While we have made every effort to minimize costs, there are fees associated with meals, social activities, and lodging. Attending business sessions or attending remotely is free for all members. If you are attending remotely, please register for Convention and select remote/virtual attendance.

Some business sessions and programming sessions will be made available to attend remotely.

Please don’t let the cost of Convention keep you from attending! We are offering reduced rates for graduate members. If you would like to take advantage of this, please select “reduced rate” when registering  if that best fits your financial situation. Another great way to save money is carpooling to Convention and sharing a hotel room.

Register for lodging in the registration form (as usual!) and then email convention@adps.org with the additional nights you need — we’ll add it to the master list and invoice you separately for the additional nights.

Each person attending Convention must complete their own registration form. If you are bringing a spouse, significant other, child, etc., please have them register for Convention and select “Guest” as their registration type. They will be prompted to complete the registration form, answering the same questions you answered as a member!

All Non-Society guests are able to participate in most Convention activities. Any moments for initiated members will be announced in-advance and instruction will be provided.

No one is required to attend Convention, though we certainly hope you will join us!  Each chapter and affiliate must send at least one delegate and one alternate delegate.

A convention delegate is the undergraduate or graduate chapter’s official representative at Convention. Delegates from Chapters and Graduate Organization may vote on official resolutions and motions on the Convention floor, (excepting that Delegates from Affiliates do not vote the first year an Affiliate sends a Delegate to Convention). Any Society member in attendance may introduce a resolution or make a motion, and everyone in attendance is encouraged to actively participate in discussion.

Email convention@adps.org with the names of your Chapter’s Delegate and Alternate Delegate. Each Chartered Chapter, Affiliate Chapter, and Graduate Organization must send one official delegate and one official alternate delegate to Convention.

Convention 2025 will take place March 20-23, 2025.

Convention will take place at Wesleyan University, located in Middletown, CT.

There are numerous ways to get to Middletown, CT

Nearby Airports

• Bradley International Airport (BDL: Schoephoester Rd, Windsor Locks, CT 06096) — 32 miles north of campus
• T. F. Green Airport (PVD: 2000 Post Rd, Warwick, RI 02886) — 90 miles north-east of campus
• LaGuardia Airport (LGA: Queens, NY 11371) — 98 miles south of campus
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK: Queens, NY 11430) – 106 miles south of campus
• Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR: 3 Brewster Rd, Newark, NJ 07114) — 116 miles south of campus

Train

• Union Station (50 Union Ave, New Haven, CT 06519) — 28 miles south of campus
  • Served by Amtrak’s Acela Express, Northeast Regional, New Haven – Springfield Shuttle, and Vermonter. Served by Metro-North’s New Haven line.
• Meriden Station (60 State St, Meriden, CT 06450) — 9 miles west of campus
  • Served by Amtrak’s Northeast Regional, New Haven – Springfield Shuttle, and Vermonter.

Bus

• Union Station (1 Union Pl, Hartford, CT 06103) — 20 miles north of campus
  • Served by Greyhound and Peter Pan bus lines.
• New Haven Bus Station (50 Union Ave, New Haven, CT 06519) — 28 miles south of campus
  • Served by Greyhound, Megabus, and Peter Pan bus lines.
• From Meriden Train Station to campus (William St/High St)
  • Run by Middletown Area Transit. $1.75 adult fare, 30 min ride.
  • “M-Link” schedule: http://www.middletownareatransit.org/mlink.php 
• CT Transit: https://www.cttransit.com/schedules
  • Hartford to Middletown
  • Meriden to Middletown

Travel by Car

Directions courtesy of http://www.wesleyan.edu/admission/visit/comingtocampus.html

• From Hartford and points north
  • Take I-91 south to Exit 22 for Route 9 southbound. At exit 15, turn right onto Route 66 West (Washington Street), turn left onto High Street.
• From New Haven, New York, and points south
  • Take I-95 North to I-91 North. At exit 18, take Route 691/66 East. Route 66 becomes Washington Street in Middletown. Take right onto High Street.
  • Or, take I-95 north to the Merritt/Wilbur Cross Parkway (Route 15 North) to Route 66 Eastbound. Take right onto High Street.
• From Waterbury and points west
  • Take I-84 East. Take exit 27 to Route 691/66 East. Route 66 becomes Washington Street in Middletown. Take right onto High Street. (Please refer to the notice above for changed traffic conditions on Route 66/Washington Street.)
• From Boston and points northeast
  • Take the Massachusetts Turnpike (I-90) West to Exit 9 for I-84 West to Hartford. Take exit 57 over the Charter Oak Bridge and follow the signs to I-91 South. Take I-91 south to exit 22 for Route 9 Southbound, At exit 15, turn right onto Route 66 West (Washington Street), turn left onto High Street.
  • Or, take I-95 South through Providence, then take Exit 69 to Route 9 North (approximately 26 miles to Middletown). At exit 15, turn left.

Parking

• Lots – Vine Street (V Lot), Lawn Ave (L Lot), 70 Wyllys Ave (E Lot), Church Street (weekends)

Check-in for Convention will begin the evening of Thursday, March 20th.  A specific location will be disclosed the week of the event.

