Conference Information

Conference Location

North-facing entrance to Johnson Commons East.

The 2024 Isom Student Gender Conference will take place in the Banquet Room of Johnson Commons East.

The Banquet Room in Johnson Commons East

Travel Grants

The Isom Center offers a small number of travel grants to non-UM students who are accepted to the conference. We will contact you after acceptance to discuss further.

Accessibility

ISGC strives to create an environment that is usable for as many people as possible. We must balance that goal against limited fiscal resources, an all-volunteer workforce, and the paradox that one person’s accommodation is sometimes another person’s barrier.

Allies: How Every Attendee Contributes to an Accessible Environment

Please consider the following beneficial behaviors to make this conference as accessible as possible for attendees:

The English language:

The pronouns we use to describe one another incorrectly presumes that gender is obvious and readable for each person. We encourage you not assume any person’s gender identity, pronoun usage, or other aspects of their identities. Whenever you feel unsure, please ask the person

to whom you are speaking what pronouns they use, or look at the pronoun ribbon that some attendees may choose to wear along with their name tag.

Maintain clear paths:

Please be conscious of the “traffic jams” that sometimes occur in doorways and aisles, and how they can impede others’ mobility. When possible, take your conversations to the numerous public spaces in the Union or the surrounding green spaces.

Share the air:

Smoke and scents travel quickly, and air won’t move if you ask it to. Washing your hands after smoking makes a difference. The University of Mississippi and Gertrude C. Ford Ole Miss Student Union are smoke-free.

Service Animal Etiquette:

Although interacting with animals is tempting, please don’t pet, distract, or take photos of service animals at the conference. Those of us who rely on service animals need our animals to be able to concentrate on doing their jobs well.

We welcome your comments and discussion about how we can create better access at this conference for future events.

Fragrance-free Conference

In the interest of supporting our colleagues with sensitivity to alcohols and scent, we ask that attendees refrain from wearing perfumes or fragrances. Perfumes and fragrances (including scented lotions) can negatively affect people with multiple chemical sensitive syndrome (MCS), asthma, and/or autoimmune disorders. For every 100 people in America, there are an average of 10 with asthma, 20 with an autoimmune disorder, and/or 12.5 with MCS.

Presenter Information

General Information for Presenters

Sessions are 75 minutes long. If you are on a panel with 4 presenters, plan to speak for
10- 12 minutes to allow time for discussion and questions at the end.
Know the time and location of your session. If possible, visit the room prior to your talk so you have a sense of the space.
Arrive at the assigned room as early as you can and set up quickly to allow the session to start on time.
End your session on time –exceeding time makes it harder for the next set of presenters to prepare for their session, and causes your attendees to arrive late to their next session.
When presenting, talk at a normal speaking rate, loudly enough for those in the back of the room to hear. Vary your speech patterns to avoid a monotone presentation.
Even if reading a paper, make every effort to look at your audience and engage them in your presentation.
Do not exceed your time –doing so negatively impacts the others in the session. Practice your presentation prior to the conference to ensure that you are able to cover desired material in the allotted time.
If your session includes discussion or questions, ensure that those speaking take turns so that attendees can focus on the contributions of one participant at a time.
Take care that sounds from your session do not negatively affect other sessions occurring in adjoining rooms.
Expect that session attendees will be interested in talking to you further about your work – come prepared with business cards or other materials that can help others contact you after the conference.
If you are unable to make your presentation, either find a colleague to share your materials or inform the moderator of your absence.

Accessibility Requirements

We are committed to making arrangements that allow all those who wish to be able to participate in our annual conference.

When presenting, stand at the podium to take advantage of the microphone regardless of whether you are using audio-visual equipment.
When speaking, position your face at an angle that allows participants to read your lips. Avoid speaking while facing away from the audience, or while looking down at papers or screens.
Access Copies: Presenters should plan to bring five copies of their papers, even in draft form, for the use of attendees who wish to follow the written text. Presenters who use handouts should prepare some copies in a large-print format (Sans-serif font, 16-point type size). Presenters should indicate whether they want their papers and handouts returned.
Please describe any power points or visuals.
If engaging in experiential activities make sure you have planned for the inclusion of all, regardless of physical abilities.
If you are planning on showing a video during your presentation, please plan on captioning/subtitling your video or having transcripts available.
Consider making it possible for attendees to obtain an electronic version that allows for type size adjustments or the use of text readers (creating audio from written text).
Please say your name before asking a question

Presenting a Paper

Presenting a paper does not mean simply reading your paper. Ideas that are clearly, and perhaps cleverly, communicated in writing may not always appear so when presented aurally. Practice the presentation to ensure that your ideas can be communicated well in the conference format.
You will not be able to share everything you know about your subject in the time allotted. Your goal should be to highlight the most interesting aspects of your work, and
to create enough interest in your topic to encourage the audience members to seek out your completed paper for additional information.
Make sure you have a strong opening and closing to your talk, and have identified some body material that can be eliminated should you find yourself short on time. Do not sacrifice the closing since this is the summative information about your work.
It takes about 2 minutes to read a double-spaced page, so a 7-8 page paper would yield a 15-minute presentation. Plan your time wisely, taking into consideration the number of panelists and the desire for post-presentation discussion.
Be careful with the amount of editorializing you do during your presentation – time taken for this commentary may lengthen your talk if you timed your discussion based on your written work.
Consider printing your paper in a 16-point font so it will be easy for you to read; you may wish to mark pauses and points of emphasis so you can note them with your voice.
Prepare yourself for questions: allow for disagreement and do not be afraid to say “I don’t know,” or “That’s a point I hadn’t considered.”

Use of Audio-visual Equipment

Audio-visual equipment will be available in all rooms and sessions Although there will be technicians on hand to ensure that the requested audio-visual equipment is available and working properly, it is the presenter’s responsibility to be familiar with the equipment.
Make sure to work with the moderator and other presenters to ensure that the flow of the session is planned in a manner that allows a quick transition from speaker to speaker regardless of the equipment used.
Although one hopes not to need it, create a backup plan in case the audio-visual portion of the presentation cannot be used (i.e. disc error, faulty equipment, etc).
While internet access is available in all spaces, it is better to download and embed all online resources to ensure availability.

Adapted from the 2018 NWSA Program.