1. Events
  2. NASCO Institute 2025
  3. Program
  4. Logistics

Logistics

Accessibility statement

NASCO actively strives to create an event that is fully accessible for all who wish to participate. We aim to avoid replicating the barriers in society that exclude and marginalize people. We are doing the following to ensure that NASCO Institute is accessible:

  • Need-based scholarships
  • Safe(r) housing
  • Physically accessible event spaces
  • Disability accommodation
  • Childcare support
  • Meeting food needs
  • All-gender restrooms
  • Conference-wide expectations for engagement
  • Quiet/break room
  • Solidarity housing
  • Identity-based caucuses
  • Zero-tolerance of physical, sexual, & verbal violence
  • Low-/no-scent spaces
  • Presenters speaking clearly
  • Event captioning
  • Online workshop materials

All of our attempts to equalize access are made within the limits of current resources and therefore are not perfect. We welcome suggestions for improvement and will do our best to implement them. We appreciate your help in making the Institute an event that is welcoming and accessible to all who attend.

Much of the power to foster a safe and respectful atmosphere lies within you, the participants. For this reason, racist, sexist, classist, homophobic, transphobic, or other oppressive language or behaviors are unacceptable.

We appreciate your help in making NASCO Institute welcoming and accessible to all who attend.

QUIET ROOM

Conferences can be overwhelming. If you need to take a moment to get away from the crowd and sit quietly, meditate or take a nap, we will have a quiet space available all day Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

PEANUT FREE SPACE

We kindly ask that attendees refrain from bringing peanuts in any form into the conference spaces as we have several attendees with severe allergies.

 

Registration Details

NASCO Institute will take place in Ann Arbor, MI on from November 14th - 16th 2025.

Registration is open online starting September 1st through November 7th, 2025.

  • Early Registration: September 1, 2025 - September 30, 2025

  • Regular Registration: October 1, 2025 - October 26, 2025

  • Late Registration: October 27, 2025 - November 7, 2025

Registration closes on November 7, 2025

View a past Institute At-a-Glance Schedule here.

 

Registration Rates

(If you do not know if your co-op is an Active and/or Associate Member, please reference our member list. If you are not a current member of an Active Member co-op, you can register for Institute as a non-member, or you can join NASCO as an Individual Member.)

  • Member or staff of NASCO Active Member Co-op

    • Early: $285 USD | $375 CAD

    • Regular: $310 USD | $410 CAD

    • Late: $360 USD | $470 CAD

  • NASCO Associate Member & Individual Members

    • Early: $345 USD | $455 CAD

    • Regular: $375 USD | $505 CAD

    • Late: $430 USD | $565 CAD

  • Annual General Meeting Representative (1 per Active Member Co-op)

    • Early: $165 USD | $210 CAD

    • Regular: $180 USD | $230 CAD

    • Late: $230 USD | $290 CAD

  • Non-Member

    • Early: $500 USD | $670 CAD

    • Regular: $550 USD | $735 CAD

    • Late: $600 USD | $795 CAD

Each NASCO Active Member, Associate Member, and Individual Member may designate one representative to NASCO's Annual General Meeting (AGM). The AGM will take place as a hybrid meeting open to members unable to attend in person. 
 

    Payment Information

    We prefer that payment is made online at the time of registration. Alternatively, if you select "Pay Later by Invoice," we will send you an invoice to pay online by ACH bank transfer. If making an online payment is not an option for your co-op,  email rebecca@nasco.coop  and we will share a mailing address for paying by check. 

    Cancellations made on or before October 26th, 2025 are eligible for a full refund. Cancellations made after October 26th, 2025 are not eligible for a refund. 

    If cancellation is due to covid or covid-like symptoms please reach out to our staff and you will be refunded minus a $50 fee to cover non-refundable costs.

     

    Date/Location

    NASCO Institute will take place in Ann Arbor, MI on from November 14 - 16, 2025.

    All sessions are held in the University of Michigan Union, which is located at 530 South State Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109. Additional, informal events may be hosted in various co-ops in the ICC Ann Arbor system.

