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<p class="MsoNormal">Dear Marcelo and <span style="font-family:"Calisto MT","serif";mso-fareast-language:EN-GB">
Alana</span><o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Regarding your criticism of the fees, Crossroads is in fact a moderately priced event. It compares well with other professional association conferences. CSAA is not running this year, so the most similar domestic association conference
is ANZCA. Our early bird full fee at $119 per day for an association member is less than the $133 per day charged for ANZCA 2016. Our rate for mid income registrants/students is $81 per day while ANZCA is $96 per day. In addition we have a category below this
for anyone earning under AUD15,000 per year that works out at $63 per day. The three fee tiers are mandated by the ACS.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">This comparison is not of course a criticism of ANZCA in any sense - the costs and organizing challenges of association conferences differ and are not always apparent to conference goers. However, the comparison does illustrate that
Crossroads is not overpriced. That this is so reflects the generous support – cash and in-kind – of the two host universities as well as that of other sponsors, including UTS and CSAA itself.
<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"> We believe that you might not have considered the fees and what is included closely. Crossroads is a conference of considerable complexity that is being organized by volunteers to avoid the additional costs of professional conference
organizers. As you yourself noted part of each fee contributes towards costs of a bursary scheme for disadvantaged registrants, and the scale of the conference requires hire of venues outside the University of Sydney. We are also running, for the first time
in Crossroads history, a free preconference event specifically for postgraduate and early career researchers.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">There will be no grandiose receptions at Crossroads. One will be mainly covered by a publisher. The other two will be modestly catered spaces for conference goers to meet and socialize. An accessible social program is requirement at
the heart of hosting Crossroads, which fosters international engagement and community through cultural studies. Clearly one of the other costs of such internationalism is that of bringing numerous invited speakers to Sydney from around the world. Only a few
of these speakers are in a position to contribute towards their own costs.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"> <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">We hope you and other members of CSAA will find these clarifications helpful.<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">With best wishes<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">Tony Bennett<o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoPlainText">On behalf of the Steering Committee <o:p></o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">Tony Bennett FAHA AcSS, Research Professor of Social and Cultural Theory<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">Institute for Culture and Society.Building EM,Parramatta Campus,Western Sydney University.<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">Locked Bag 1797,Penrith South DC,NSW 2751,Australia<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">Tel: (0)2 9685 9596; Mobile: 0457 888 014<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU">westernsydney.edu.au<o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"><img width="142" height="56" id="Picture_x0020_1" src="cid:image001.jpg@01D1C97E.9BFAEB30" alt="WSU_Logo_hex_142x56px_email signature"><o:p></o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><span style="mso-fareast-language:EN-AU"><o:p> </o:p></span></p>
<p class="MsoNormal"><o:p> </o:p></p>
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