Membership Dues

The education committee works with educators in k-12 and higher education institutions to align current Ohio archaeological research with curriculum in the classroom. The committee also provides guidance, advice, and assistance to educators across the state with materials, such as prepared power points, reference material, and expert opinion, on various Ohio archaeology topics.

The OAC’s Government Affairs Committee works to develop and advance the OAC’s legislative priorities, consults with government agencies, interested parties, and the public regarding the effects of government policies, regulations, actions, and projects on Ohio archaeology and archaeological resources, and provides leadership regarding the role of archaeology and archaeologists in civic affairs. Government affairs is responsible for updating the website with related legislative, regulatory, and consultation related news.

The chair tracks state and federal legislation and related matters and monitors Section 106 and Ohio Revised Code Section 149.53 projects to see if the OAC should be involved as a consulting or interested party. If there is something the chair thinks the OAC should comment on, they will ask committee members for their comments before taking the matter to the Board of Directors, if necessary and as time permits. If committee members have a conflict of interest or otherwise feel they should opt out of something, they notify the chair and are recused from that project correspondence. Communications to agencies, etc., come from the chair or the President. The chair will, unless circumstances of the consultation dictate otherwise, give committee members at least two weeks for comments before asking the Board for comments. The chair works closely with the President if there is an issue they think could be controversial, difficult, problematic, etc., and ask other OAC members for help if they have expertise our committee lacks or knowledge that may be relevant to the matter at hand.

The grants committee manages the Ohio Archaeological Council’s grants program. The OAC has two grants, the regular and Patricia J. Essenpreis memorial grant. The OAC provides funding to aid archaeological research on a variety of Ohio projects and educational pursuits. The Essenpries grant is more oriented toward Hopewell and Fort Ancient research and the Regular grant is more open-ended. The grants committee is responsible for maintaining and updating the grants information page on the website.

These projects include funding for activities such as, but not limited to, radiocarbon dates, salvage field projects, and paleoethnobotanical, faunal, textile, petrographic, obsidian hydration, and human skeletal analyses. Additionally, lab-based studies including oxygen and carbon isotopic analyses of faunal bone, have been funded. Other lab-based studies are encouraged to apply. Grant amounts range up to $1000 for the Regular grant and $1500 for the Essenpries grant.
The grants committee consists of a chairperson and three voting members. The committee fields inquiries from prospective grant applicants and answers questions about the grants program. Once a grant is received the grants committee reviews it, discusses and provides a recommendation to the OAC board, who make the final decision. The grants committee also administers the grant, although the OAC Treasurer pays out the grant once the grant activities have been completed successfully. The grants committee solicits presentations for OAC meetings and publication of results, which are important for disseminating information about the supported activities or research. The grants committee has also volunteered to assist with grant applications for the OAC as a whole, if it wishes to pursue grants.

The Membership Committee is responsible for vetting new members to the OAC, as well as various outreach efforts to increase our membership. We review the materials submitted by each prospective member (CV, writing samples, and membership application) and make our recommendation to the Board. Our goal is to ensure members are admitted at the proper level (student, associate, active) based on their qualifications. We discuss each applicant via email when they come in throughout the year as needed. We are always looking for new ways to promote the OAC to new members and are interested in more proactive measures for membership outreach.
The membership committee is responsible for managing the information visible in the member login page. This includes regularly updating member information such as address, email, and current role and status within the organization (e.g. have they paid their dues or not).

The Native American Concerns Committee (NAC) focuses on a wide range of current and emerging archaeological, educational, environmental, historic preservation and tribal rights issues that impact federally recognized Tribal Nations affiliated with Ohio. The Chair of the Native American Concerns Committee collaborates with committee members, federally recognized Tribal Nation representatives, professional archaeologists, the Ohio State Historic Preservation Office, and all interested parties to promote conservation of Ohio’s heritage resources. The NAC Chair also works closely with other Ohio Archaeological Council (OAC) Committees to (1) sponsor culturally appropriate education goals that emphasize greater incorporation of indigenous perspectives concerning Ohio Native American History and archaeological interpretations; (2) encourage diverse, equitable, and inclusive oversight, education, and collaborative research in all OAC enterprises and activities undertaken by members; and (3) support and actively promote tribal self-determination and sovereignty by advocating for tribal involvement in the management, interpretation and preservation of Ohio heritage and natural resources. The Native American Concerns committee is responsible for updating the website with related institutional member comments, news, and updates, in addition to relevant regulations and laws within Ohio.

The nominations committee works within the membership to develop a qualified slate of candidates for all open committee and board positions each Fall. When possible, the committee seeks to include multiple candidates for each position to ensure a fair and competitive selection of leaders from our active members each year.

The bulk of work for the Nominations Committee occurs between about April and the Fall membership meeting each year. The primary objective of the committee is to assemble the ballot list for Fall elections. April is the last call for member dues, after which point, a list of members willing to serve can be generated. These individuals are contacted by the committee first, to gauge their potential interest, and in what position(s). Typically, I will task each committee member with making contact with a certain number of members (e.g. 5 or 6) who have expressed a willingness to serve. If this is not enough people to fill the available seats, I’ll ask committee members to continue to do leg work among their colleagues to assist in identifying other potential candidates. Self-nominations from the membership are also welcomed.
The nominations committee works with the membership committee to maintain an up to date roster within the database in the member login portal.

The primary responsibility of the OAC Publications Committee is to oversee and manage the production of contributions to the Council’s two online publications: Current Research in Ohio Archaeology and the Journal of Ohio Archaeology. Current Research articles are short research updates and are not peer-reviewed. The Journal consists of peer-reviewed, full length research articles. The Chair of the Publications Committee serves as the Managing Editor of both publications; committee members serve on the Editorial Board which carries out the initial review of contributions to the Journal and occasionally assists with editing duties. The publications committee is responsible for uploading new articles to Current Research and the Journal of Ohio Archaeology.

The goal of the fundraising committee is to discuss and develop methods of raising revenue within the organization. This committee is currently ad-hoc, and formed in 2020. The fundraising committee is exploring ways that the OAC can apply for grants as an institution for sustainable funding. The committee is also exploring additional event planning for fundraisers or award ceremonies outside of the two membership meetings held every year. The fundraising committee is responsible for uploading news and events related to fundraising on the website.

The website manager oversees the general activities of the website for the Ohio Archaeological Council and related social media (e.g. Facebook). The manager is in charge of adding new administrative privileges to incoming board and committee members, as well as removing the privileges of members no longer serving on the board or committees. Additionally, the manager is in charge of training the new incoming website manager. The manager serves a three year term, during which time their membership dues are waived.