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ACR Update,
March 2009
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WELCOME TO ACR UPDATE—the monthly e-newsletter sharing important conflict resolution news and organizational updates with ACR members. Your feedback is welcome! |
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To view past issues online, go to: http://www.acrnet.org/publications/acrupdate.htm |
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ACR Named to 2009 Associations Advance America Honor Roll
ACR has been named to the 2009 Associations Advance America Honor Roll, a national awards competition sponsored by the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE) & the Center for Association Leadership, Washington, DC.
ACR received the
award for the Recommended Standards for School-Based Peer
Mediation Programs. Originally published in 1996 by the
Standards Committee of the National Association for Mediation in
Education (a forerunner of ACR), this document was revised in
2007 with the support of the JAMS Foundation and the Compton
Foundation. The revision was expanded by the Peer Mediation
Standards Committee of ACR’s Education Section.
The prestigious Associations Advance America Awards program recognizes associations that propel America forward – innovative projects in education, skills training, standards setting, business and social innovation, knowledge creation, citizenship, and community service.
“ACR’s program truly embodies the spirit of the Associations Advance America campaign. It is an honor and an inspiration to showcase this activity as an example of the many contributions associations are making to advance American society,” remarked Associations Advance America Committee Chair Janet C. Gibbs.
ACR Members Offered Free Access to Special Issue of Family Court Review
ACR members can now access a special issue of the Association of Family and Conciliation Courts’ journal Family Court Review. The issue is titled “Mediation and Conferencing in Child Protection Disputes.” ACR member Bernie Mayer and Kelly Browe Olson served as special editors for the issue.
The issue is available online for a limited time. To access it, go to www.wileyinterscience.com. Above the Search box, click “Publication Titles” and then enter “Family Court Review” in the search box. Click “go” and then click “Family Court Review.” Access is made possible by AFCC and Wiley Blackwell.
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National Crime Victims’ Rights Week to Honor 25th Anniversary of Victims of Crime Act
April 26 marks the beginning of National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, a time to focus on victims of crime and celebrate our nation’s progress in serving them. This year’s theme, “25 Years of Rebuilding Lives: Celebrating the Victims of Crime Act,” honors a landmark national commitment to victims of crime.
In 1984, Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA), which created the Crime Victims Fund, financed not by taxpayers but by fines and penalties paid by offenders. In 25 years, the Fund has grown from $68 million to more than $2 billion and is disbursed throughout the nation in amounts determined by Congress every year.
The Fund supports victim compensation programs, which reimburse victims for many out-of pocket expenses—such as medical care, counseling, funerals, and lost wages—that victims face in the aftermath of crime. It also helps fund victim assistance programs—such as rape crisis and domestic violence programs—that support victims by providing physical and emotional care and guidance in navigating the criminal justice system. In 2006, VOCA funds supported more than 4,400 public and nonprofit agencies serving almost 4 million victims, and paid more than $440 million in victim compensation.
“Every day in every state, VOCA shows victims they are not alone,” said John W. Gillis, former director of the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. “VOCA represents hope, renewal, and a nation that stands behind victims of crime.”
The U.S. Department of Justice will open National Crime Victims’ Rights Week with its annual national Candlelight Observance Ceremony on April 23, 2009, and its National Crime Victims’ Service Award Ceremony on April 24, 2009, both held in Washington, DC, to honor extraordinary individuals and programs that serve victims of crime. For more information about National Crime Victims’ Rights Week, as well as a resource guide, visit the Web site of the Office for Victims of Crime, a component of the Office of Justice Programs within the U.S. Department of Justice, at www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/ncvrw.
Bill Would Limit Arbitration Agreements
Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) introduced the Arbitration Fairness Act of 2009 (H.R. 1020) on February 12, 2009. This bill aims to protect consumers from business practices that require them to cede their rights to a jury trial as a condition of service. It declares that no pre-dispute arbitration agreement shall be valid or enforceable if it requires arbitration of: (1) an employment, consumer, or franchise dispute, or (2) a dispute arising under any statute intended to protect civil rights.