     

    Housing

    NASCO will coordinate free-of-charge solidarity housing offered by the local ICC housing co-op (this may be on couches or floors at local co-ops or at an on campus hotel). There is a limited number of free housing slots available at local co-ops for attendees. If you are interested in this option, you must indicate your interest during registration. These spaces will be limited, so register early to ensure there’s a spot for you.

    If you prefer to organize your own accommodations, we recommend booking with airbnb.com, homeaway.com, or a hotel booking site like hotels.com.

     

    Accessibility and Childcare Needs

    If concerns about accessibility needs or lack of childcare are barriers to your attendance at Institute, please reach out to NASCO staff at institute@nasco.coop and include details of your needs and what accommodations you are requesting. Submit requests as soon as possible and before the registration deadline.

    Please note that we cannot directly provide childcare at Institute nor can we guarantee we will be able to meet requests. We encourage you to ask for what you need to participate and we will respond with what we have capacity to offer. 

     

    Covid Safety

    In an effort to keep everyone safe as we convene in-person this November, we ask all attendees to help us reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission and prioritize collective care by following the safety guidance below.

    Before You Travel

    All attendees should plan to complete a rapid COVID-19 test before traveling to the conference. If you are experiencing symptoms — including cough, shortness of breath, fever, chills, muscle aches, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion, or runny nose — please stay home, even if your test is negative. We will issue refunds (minus a $50 to cover nonrefundable expenses) to anyone who cannot attend due to illness or a positive test.

    Face Masks

    Face masks are required indoors during the conference, we recommend N95, KN95, or equivalent. We will have some available at registration for those who need one. We also ask that you mask while traveling in planes, buses, or other enclosed public spaces in the days leading up to the event. Medical exceptions offered on a case by case basis.

    On-Site Testing

    NASCO will have rapid tests available on site. Participants will be asked to take a rapid test at the start of their first day at the conference. Additional daily testing is encouraged and tests will be available upon request.

    Vaccination

    While we are no longer requiring proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination, we strongly encourage all attendees to stay current with vaccinations, including the most recent boosters.

    Solidarity Housing & Public Spaces 

    If staying in free housing at a local co-op, additional requirements may be provided by the co-op. Note, we are not requiring hosts to mask at their co-op. Additionally, the Union will have unmasked people walking about that are not part of the conference. All conference spaces and workshops will be expected to follow the public safety practices.  

    Registering for the conference and requesting free housing indicate your agreement to follow all Covid safety guidelines.

     

    Getting to Ann Arbor

    BY CAR

    From East or West, take I-94 to the State Street exit (#177).  Go North on State Street for about 3 1/2 miles. The Michigan Union will be on your left, just past the intersection of State and South University streets.

    From the South, take Route 23 to the I-94 Exit. Go west on I-94 (toward Chicago). Get off at the State Street exit and continue as above for East/West.

    From North, take Route 23 to the “Downtown Ann Arbor” exit. Go South on Main Street to William St. (not Huron) and turn left. Go East on William until it dead-ends at State Street. Turn right.  The Union will be on the right, just before the stop sign at the State Street and South University intersection.

    There is visitor parking available on Thompson Street directly behind the Union in a University parking structure and adjacent metered lots. Metered parking is available on all streets surrounding the Union.

     

    BY BUS

    Ann Arbor is serviced by Greyhound. If your bus does not stop at the Union, you will be dropped at the Greyhound terminal on Huron Street. As you come out the front door, turn left on Huron and walk three or four blocks to State Street. Turn right on State Street and walk for four blocks to the Michigan Union at the intersections of State and South University. A cab will cost about six dollars.

     

    BY TRAIN

    For rail information, contact AMTRAK or ViaRail. Ann Arbor’s train station is located a mile from campus, so Institute registrants may want to arrange for a pick-up at the station or should use a cab.

     

    BY AIR

    Ann Arbor is serviced by the Detroit Metropolitan Airport in Romulus, Michigan (a 25-minute drive from Ann Arbor). 

    There are taxis available at the airport as well as a number of shuttles that provide service to Ann Arbor:

     

    Ride Sharing at Institute

    Looking for a ride to or from Institute? Add your carpool info or join a waitlist for a ride on the NASCO Institute Group Carpool page.