Official Statement – CSA@Congress

June 11, 2024

Hello Canadian Sociological Association Members and Conference Delegates,

Following our previous statement on May 27, the CSA offered our conference participants an opportunity to move their sessions to fully virtual or hybrid in addition to the original in-person format.

On Thursday, June 6, an incident occurred on the campus of McGill University whereby protesters occupied an administrative building. Fifteen people were arrested and police in riot gear used tear gas to disperse the crowds.

Montreal Gazette, June 7 2024 – https://montrealgazette.com/news/local-news/15-arrested-following-pro-palestinian-occupation-of-mcgill-building

On Saturday, June 8, the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) which organizes Congress, met with the CSA and other associations participating in the Congress.

The FHSS Congress acknowledged the concern regarding the incident on June 6. They advised that there is now an increased police presence on campus, but the McGill University’s administration and security department’s position is that the campus remains safe and accessible. However, they conceded that there was a possibility that protesters may try to disrupt the Congress proceedings.

On Monday, June 10, the CSA Executive Committee met to discuss the escalating events at McGill University, the FHSS Congress and McGill University’s position, and concerns raised by delegates who have decided only to participate virtually or withdraw completely from the program.

The CSA prioritizes the safety of our members and delegates and has therefore decided to move all remaining in-person and hybrid Conference sessions to a virtual format organized solely by the CSA.

Why did the CSA decide to take this action now?

Congress could not assure us that there would be no additional incidents leading up to and during our conference that could threaten the safety of our delegates. The only action plan associations were provided was to call campus security if required.
Increased police presence on campus may put both student protesters and our delegates in potential danger through questioning their presence on campus or aggressive actions to disperse crowds.
Our in-person conference begins in 6 days, and it would not be possible to make any changes to our plans if additional incidents occur over the next few days.
Less than 50% of our original delegates are still planning to participate in-person.
There was a higher number of remote participants in the hybrid sessions than expected. Therefore, a significant number of delegates would not be able to engage with other presenters or the audience attending in person making their experience less than satisfactory.

In summary, having all sessions held virtually ensures the safety of our delegates and equalizes engagement for our presenters and audience members for a better conference experience given the circumstances.

The CSA Call to FHSS Congress and McGill University:

The CSA is no longer participating in the 2024 Congress and will not be utilizing the Congress Virtual Platform. There is no benefit to our association for using this service since the CSA will still need to arrange the zoom licenses, set up the zoom sessions, and hire staff to manage the zoom sessions.

We had originally planned a fully in-person conference and our delegates have been deeply inconvenienced and impacted by the format changes we have had to make.

We feel that Congress and McGill University have not met their obligation to provide a safe and accessible venue for our event despite their claims. Many of our delegates have cancelled their attendance or have chosen to only participate virtually. Other associations have moved their conferences off-site and the Expo has been suspended due to the withdrawal of the exhibitors.

The offer to distribute any surplus Congress earnings to associations is not adequate to address the significant financial deficit our association will incur as well as our members who have withdrawn or have non-refundable travel and accommodation expenses relating to their original plans to attend in person.

We join the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) in demanding the following actions.

To the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences:

Reimburse the Congress portion of conference registration fees for delegates who chose to withdraw their presentations for ethical and safety reasons.
Support associations who have been forced to arrange safer, more accessible alternative sites for their gatherings, at great expense over and above the funds already committed.
Commit to ongoing, transparent, multi-association dialogues about the Federation’s approach to strikes, lockouts, labour disruptions, and other extenuating circumstances that may affect the viability of future Congress sites.
Share publicly with member associations the terms of contracts between the Federation and the Host Institution which have explicit financial implications for member associations.

To the McGill University leadership:

Waive charges and cancellation fees to associations who have been forced to arrange safer, more accessible alternative sites for their gatherings, at great expense over and above the funds already committed.
Refrain from any action against either AMPL or peaceful protesters.
Negotiate in good faith to arrive at peaceful, prompt, mutually beneficial resolutions.
Work collaboratively with the Federation to fulfill McGill’s obligations as a host institution.

What are the next steps?

The CSA will be contacting those participating in the in-person and hybrid sessions to advise them of the change to the fully virtual format.
- Chair and presenters collaboratively preferring to cancel their session or individuals preferring to withdraw are asked to advise the CSA office by June 13.
The Conference website will be updated to reflect the change of session formats by June 13.
- The session scheduling (day and time) will remain the same.
All catering and room bookings on-campus as well as offsite receptions have been cancelled.
- We will be asking McGill University to donate the catering that has been ordered.

How will the CSA support members?

Information for those chairing and presenting in virtual sessions has been posted.
The CSA will provide Zoom room monitors to support the session chairs.
The CSA will provide a letter to institutions or funding agencies for participants to use explaining why an in person presentation was not possible and asking that their funding commitment for travel and accommodation be granted.
The CSA will honour the funding commitment for those who were approved for the Student Travel Grant Program and Conference Participation Subsidy for which in-person participation was required (if other eligibility requirements are met).
For individual participants who wish to withdraw, the CSA will refund the Association Conference Fee portion of the Congress delegate registration fees paid if notified by June 13. This refund ranges from $60 for the ‘Special Reduced’ or ‘Reduced‘ delegate categories to $100 for the ‘Regular Attendee’ delegate category. These funds are held by the FHSS until the final Congress accounting has been completed. The CSA will disburse these funds once received in August.