It also declares that the validity or enforceability of an agreement to arbitrate shall be determined by a court, under federal law, rather than an arbitrator, irrespective of whether the party resisting arbitration challenges the arbitration agreement specifically or in conjunction with other terms of the contract containing such agreement. Arbitration provisions in collective bargaining agreements would be exempt from this act. The bill has been referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
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Board Creates Futures Working Group
The ACR Board authorized a Futures Working Group to look at trends and forces at work in the profession of conflict resolution and related practice areas. “This group will step away from the present and from ACR and identify important changes on the horizon, so that, in the next ACR strategic planning effort, we can better position ACR to help members and advance the organization,” said President-elect Michael Aloi. Members of the working group will be appointed shortly.
Pre-dispute Arbitration Working Group Formed
The ACR Board approved the creation of a working group to examine the policy issues related to pre-dispute arbitration clauses in order to develop guiding principals that would serve as the basis for ACR’s public policy position for pending legislation on this topic. Joseph Stulberg will chair the working group. Other members will be appointed soon.
Have you looked into ACR’s new professional liability insurance?
A major goal of the ACR Board in investigating professional liability insurance programs for members and eventually changing to a new program was to find the broadest coverage possible. ACR’s new program with the Pinkham Agency accomplishes that goal. For example, coverage for the unlicensed practice of law, which costs extra under the old program, is now automatically included in the new policy and for no extra fee. Also under the old policy, the cost to defend a claim was subtracted from the policy limit, leaving less money available under the policy to pay a claim. In the new program, defense costs are not subtracted from the policy limit, so you get more coverage without having to buy a higher limit.
For members who still practice law, but on a part-time basis (less than 25 percent), Pinkham can cover the legal practice with an endorsement for an additional premium that is much less than a typical legal malpractice policy.
For an extensive comparison of improved coverages, go to http://www.ACRnet.org/membership/insurance.htm |
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ACR Member Susan Summers Raines Heard on Atlanta’s NPR Affiliate WABE
ACR member Susan Summers Raines was recently heard on Atlanta, Georgia’s NPR affiliate radio station WABE. Raines was interviewed in a piece tied to divorce mediation in a tough economy. The piece focuses primarily on a couple for whom Raines mediated privately. (The couple waived confidentiality to participate in the interview, according to Raines.) Raines says that in today’s economy rather than fighting over the assets of the marital home, today couples fight over who takes over the debt or the liability.
The full interview can be heard at http://www.publicbroadcasting.net/wabe/news.newsmain?action=article&ARTICLE_ID=1470266
Raines is an associate professor at Kennesaw State University and Editor-in-Chief of ACR’s Conflict Resolution Quarterly. In addition to her teaching and research, she mediates civil and domestic disputes, trains mediators, and has designed and evaluated Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) programs for a number of U.S. state and federal agencies.
Bernie Mayer Is Author of New Book Released by Wiley
ACR member Bernard (Bernie) Mayer is the author of a new book titled Staying with Conflict: A Strategic Approach to Ongoing Disputes. The publication offers a new paradigm for dealing with long-term disputes. Mayer explains that when dealing with enduring conflict, mediators and other conflict resolution specialists need to move past the idea of how quickly they can resolve the conflict. Instead, he contends, they should focus on how they can help people prepare to engage with an issue over time.
Mayer is a professor at the Werner Institute for Negotiation and Dispute Resolution at Creighton University, and a partner in CDR Associates. He is the author of numerous books and articles.
David Brubaker Is Author of New Book Released by the Alban Institute
In Promise and Peril: Understanding and Managing Change and Conflict in Congregations, ACR member David Brubaker brings the tools of organizational theory and research to the task of understanding the deeper dynamics of congregational conflict. Brubaker helps to explore the causes and effects of conflicts on a wide range of congregations.
