The Twenty-Eighth Annual Conference
Washington, D.C.
October 6-10, 2004

The German Studies Association Conference is at the Marriott Crystal Gateway Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. The hotel is near Reagan National Airport, serving Washington, D.C. Conference Registration and Hotel Reservation for this conference are online on this site. It will also be possible for walkup registration, and a GSA Conference Registration Desk will be open at the Hotel during the Conference, beginning on Thursday afternoon at 3PM. GSA does not mail registration badges, which must be picked up at the Conference Registration Desk after arrival. There is no admittance to the meeting rooms without a badge. This is strictly enforced.

This is the first year that we will exclusively be using web conference registration and web hotel reservations. TECH HELP IS AT thegsa@earthlink.net AND NOT AT THE MAIN GSA ADDRESS AT YAHOO.COM SO GO TO TECH HELP IF YOU NEED IT!! We began the system last year, and it has been improved from that experience. Conference registration and online hotel reservations are easy, clear, and can be done from your home computer. There are several easy steps, which are outlined as soon as you click into the system on the left. Just click on each step in succession, and you will be easily, and effortlessly guided through the system. Membership in GSA is NOT required to attend the conference or to reserve a hotel room. Registration for the conference IS required to attend, even one session, and to reserve a hotel room at our rates.

Your computer needs to accept cookies for this process. You can check if your computer accepts cookies by looking under "Preferences" in your browser. You can turn this on and off, and if you regularly keep it off, you can turn it on only for this process and turn it off again afterwards. You should also regularly "refresh" your browser page for GSA. This will ensure that the latest page comes up on your screen. Do this BEFORE you begin registering, but not during the process. If you are a member, you already have a password. It is the code number on your dues renewal form. If you have thrown that away, the web site will automatically and immediately send it to you if you ask it. You will need a MasterCard or Visa card for GSA registration, but the Hotel will also accept other cards. We have a web help assistant. This is Mr. Ramaswamy Vadivelu, and he is available at thegsa@earthlink.net , which is our special help e-mail address. Do not write for help to the main GSA address. Your mail will only be forwarded to the right address, and it will take more time to get back to you.

Rooms are $124 single and double for the hotel, at our special rate. This rate is ONLY available through GSA online reservations. The Hotel will arrange to confirm the reservation, not GSA. You may change a reservation by telephoning the hotel, but you cannot make a reservation by telephoning the hotel.

If you wish to cancel a hotel reservation, this is something that you must do with the hotel directly. GSA does not cancel reservations for you. GSA attempts to persuade the hotel to confirm reservations. This is not always possible for a conference of this size. In very few cases, GSA can confirm a reservation we have made for you, but the best way to do so is to contact the hotel directly. The hotel does give us print-outs, but these are often late. We attempt to confirm the spelling of your name, to speed your check-in when you arrive. The way to find out if your hotel reservation has been made is to call the hotel directly. They will tell you if you are in their computer.

Conference Registration Cancellation and Refund Policy

GSA cancellation policy was fully explained on the web site in the section entitled "Call for Papers. Information. Important - Read First." There, it is explained, as it is explained in the Newsletter, that withdrawal of a paper presenter after April 1 without an excuse acceptable to the Executive Director means that that person is not eligible for participation in a GSA Conference for three years. The excuse must be offered, and must be acceptable. Otherwise, mandatory exclusion from three years of conferences is the case. This is a decision of the Executive Committee. Letters of withdrawal from paper presenters should be sent to the Executive Director to our main e-mail address, which is   thegsa@yahoo.com.

Cancellation and Refund Policy is as follows: withdrawal more than ten days before the Conference begins will allow a refund of all fees less a $25 service charge. Withdrawal AFTER ten days before the beginning of the Conference (Thursday), will not permit a refund of any registration or meal fees. Meal tickets cannot be transferred by the Association. You must pick up your own meal tickets during the time that the Registration Desk is open. However, you can transfer a meal ticket to someone else if you wish. Three years ago, someone wanted to go to the Dinner and "did not have the time" to go to the Registration Desk to pick up a ticket. This is not possible. Tickets are required, and can only be distributed at the Registration Desk, not at the meal itself. So, please pick up your materials at the desk.

Refunds for any reason will be processed AFTER the Conference. Requests for refunds MUST be received before November 1. No refunds will be processed if the request is received after November 1. Refund requests may be made to thegsa@yahoo.com with inclusion of all necessary information. Alternatively, they may be mailed to the Association Main Office.

GSA Conference Badges Required

GSA Registration Badges are required for all sessions and meals. No one will be admitted without a badge. Persons without a badge will be asked to leave. Participation in the Conference is a shared-cost and those who try to attend without registering are responsible for higher registration fees for those who do. Admission to the book exhibit area also requires the badge.

When you complete your order on line, you should understand that the name badge and university affiliation will be printed as you type them. In other words, if you do not capitalize your name, the name badge will be printed in small letters without capitalization for the first letter of your first name and last name. If you type your entire name without caps, it will be printed that way. Please take care to type your name the proper way for it to appear on a name badge. Although we can try to make corrections, we may miss some people.

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Session Times
Program
Index