December 2010

Volume 38 • Number 9 • December 2010 New Department of Education Rules Raise ASA to Move 2011 Questions about “Quality” in Higher Ed Annual Meeting inside Margaret Weigers Vitullo, ASA Academic The impetus for the new rules is from Chicago and Professional Affairs Program the proliferation of for-profit institu- The ASA is moving its 2011 An- n October 29, 2010, the U.S. tions of higher education, where nual Meeting from Chicago in 3 The Framing of Bullying in ODepartment of Education students often have lower than response to a labor dispute involv- Policy released 13 new rules related to pro- average completion rates and higher ing hotels in the city, including The ASA Congressional Fellow gram integrity and gainful employ- than average student loan default those that had been scheduled on sociological factors that ment in higher education. The new rates. According to the Department to host the meeting. ASA Council need to be considered in the rules will go into effect on July 1, of Education, the purpose of the new voted unanimously to move the meeting from Chicago because policy-based response to 2011. A second set of rules that rules is “protecting students from ASA cannot guarantee that the bullying. further define the gainful employ- aggressive or misleading recruit- facilities and environment neces- ment regulations will be released ing practices, providing customers sary for a successful meeting will in early 2011 and go into effect in with better information about the 5 Having Trouble Accessing effectiveness of career college and be available. The Association is Your Journals? the summer of 2012. The lengthy currently involved in negotia- negotiated rule-making process training programs, and ensuring We have a step-by-step guide tions for an alternative site for the that was used in preparing the only eligible students or programs to navigating access to ASA 2011 Annual Meeting and will new rules has, according to Insider receive aid.” Consistent with their journals. initial impetus, the most demanding announce the new location soon. Higher Ed, resulted in “one of the The meeting will still take place rules, related to reporting comple- most complex sets of regulations in mid August, though the exact tion rates and gainful employment 7 What the ‘10 Election ever to be promulgated by the U.S. dates may change slightly. The Means for the Social Department of Education.” latest updates will appear on the Continued on page 6 Sciences? ASA website <www.asanet.org>. Research and statistics could be on the cutting block with the new U.S. Congress. The Social and Behavioral Sciences Look to Candidates the Future at COSSA Annual Meeting for 2011 ASA 11 Ethics Unclear in Online National science policy leaders SBE science.” That request for ideas Sociology Courses provide updates to the social closed in October; Gutmann’s team Election As online offerings increase, science community received 244 submissions from six ethical issues are emerging. countries and 41 states. he American Sociological Dan Fowler, Association is pleased to “We wanted to move beyond the T ASA Public Information Office notion that what we think about is announce the slate of candidates for ASA Officers, Committee he National Science Foundation what people are proposing today on Committees, Committee on (NSF) Social, Behavioral and or what we or the administration T Nominations, and Committee on Economic (SBE) Sciences Directorate thinks is important for tomorrow,” Publications. Ballots for the 2011 is looking to the future and is consid- Gutmann said. “We want to rec- ASA election will be mailed in early From the Executive Officer .................2 ering input from the SBE community ognize that there’s been important scientific success in the last few May 2010. The candidates are: Science Policy .........................................3 about what the directorate should be doing in 10 years and how it might years in a number of significant President–Elect: International Perspectives .................9 areas and we want to move into the frame next generation research, an Rogelio Saenz, Texas A & M Announcements ................................. 13 notion that there are opportuni- NSF official recently told Consortium Cecilia Ridgeway, Stanford Obituaries .............................................. 