Brubaker is an associate professor of Organizational Studies at the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding of Eastern Mennonite University. He has extensive experience in workplace mediation, training and organizational and congregational consulting, and is the author of numerous articles on conflict transformation and chapters in several books.
Ken Cloke Is Author of Conflict Resolution: Mediating Evil, War, Injustice and Terrorism
ACR member Kenneth Cloke is the author of a recently released book titled Conflict Resolution: Mediating Evil, War, Injustice and Terrorism. From interpersonal relationships and emotions, to crime, labor management relations, prejudice, the environment, politics, education and economics, Cloke helps readers understand what it means to be a global citizen and empowers them with new techniques for resolving conflict. The publication was recently released by Janis Publications.
Cloke is the director of the Center for Dispute Resolution in Santa Monica, California and president and co-founder of Mediators Beyond Borders in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania. He is the author or co-author of 10 books, a mediator, arbitrator, attorney, coach, consultant, trainer and internationally recognized speaker. |
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ACR’s 9th Annual Conference
Convening "Whole of Community": Integrating Approaches and Practices to Address Conflicts in a Chaotic World
Hilton Atlanta Atlanta, Georgia October 7 - 10, 2009
Wallace Warfield, associate professor of Conflict Analysis at George Mason University’s Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (ICAR), will be the keynote speaker at ACR’s 9th Annual Conference, “Convening ‘Whole of Community’: Integrating Approaches and Practices to Address Conflicts in a Chaotic World” October 7-10 in Atlanta, GA.
Warfield is a reflective practitioner, trained in the area of public administration and public policy, making use of a full range of theory in the analysis of conflicts and various approaches used to manage, mitigate, and resolve such conflicts. He teaches laboratory-simulation, practicum, and theory courses and his field work has involved interventions and training in complex, multi-party conflicts involving communities and organizations in the U.S. and abroad. Along with other ICAR faculty, he has conducted research and training projects in conflict settings in Africa and South America. In the latter case, the focus has been on conflict zones of peace in Colombia.
Warfield is on the editorial board of Negotiations Journal and is also the author of a number of publications in the field of conflict analysis and resolution. He is a past president of the Society of Professionals in Dispute Resolution (SPIDR) and a member of the Board of Reference of the Conflict Transformation Program, Eastern Mennonite University.
Prior to his affiliation with ICAR, Warfield served as a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Administrative Conference of the United States (ACUS). At ACUS, he was responsible for helping federal agencies build alternative dispute resolution processes into their administrative systems, developing and implementing training for government contracting offices, boards of contract appeal judges, administrative law judges and others in the federal sector. Before his work with ACUS, Warfield worked for the U.S. Department of Justice's Community Relations Service holding the positions of Acting Director and Associate Director for Field Coordination in the national office and Acting Regional Director, Deputy Regional Director, and mediator in the New York office.
Before joining the Department of Justice, he served as the Deputy Director of the Lower West Side (New York) Community Corporation and prior to that, he was a street gang worker with the New York City Youth Board. |
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Call for Article Proposals ACResolution Magazine Summer 2009
ACR’s summer 2009 issue of ACResolution magazine will focus on the topic of the Elderly and Conflict Resolution.
We seek proposals from people who would like to write articles on any aspect of resolving conflicts that touch senior adults, such as those involving financial planning, caregiving, estate and trust matters, driving issues, assisted living and nursing homes, etc. We seek diversity in authors and subject matter; authors do not have to be ACR members.
If interested, please:
Send your proposals via e-mail to ACResolution at publications@ACRnet.org as soon as possible, but no later than Monday, March 9.
An editorial advisory committee will review the proposals and choose 2 or 3 major features and 2 or 3 minor features. All authors will be notified by mid-March. If selected, completed articles will be due to ACR by May 1.
For more information about ACResolution, please visit http://www.ACRnet.org/publications/acresolution.htm.