Why didn’t the CSA move to another venue?

On May 27, the CSA explained that the Federation provides on-site resources for the CSA and delegates to conduct our conference and navigate the campus which include; accessibility provisions, association assistant staff, event staff/volunteers, and technical support. These resources would not be available to us in another venue even if we were able to find one able to accommodate an association of our size. At that time, other large associations we consulted were also continuing to hold the majority of their sessions at McGill.

Note that the CSA has only 1 staff member who did not have the capacity to negotiate another venue in a matter of a couple of weeks while also managing the originally scheduled virtual conference from June 3 – 7.

We sincerely thank the organizers and chairs for working with their presenters and panelists from May 27 through June 7 to reorganize their sessions and the CSA was willing to move forward with the three different session formats. However, in light of the escalating situation at McGill University and concerns raised by our members, we felt it necessary to make this difficult decision to not hold in-person sessions and withdraw from the FHSS 2024 Congress.

We apologize that many people will be disappointed and frustrated with the changes in our conference planning and may be impacted financially and professionally. Our Executive Committee will be conducting a careful review of this Conference and how future events will be planned in consultation with our members over the coming months.

May 27, 2024

Dear Canadian Sociological Association Members and Conference Delegates,

The Canadian Sociological Association (CSA) Annual Conference (in-person portion) is scheduled as part of the larger Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) Congress at McGill University from June 17 through June 21, 2024.

Since our last statement on May 16, there has been no resolution of the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) labour action or the Pro-Palestinian student protest encampment on the McGill University campus.

Our Executive Committee recognizes that CSA members remain concerned about participating in the upcoming Conference. Some CSA members may be unwilling to cross the picket lines of the strike actions taken by AMPL. There are also concerns on how student protesters may be treated by security and law enforcement considering the upcoming Congress, which is a major event scheduled to take place on the McGill campus.

We support students’ right to peacefully protest and encourage McGill University to work with students to ensure the safety of everyone on campus. As well, we stand in solidarity with the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) and recommend that the University’s administration come to an agreement with the Union as soon as possible.

With this in mind, we met with the leadership of AMPL to discuss how the CSA can support their efforts while still facilitating the participation of our members in the Conference. AMPL understands the logistical and financial obstacles the CSA and its members would face by cancelling or moving our Conference to a different venue. Therefore, they have generously agreed to the following arrangement:

For those who must attend the conference due to professional and/or financial obligations ‘Picket Passes’ will be available to our members. Conference attendees with passes, which will take the form of a sticker, will signal to AMPL picketers the CSA’s support for their cause. Those with stickers will not be considered as ‘crossing a picket line’ if they enter buildings for our sessions.

Based on our conversation with AMPL, consultation with other associations participating in Congress, and feedback received from many of our research clusters, session organizers and chairs, the CSA has made the following decisions.

1. The CSA Conference will be held at McGill University.

There would be very serious financial and logistical implications for the CSA if we do not proceed with the in-person conference as scheduled.

The CSA has a contract with FHSS Congress to hold our Conference at McGill University. Cancellation of our participation or moving to another venue would result in a significant financial loss for the CSA in excess of $100,000.
Many of our members have non-refundable travel and accommodation costs which will not be reimbursed if the Conference is cancelled.
The Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) will not refund delegate fees that have been paid regardless of whether our CSA Conference is cancelled or relocated away from McGill University.
The Federation provides on-site resources for the CSA and delegates to conduct our conference and navigate the campus which include; accessibility provisions, association assistant staff, event staff/volunteers, and technical support. These resources would not be available to us in another venue even if we were able to find one able to accommodate a Conference of our size (12 concurrent rooms with a capacity between 50-100 people per room over 5 days).

2. The CSA will work in solidarity with AMPL and continue to support students’ right to protest. Our efforts will include;

This statement of solidarity for AMPL on behalf of the CSA.
Provision of information for our members on how to support the AMPL efforts.
Reduction of our presence on campus by transitioning some sessions to a virtual format.
Work to relocate most if not all of our social events to off-campus venues.
A statement to McGill University encouraging them to respect students’ right to protest without undue security measures.
Support of members who choose to withdraw from the Conference due to ethical, political, or safety concerns.

3. The CSA Conference Program will include in-person, virtual, and hybrid session formats.

Although additional costs will be incurred by the CSA for Zoom licenses and support staff , we believe that allowing session organizers to work with presenters and panelists to determine how best to facilitate their participation in the Conference is the most equitable option for our members.

The CSA will be providing additional information to session organizers and will be requesting session format decisions by May 31. Please consult the Conference Program regularly for updates to the format of the session(s) in which you are participating or planning to attend.

