Committee on the Status of Ethnic and Racial Minorities 

The Committee on the Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities shall encourage the participation of racial and ethnic minorities in the discipline and in the affairs of the Association, and may report its finding and recommendations for enhancing such participation to PSA Council and to the membership of the Association.

The Committee on the Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities in sociology consists of six members of the Association. Membership of the committee is appointed by the Committee on Committees for a three conference/two year term of office. Each year two members begin and two members end their term of office. While members of the Committee on the Status of Racial and Ethnic Minorities may recommend prospective members to the Committee on Committees, they do not select their own members. They do, however, elect the committee’s chair. The chair of the Committee is elected by committee members from among their ranks and must be someone who will be a continuing and active member of the committee for at least one year. The chair will serve for one year, and may be reelected. The chair is elected at the scheduled meeting of the committee, which is held during the annual PSA conference.

Given the importance of this committee, it should be very active and all members should be totally committed to its charge. In order for the committee to encourage the participation of racial and ethnic minorities in the discipline and in the PSA, all committee members must have specific and precise responsibilities. These are determined at the annual meeting.

1. Specific duties of the chair. The chair must develop the agenda for the year’s activities and must convene the annual meeting of the committee. In addition, it is the chair’s responsibility to engage all members in the activities of the committee and to monitor and encourage their participation throughout the year by communicating with them via email. The chair also saves all correspondence, maintains the committee’s file or archive, and passes it on to the next chair. The chair also makes certain that any Open Call sessions which the committee proposes to sponsor at the annual PSA meeting are communicated to the PSA Secretary by the deadline of May 1.
   The chair must be very strong, someone who can provide clear, precise, and firm direction. There should be close contact between the new chair and the former chair so that ideas, unfinished business, etc. can be passed on from year to year. The chair should make clear to every committee member what the “rules” are– deadlines, procedures, responsibilities, etc.
2. Procedures.  Committee decisions are made by input from committee members, either via email and/or at the annual meeting of the committee.
3. Calendar of Activities and specific chair duties.
   • by October 15: Chair ensures that all responsible committee members have submitted all invited sessions to be sponsored by the committee into the online submission system.
   • by January: Chair contacts all committee members to check on progress being made on specific tasks for the upcoming conference.
   • by February: Agenda for the annual meeting is sent to all committee members for their comments and suggestions. If the committee is working on a position paper or any action item that will go to PSA Council, the chair must maintain contact with all committee members throughout the year.
   • at the annual meeting: Conduct committee meeting. Elect chair for next year.  Discuss agenda for next year. Discuss proposed sessions for next year’s annual meeting.  Assign specific committee members specific tasks.
   • by May 1: Chair writes annual minutes/report of the committee’s activities and sends it to the PSA Secretary. Committee members should be contacted for their input into the annual report.

2024-2025 Committee Members
TBD

2023-2024 Committee Members
Uriel Serrano (24) UC Santa Cruz
Deidre Tyler (24) Salt Lake Community College
No new appointments (to begin service in 2023) made by the Committee on Committees

2022-2023 Committee Members
Marisela Martinez-Cola (23) Utah State University
Uriel Serrano (24) UC Santa Cruz
Deidre Tyler (24) Salt Lake Community College

2021-2022 Committee Members
Brianne Davila (22) Cal Poly Pomona
Celeste Atkins (22) University of Arizona (grad student)  Co-Chair
Marisela Martinez-Cola (23) Utah State University
Marcia Hernandez (21) University of the Pacific   Chair

2020-2021 Committee Members
Marcia Hernandez (21) University of the Pacific   Co-Chair
Claudia Lopez (21) CSU Long Beach
Brianne Davila (22) Cal Poly Pomona
Celeste Atkins (22) Cochise Community College/University of Arizona (grad student)

2019-20 Committee Members
Christina Baker (20) Sonoma State University
Xuan Santos (20) CSU San Marcos
Lori Walkington (20) UC Riverside (Student) Co-Chair
Marcia Hernandez (21) University of the Pacific   Co-Chair
Claudia Lopez (21) CSU Long Beach

2018-19 Committee Members
Nelson Pichardo Almanzar (19) Central Washington University, Co-Chair
Shweta Adur (19) CSU Fullerton
Christina Baker (20) Sonoma State University, Co-Chair
Xuan Santos (20) CSU San Marcos
Lori Walkington (20) UC Riverside (Student)

2017-18 Committee Members
Alicia Bonaparte (16 extended to 2017, 18) Pitzer College, Co-Chair
Nelson Pichardo Almanzar (19) Central Washington University, Co-Chair
Shweta Adur (19) CSU Fullerton
Christina Baker (20) Sonoma State University
Xuan Santos (20) CSU San Marcos
Lori Walkington (20) UC Riverside (Student)

2016-17 Committee Members
Blackhawk Hancock (16 extended to 2017) DePaul University, Co-Chair
Alicia Bonaparte (16 extended to 2017) Pitzer College, Co-Chair
Ethel G. Nicdao (16 extended to 2017) University of the Pacific
Michael Chavez (17) CSU Long Beach
Rachael McGlaston (17) CSU San Marcos (Student)
Alexis Grant (18) Humboldt State University
Jose Padin (18) Portland State University (Student)
Nelson Pichardo Almanzar (19) Central Washington University
Shweta Adur (19) CSU Fullerton

2015-16 Committee Members
Brianne Davila (16) Willamette University, Co-Chair
Blackhawk Hancock (16) College of De Paul, Co-Chair
Kathy Kuipers (16) University of Montana
Garry Rolison (16) CSU San Marcos
Ethel G. Nicdao (16) University of the Pacific
Alicia Bonaparte (16) Pitzer College
Michael Chavez (17) CSU Long Beach
Rachael McGlaston (17) CSU San Marcos (Student)

2014-15 Committee Members:
Brianne Davila  Willamette University (Northern) Co-Chair
Blackhawk Hancock  College of De Paul, Chicago (Central) Co-Chair
Kathy Kuipers  University of Montana (Northern)
Sergio Romero  Boise State University (Northern)
Garry Rolinson  CSU San Marcos (Southern)
Ethel G. Nicdao  University of the Pacific (Central)
Alicia D. Bonaparte  Pitzer College (Southern)
Alexis Grant Humboldt State University (Student)