June 1, 2020
Dear members of the Southeastern Archaeological Conference:
As was announced about two weeks ago, the SEAC Executive Committee (“the board”) decided to postpone this year’s annual meeting, scheduled for Durham, NC, during October 28-31, 2020, because of the uncertainties and safety issues caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. I am happy to announce that contracts have been finalized to hold the next SEAC annual meeting at the Durham Convention Center during October 24-27, 2021. This is a Sunday-Wednesday block, which is non-traditional for SEAC, but allows us to avoid complications due to possible Duke University football games. We will use the same hotels as had been planned for 2020. This development is due to cooperation from the hotels and the Convention Center and a great deal of hard work by the organizing committee, especially Dr. Heather Lapham of the Research Laboratories of Archaeology at UNC Chapel Hill.
Our previously scheduled 2021 meeting in Little Rock, Arkansas, has been moved to November, 2022, thanks again to the cooperation from the Little Rock venues and hard work by the organizing committee, especially Dr. Emily Beahm of the Arkansas Archeological Survey. We have received positive feedback about moving Chattanooga/2022 to the following year, 2023. Thank you, Scott Jones, of Midsouth Cultural Resource Consultants.
You can find my earlier message, with some more details about this decision below. There will be information about the city of Durham, NC, posted soon on the Meetings page of the website. We will develop some kind of online business meeting to be held around the time of the previously scheduled meeting. Most reports by officers and committees, memorial and honorary resolutions, and other material will be posted on the SEAC web site in advance. Almost all SEAC awards (except for the Student Paper Prize) will be made this year, announced online, and also honored next year in Durham.
By the time we meet in Durham in 2021, Dr. Maureen Meyers will have taken over as president of SEAC. However, I look forward to seeing as many members as possible there. In the meantime, I hope you and your families stay safe and well. And, be sure to pay your 2020 SEAC dues: https://www.southeasternarchaeology.org/membership/membership-options/.
Best wishes,
Janet E. Levy
President, Southeastern Archaeological Conference