How amazing that in just one week we will be gathering in Birmingham, AL to have our first in-person meeting since spring of 2019. Unbelievable, actually, but oh so exciting! This announcement contains the basics that everyone should know as we all make our final preparations for SSS 2022.
This note contains information on:
· The SSS 2022 Mobile App
· Pre- and OnSite Registration
· OnSite Accommodations at SSS 2022
· COVID Precautions and Protocols
· Presenting, Presiding, and Posters
· And more!
Mobile App
Everyone should download the Mobile App for SSS 2022. In addition to the PDF of the Final Program as well as having a hard copy in each breakout room, the SSS 2022 Mobile App is the best way to navigate the annual meeting.
- Go to the App Store or Play Market, download the ATTENDIFY App, and then search for and download the “Southern Sociological Society 2022 Meeting” within the ATTENDIFY app.
- Set up a Profile, make it public, and begin connecting with others at SSS 2022
- We will use #southerns2022 to share all things SSS 2022 on the app and social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, etc).
- There is an easily searchable and complete schedule that can be filtered by day
- The Executive Office will also send out push notifications throughout the meeting for key events and updates
Pre Registration and Onsite Registration
- Pre Registration and Onsite Registration will be located in the Sheraton Ballroom Vestibule and Ballroom Coatroom respectively
- If you have paid both your membership dues AND conference registration fees on or before April 5th, 2022 you should visit the Pre-Registration desk to pick up your conference materials. To check the status of your dues and fees, visit http: join.southernsociologicalsociety.org
- If you need to pay either your dues and/or fees on-site, visit the OnSite registration table. We accept card, check, and cash. (At this time we are unable to process AMEX or Discover cards)
- All attendees registering OnSite must show a COVID-19 vaccination card and agree to adhere to the SSS Anti-Harassment policy
- Each attendee with a paid membership and registration will receive a name tag and a lanyard that will be required for access to event spaces
- Please note that per SSS Policy: All conference participants listed in the annual program are required to be current dues-paying members and each author must register for the conference by paying conference fees. To check the status of your registration or to renew your membership/pay dues, you may visit http://join.southernsociologicalsociety.org to check your SSS Member Portal (accessed via your email).
On-Site Accommodations
- Lactation Space
- Gender Neutral Bathrooms
- Safe Space/Low Stimulation Room
- Community Space
- Coffee and Tea
- Free WiFi in all SHERATON breakout rooms (but NOT in FORUM rooms)
- Organization and Publisher Exhibitions
- Keep an eye out for all the book signings going on throughout the conference
- See program for dates, times, and availability for each accommodation. This list can also be found on our mobile app!
COVID Precautions and Procedures
SSS 2022 was designed with the ongoing pandemic in mind as we work to have a safe in-person academic conference.
- All registered attendees of SSS 2022 must be vaccinated against COVID-19
o Those registering Onsite must have a COVID-19 vaccination card - All registered attendees of SSS 2022 must wear a mask at all times except when eating or drinking. SSS will provide each attendee with a KN95 mask at registration.
- Breakout rooms have been set up with social distancing guidelines in mind
- Room capacities in breakout rooms have been reduced. If a session has no available chairs, that session will be closed to more people
- Members can use a red, yellow, or green sticker affixed to their name tag to indicate their individual comfort with social distancing during interactions.
- Hand sanitizer stations will be available throughout the conference
- See the Mobile App for more information and for testing locations and protocol during the conference should you exhibit symptoms
Presentations, Posters, Presiding, Oh My
Both presenters and presiders should have already received communications about those responsibilities – please check your email records (and spam!), here are some basics…
- Presiders please ensure that you have communicated to those in your session and familiarize yourself with the role. Communicate the time that each person will have for their presentation and ensure that someone will bring a laptop. When there, make sure to keep time and leave time for Q&A
- Breakout rooms will be equipped with a projector and a screen but not a laptop. Presiders should have communicated with presenters to ensure that ONE laptop is at each and every session. Some larger rooms will have a small PA for audio.
- The projectors owned by SSS have HDMI and VGA cords. Due to the wide variety of laptops and required connections, SSS does not own converters. Whichever laptop is being used for the session, make sure to have a converter from whatever output the laptop has to HDMI (or VGA).
- Note that the Sheraton rooms WILL have WiFi (see access info above and on the Mobile App), Forum rooms will NOT have WiFi
- Presenters should plan on having their presentations on USB drives and/or send them to the Presider (if directed to do so by the Presider) beforehand.
- As a reminder, all attendees, and, thus, all presenters, will be vaccinated and masked. Presentations are to be given masked.
- There will be no head table for presenters to sit at this year. Instead, the first row of chairs will be reserved for the presenters and others in session roles.
- Once all chairs in a room are filled, there will be no more individuals allowed in the session room (i.e., there will be no standing or sitting on the floor).
- Each room will have a sheet of A/V equipment troubleshooting along with contact information for our A/V Coordinator, Anne Patrick.
- For those in Poster sessions, SSS has easels and 30” x 40” foam boards along with binder clips for presenters to affix their Posters. Please take your poster with you after your session.
Parking
If you need parking while at SSS 2022, parking is $8.00/night for conference attendees. This parking is the overnight self-parking rate in the 22nd street deck. You will receive a hanging tag which allows in/out privileges.
Our Collective Responsibility at SSS 2022
At SSS 2022 all members will adhere to the COVID protocols and Anti-Harassment policy. Please respect all COVID protocols while participating in SSS 2022 events. And, as a reminder, our annual meeting is convened for the purposes of professional development and scholarly educational interchange in the spirit of free inquiry and free expression. Harassment of colleagues, students, hotel staff or other conference participants undermines the principle of equity at the heart of these professional fora and is inconsistent with the principles of free inquiry and free expression. Consequently, harassment is considered by SSS to be a serious form of professional misconduct.
We hope you will thoroughly enjoy SSS 2022, President Bohon’s theme of “Invisibility,” James Maples’ and Carmel Price’s Program Committee’s all-encompassing program of sessions and events, the Local Arrangement Committee’s advice on engaging with all things Birmingham, and Vice President Lippard’s Honors Convocation and slate of SSS candidates (you can meet some of them at the Welcome Reception, the Student Mixer, and other spaces – look for their buttons), and, a variety of new and traditional elements as we embark on our first in-person meeting in three years!
We are very excited!
Stop by and say hello.
Sincerely,
David L. Brunsma, SSS Executive Officer
Lyla Byers, SSS Assistant Executive Officer