Logistics

Covid Safety

In an effort to keep everyone safe as we convene in-person this November, we ask that all attendees of the conference observe the following requirements and recommendations.

Proof of up-to-date COVID-19 vaccination (with the 2023 XBB variant based boosters) administered by November 3rd at the latest is required to attend NASCO Institute. Please either upload your proof of vaccination during the registration process (prefered) or present a copy or photo when you check-in at the conference. If you are unable to get vaccinated due to medical reasons, please reach out to staff@nasco.coop prior to registering.
Use of a N95 or KN95 face mask or covering without exhale valves will be required at all times when indoors during the conference. We kindly ask that you wear a face covering while traveling on planes, buses, or anywhere with people outside of your household in the lead-up to the conference.
If you are experiencing symptoms - such as a cough, shortness of breath, fever or chills, aching, loss of taste or smell, sore throat, congestion or runny nose, etc. even if you have a negative COVID test, please stay home! We will refund registrations for anyone who cannot attend due to illness or a positive Covid test.
Please plan to complete a rapid Covid test prior to traveling to Ann Arbor. NASCO will have rapid tests on site and participants will be asked to take a rapid test at the start of each day.

If staying in free housing at a local co-op, additional requirements may be provided by the co-op. Registering for the conference and requesting free housing indicate your agreement to follow all Covid safety guidelines.

We strongly encourage members to order a free set of rapid tests for themselves from https://www.covid.gov/tests at least a week in advance of the conference so that you'll have them delivered in time to use them onsite. If needed, we will have a backup supply of rapid tests, face masks, and hand sanitizer available at the conference.

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
Childcare support
Safe(r) housing
Physically accessible event spaces
Disability accommodation
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.

Ride Sharing at Institute

We set up a ride sharing platform for Institute attendees to offer and receive rides to and from Institute! Are you driving to Institute and have extra seats? "Add" your car to the Institute Ride Sharing platform. Are you looking for a ride to Institute? "Join" a carpool, if avaialble, or "join waitlist" to be matched up with a ride. Go to this link to access the ride sharing platform.

Registration Details

NASCO Institute will take place in Ann Arbor, MI on from November 10th - 12th 2023.

Registration is open online starting September 25th through Friday, October 27th and we've now extended the Early Registration discount through that date. Everyone who registers for the conference will have access to the full conference materials and any recorded sessions.

For information about registering as a group, please visit the group registration page.

View the 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 $260.00
NASCO Associate Member $320.00
NASCO Individual Member $320.00
Annual General Meeting Representative (1 per Active Member Co-op) $140.00
Non-Member $475.00

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, or 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, please let us know and we will share a mailing address for paying by check. Please note that we are in the process of changing our mailing address—checks mailed to our current mailing address will go through a mail forward and may take longer than usual to get to us.

Cancellations made on or before October 27th are eligible for a full refund. Cancellations made after October 27th are not eligible for a refund. If cancellation is due to covid or covid-like symptoms please reach out to our staff.

Date/Location

NASCO Institute will take place in Ann Arbor, MI on from November 10th - 12th 2023.

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). We may have a limited number of free housing slots available at local co-ops for other attendees. If you are interested in this option, you must indicate your interest during registration. These spaces will be limited, so please register early.

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 staff@nasco.coop. Include details of your needs and what accomodations you are requesting. Please note that we cannot guarantee we will be able to meet requests submitted after the registration deadline on October 27th.

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: