morning break, and during the afternoon break.  We are not planning on ordering decaf coffee, but decaffeinated / herbal teas will be available.

INTERNET

Free internet WiFi is available in the lobby area of the hotel. To receive free in-room internet access, conference hotel guests can join the Marriott Rewards program (details here).

FEEDBACK

Our committee has been hard at work putting together what we trust will be an invigorating and enlightening weekend for all our presenters and guests.  We’ve taken care of every detail that we can think of (and that we can afford!), but of course one can never think of everything.  Your feedback is always welcome, and we hope that you will offer constructive suggestions not only to the current conference committee but also to future conference chairs Tim Lacy (2018), Natalia Mehlman Petrzela (2019), and Sara Georgini (2020).  The more input and information conference chairs have in the early stages of planning, the better they can accommodate our growing membership’s goals for the annual conference.