Looking forward to the 2014 ASA Annual Meeting

Designing and Conducting Research to Make Real Social Change in Abortion Care

Tracy A. Weitz, University of California-San Francisco

As sociologists, we aim to make a difference in the “real world.” This is particularly true for scholars like me who study the socially contested issue of abortion, a health care service to which access increasingly reflects broader social inequalities. More than 10 years ago, I embarked on a project to reduce inequalities in access by using empirical research to make policy change. I encountered many unexpected obstacles as well as more than a few happy surprises. My experience offers lessons to social scientists who want to use their research to make social change through policy.

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Maureen Hallinan

Maureen T. Hallinan: A Mentor in the Sociology of Education

Mark Berends, University of Notre Dame

Maureen Hallinan, the William P. and Hazel B. White Professor of Sociology Emeritus at the University of Notre Dame, died on Monday, January 28, 2014, after a prolonged illness. Before her death we were able to celebrate her retirement in 2012, acknowledging her significant contributions to sociology, the sociology of education, several important programs at Notre Dame, her family, and the numerous friendships and mentoring relationships she nurtured over the years.

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Candidates for the 2014 ASA Election

In accordance with election policies established by the ASA Council, biographical sketches of the candidates for ASA leadership positions are published in Footnotes (see below). The candidates appear in alphabetical order by office. Biographical sketches for all candidates will be available online when ballots are sent to all current voting members in mid-April.

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National Trends Push Departments to Focus on Career Advising: ASA Can Help

Margaret Weigers Vitullo, Academic and Professional Affairs Program

Career advising is an increasingly central activity for sociology faculty and departments. Larger student loan burdens, the continuing effects of the Great Recession, and an increasingly diverse student body all mean that students are considering the employment implications of their college choices from the start of college. In 2013, 86 percent of first-year college students said the ability to get a better job was “very important” in their decision to go to college. Seventy-three percent specifically said that being able to make more money was important to their decision. And nearly 70 percent of these first-time freshman said they either “agree strongly” or “somewhat agree” with the statement “the current economic situation significantly affected my college choice.” (Eagan 2013).

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