Conference News
May 21, 2010
Preliminary Conference Schedules Now Available
Preliminary 2010 Conference Schedules, including session titles, abstracts, and speakers, are now available at our Conference Program page.
May 14, 2010
Conference Brochure Now Available
The 2010 Conference Brochure is now available. Download your copy to learn about our keynote speakers, discussants, session topics, and more.
May 5, 2010
A Statement on SB1070 From Our VSA President Kirsten Ellenbogen
Director of Evaluation and Research in Learning, Science Museum of Minnesota
Dear VSA members,
Many watched with concern in recent weeks as Arizona Governor Jan Brewer signed into law Senate Bill 1070, a new state immigration enforcement statute which has been condemned by both national civil rights leaders and many Arizona citizens as mandating racial profiling. SB1070 was signed by Governor Brewer on April 23 and is scheduled to take effect in late July or early August 2010. The law paves the way for police officers to request identification in cases where they have “reasonable suspicion” that a person may be in the country illegally. SB1070 has sparked national criticism that it will lead to racial profiling.
The Visitor Studies Association is an international network of professionals committed to understanding and enhancing visitor experience in informal learning settings through research, evaluation, and dialogue. VSA envisions a world where people embrace lifelong learning and where learning in informal settings benefits individuals, communities and society at large. VSA and its members are committed to the principles of access and equity. Respect for and understanding of visitors is essential to our work, and is not predicated upon citizenship or legal resident status.
This new law immediately raises questions about whether VSA should go forward with our 23rd Annual Conference in Phoenix. VSA’s Board of Directors has carefully considered this issue in light of the concerns outlined above as well as those raised by our members. We have also consulted with our colleagues in Arizona and local leaders there who are working so hard to make our meeting a success.
We have decided to go forward with our meeting in Phoenix — but not without changes to our plans. Our 2010 conference program is designed to provide opportunities for dialogue about important issues relevant to the current debate, and we believe that it is critical to have those discussions in Arizona. Now more than ever the VSA Board believes that the most constructive course we can take is to bring our members to Phoenix and offer them opportunities to make their views known. To that end, I have appointed a task force that will work with the local host committee, our program chairs, and the conference committee to create productive ways for conference attendees to address these issues in a professional context.
Immigration is a complex and challenging issue. The people of Arizona are of many minds on this issue, and our hosts are among those speaking up most forcefully in opposition to the negative consequences of SB1070. In a statement this week, Phoenix Mayor Phil Gordon noted that "…Our best hope in my hometown is that the rest of America doesn't do to Arizona what Senate Bill 1070 requires our police officers to do to people with brown skin: “profile” them based on stereotypes and insufficient information.... We in Arizona do respect the Constitution, just as we respect the hard work and sacrifices of the many immigrants who have contributed to making our state a diverse, welcoming place…" Mayor Gordon is presently organizing a constitutional challenge to the law, with an eye towards staying its implementation and ultimately having its most troubling provisions struck down.
The VSA community has professional perspectives and insights that we can bring to the issues under debate in Arizona. The Board is eager to work with you to engage with these issues in Phoenix. I look forward to seeing you there.
Sincerely,
Kirsten Ellenbogen