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The Association for Conflict Resolution and Conflict Resolution Quarterly are sponsoring a Law and Graduate Student Paper Competition to showcase research on topics related to alternative dispute resolution (ADR) and conflict resolution. Submissions will be critiqued by a panel of experts comprised of practitioners and academics. The best paper will be published in Conflict Resolution Quarterly and its author will receive free conference registration to ACR’s 9th Annual Conference in Atlanta, Georgia October 7-10. Manuscripts receiving “honorable mention” will be published on the ACR website with an abstract appearing in ACResolution.
Conflict Resolution Quarterly publishes scholarship on relationships between theory, research, and practice in the conflict management and dispute resolution field to promote more effective professional applications. Articles may focus on any aspect of the conflict resolution process or context, but a primary focus is the behavior, role and impact of third parties in effectively handling conflict. All submissions must conform to CRQ’s submission guidelines, found here: http://www.acrnet.org/publications/crq.htm
Eligibility: To qualify, authors must be full or part-time graduate students in a conflict resolution, conflict management, or law school program at the time of the submission. Please contact Susan S. Raines with any questions concerning eligibility at the e-mail address listed below.
Deadline for submissions: April 6, 2009
Please direct questions to: Susan S. Raines, Ph.D., Editor-in-Chief, CRQ Associate Professor of Conflict Management, Kennesaw State University
Submissions must be submitted electronically via this website: http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/crq Please include a cover page that indicates this paper is part of the Graduate Student Manuscript Competition.
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The Environment and Public Policy Section will hold its mid-year conference in Denver June 11-13, 2009. For more information, please contact Conference Co-Chairs Michael Elliott (michael.elliott@cao.gatech.edu) or Tamra Pearson d’Estrée (tdestree@du.edu).
Important Reminder and Deadline Extension
Call for Nominations: IDC 2009 Outstanding Leadership Award The original deadline for nominations for this year’s Outstanding Leadership Award from the International Development Committee of ACR’s International Section was Wednesday, February 25, 2009; the deadline has been extended to Wednesday, March 18, 2009. Please let us know who you would like to nominate as soon as possible.
The award honors exceptional work promoting conflict resolution in development projects around the world. The award aims to celebrate leadership in the field and draw attention to the importance of conflict resolution in creating stronger democracies and economies.
Shamil Fattakhov from Kazan, Russia, received the 2008 award in recognition of his leadership promoting creative processes that help people across the globe find peaceful solutions to conflicts. Former Indiana Congressman Lee Hamilton presented the award to Fattakhov at ACR's 8th Annual Conference. Partners for Democratic Change received the 2007 award for the organization's work building sustainable local capacity to advance civil society and a culture of change and conflict management worldwide. Judge Gladys Alvarez of Argentina received the 2006 award for her successful efforts to spread mediation throughout Latin America.
The International Development Committee welcomes your nomination of an individual or a group of individuals who merit celebration. Please e-mail your nominations to IDC Leadership Co-Chairs Teri Sklar and Merrick Hoben at terisklar@sbcglobal.net by Wednesday, March 18. Please include the name of your nominee and at least a couple of sentences – up to 500 words – in support of the nominee. A bio or CV of the nominee (if an individual) or a description of the nominee (if a group of individuals or an organization) would be very helpful, but is not required.
Second Forum in Conflict Resolution of the International Section’s Latin American Networks to be held in Buenos Aires in 2010!
We hope you will join us in Buenos Aires early next year for the Second Forum in Conflict Resolution of the International Section’s Latin American Networks. The conference will highlight the innovative and important conflict resolution activity in the region. Stay tuned for an exact date and other details. The conference was originally planned for July 2009 and was moved to 2010 to address competing schedules. The forum follows in the footsteps of the successful conference that the International Section and its Latin American Networks hosted in Bogota, Colombia more than a year ago. The Bogota conference, co-hosted by the University of Los Andes, provided a unique opportunity for hundreds of dispute resolution professionals from across the Americas to share experiences and network. We look forward to seeing you in Buenos Aires in 2010. For more information, please contact incoming International Section Chair David Plumb at dplumb@cbuilding.org.
