ASEEES Annual Convention Site Selection Policy

Approved by the ASEEES Board of Directors, November 23, 2019

The Association for Slavic, East European, and Eurasian Studies (ASEEES) commits to not holding its annual meetings in locations where its members reasonably believe they would be subject to discrimination on the basis of age, sex, gender, gender expression, gender identity, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, physical ability, race, religion, or immigration status. Reasonable belief of such discrimination may be based on discriminatory legislation, the absence of appropriate state or city laws. The Association will implement this policy in its negotiations for annual meeting sites. 

While choosing its convention site, the ASEEES is guided by its support of the right of workers to organize and be represented by a labor union. The Association therefore commits to union preference in negotiating hotel and service contracts for the annual convention and for any other meetings organized by the ASEEES.

The Board recognizes that the diverse legal and historical circumstances of existing or future prospective convention sites will require some flexibility in the implementation of this policy. Ultimately each decision must be made on a case-by-case basis according to the judgment of the Board. The following items represent general guidelines and procedures for determining those decisions.

Guidelines for Implementation

  1. The Board directs that ASEEES staff should seek prospective annual convention sites among cities and states that have laws, ordinances, regulations, rules, policies, and other conditions that protect the Association's members in that convention and are consistent with the Association’s values. This policy shall not require the automatic exclusion of a convention site only on the grounds of an absence of city or state laws guaranteeing equal rights.

  2. The Board will approve a convention site only after a thorough investigation of its legal and policy positions on equal rights and labor practices, and its accessibility. Each potential convention site must submit detailed information about the property’s union status, its equal opportunity and affirmative action efforts, and its efforts to fulfill or exceed ADA compliance standards.

  3. In considering the selection of a convention site, the Board may take into account recent history of substantial and effective opposition to equal rights protection, including legislation or referenda, by the organization owning the site.

  4. Hotels or other contracting parties must have explicit and effective policies assuring equal employment and fair labor practices.