Present: Wuthnow, Capps, Hammond, D'Antonio, Wallace, Ploch, Roozen, Nelsen, Newman, Maloney, Meadow, Richardson, Fenn, Roof, Crumrine, Johnson, Neal, Seidler, McGuire.

1. The meeting was called to order at 7:45 P.M. by W. Clark Roof.

2. Minutes: The Minutes of the 1979 Council Meeting were examined, modified, and approved as distributed.

3. Announcements: W. Clark Roof welcomed the Council to the meeting and indicated excellent possibilities for a most successful meeting. The 298 registered participants represented an all time high in registrations. SSSR is meeting this year with RRA and APRI. The usual Council luncheon will take place Friday, October 31, at noon. All our papers and sessions will be presented on the fourth floor of the Netherland Hilton Hotel, which will unify these activities. Special thanks go to the Society's business manager, Lorraine D'Antonio, to the D'Antonio daughters, their house guest, and Kathy Roof who are at present busy registering participants.

4. Election Results and Welcome of New Council Members: W. Clark Roof thanked Richard Fenn and Newton Maloney, who will be leaving the Council this year, for their service and welcomed the new Council members, Jackson Carroll and Hart Nelsen.

5. Executive Secretary's Report: W. Clark Roof reported that this has been a good year for SSSR and examined the question, How good?

5.1 Concerning Membership: SSSR has held its own. We have lost some individual members but gained library memberships. Student memberships also are good. But each year we lose some 18-20% of our individual membership and he is extremely concerned regarding this loss. SSSR sent out some 2800 introductory letters but received an extremely low response, 1% response was good. Suggestions concerning this problem would be most helpful.

5.2 Publications: Very few problems here and the editors have been doing excellent jobs.

5.3 The Meeting: John Seidler's program is excellent and Cincinnati would appear to be a good location for SSSR. Also considerable publicity in the local universities seems to have produced results. Dave Roozen placed materials and information with the media which also appears to have produced results.

5.4 Relations with Other Societies: Our limited contribution to the Council on the Study of Religion is beneficial to both societies. Through the efforts of Donald Ploch, SSSR representative to the ALAS, SSSR will sponsor a session at the ALAS meetings this January 1981 in Toronto.

5.5 SSSR finances: This has been a good year especially with the raise in dues. SSSR stockmarket holdings proved good as well as interest rates which are high. Thus SSSR income exceeded expenditures. The board has tried to diversify SSSR holdings and balance 50% in stockmarket and 50% in other investments. Our investments in the money market have been excellent due to the high interest rates.

5.6 Future: Roof has some concerns for the 1980s. We are competing with other societies such as the American Academy of Religion. We must build bonds not only with the other social sciences but with the humanities. He is open to any suggestions regarding means to construct such bridges. One direction might be a continued effort in the support of scholarly research. Two years ago we dropped the SSSR research scholarship award. Should SSSR reactivate such a research grant award?

5.7 Offices of SSSR: The split offices of the Executive Secretary, W. Clark Roof at the University of Massachusetts, and the Business Manager, Lorraine D'Antonio at the University of Connecticut, have worked well together, in part due to the generosity of the respective universities. The University of Massachusetts is providing $4,000 for secretarial help.

5.8 Discussion: President Johnson expressed concern with our membership situation. Roof indicated that we are not a primary professional group but secondary. Vice-President Neal pointed out that we are not picking up new Ph.D. members. She suggested a letter to degree-granting institutions requesting a list of new Ph.D's would be more productive. Another member suggested the use of the lists of studies in the humanities published in the Religious Studies Review. D'Antonio recommended that we tap physical scientists through the American Scientific Affiliation. Another Council member suggested identification of graduate student papers and a prize for the highest quality contribution. Seidler, the 1980 program chairman, said it might be unkind to identify Ph.D. graduate students as a special group. Richardson suggested the possibility of a Graduate Student Research Award. D'Antonio argued that the crucial problem that the SSSR is in fact not really interdisciplinary. Roof agreed and suggested that perhaps a historian or anthropologist should be program chairman in 1982. Seidler agrued that his program this year is clearly interdisciplinary and that the program chairman's discipline is not of crucial importance. In summary, the Council seeks means to increase membership and broaden the membership base.

