AAR MEMBERS, please go and sign the AAR Joint Meetings Petition to AAR Board of Directors. It seems to me that SBL members should be able to sign as well - the decision concerns them too! The petition was composed by Elaine Pagels and Karen L. King (well done!) and reads:

To:� AAR Board of Directors

We the undersigned members of the American Academy of Religion petition the Board of Directors of the AAR to rescind its action taken in April and July 2003 to discontinue concurrent annual meetings with the Society of Biblical Literature.

We request that this action to rescind be taken at the Spring 2004 meeting of the AAR Board of Directors. We support the laudable goals expressed in the Centennial Strategic Plan 2004-2009 and support the Board in finding alternative constructive and creative ways to meet them.

There are currently over 2900 signatures, which comprise a significant percentage of the membership (even setting aside a few dodgy signatures, which Mark Goodacre noted, following John Dart). I especially liked the comment of #79, William Cahoy:

I suspect that if the leadership of the AAR experienced or even witnessed this sort of unilateral decision-making handed down by a church official or hierarch, they would be up in arms and leading the charge of responsible protest. Now they seem to be using their power in precisely the unilateral, non-consultative way so often criticized by the Academy. Please stop.

Ouch!

UPDATE: It's been pointed out to me that the AAR Board won't be interested in the views of nonmembers. Point taken. I suppose if they were, they would have consulted with the SBL in the first place.

Also, according to the AAR web page, "over 7500" AAR members attend the annual meeting. Around 2900 of those don't like the change. Need I say more?