In the meantime, there are factors that members should consider before making decisions regarding session formats and their participation in the Conference.

In-person Session Format:

All participants will attend in-person on the McGill University Campus in the Trottier Building and Wong Building as originally scheduled.
Attending in-person enables delegates to comply with their funding criteria and professional obligations, make connections with other scholars and community practitioners, engage in critical discussions on social justice, and support AMPL or protests as they wish.
Instructions on obtaining an AMPL ‘Picket Pass’ will be communicated once details are available.

Virtual Session Format:

Access to the session will be through the Congress Virtual Platform only. Therefore, Congress delegate registration with the Canadian Sociological Association Conference will be required for all attendees (apart from our Open Programming).
The AMPL does not consider participation in the Congress Virtual Platform sessions as crossing their picket lines.
The CSA will provide a zoom license and zoom room monitor to manage virtual sessions. Instructions on how to conduct a virtual session will be communicated to the chairs, presenters, and panelists.

Hybrid Session Format:

In this format, remote presenters may join a session using a CSA zoom license (if available) while the rest of the presenters are in-person at McGill University. Note that this format has several challenges and is not suitable for panel or keynote sessions.
The audio-visual technology available is limited. Each room will have a computer with internet access, a projector, and screen. The CSA support staff on-site will connect the remote presenter to the session room’s computer using the CSA’s Zoom account. HDMI or VGA cables will be provided to assist with the audio in the room. However, the on-site Congress AV support staff will not be able to resolve issues that may arise related to remote presentations.
Remote speakers will not be able to see or hear others in the on-site room and audience attendance will be in-person only.

4. The CSA will support individual member’s decision to withdraw from the Conference.

The CSA supports the decision of members who wish to withdraw completely from the Conference due to their own ethical, political, or personal safety reasons related to the AMPL strike and student encampment. We ask that members notify the CSA office by the end of May 31, 2024 if they wish to withdraw so that the affected session(s) can be re-organized accordingly.

The CSA will refund the Association Conference Fee portion of the Congress delegate registration fees paid. This ranges from $60 for the ‘Special Reduced’ or ‘Reduced‘ delegate categories to $100 for the ‘Regular Attendee’ delegate category. These funds are held by the FHSS until the final Congress accounting has been completed. The CSA will disburse these funds once received.
The CSA will advocate for a full refund of the remaining Congress Delegate Base fee paid to the FHSS on behalf of members who withdraw their participation. However, the FHSS is currently stating that no refunds are possible after the original April 15, 2024 deadline.
Those who have been approved for the CSA’s Funding Programs but who will be withdrawing or are no longer able to attend in-person, should contact the CSA Office for further information as your eligibility to receive funds may be affected.

The CSA understands that we are asking session organizers and participants to do even more work in preparation for the Conference as well as making tough decisions that may impact them financially, professionally, and personally.

We appreciate your continued patience as we work through this challenging situation.

Canadian Sociological Association Executive Committee

May 16, 2024

Dear Canadian Sociological Association Members and Conference Delegates,

As you may be aware, there is currently a Pro-Palestinian student protest encampment and the Association of McGill Professors of Law (AMPL) are on strike at the McGill University campus.

The CSA has been in discussions with the FHSS regarding these two significant issues. We have been advised that the campus at McGill University is open and accessible and Congress will be proceeding as planned. Refer to ‘A message to associations participating in Congress, May 7, 2024‘.

Our Executive Committee recognizes that CSA members are concerned about participating in the upcoming Conference. Some CSA members may be unwilling to cross the picket lines of the strike actions taken by AMPL. There are also concerns on how student protesters may be treated by security and law enforcement considering the upcoming Congress, which is a major event scheduled to take place on the McGill campus.

We support students’ right to peacefully protest and encourage McGill University to work with students to ensure the safety of everyone on campus. As well, we stand in solidarity with the Association of McGill Professors of Law and recommend that the University’s administration come to an agreement with the Union as soon as possible.

The FHSS Congress has been planned with 58 scholarly association conferences. A few associations are currently making plans to cancel their conference, move their conference to a different venue, or to a fully virtual format.

The CSA is currently exploring these options, but our situation is more complicated. We are one of the three largest associations within the Federation with approximately 10% of all Congress delegates registered for our Conference. Presently, CSA has 900+ delegates and over 220 sessions and events scheduled over 5 days.

There would be very serious financial and logistical implications for the CSA if we do not proceed with the in-person conference as scheduled. Moving venues or to a virtual format would incur additional costs and introduce substantial logistical obstacles.

Please note that the Federation of the Humanities and Social Sciences (FHSS) will not refund delegate fees that have been paid regardless of whether our CSA Conference is cancelled at McGill University, held virtually, or our delegates decide not to participate.

We understand that this dynamic and evolving situation is frustrating for our members. However, we must carefully consider our next steps and prioritize the ethical, political, and financial implications our decisions may have for our members, particularly students and those in precarious situations.

The CSA will be able to confirm our final Conference plans on or before May 31.

Thank you for your understanding.

Canadian Sociological Association Executive Committee