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Volume 37, Number 3  -- Spring 2003

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The 2003 ASR preliminary program is now on our Web site: www.sociologyofreligion.com. Persons without Web access who want a paper copy or who want a Word file emailed to them may contact the Executive Officer, Bill Swatos. It is an exciting program, and we hope you will be able to attend this year’s meeting. Papers, addresses, and authors-meet-critics sessions feature outstanding colleagues from around the world. Now it is time for you to respond by completing your pre-registration materials.

Your preregistration entitles you to save money and also is of enormous assistance to us in making adequate plans for the meeting to serve everyone most effectively. Preregistration requirements will be strictly enforced, both in terms of program participation and charges. Try to firm up your plans in the next few days, and send in your materials.

Please note, in particular, the following:

Preregistration forms and hotel reservation forms are part of this mailing. Note that the hotel has a later reservation date than the preregistration date. Don’t confuse the two. Note that you must mail, fax, or email the hotel directly. Do not send the hotel form to the Executive Office. You are urged to ask for a written confirmation. You can access additional hotel information on our Web site.

You may pay 2004 dues at this time, using the preregistration form, even if you are not attending the meeting. If you choose this option, make sure you put your name on the form!

After a number of years of trying an "official airline" plan to no real advantage, we have dropped that approach. In terms of flying to Atlanta, there is only one airport: Hartsfield. The two major carriers are Delta (which operates internationally and domestically) and AirTran (domestic only). If you live near more than one airport, it is worth checking to see whether AirTran serves any of them (www.airtran.com), as airports served by those flights are much more competitively priced. If you are time-flexible, then it is also worth checking airlines that do not have Atlanta as their hub (hence requiring you to fly to one of their hubs and then to Atlanta) or Priceline.com. In addition, Amtrak still serves Atlanta. We will send instructions on getting in from the airport when we confirm your preregistration.

We are based at the CNN Center Omni Hotel. This is a large, upscale property, located across a major park from the ASA properties. There is a Marta (subway) stop in the CNN complex providing direct indoor access to the hotel. Marta also provides easy access to the ASA properties at times that you don’t want to walk across the park. We have an excellent rate, but you do need to reserve early, since a property of this size has competing demands for its space. The ASA Sociology of Religion Section day is Sunday (of our Friday through Sunday sequence). We have tried to keep our sessions down to three in each slot on that day, and we also look forward to a joint Furfey reception with the ASA Section.

Note the hotel deadline of 14 July. It is later than the preregistration deadline, but only a limited number of rooms are available. If you have difficulty making reservations with the hotel before the deadline, please contact the Executive Office at once (727-844-5990 or swatos@ microd.com). After the deadline, there’s not a lot we can do to help you. We do have a window on either side of our meeting dates, so you can stay on in our hotel for as much of as ASA as you wish.

Our registration desk will be open Thursday from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 8:00 to 3:00; Sunday from 8:00 to 1:00. We should be able to have the book exhibit open from noon Thursday through Sunday morning, with pick up of purchases from 8:15 to 10:15, and the final sale from 10:15 ’til noon. Doublecheck when you arrive! This year we will repeat the authors’ reception at the opening of the book exhibit, especially to honor those whose books are the subject of authors-meet-critics sessions. Also, there will be an opening reception on Thursday night. Further details of that will be included with your preregistration confirmation.

The ASR will provide overhead projectors in all of the session rooms. These are standard overhead projectors, using transparencies. The ASR does not provide other audiovisual equipment. You must either bring your own or make arrangements with the hotel’s a/v service provider. Consult the ASR Executive Office now for contact information for the service provider.

President Grace Davie and Program Chair Lina Molokotos-Liederman have worked with our colleagues in Atlanta to offer a double session on Friday afternoon featuring an introductory talk by a member of the Emory University faculty on Dr. King and Atlanta, and then a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historic Site. There is no cost for this session/tour (except your own Marta ticket up and back), but you must preregister at this time, and attendance is limited to 30 people. You must check the appropriate spot on the preregistration form to avail yourself of this opportunity. Please make this choice wisely and recognize that if you do sign up for the tour and then turn into a "no show" you may will have denied someone else—including especially our members from abroad—a chance to attend. Tour reservations will be allocated strictly on a first-come, first served basis.

2003 Annual Meeting Pre-Registration Form