While I suspect that the meeting time will continue to be debated and will
continue to be intractable, let me dispel the notion that the current
schedule is convenient to all academics.  Many institutions still resume
classes in the first week of January.  Starting the meeting on the 7th this
year interrupted my first week of classes and stimulated students to miss
the first week entirely, traveling directly to Atlanta from their holiday
sojourns.  Hardly convenient, from an educational point of view.
 
Pat Martin