General Meeting of Workplace Section - March 31, 2009 The Workplace Section will hold a General Membership Teleconference on Tuesday, March 31, 2009, at 1:00 p.m. EDT (12:00 noon CDT; 11:00 a.m. MDT; 10:00 a.m. PDT) for one hour only. The access number will be released prior to the teleconference.
The Workplace Section is one of ACR’s largest and most active Sections, offering a wide range of membership benefits and opportunities. Leadership paths are abundant and varied. The Section has four elective offices, one appointive office, and several ACR-related designations. Volunteer opportunities include numerous committee and project roles for chairs and participants. If you would like to join the Workplace Section (it only costs $15 per year), log in to the ACR Member Center Portal at http://www.ACRnet.org or contact the ACR office at (202)464-9700, ext. 206.
The Section welcomes the creation of new committees and programs by individual members motivated by special interest or passion. For example, within the past few years, individual members have created Workplace Section affiliations with universities and professional associations, Advanced Practitioner Status in both mediation and arbitration, and the Conflict Coaching Committee. What is your focus, and how can the Workplace Section provide a vehicle for your vision?
The General Membership Meeting teleconference will feature limited presentation of material, dedicating most of the hour to your questions and ideas. The Section wants and values your active participation. Please join us!
Workplace Section Teleseminars Workplace Section Teleseminar programs are free of charge to Workplace Section members of ACR. If you are not a member and would like to participate in one of our Teleseminar programs, you can join the Section for the very low price of $15 per year for ACR members. To join the Section, log in to the ACR Member Center Portal at http://www.ACRnet.org Membership in the Workplace Section of ACR allows you to have access throughout the year to our Monthly Teleseminar programs, plus the Conflict Coaching Teleseminars. You also will receive the Workplace Section Newsletter AND special Workplace Section Alerts and more.
Conflict Coaching Teleseminar The next Conflict Coaching Teleseminar will be on March 12 from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. EDT. The topic is “Emotional Intelligence, Self-Awareness and the Enneagram for ADR Practitioners,” with guest speaker Curt Micka.
Curt Micka, a mediator, facilitator and conflict coach will discuss how our Enneagram styles enhance and hinder our capacity for both personal and professional self-management, ‘presence’ and emotional intelligence. The speaker for this conflict coaching teleconference will also discuss how this useful system helps increase awareness of our habits of thought, emotions and behaviors that may preclude empathy and effective listening in our role as conflict coaches. Curt will also share how he uses the Enneagram in his work as a conflict coach.
Monthly Teleseminar The February program titled “Trust Speak” and presented by Dr. Gloria Bader was very information and well attended. Dr. Bader’s presentation was very enlightening and allowed for lively dialogue with seminar participants.
Our next Monthly Teleseminar will be on March 25 from 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. EDT. The topic will be “Ethical Considerations in Workplace Dispute Resolution,” with guest speaker John Palmer.
More detailed information about these programs and call-in numbers will be sent to Workplace Section members. If you are interested and are not a member, please join our Section! Visit our website to learn more about the Section and the Teleseminar Series: http://www.mediate.com/acrworkplace/index.cfm
Call for Training Announcements The Workplace Section offers a monthly list of upcoming trainings of interest to workplace dispute resolution professionals. If you wish to make an announcement, please submit your posting by the 21st of the month to Linda Goodman at lgoodman@ihrc.idaho.gov.
Publication Date &
Topics:
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On Saturday, March 14, the Arizona Association for Conflict Resolution (AACR) will hold its bi-monthly membership meeting at Phoenix School of Law. The meeting will begin at 8:45 a.m., with registration and program at 9:15 a.m., followed by a business meeting and lunch. The title for the program is “ADR in a New Economic and Political Era (Are we entering the Golden Age of ADR?).” Richard Fincher, Workplace Resolutions LLC, is a former ACR Board member and a mediator and arbitrator. He will talk about the ADR implications of the recently enacted federal stimulus legislation and of the proposed federal legislation in the areas of healthcare, social security and labor. The following questions will be addressed: What ADR skills will be in high demand? How can you best market yourself in this new world?