Convention has no specific dress code. Please dress in attire you feel comfortable wearing while discussing Society business. 

For the Saturday night Banquet, many people wear semi-formal or even formal attire. You should wear whatever you are most comfortable in!

Formal and casual clothes, your badge, your laptop, money for Society-branded merchandise and meals.

We recommend arriving Thursday evening so you’ll be well-rested for Business on Friday morning. However if your schedule doesn’t permit you to arrive that early, come as soon as you can. If you are your chapter’s delegate or alternate delegate, you are expected to attend all business sessions beginning Friday morning at 9:00 am and ending Sunday around 1:00 pm.

Absolutely! Our registration page is designed to only require you to pay for what you plan to attend. In the past, it has been common for some attendees to arrive Friday evening due to work or school commitments. You are also welcome to attend just business or attend just social events. However, if you are your chapter’s delegate or alternate delegate you are expected to attend all business sessions. 

Yes, please register for Convention as a remote attendee. You can attend Board of Governors meetings and Convention business sessions by following the instructions here [requires login]. This link will later be posted at adps.org/convention.

Business sessions will take place on the Wesleyan campus. We will share the specific room closer to the event.

During business sessions, we discuss current and future Society projects and participate in educational and literary presentations. More specifically, business sessions feature presentations from Society leadership, business sessions, and open sessions.

Presentations are given by the President, the Nominations Committee, the Treasurer, and the Executive Director. They are designed to bring everyone up to speed on what the Society leadership has been up to, and where the Society is heading.

Business sessions are a time to raise motions, discuss them, and ultimately vote on them. Topics to be voted on include the Society Budget, the candidates for the Board of Governors, and any other resolutions or motions that a Society member brings to the Convention floor. Convention resolutions often come from Open Sessions.

Open Sessions are ad-hoc meetings where attendees can propose and discuss topics related to all aspects of ADPS in small groups. Attendees propose topics to the convention before the sessions begin — though you’re encouraged to come up with topics ahead of time! You are free to attend whichever sessions interest you regardless of how ‘relevant’ they sound, and you are free to switch between groups during the meeting to get the most out of the day.  Some examples of session titles from previous years:

• Drafting a resolution to change Society policy on consent
• Elevating our quieter voices
• How can we best utilize our budget?
• Let’s write poems about Convention!
• How to start a graduate organization
• How to get involved in ADPS National if you never have before
• Drafting a resolution to change Society policy on consent

Business Sessions are held on Friday and Saturday from 9:00am to 5:30pm, with a break for lunch, and Sunday from 9:30 am to 1:00pm. Elections and voting on proposed motions typically occur during the Sunday business session.

Convention is packed full of business and social activities and since our time together as a group is limited to the weekend, there is not much down-time deliberately scheduled. However, we encourage you to evaluate your personal needs and well-being and feel free to step out for a break whenever needed.

Business Sessions are held on Friday and Saturday from 9:00am to 5:30pm, with a break for lunch, and Sunday from 9:30 am to 1:00pm. Elections and voting on proposed motions typically occur during the Sunday business session.

Convention is packed full of business and social activities and since our time together as a group is limited to the weekend, there is not much down-time deliberately scheduled. However, we encourage you to evaluate your personal needs and well-being and feel free to step out for a break whenever needed.

The best way to prepare for business sessions is to review any materials distributed prior to Convention, review recent Board of Governor meeting minutes on adps.org, and/or talk to a Governor, Undergraduate Parliament Officer, or chapter representative.

Chapter Delegates, or in their absence Alternate Delegates, get to vote on things during Convention business sessions on Friday and Saturday. However, Delegates from Affiliates do not vote the first year their Affiliate sends a Delegate to Convention.

We will vote on things such as: the Society budget, new Graduate Governors, and other issues that are raised throughout the weekend. Any member in attendance may make a motion, but only Delegates (and in their absence Alternate Delegates) can second motions and vote. But most importantly, any member in attendance may contribute during the discussion!

One of the benefits to being in a central location is the plethora of dining options in the surrounding area! In order to accommodate an array of budgets and dietary preferences, we’ve optioned to allocate a longer lunch break so folks can select what they would like to eat rather than provide an in-house option. We appreciate your understanding! 

The banquet is a formal dinner featuring good food and drinks, socializing, literary exercises, a speaker, and an awards ceremony during which we announce the recipients of the Emerald and Pearl Award, the Society Order of the Sword and Spear, and the Star and Crescent Award. The banquet also honors the winners of prizes from the Samuel Eells Literary and Educational Foundation Literary Competition. Dress as formally as you wish – some people will probably be wearing tuxedos.

You will be on your own for breakfast and lunch on both Friday and Saturday, and for dinner on Friday. There will be a break in the middle of the day for lunch.

Banquet will take place on Saturday.

We strongly encourage all attendees to test in the twenty-four hour period prior to their arrival at Convention, as well as test a few days after Convention. Mask wearing is at the discretion of the individual attendee.

Due to space and technology needs, Convention business and small group sessions will be held indoors. There is a 75 minute break for lunch each day where attendees are welcome to gather outdoors. Additionally, attendees may step outside during any portion of the event as they see fit.