17 ties for new and robust data and of Social Science Associations University (COSSA) members multiple disciplinary data resources. Myron Gutmann, head of the We want to get to next generation Vice President–Elect: SBE Sciences Directorate, made science and we wanted cooperation Jennifer Glass, University of Iowa his comments at COSSA’s annual with other disciplines.” Min Zhou, University of California- meeting in Washington, DC, on The SBE Sciences Directorate has Los Angeles November 1, where he was one of already started to review the diverse Council Election Slate: several notable national science submissions, which came from the policy leaders who addressed the “citizen scientist to the Nobel Prize Vilna Bashi-Treitler, CUNY-Baruch nearly 75 attendees. winner and pretty much everything College Gutmann said that his directorate in between,” said Gutmann, who Charles Gallagher, La Salle sent a letter to the SBE community in shared some preliminary findings University August asking for people to submit at the COSSA meeting. Some of Susan Silbey, MIT white papers “proposing the future of Continued on page 8 Continued on page 4 footnotes • December 2010 To view the online version, visit <www.asanet.org/footnotes/dec10/index.html> 1 American Sociological Association footnotes.asanet.org from the executive officer Science in the new Congress hings have certainly changed in How does this translate to specific tions federal spending waste, this options and programs for the TWashington over the past two science programs? Some members could negatively impact science coming year. Key social science years. have already begun proposing funding. allies have been engaged, plans In the December 2008 edition of ideas about which programs should Representative Cantor already for Capitol Hill briefings have Footnotes I wrote, “There is a sense be cut, with likely targets identi- has a website that urges the public begun, and letters have been sent within the Washington beltway fied as early as 2009. For instance, to make its own budgetary cuts to important legislators. Through that the antagonism sometimes Minority Leader John Boehner (republicanwhip.house.gov/ ASA’s Department of Public Affairs experienced by scientists and (R-OH) (soon-to-be the Speaker of YouCut/Review.htm). This site and Public Information (PA/PI), the their findings from the the House) along with could give Congress the necessary Association will be actively engaged current administration Minority Whip Eric cover to cut programs important to in these efforts. [Bush] will dissipate Cantor (R-VA) (soon- the social sciences. What can ASA members do? under Obama.” To some to-be Majority Leader) Current Status extent this has occurred, publicly stated that they While ASA leadership will be demonstrated by the would cut science fund- Congress was unable to approve working in Washington to advance Obama administration’s strong ing, specifically the National Science new spending levels before the social and behavioral sciences, support for science—from propos- Foundation (NSF), to help cut the the 2011 budget year began on members can make their views ing large increases in funding to federal deficit. October 1, so the federal gov- known to elected officials. This is hosting a White House science ernment is currently operating a fundamental right and essen- The National Science on 2010 spending levels under tial to the future of social science fair. This early wave of support Foundation intends to spend instilled a sense of relative comfort a Continuing Resolution (CR). funding. Members can send letters, $198 million next year [2010] Typically a CR is used to allow make phone calls, and/or meet among the Washington science on Behavioral and Cognitive community. Congress and the administration with elected officials. If elected Sciences (BCS) and Social and time to make final changes to the officials do not hear from you they This wave may have crashed on Economic Science (SES). Unlike November 2. The science com- appropriations bills. However, this will not have a clear picture of NSF’s other hard science pro- year, it appears that the current what social scientists care about. munity is now beginning to gauge grams (such as engineering and the importance of the mid-term 111th Congress will not be able It will be too late if we assume that biological sciences) these soft to make final changes before the someone else will speak up. If you election results that resulted in science programs are often more 90+ new Republican members end of 2010, thereby extending need clarification about a science controversial and less directly th of the House of Representatives the CR into the 112 Congress. funding or science policy issue related to NSF’s core mission. .... If this happens, an effort may be you hear about that you might and six new Republican members Reducing spending for BCS and of the Senate. These increases made to extend the CR for the want to respond to, contact Brad SES programs by 50% would entire FY 2011, essentially freez- Smith, ASA’s new Director of PA/ usher in Republican control in save taxpayers $99 million next the House of Representatives and ing spending in FY 2011 at the FY PI ([email protected]). year [2010] and $495 million 2010 level. This may be the best Most members of Congress do greater power in the Senate when over five years. the 112th Congress begins in possible option for the science not have the scientific or social sci- January during an atmosphere of Another idea circulating in community, because flat-level ence background necessary to make Republican emphases on budget Washington is returning funding for spending would be better than informed complex decisions.

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