Sociology, Social Work, and Social Welfare Division Meeting Minutes 
Thursday, August 29, 2024, at 12:00 p.m. CST
Microsoft Teams

Members Present: Erica Jablonski (Co-Chair), Miriam Landsman (Co-Chair),

Proposed Division Name Change Poll Reminder
* Reminder to complete poll on the division’s current name of Sociology & Social Welfare to Sociology, Social Work and Social Welfare has been proposed to better reflect the breadth of the Division’s membership. 
Proposed Mission Statement Revision
* A change was proposed to the division’s mission statement (addition of the words “and practice” to be more inclusive of the diverse interests of members. The revision is: Our division fosters the interdisciplinary connection between sociology and social work - praxis. We promote theory-informed, applied scholarship on social institutions, and processes. Our mission is to aid understanding, and also to speed remedy of inequality, exclusion, and oppression through research-based policy and practice interventions.
* The proposal was approved.

Discussion of 2025 Annual Meeting Session Ideas (potential sole- and co-sponsored sessions)
* For next year’s meeting the Division needs to identify 1-2 division-sponsored sessions and up to 5 co-sponsored sessions. Erica Jablonski had preliminary discussions with multiple divisions around potential co-sponsorships.
* Miriam and Erica identified co-sponsorship opportunities that appeared most clearly aligned to our division's mission.
* Based on that discussion, division members will be polled on their interest in organizing, submitting, or attending a session in the following areas:
o Division sessions: S & SW Thematic Sessions (2):  Sociology, social work, and social welfare institution/organization perspectives in response to recent or current crises
o Potentially Co-Sponsored sessions:
* The Effect/Evolution of Telehealth for Mental Health Patients and Practitioners
* Practices and Policies to Support Family Caregivers
* Effects of the Internet on Healthcare
* Insurgent Sociology in Health Care
* Challenges and Opportunities for Eldercare and Childcare, and/or Elder Provision of Childcare Programs
* Co-sponsored session with Drinking and Drugs Division
* Insurgent Sports-Based Activities and Institutional Responses
* Collective Care in action
* Environmental Justice
* Gender Based violence
* Criminalizing Vulnerable Populations
* Racial Disparities in Criminal Justice/Criminal Law system
* Victimization and Victims

Review of 2025 Budget 
* The approved 2025 budget was reviewed. There is a total of $600 to be used for the Best Student Paper Competition and Newsletter Editor Stipends, as well as co-sponsorship of next year’s Annual Meeting reception. 

More Professional Opportunities: Self-Nominations for other Division Positions
* Division members will be polled for their interest in serving as reviewers for the graduate student paper award committee.  We have one volunteer (Bill Cabin) and are seeking 1-2 more.
* Division members are also being polled for their interest in serving as a Newsletter editor ($100 stipend).

Other Business
* We discussed ways of increasing Division membership. One possibility is to distribute information about the graduate student paper award more broadly, i.e., to Schools of Social Work, and to use other professional networks to make the opportunity better known.
* Application for the graduate student paper award will be updated with the deadline for the 2025 award.