Dear Statistical Community Colleagues,
As JSM 2018 approaches I anticipate the opportunity to engage in discussions important to our community. One will take place on Monday afternoon of JSM (July 30). Session 211, “Addressing Sexual Misconduct in the Statistics Community,” will focus on how sexual misconduct can negatively impact the careers of the victims and weakens our profession. This session will contribute to our work to address these issues and make positive change.
On social media and through email, members have let me and others know how much they value this discussion. Some inquired whether it would be possible to move this session to a time slot when it would not have any competition. They hoped to maximize the number of people who could attend and reduce conflict with other important technical sessions.
This was a very good question, and I consulted with many people to see if such a move were even possible. Unfortunately, the options were few, and each option created its own set of conflicts.
Instead, we will record this session and make it available soon afterward not only to JSM participants but to everyone via streaming video. This approach, while not perfect, will make it possible for individuals who cannot attend the session to hear the presentations and the Q&A afterward.
Thank you to all the people who contacted me and others about this matter. Special thanks to the presenters in the session, and to Stephanie Hicks, who organized it. And one final shout-out to Christian Leger, the JSM 2018 Program Chair, and to the Committee on Meetings for elevating this topic-contributed session to an invited session via the late-breaking sessions mechanism.
Best regards,
Ron