JULY 2003

Resolutions Committee

Term End Report

Don Clarke, Chairman

May 11, 2003 was a "Red Letter Day" for the House of Delegates. AAPG was petitioned by the National Association of Black Geologists and Geophysicists (NABGG) and the Association for Women Geoscientists (AWG) for affiliation as Associated Societies. The House of Delegates voted to approve these affiliations as Associated Societies. These societies will not be eligible to elect Delegates to the House of Delegates. Welcome to the NABGG and the AWG. Each of these petitions was preceded by stirring speeches of unity. Jeanne Harris spoke for the AWG and Conrad Allen spoke for the NABGG.

AAPG was petitioned by the French Association of Petroleum Technicians (AFTP), Atyrau Petroleum Geologists Association (APGA) in Kazakhstan and the Sociedad Geologica del Peru for affiliation as Affiliated Societies. Jean Marvillet spoke for the AFTP, Malik Musagaliyev for the APGA and Cesar Ardiles for the Sociedad Geologica del Peru. The House of Delegates voted to approve these affiliations as Affiliated Societies. These societies will now be eligible to elect Delegates to the House of Delegates. We welcome these new societies to ours.

The Committee has focused on building HoD delegate representation in the affiliated societies of North America. We were very successful. Most societies have their complete complement of delegates. Only a few societies have one vacancy. Internationally the situation is more difficult; there are many societies who are under- represented or even have no delegates. Some affiliated societies have no delegates because it is not practical for the delegate to travel to the annual AAPG meeting. Times have changed, and with the advances in communications, there are many ways for the delegates to add valuable input into how AAPG conducts its business. Service on committees such as this one is an excellent way to bring ideas forward to the House.

I wish to thank my fellow committee members for their help. These include Sharie Sartain of Houston, Gulf Coast Section; Doug Patchen of the West Virginia Geological and Economic Survey, Eastern Section; and Steve Goolsby, President of Goolsby Brothers and Associates Inc., Rocky Mountain Section.