Board member Bill Butz will be the PAA representative to the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Those with suggestions on how to improve the integration of demographic sciences into AAAS, or the chances of demographic papers being accepted in the journal are invited to contact him (wbutz@n$
Publications Committee Report
Omer Galle, Chair of the Publications Committee, reported on the Committee's recommendation to the Board that back issues of Demography be included in the JSTOR, a Mellon-foundation initiated project to put academic journals online and on CD-ROM. Inclusion would be subject to the proviso that access fees be capped at a low rate for PAA members and that issues more recent than five years before the current date be excluded. At the moment, it is felt that the technology is outrunning the market, so this will be taken slowly. There are concerns about what it might do to subscriptions and requests for back issues. [Editor's note: Population Index volumes prior to 1972 when they were included in POPLINE would be part of the JSTOR project].
PAA Meeting Attendance
Attendance at the meetings was estimated to be almost as high as that for the San Francisco meeting, which set a record. Requiring all presenters to be members of PAA improved the registration numbers. The Board felt that the number of sessions was about right, and they anticipated a satisfactory annual meeting. Karen Mason said that her planning for the Washington
DC meetings next year will follow Doug Massey's model. She has set up a homepage to receive suggestions and disseminate information about the meetings. (See next column.)
The Board reviewed the way in which member-initiated affiliated meetings are associated with the annual meeting. It was decided that the official program be limited to only the president's program and PAA Board committees. Other, affiliated meetings will be listed on a separate page in the program book, as "member-initiated meetings." They will be accommodated on a space-available basis.
Public Affairs Committee Report
Anne Harrison-Clark, Public Affairs Representative, and Beth Soldo, Chair of the Public Affairs Committee, reviewed how recent Congressional activities affected funding for demographic research. With the changing composition of Congress and increasing concern for the federal budget deficit, PAA's notion of success on the Hill has changed also. No longer can we regularly anticipate large increases in funding for demographic research. Last year, for example, NIH funding was maintained and even slightly increased, while massive cuts at NSF were avoided and some initial cuts in the budget of the Census were reversed. The Population Program at USAID did not fare so well. The 1997 budget hearings on the Hill have already begun and this summer is expected to be a busy time for the Committee.
Personnel Changes
Jeff Evans' term as Secretary-Treasurer will end on July 1. Doug Massey, the current PAA President, nominated Jim Weed (of NCHS) to serve as the next Secretary-Treasurer of the PAA. Weed's candidacy was unanimously approved by the Board and Weed was appointed by the President for a three-year term starting July 1, 1996. Jennifer Rusch has submitted her resignation as Executive Administrator, effective mid-May, and a search has been instituted for a replacement. Jen Suter will temporarily serve in the capacity of administrator.