If you are interested in the program or attending, check the AACR website at www.mediate.com/acrarizona or e-mail AACR President Susan Bulfinch to RSVP: sbulfinch@aol.com
As the Georgia Chapter of ACR prepares to roll out the red carpet for ACR’s 9th Annual Conference October 7-10, it’s putting together special packages - like the Atlanta CityPass - for ACR members. This is a booklet with tickets to Atlanta’s most popular attractions at nearly 50 percent discounts. The Atlanta CityPass covers nine days and includes: the Georgia Aquarium (with expedited entry); World of Coca-Cola; Zoo Atlanta; Inside CNN Atlanta; an option of either the Fernbank Museum of Natural History or Atlanta Botanical Garden; and also another option of either the High Museum of Art or the Atlanta History Center.
In February, the Chapter's conference committee chairs met with national ACR conference organizers at the conference’s future site, the downtown Hilton Atlanta. Members toured the hotel's facilities, laying the groundwork for ACR’s 9th Annual Conference themed, “Convening ‘Whole of Community’: Integrating Approaches and Practices to Address Conflicts in a Chaotic World.” The group followed up a full day of meetings with dinner together at Ray’s in the City, an award-winning seafood restaurant on Atlanta’s Peachtree Street, within blocks of the Hilton.
The New England Chapter of ACR (NE-ACR) will hold its Annual Meeting and Program on April 28 at the Wellesley Public Library, Wakelin Room First Floor, 530 Washington Street, Wellesley, MA:
5:30 – 6:00 p.m.: Refreshments and networking 6:00 – 6:15 p.m.: Annual meeting and election of board of directors 6:15 – 7:30 p.m.: Program
We are pleased to announce that our
speaker for the program will be Robert C. Bordone,
Dispute Systems Design (DSD) involves the creation of a set of processes to help an organization, institution, nation-state, or other set of individuals better manage a particular conflict and/or a continuous stream or series of common and recurring conflicts. Effective dispute systems can minimize the costs of such conflicts, and maximize the benefits.
Please join us for this exciting event. You may register at: www.neacr.org The price is $20 for members, $30 for non-members and $15 for students. For information, contact Arline Kardasis at arline@AgreementResources.com Driving directions can be found at: http://www.wellesleyfreelibrary.org/catalog/page.asp?pn=vir317
The Association for Dispute Resolution of Northern California (ADRNC) has elected the following officers for 2009:
President: Nancy E. Hudgins Vice-President: N. Darshan Brach Vice-President: Marissa Wertheimer Secretary: Jonathan Bradley Treasurer: William Mooser
Our annual conference is scheduled for Saturday, March 7 at Preservation Park in Oakland, CA. We are pleased to announce that René-Marc Mangin, Ph.D., M.B.A., will be our keynote speaker. He will speak on the topic “In Plain Sight: The Subliminal Influence of Non-Verbal Communication.” Additional seminars on a wide variety of ADR topics are also planned.
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Donate Now! You can make donations to ACR's Annual Fund Campaign online. Click here to learn how you can make an important investment in ACR's future.
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Advertise in ACR Update! Reach 5,500+ conflict resolution enthusiasts with your advertising message. A 10-line, 100-word, text ad costs just $150! For more information, contact ACR at tlankford@acrnet.org. |
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Encourage your colleagues and friends to join the Association for Conflict Resolution! Enjoy immediate benefits for you and your friends. Go to www.ACRnet.org and click “Join Now.” |
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As an ACR member, you are automatically subscribed to ACR Update. To unsubscribe from ACR Update, send an e-mail to membership@acrnet.org, or log on to the Online Member Center, click on “My Profile,” then “Contact Groups,” and de-select “ACRUpdate.” |
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