for your consideration...  As you will read, the decision before APA right 
now is whether to keep the 2006 Conference (which is in August) in New Orleans.

--Dave

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>Date:         Wed, 2 Nov 2005 08:26:07 -0600
>Reply-To: CDSPP  Council of Directors of School Psychology 
>Programs              <[log in to unmask]>
>Sender: CDSPP  Council of Directors of School Psychology 
>Programs              <[log in to unmask]>
>From: [log in to unmask]
>Subject: [CDSPP:] 2006 APA Convention
>To: [log in to unmask]
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>Dear Colleagues,
>
>On Monday I met with members of an APA site visit team here in New Orleans to
>gather information to help decide whether to keep the convention in New 
>Orleans
>in August 2006.  I was pleased to see that APA is taking this decision very
>seriously and I greatly appreciated the opportunity to meet with them as part
>of a local delegation of psychology faculty members, including Elizabeth
>Hammer, Ph.D., Chair of the Psychology Department at Loyola University; Janet
>Matthews, Ph.D., Psychology faculty member at Loyola; and Elliott Hammer,
>Ph.D., Psychology faculty member at Xavier University.
>
>We spent the day meeting with the New Orleans Convention Bureau, the major 
>hotel
>representatives, the director of the convention center, a representative from
>the restaurant association (Ralph Brennan, no less), and the director of 
>public
>health. We toured the downtown convention area as well as the convention 
>center,
>some of the APA hotels, the French Quarter, and the Uptown and Garden District
>neighborhoods. The APA group was assured that all things important to the
>convention (e.g., restaurants, hotels, clubs, street cars, museums, art
>galleries, the zoo) would be functioning by August. In addition, the director
>of public health indicated that comprehensive monitoring of indoor and outdoor
>air quality, water and sewerage systems, and presenting problems at area
>emergency rooms and health clinics has indicated no health concerns. This
>monitoring will continue into the future.  Although some hospitals are not
>currently open, Touro Hospital and Children's Hospital are located within the
>city and fully functional.  In addition, several other hospitals are open in
>the surrounding suburbs and are within a 15 minute drive from downtown.
>
>The city will host its first major tourism event, Mardi Gras, in February of
>2006 and a major convention of the American Library Association (which brings
>in 20,000 members compared to APA's 12,000 to 15,000) in June of 2006. So, 
>even
>if you question my objectivity :) others have deemed the city ready to 
>play host
>to major events by early next year.
>
>So, those are the facts.  Now let me share with you my opinions on the 2006
>convention. The right decision is to keep the convention in New Orleans. APA
>has a choice: be part of the rebuilding or be part of the destruction of the
>city of New Orleans. The moral and ethical thing to do is to engage this
>challenge and help rebuild our city and heal our people.
>
>APA's hurricane relief programs and grants were a great first step in helping
>those affected by the hurricane.  However, the most important thing APA can do
>for the region, the city of New Orleans, and our residents is to come to New
>Orleans in 2006 and be an active member in the rebuilding process. The
>commitment of the convention would send an important message to the business
>and residential communities that New Orleans will come back and so, too, 
>should
>they. The re-emergence of the convention and tourism industry is critical 
>to our
>rebuilding efforts--not just in restarting our economy but in 
>re-establishing a
>sense of normalcy to those who live here.  We can't do this alone, we need 
>your
>help. And, as always, the city will show you a great time in return.
>
>If you feel so inclined, PLEASE email the following individuals at APA and let
>them know you would support the convention being in the city.  They are making
>the decision THIS WEEK.
>
>Norman Anderson, APA Chief Executive Officer: [log in to unmask]
>Gerald Koocher, Incoming APA President: [log in to unmask]
>Candy Won, Director, Convention/Meetings: [log in to unmask]
>
>Thanks for your time and support,
>
>Stacy
>
>**************************
>Stacy Overstreet, Ph.D.
>Director, School Psychology Program
>Associate Professor
>Department of Psychology
>Tulane University
>
>********************
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>
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