Dear TASA TG conveners,
As 2022 comes to an end, I'm taking this opportunity to introduce myself as TASA's new TG portfolio leader. My name is Tom Barnes; I am a sociologist of work and economy at Australian Catholic University (ACU) in Sydney. I have been a member of TASA for 8 years and have also served as a TG convener previously. I met many of you at the TASA conference last month in Melbourne and noted down several useful ideas - thank you for the suggestions!
I wanted to alert TG convenors to 3 things:
1. Sometimes these emails end up in junk mail folders! So, to ensure that as many conveners receive communications about TG matters as possible, and to minimize accidental exclusions, could I ask all conveners to confirm that they have received this email... simply by replying ASAP... you don't have to write anything in the email... if it's blank, I will just assume you are responding to my request. (Of course, feel free to also say hello & introduce yourself if you wish😊.)
2. We will be proceeding with funding for TG events and activities in 2023. As in previous years, applications for activities between July 1st and December 31st of 2023 must be received by 5pm on March 1st. Applications for activities between January 1st and June 30th of 2024 must be received by 5pm on September 1st. For further details, check the Conveners' Manual or just ask. If you intend to work on an application over the summer, I'd be more than happy to provide advice if needed.
3. In recent times, we have held online/zoom meetings among TG conveners to discuss ideas, questions, feedback, etc. We will aim to continue these in 2023, with an initial aim to meet 3-4 times throughout the year. More information (including an online poll to optimize scheduling) will be emailed in the new year.
I appreciate that some of you may not be able to reply to this email until the new year, especially if you are already enjoying a welcome break from work. For others, work continues over the summer. We all live and work in different circumstances... either way, there's nothing in this email for you to worry about... it's just some basic info. But if do you have questions or just want to reach out, don't hesitate to contact me.
I look forward to working with you over the coming months and years.
Stay safe, all the best for the summer and for 2023
Tom |