6. Treasurer's Report: Ruth Wallace presented the proposed budget. She indicated that her report appears excellent, however the surplus is based upon the dues increase which yielded an extra $12,400 over last year's income. Without these monies SSSR would show a decrease of $2,700 over last year, which would be a very different picture.

6.1 General Fund: SSSR investments have produced a $3,724 increase over last year. We have been lucky with our investments including one third of our monies in the high interest money market.

6.2 Comment: D'Antonio notes that our meeting in San Antonio was not productive of many new members and that the meeting this year should be more productive. In addition SSSR spent less on the Journal than anticipated.

6.3 Business Manager and Executive Secretary: Wallace reports that SSSR's best investment has been in our excellent business manager and executive secretary.

6.4 SSSR Auditor: Wallace reports that our auditor has not renewed his license and his audit would not be acceptable to a loaning bank. Lorraine D'Antonio has indicated that SSSR would pay double or triple for another auditor. D'Antonio notes that he is the Controller of the University thus his audit is of excellent quality but not legally acceptable. He adds that SSSR does not require a legal audit as the government accepts our tax exempt status on the basis of the appropriate papers without a legally acceptable audit. The Council indicates its desire to remain with our present auditor.

6.5 Subvention to Attend Council Meetings: The question of the necessity of subvention guidelines is discussed. D'Antonio mentions that in the past there was an informal limit of $200 and last year $300 for Council members' travel to meetings. Nevertheless he feels we should make it possible for members to travel to council meetings without their having to pay their own travel. Roof inidcated that SSSR travel subventions grew from a total of $1,500 to $2,000 last year and to $2,900 this year and he requires a Council policy as the costs will likely increase next year. After some additional discussion the Council agrees to provide Council members travel subventions up to the cost of the most economical and reasonable means of travel, after Council members have consulted with University travel committees, private and governmental agencies, and exhausted other possibilities for travel monies.

6.6 Motion: Moved and seconded to accept the report of the treasurer. Accepted.

7. Report of the Program Chairman: John Seidler presented and discussed the report of the program chairman. He indicated pleasure in the diversity of the program, the range of different types of sessions and the quality of the plenary sessions. He remarked on the interdisciplinary nature of many sessions and indicated that most sessions fit the general meeting theme. He tried hard to attract as many members as possible and even sent special letters to individual members encouraging them to participate. Clark Roof and Harve Horowitz were instrumental in obtaining advertisements for the Meeting Program, many thanks. All the papers which were submitted for inclusion in the program were evaluated. Two were rejected and others were returned to authors, rewritten and accepted.

7.1 Recommendations: Seidler recommended a re-examination of the role of Program Chairman. He suggested that it might be a half-time appointment as it requires a great deal of work, often 4 or 5 hours a day letter-writing. Dividing the labor between sub-chairmen might prove useful with a more productive means of communicating previous years experience to the present chairman. President Johnson requests Seidler to write his experiences and recommendations in his report. Former Program Chairmen indicate that they also made such written comments. Seidler however did not receive any such materials. Johnson requests Council agreement that such materials should be passed to the incoming program chairman each year. Richardson asks that the sub-chairmen be identified in the call for papers. After some discussion the Council recommends that two reports be maintained: (1) a permanent file and (2) a circulating file to go to the incoming program chairman. Hammond suggests that if only two proposed papers were rejected it would seem to be a waste of time to review papers. It might be more productive to spend the time in obtaining several key persons who would read papers rather than review all the submitted papers.

