AEG Position Statements

What is a Position Statement?

AEG realizes that our Operational Committees and Technical Working Groups often discuss important topics relating to our profession, work life, and the business of AEG - but the opinions of our internal groups rarely are published outside of the meeting minutes during which these issues were discussed. A great solution for providing our point of view to a wider audience, including to prospective members, is a Position Statement!

A great Position Statement can be distributed to a wide audience of our professional peers, students, legislative policymakers, members of the public, university professors, and prospective members. Think about printing Position Statements and distributing them as flyers during a Chapter event!

The concept of Position Statements was borrowed from our sister organization, Geological Society of America (GSA), who has prepared many statements over the years. View GSA Position Statements

How long is a Position Statement?

A Position Statement should be short, succinct, and easily understood by the reader. Position Statements should answer the questions “What specifically does AEG support - and why should I be an active member?” A Position Statement should be no longer than 2 pages (single piece of paper, double-sided).

Elements of a Position Statement:

Introductory paragraph describing specifically for what AEG (or subgroup within AEG) is expressing support. Paragraph or two describing the proposed solution. The final paragraph should include a call for action (including links to outside organizations, address for letter-writing campaigns, etc).

Position Statements should be edited and focused to a single topic. If multiple topics wish to be expressed by members of the author group, consider preparing more than one Position Statement. An author group can be an individual or group of AEG members.

What topics should be considered for Position Statements?

Technical opinions - including use of Rock Quality Designation; use of USCS soil colors in describing soil; hiring a Professional Geologist even when not specifically required by your state
Professional / Industry support - support for Engineering Geology education at the University level; importance of Professional Licensure for Geologists; importance of specialty licensure for Engineering Geology and Hydrogeology
Work / life topics - support for ability to work from home; flexible hours for working parents
Professional Development - support for joining a professional association; importance of participating in Annual Meetings for networking, marketing, and professional growth opportunities; leadership skills obtained by participating in a professional association
Professional Inclusion topics and strategy statements - support for the inclusion of women in leadership roles; support for hiring of geologists from underrepresented ethnicities and including underrepresented professionals on interview panels; support for the equal treatment of LGBTQIA+ geologists; support for geologists with disabilities (physical, long-term illness, fieldwork practices)
Any other topic not already mentioned

Who reviews and publishes Position Statements?

Each Position Statement should include the AEG Position Statement logo, border, and standard font / text size as explained within the Position Statement style guide. Position Statements should be forwarded to AEG ([email protected]) for review by the Executive Council and/or Board of Directors to ensure compliance with AEG’s policies and bylaws, prior to publishing.