Filed by Delegates Nikki Arel and Jeff Shuman

The AOD (Assembly of Delegates) Report 2019 has been finalized and released. There was a summary of the discussions had at the AOD in October. The Position Statement regarding online education was defeated in the Assembly.

If you have a topic that you would like to submit as either a Position Statement or a Discussion Topic, the AOD is currently accepting these. As your Delegates, Jeff and Nikki can help you through the process.

To note, the sooner you complete each step, the sooner that the proposals can be released to the Delegates for discussion and clarifications. The first deadline, which is a “MUST MEET” is May 6th, when Position Statements and Discussion Topics are due to the AODAC (Assembly of Delegates Advisory Committee). Anything after this date is rejected and referred to reapply for the following year.

By June 3rd, the AODAC will have reviewed all the proposals and referred them back to the authors with any suggested revisions. The authors then have until July 1st to return the revised and finalized proposals to the AODAC.

Once the AODAC has the completed proposals, they will release them to the elected delegates for discussion. Delegates are required to sign into the online forum and review the proposals. We are encouraged to ask questions, engage in debate and discussion, and to ask for clarifications. This time, from the release of proposals to Delegates until the AOD in August, is used to connect with the author and gain clarification and understanding of the topic, if   needed. This way, Delegates arrive prepared and knowledgable for in-depth debate and conversation once we are at the AOD.

What is the difference between a Position Statement (PS) and a Discussion Topic (DT)? DTs are generally a suggested topic that offers the opportunity for a broad discussion and to gather member input. These would be related to AMTA’s mission and goals and must ask a broad question. We are not expected to solution a problem, but rather to bring forth concerns, ideas and cautions as the topic is further pursued by the National Board of Directors.

A PS is a little more involved. These should not replicate any current PSs of the AMTA. You may review our current PSs online at the AMTA.org website. Once you submit and the PS is forwarded to the AOD, there is an actual vote taken after the discussion. If the PS is approved, then the National Board of Directors (NBOD) will review the idea and vote on whether or not to assign a workgroup to the topic.

A workgroup will review and sort through relevant research and determine if a position statement is able to be supported. If the workgroup determines that the research supports the idea, then the workgroup (who are professional research writers and readers) will write a proper Position Statement. This is then returned to the NBOD for an official vote. Once this is completed, the NBOD will release the PS and accompanying support will be printed in an appropriate professional journal for publication and will then be included on the AMTA website as an official PS. During the process, the AOD and delegates are kept abreast of any developments as they happen.

If you are looking for guidelines and a format for writing the Position Statement, please reach out to Nikki or Jeff who have access to resources that can help to organize and create your Position Statement.