Wednesday, March 30, 2011

I am not going to the Oxford Dysfluency Conference

Some good news for some! I decided not to go to the Oxford Dysfluency Conference. It's just too expensive. First, I was not given the reduced fee unlike at all other conferences in the past including Oxford. Apparently, Elsevier is not allowing this. And then they charge 20% VAT, because Elsevier organises it and not Dave Rowley as part of his university. Claiming back VAT is about as easy as understanding stuttering. So I would end up with a bill of over 1200 Euros for 3 days. Too bad. It was a nice place, and an OK conference.

The only person non-sensitive to the price are those who are paid for by government and on blind travelling grants. I also heard that others from less well-off countries or therapist not funded by their department are unable to attend.

In general, conference organisers like Elsevier are destroying real science and draining the system out of money with expensive conferences and journals.

Death to Elsevier and long live Plos and privately-organised conferences! There is a BSA conference one week later. Maybe I am attending it, and try to get a few people together to talk science.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

What! Dave your buddy didn't give you a scholarship?

Will you be presenting at BSA?

What kind of stuff will you be presenting??? Win another box of Belgian chocolates?

You can hold your own Scifi conference at a tea shop just outside.

Hiten said...

Tom, is there anyway you can go?

We need you to represent us there! :-)

Best wishes, Hiten

Tom Weidig said...

@Hiten: Yes, if someone sponsors me! ;-) Tom

Dave Rowley said...

Hi Tom, sorry you won't be going. I'll make a judgement on how well the Elsevier arrangement has worked out post-conference. You already know my views on journal articles!

Norbert said...

I think ODC is an important Conference and it is a great pity that DMU and MPC don't currently have the resources to handle the organisation but if we look at what happens in the UK in terms of funding for Universities and SLT Services perhaps that isn't really surprising. Perhaps a way could have been found for BSA to handle the financial side as we can claim VAT exemption whch Elsevier can't but we didn't know until too late.
We are trying to get a few names from the ODC to do workshops at Durham the weekend after the ODC but it's tricky as we don't want to undermine ODC by offering an 'ODC lite'; on the other hand we're sure there are many SLTs in the North East who'd never get the funding or consider going go to Oxford (with or without VAT) who would benefit from talking to some of the researchers.

Norbert said...

http://www.stammering.org/conf.html

Peter Howell said...

UCL is offering a course in London on 5, 6 and 7 of September. Staff from the Michael Palin Centre will have the whole of Tuesday as their part of the course and the Monday and Wednesday slots I'll give lectures based on my recent book "Recovery from Stuttering". Like Norbert, I don't see much cross competition between the UCL course and ODC or MPC (geographicaly or thematically). It's just with so much interest in stuttering around and the opportunity with big names attracting people to the UK, it seemed like a good idea. I can keep you posted if you wish.

Anonymous said...

Tom, you're not going? I'm sure the conference will be so much the better without you :-)

Anonymous said...

What about your Debate with Shenkar?

Anonymous said...

Tom also would have hidden from the "who wrote this thesis" scandal. He failed to mention that the whole case was investigated by the university who found it unfounded. Tom often leaves out a lot of faults. Some presenters there would have torn him to pieces