Meeting Safety Committee

Committee on Meeting Safety

The ultimate goal of the Committee on Meeting Safety is to create safe and inclusive spaces for attendees at SAA Annual Meetings. Following the recommendations of the Task Force on Sexual and Anti-Harassment Policies and Procedures, the SAA Board approved the Committee on Meeting Safety in October 2019. 

The official charge of the Committee on Meeting Safety is as follows:

The charge of the Committee on Meeting Safety is to recommend policies and procedures that address the safety of participants at annual meetings and other SAA-sponsored events, to advise on recruitment, training, and responsibilities of annual meeting safety volunteers, involvement in data-gathering and member-led oversight, and provisions for advocacy work that extends to developing and disseminating resources related to participant safety. For the 2020 meeting, the Committee on Meeting Safety members will take on the role of “safety volunteers” and afterward help us identify the kinds of situations it may face and the needs it might have. Throughout the process, the Committee would make recommendations to the Board regarding recruiting, vetting, and training safety volunteers for 2021 and beyond. 

As part of its work, the Committee on Meeting Safety will provide a Safety Volunteer Program at the 2024 meeting in New Orleans. More details will be provided as they become available.