7.2 Motion: Moved and seconded to accept the report of the Program Chairmen, John Seidler. Accepted.

8. Program for 1981: Mary Jo Meadow, the 1981 Program Chairperson reported on the development of next year's program. She plans a review of submitted papers, a number of plenary sessions, numerous specifically interdisciplinary sessions, and a possible poster session which would accommodate a large number of papers. Meadow inquires about honoraria for invited speakers. MOTION by D'Antonio and seconded that SSSR does not provide honorarium for outside speakers. Discussion: D'Antonio suggests that SSSR is strong enough not to require monies to attract outside speakers. Richardson suggests that since we have the monies it would be best to give the Chairman some discretion in the matter. Individuals coming from outside the U.S. might require travel funds. D'Antonio accepts the concept of a discretionary fund to be used by the Chairman only with the approval of or consultation with other Council members. FINAL MOTION: That the Program Chairman be given discretionary funds to be used only after consultation with the Executive Secretary. Accepted. Meadow requests suggestions from members concerning specific quests or the program in general.

9. Publicity: David Roozen discussed his progress in developing links with the press. By means of an initial letter explaining the work of SSSR and some abstracts he presented some 85 national religion editors and news services with an introduction to the types of research interests of our membership. He included a postcard for these individuals reactions. Roozen recommends a $300 budget. The Council members express interest in and encouragement of this project. The media would wish the occasional paper and additional information on individual members such as telephone numbers, etc. In order to enhance communication, Roozen wishes more information on SSSR membership. MOTION: Moved and seconded that Roozen continue his project and be given additional information on SSSR membership. Passed. It is suggested that SSSR send copies of the Meeting Program to these editors. Roozen indicated that he would require some 200 copies, which according to Clark Roof would cost some $40-50. MOTION: Moved by Donald Ploch and seconded that SSSR allocate $150 toward this cost. Passed.

10. Integration with ASR: Richard Penn reports that ASR would like to meet with SSSR in 1982 with ASR developing their own program. After some discussion regarding the splitting of registration fees and overcrowding of the program, Council's feeling moves toward adaptation and flexibility. MOTION: Moved and seconded that SSSR invites ASR to meet with us in 1982. Passed.

11. Adjournment: Benton Johnson, President, adjourned this first session of the Council meeting at 10:30 P.M.

12. Advertising Agent's Report: W. Clark Roof presents the report of Harve Horowitz, SSSR Advertising Representative, because Horowitz is setting up the book display.

12.1 Horowitz is concerned with the level of advertisement. Last year he worked very hard and the income from the meeting display and advertising in Journal and meeting program was extremely low. He encourages members of SSSR to do anything within their power to change this situation.

12.2 Clark Roof notes that Horowitz is working for several societies in this same capacity and is very discouraged with the cooperation of SSSR members as authors. Horowitz receives only a 15% commission with SSSR whereas some organizations pay up to 40%. Horowitz has worked for SSSR 10 years and is unhappy that our sales are not expanding as he wishes. It seems that Horowitz would like a somewhat higher commission. It was mentioned that his function might be taken over by members of SSSR or by the business office, however in both cases it seemed to involve more labor and time than our business manager has available or that individual SSSR members would wish to give. It seems that very few if any of the big publishers find it worth their time to exhibit at a meeting as small as that of SSSR. After similar suggestions by Wallace and D'Antonio, President Johnson asks Clark Roof to continue discussion with Horowitz and also examine the possibility of other alternatives, perhaps make this problem known in our Newsletter asking for volunteers to do this work or for suggestions from members. Motion: D'Antonio, to increase Horowitz's to 25% and expenses and also continue discussions concerning other options. Seconded and passed.

13. Affiliations with AAAS and CSR: Ploch announced that SSSR will be represented by a session, organized and chaired by Roger O'Toole on modern Canadian religious groups. Ploch would like several proposals to submit to AAAS for SSSR sponsored sessions at the 1982 AAAS meetings in Washington, January 3-8. He suggests an item to be published in the SSSR Newsletter requesting proposals. Ploch suggests that SSSR opportunities would be enhanced if SSSR joined additional sections of AAAS such as the anthropology and the psychology sections. Motion: moved and seconded that SSSR join both the Anthropology Section and the Psychology Section of AAAS. Passed.

13.2 Affiliation with CSR: Roof reported that the future of CSR is somewhat unclear. SSSR contributes $500 to CSR and SSSR received an advertisement in the CSR publications. At this point, Roof does not recommend anything more than this contribution.

