MINUTES, ANNUAL MEETING, MASS COMMUNICATION DIVISION, 
SOUTHERN STATES COMMUNICATION ASSOCIATION
Monteleone Hotel, New Orleans, Louisiana, 5:30 p.m. March 31, 2000

The annual business meeting of the Mass Communication Division of the Southern States Communication Association was called to order by Chairwoman Linda Dysart Goff, University of Southern Mississippi, at 5:35 p.m. The Chair asked for approval of the meeting agenda, and it was approved by unanimous consent. The minutes of the last business meeting having been published, approval of the minutes of Secretary Tracy Collins Standley, Southeast Missouri State University, was moved, seconded, and passed unanimously.

Division Chair Goff then reported her observations of and comments on the SSCA Executive Council Meeting, to wit: The Mass Communication Division had 203 members in 1999, making it the second largest division in Southern States Communication Association. Noting that the division started as a small unit in 1976 and had grown to second in size among divisions, the Chair asserted that the division should seek to become the largest division, measured by members, and that the division should seek to have more sessions at SSCA conventions. The SSCA Executive Council has passed a small increase in dues at all membership levels, with an effective date of September 30, 2000. The increase generally is in the range of $5. Members interested in investing in the Life membership level will realize a significant dues advantage if they make that investment prior to September 30. Robert Ivie and Judy Pearson are candidates for National Communication Association Vice President Elect. Gary Copeland, University of Alabama, remains the Mass Communication Divisions delegate to the SSCA Nominating Committee, which is scheduled, constitutionally, to meet at the NCA meeting, though the committee in 1999 did much of its work by e-mail, and that method of meeting by the Nominating Committee was discussed by the Executive Committee, without conclusive action. The Executive Council has approved a casino hotel in Biloxi, Mississippi as the site for the 2003 SSCA convention, to follow the conventions of 2001 in Lexington, Kentucky, and 2002 in Winston-Salem, N. C. Minority recruitment and retention was discussed by the Executive Committee as a project SSCA has been working on, both in the SSCA membership and on the faculties of the institutions represented in SSCA. The Executive Council in 2000 approved the elevation of the Community College Interest Group to the status of a division of SSCA. Discussion at the Executive Council meeting confirmed that, if a division invites a non-member speaker to present at an SSCA convention, the division can apply to SSCA for a waiver of that speaker's convention registration fee. Thus concluded the Chair's report of the 2000 SSCA Executive Council meeting.

Division Vice Chair Tracy Collins Standley then reported that the Mass Communication Division filled eleven program slots in the 2000 SSCA convention program, up one from 1999, including the business meetings for the division and the Mass Communication Research unit, and including the showcase, which counts as two slots. The Vice Chair thanked the division's convention's article jurors for 2000:  Mary Jackson Pitts of Arkansas State University, Berrin Beasley of Southeast Missouri State University, Maria Williams-Hawkins of Ball State University, Linda Goff, and Paul Traudt of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. Division Secretary Bill Swain, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, reported that two division newsletters had been published to the division membership by mail, one in September containing minutes and news from the 1999 division business meeting, and the other in March containing the complete and accurate division program, the latter being important as two of the division's convention programs had been omitted from the SSCA convention program. Division Chair Goff reported that she had had the division program from the second newsletter retyped and reproduced for distribution at the convention.

The Chair then prefaced election of new officers by reading the responsibilities of each office of the division.  It was noted that the chair of the division is expected to attend the National Communication Association convention, there to represent the division on the SSCA Executive Council. The offices of Chair and Vice Chair being constitutionally succeeded to by the Vice Chair and the Secretary/Vice Chair Elect, respectively, the Chair called for nominations for the office of Secretary. John Allen Hendricks, Southeastern Oklahoma State University, was nominated by Bill Swain; the nomination was seconded. Berrin Beasley was nominated by Mary Phillips Duke, Lee University; the nomination was seconded. Secret balloting ensued, and John Allen Hendricks was thereafter pronounced the winner of the secretarial election by a narrow margin. John Allen Hendricks also agreed to continue to serve as the division's representative to the SSCA web site committee. The Chair then called for nominations for the division's SSCA Nominating Committee representative, noting that the office would be filled for a two-year term, and that the representative would represent the division at the 8 a.m. Sunday meeting at SSCA conventions during those two years. Rob Bellamy, Duquesne University, was nominated by Gary Copeland and soberly declared his willingness to acquit the responsibilities of the office. Nominations were then closed, and Rob Bellamy was elected by acclamation, concluding the election of officers.

The Chair then opened the floor to new business. The Chair suggested establishment of a committee for recruitment of new members, panel ideas, and participation in division activities. Establishment of the committee was approved, and Berrin Beasley, John Allen Hendricks, and Paul Traudt volunteered to serve on the committee. An attendance sheet was passed around, and the division's web committee member, John Allen Hendricks, asked those present to indicate willingness to have their e-mail address listed on the division's portion of the SSCA web site. David Goff, University of Southern Mississippi, suggested that it would be simpler to ask those present to indicate unwillingness by check mark, and that was agreed to by unanimous consent. The Chair then called for announcements, and several were forthcoming, as follows: 

     The South Western Council for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (SWEJMC) is seeking a volunteer to serve as historian for the organization and to research and write a comprehensive history of the organization.

     A one-year position in Journalism and Mass Communication is available at Furman University.

      Southwestern Mass Communication Journal, published by SWEJMC, has issued a call for papers for the next issue, with a deadline of May 30, 2000.

Then transpired the ceremonial passing of the gavel from 2000 Chair Linda Dysart Goff to 2001 Chair Tracy Collins Standley. Division Chair Standley then asked the 2001 program planner and new division Vice Chair Bill Swain if he would like to avail himself of the opportunity to call for papers and panels for the 2001 convention. He would, and did. Jim Walker, St. Xavier University, then suggested selecting one or more paper sessions for trial of a new format in which the presentation of the paper by its author(s) be restricted to 10 minutes or less, leaving half the session time for dialogue on the topics presented. Bill Swain then asked the division's web representative, John Allen Hendricks, if there were room on the division's portion of the SSCA web site for posting the text of papers to be presented in such an experimental session so that attendees might have an opportunity to read the papers in advance of the convention, and was assured that there would be web site room to do that. A panel to honor the work of Rob Bellamy was suggested for the division's 2001 SSCA program, and Jim Walker agreed to chair such a panel and to take the lead in its organization.

Several calls then came from the floor, all approved by acclamation, for expressions of appreciation to officers and leaders of the division, and for recognition of achievements, as follows:

     Expression of appreciation to Gary Copeland, 2000 President of Southern States Communication Association, for being the first representative of the Mass Communication Division to rise to that exalted office in what was historically not a mass communication organization, suggested by Paul Traudt.

     Expression of appreciation to Linda Dysart Goff for service as Chair of the Mass Communication Division, suggested by Mary Jackson Pitts.

     Expression of appreciation to Tracy Collins Standley, Vice Chair, for organizing the division's convention program for the 2000 convention, and to Bill Swain, Secretary, for publication and distribution of two division newsletters.

     Recognition of the top faculty paper award to Paul Traudt and Rob Bellamy.

     Recognition of the graduate student paper award to Walter T. Viner, University of Memphis.

     Expression of appreciation for help with the division's convention arrangements to Wendy Hajjar, University of New Orleans, and Roxanna Gee, University of Memphis.

The meeting was informally adjourned at approximately 6:55 p.m.

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