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Text of Letter:
American Psychological Association
MEMORANDUM
SECOND REQUEST
To: Division Presidents
From: Karen M. Zager, PhD, Chair, Committee
on Division/APARelations
Thomas J. Shuell, PhD, Vice-Chair, Committee on Division/APA Relations
Date: February 9.1996
Subject: Division Reaction to Recommendations in Response to Council New Business Items #39K: Formation of APA Divisions and #36: Dissolution of Divisions (Motion 1)
Two Council new business items have been referred to the Policy and Planning Board (P&P) and the Committee on Division/APA Relations (CODAPAR) which address the way in which APA divisions are formed.1) Item #39K asks P&P and CODAPAR to review the division formation process and make recommendations to Council for changes to the Bylaws and Rules that would address the impact of new divisions on APA including their mission, finances, overlap with existiug divisions, and the emergence of new areas of psychology. 2) Motion 1 of Item #36 recommends that the number of petitioners required for a new division be increased from 1% to 1.5%.
Due to the recognized impact that the establishment of new divisions has on existing divisions, CODAPAR is seeking division reaction to models developed by P&P at its May, 1995 meeting. These models propose additional requirements of divisions in formation.CODAPAR will provide P&P with a summary of division reaction resulting from this survey and a discussion of this topic planned for the 19% Division Leadership Conference.
Please return your completed survey to: Sarah Jordan, Division Services Office, 750 First Street, NE., Washington, D.C. 20002-4242 or by fax to: (202) 3364091.This information is being compiled by CODAPAR for use by P&P at its March, 1996 meeting. Please return your survey by March 5,1996.
750 First Street, NE
Washington, DC 20002-4242
(202) 336-5500
(202) 336-6123 TDD
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Survey on Division Formation
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February 19%
P&P believes that an important factor in determining the viability
of a group as a future division would be evidenced in its financial and
administrative organization.In or&r to increase the opportunities for
the organizing group (steering committee) to gain the knowledge and expertise
needed to organize as a new division, P&P believes that attendance
at the Division Leadership Conference would be especially beneficial. Participation
in the Conference would allow the steering committee representative to
interact with the leaders of existing divisions and APA Central Office
Staff.
1) Do you agree that a steering committee representative (a member of the organizing group of a division in formation) should be invited to attend the Division Leadership Conference (DLC)? Y es
2) At what point in the signature-gathering process should attendance at the DLC take place? Before any petitions are gathered. After more than half the necessary number of petitions are gathered. After all signatures have been gathered and the petition has been distributed to Council and existing divisions.
3) Should this be done on a formal or informal basis, i.e., should there be a session devoted to divisions in formation or a presentation by the steering committee representative, or simply an opportunity for the steering committee representative to gather information and make contacts with other division officers? Participation should be in a formal way, through a Conference session or presentation by the steering committee representative. Participation should be in an informal way, through conversations held during normal Conference sessions.
4) Should APA subsidize their participation to the same extent as organized divisions? Y es - No
5) P&P has recommended that a letter of interest” and a letter of intent” be filed in Central Office by an individual or group that wishes to establish a new division.Do you agree that these letters should be required from divisions in formation? Y es - No
6) P&P formulated three models of additional steps that could be added to the current process. After reviewing these models, please select one model that you think best meets the needs of APA and the
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organizers of the new division.
M o d el # seems to best address those needs.
Model #l
1) An annual announcement would be published in the APA Monitor Division
Spotlight” for groups/individuaJs interested in forming a new division
to contact Central Office;
2) The Steering Committee would send a letter of intent to form a division
to APA Central Office;
3) An invitation to attend the next DLC would be sent to the Steering
Committee;
4) The petition process (as outlined in the Association Rules) would
begin.
Model #2
1) An invitation for persons interested in forming a new division to
attend the DLC would be published in the APA Monitor Division Spotlight”
(a proposed division could be a repeated presence at DLC);
2) The Steering Committee would indicate interest in forming a new
division and would attend the DLC;
3) A letter of intent would be sent to APA Central Office which would
include A. a progress report B. evidence of financial and organizational
viability C. other materials that support the need for a new division;
4) The petition process (as outlined in the Association Rules) would
begin.
Model #3
1) The Steering Committee would send a letter of interest to form a
division to APA Central Office;
2) An invitation to attend the next DLC would be sent to the Steering
Committee;
3) The Steering Committee would send a letter of intent to form a division
to APA Central Office;
4) The petition process (as outlined in the Association Rules) would
begin.
7) Do you believe that the number of signatures necessary for the formation
of a new division should: be increased from 1% to 1.5% of Members and Fellows
of APA? a set number (such as 500)? require a certain percentage (for example,
10%) of individuals that currently belong to no division?
8) What other suggestion do you have regarding the process by which
divisions are formed that P&P and CODAPAR should consider?
Completed by:
Division #
Please return your completed survey to: Sarah Jordan, Division Services Office, 750 First Street, NE., Washington, DC. 20002-4242 or by fax to: (202) 336-6091. This information is being compiled by CODAPAR for use by P&P at its March, 19% meeting. please return your survey by February 19,1996.
(End of letter text)