14. Nominations Committee: D'Antonio presented the report of the nominations committee which consisted of D'Antonio, J. Dittes, and B. Spilka. Jackson Carroll and Hart Nelsen were elected to serve on Council from 22 pre-nominees. The committee attempted to select nominees from a broad academic and social base. This next year two Council members, the President and the Vice-President must be elected. The total vote this year amounted to 452. The report was moved, seconded and accepted.

15. Reports of the Journal Editor and Book Review Editor: Phillip Hammond, the editor of JSSR, and Donald Capps, the Book Review Editor respectfully presented the reports.

15.1 JSSR Editor's Report: Hammond referred the Council to his written report. In summary he indicated that there was no perceptible trends in overall quality and that his turnaround time is good and improving. The Council moved to accept the report and expressed appreciation for the fine job that the journal editors have done during the past year.

15.2 Book Review Editor's Report: Capps presented his written report to the Council. He continues to work toward shorter reviews so that more books may be reviewed per volume. The Council moves to accept the report and thanks the book review editor for his excellent work over the past year.

16. Report of the Monograph Series Editor: William Newman, the monograph editor, presented his report indicating that two monographs have been published: No. 1 by Fenn is selling extremely well and is nearly sold out; No. 2 by Swatos is also selling but not as well. This year no new manuscripts were accepted and the editor requests the same amount of financing as last year. Newman expressed concern regarding the small number of ms. which he is receiving. His main object is to publish high quality ms. without major concern regarding numbers of potential sales. The Council moved, and accepted the report of the monograph series editor. Regarding the Silverman ms., evaluative material should be added.

17. Future Meeting Sites: W. Clark Roof reported on future possibilities for meeting sites. The SSSR Newsletter survey concerning types of sites produced 42 responses: 5 for large cities, 22 for moderate cities, 15 for retreat centers. Roof examined several potential sites for 1982: Providence, Notre Dame Conference Center, Knoxville. Knoxville is very nice but booked whereas Notre Dame has too few rooms and no guarantee for 1982. The Biltmore Plaza of Providence, has guaranteed rents for 1982, has recently been restored, and can provide 350 rooms (this meeting took 251 rooms), and thus is Roof's recommendation. Moved by Capps and seconded by Ploch to meet in Providence. Passed.

18 Publications Committee: Vice-President Sister Marie Augusta Neal presented the recommendations of the Publications Committee.

18.1 Papers: The committee suggests that a letter be sent to individuals submitting papers to be read at the annual meeting. This letter would encourage authors of the more substantial contributions to rework their papers for submission as possible articles in JSSR. On the other hand some authors should be encouraged to present papers reviewing work in progress, presentations which would be out of place in a professional journal.

18.2 Research Award: The committee recommends the reactivation of the "research award." The award should encourage interdisciplinary approaches, be applied only to the research itself (not for salaries) and be limited to $2000 or $1500 each if jointly given to two researchers. The proposal should include a budget and be submitted by May 1st. The President, Vice-President, Secretary, and Treasurer will form the evaluation group. The researcher, who receives the award, will be expected to give a breakfast roundtable at the annual meeting the following year. These suggestions were moved and seconded. After discussion the submission date was revised to February 15 and the announcement to May 1st. The amount of the award was revised to $2500 a year for any single project and up to $3000 in any one year for two projects. Moved and seconded as modified. Passed.

19. Budget Motion: W. Clark Roof presented the proposed budget for 1980-81. In terms of previous motions of the Council during this session several modifications were necessary on page 3: subventions for Council $3000; Research Award $3000; Discretionary Fund for 1981 Meeting $500; producing a Total Expenditures of $73,590.

19.1 Motion: Recommended that we reconsider salaries each year in the light of cost of living and merit and that suggested changes be included in the proposed budget. Passed.

19.2 Motion: That the Program Chairman should receive room, board, and travel each year. Passed.

19.3 Motion: That salaries be increased by 8% for all paid officials and rounded up to the next $100. Passed.

19.4 Motion: To approve the budget as amended (approximately $5700 added to $69,290 yields a total budget of $74,900) Passed.

20. Adjournment: President Benton Johnson adjourned the meeting at 11:30 a.m.