WPSA Statement on Racial Violence, Systemic Racism, and Police Brutality

The murders of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd underscore the intolerable cost of racial violence, systemic racism, and police brutality in the United States. Protestors filling our streets are proclaiming their refusal to tolerate the profound racial injustices that have defined our country since its inception. Many of our colleagues and students have joined the struggle for political, institutional, and cultural change.

The Western Political Science Association condemns the systemic racism and institutionalized violence that have inflicted so much destruction on Black lives and communities of color. We recognize the burdens that systemic racism has imposed on Black and Brown colleagues and students in our own institutions. We celebrate the activists and scholars whose hard work over many generations has enabled a greater understanding of and more powerful response to these evils. Read the full statement here.

WPSA Launches New Online Virtual Communities Initiative

The Western Political Science Association is pleased to announce the launching of a new initiative, one to provide year-round scholarly engagement with academics across the region and the globe. The WPSA Virtual Communities, as the initiative is called, will bring members together in virtual meeting rooms to interact in real time at regular intervals throughout the year. Communities will be organized around a variety of academic specializations and themes, including but not limited to existing WPSA sections. To be successful, however, we need help from members who would like to lead some Virtual Communities meetings. To find out about the initiative, and what you can do to help, please click here.

The Climate Crisis, Academic Conferences, and the
Western Political Science Association

A statement reflecting on the choices confronting the WPSA in light of the carbon impact of academic conferences. Written by WPSA president Jamie Mayerfeld, joined by the members of the WPSA Climate Action Committee.

Opportunities for Workshops, Mini-Conferences, and Special Events

The annual meeting not only presents an opportunity for traditional research presentations and panels, but also a place for interested groups to schedule special events and workshops. On the Wednesday right before the conference begins, there may be some space available to accommodate groups who wish to hold workshops or offer short courses. In addition, if you are part of research community that is interested in holding a meeting in the spring, we may be able to accommodate your group by coordinating a mini-conference within the conference. The association does not charge for providing the space and support for these mini-conference, though the attendees are required to register for the WPSA meeting. There is also the opportunity to host receptions, business meetings, and special events. For information about these opportunities, please contact Richard Clucas, WPSA Executive Director, at hprc@pdx.edu.

WPSA Anti-Harassment Policy

1. Purpose

The Western Political Science Association was created for the purposes of promoting the study and teaching of government and politics, to foster research, and to facilitate the discussion of public affairs. The Association promotes these purposes in the spirit of free inquiry and free expression. The primary event in which WPSA members gather is at the Association’s annual conference. Harassment of colleagues, students, or other participants at the conference, or at any other WPSA-sponsored event or forum, undermines the principle of equity at the heart of the Association’s principles and is inconsistent with the principles of free inquiry and free expression. Consequently, harassment is considered by the WPSA to be a serious form of professional misconduct.

The WPSA is committed to providing a safe and welcoming conference environment for all participants, regardless of race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, or religion.

“Participant” in this policy refers to anyone present at or directly involved in WPSA meetings, including staff, contractors, vendors, exhibitors, venue staff, WPSA members, and all other attendees.

2. Expected Behavior

All participants at WPSA meetings are expected to abide by this Anti-Harassment Policy in all meeting venues including ancillary events and official and unofficial social gatherings.
• Abide by the norms of professional respect that are necessary to promote the conditions for free academic interchange;
• If you witness potential harm to a conference participant, be proactive in helping to mitigate or avoid that harm;
• Alert conference or security personnel if you see a situation in which someone might be in imminent physical danger.

3. Unacceptable Behavior

Unacceptable behaviors include:
• persistent and unwelcome solicitation of emotional or physical intimacy;
• persistent and unwelcome solicitation of emotional or physical intimacy accompanied by real or implied threat of professional harm;
• intimidating, harassing, abusive, derogatory, or demeaning speech or actions by any participant in an WPSA meeting and/or at any related event;
• prejudicial actions or comments related to race, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, age, or religion that coerce others, foment broad hostility, or otherwise undermine professional equity or the principles of free academic exchange;
• deliberate intimidation, stalking or following;
• harassing photography or recording;
• sustained disruption of talks or other events;
• physical assault (including unwelcome touch or groping);
• real or implied threat of physical harm.

OUR SUPPORTERS

The Western Political Science Association would not be successful without the generous assistance of a number of outside groups.

We would like to thank the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of San Diego for the financial support it provided for our annual meeting held in San Diego, April 18-20, 2019. The university’s continuing support over the years is much appreciated.

The Pi Sigma Alpha Lecture by UC President Janet Napolitano was one of the highlights of the conference. We want to thank the Center on Global Justice at UC San Diego for co-sponsoring the talk.

The WPSA has been taking steps to improve the services we provide to community college faculty. We would like to thank the American Political Science Association for supporting the community college mini-conference.

Finally, we would like to thank the following exhibitors and advertisers for their participation at our annual meeting:

Cambridge University Press
Oxford University Press
Palgrave Macmillan
Sage Publications
Taylor and Francis/ Routledge
Temple University Press
The Scholar's Choice
The University of Chicago Press
University of Minnesota Press

The contributions made by these are very much appreciated. Again, thank you.