ASA Trustees Adopt Resolution on Virtual and In-Person Meeetings

The American Society for Aesthetics Board of Trustees unanimously adopted on November 17, 2021, a Resolution on Virtual and In-Person Meetings for future meetings, as follows:

WHEREAS, the ASA Board of Trustees

• Recognizes the value of meeting in person for its annual and divisional meetings, to encourage interaction and networking among professional colleagues, as well as the drawbacks of expensive travel, and
• Also recognizes the value of virtual meetings to facilitate professional activities for persons not able to travel to in-person meetings for whatever reason, as well as the loss of informal networking with others in the field.

THEREFORE, the ASA Trustees direct the Secretary-Treasurer, working with the Officers and the BOT,

• To explore virtual meetings that complement the schedule of in-person meetings, including, e.g., Summer Virtual Aesthetics Festivals, possibly in collaboration with such organizations as the British Society of Aesthetics and the International Aesthetics Association
• To encourage the Feminist Caucus Committee and the Diversity Committee to explore meetings and Symposia conducted virtually, to increase participation
• To explore the feasibility of adding a virtual component to divisional meetings and the annual meeting, such as models used by the Dance Studies Association and the American Philosophical Association
• To encourage potential grant applicants to explore virtual presentations at minimal cost for conferences and workshops as an alternative to in-person gatherings;
• To monitor the evolution of technology for hybrid meetings that is cost-effective and logistically realistic for a small society.