These Task Forces and a call for nominations will be in the April issue of Footnotes . For an association of its size, ASA has more journals than most, and has a cafeteria plan where members select the journals they wish to receive and where the majority of members are required to take two. Such a structure is costly to the members and to the Association in comparison to associations that have one or two journals or require all members take one journal and elect others. The Publications Committee, the Committee on the Executive Office and Budget, and Council felt compelled to examine our dues structure and consider changes that could benefit our members and also ensure a dynamic publications program. Council reviewed models for decoupling journals from the dues, while keeping changes revenue neutral for members who elected to take the same package.
Council sees decoupling to have advantages to members.
A proposal will be part of a special ballot in September. While dues changes require a vote of the membership, there is another message behind this special ballot. This topic will be on the agenda of the Business Meeting at the Annual Meeting and also will be a threaded discussion in the Member Forum on the ASA homepage. Thus far, that Task Force recommended that a modified version of COC be reinstated. While supportive of this change, Council believed this topic, too, should be discussed at the Annual Meeting.