Dear All,Following my recent post reiterating that the SHA  editors fully support the proposed constitutional changes to how voting editor  members of the Board of Directors are selected, Dr. Schuyler has asked for my public opinion on the proposed changes to the purpose statement. As I was a member of the Board of Directors when  the statement was being drafted, it will not come as a surprise that I support the proposed changes.  I feel particularly strongly about the specific issue of replacing the  outdated Western Hemisphere emphasis of the 1960s statement with a greater  emphasis on the global nature of historical archaeology.  I feel that this is  vital in not just recognising the global scope of our discipline, but also in  encouraging stronger research and social links with colleagues and sister  societies in other parts of the world who - as I know from direct personal  experience - sometimes feel excluded by SHA's overtly North American (rather  than Western Hemisph
 ere) emphasis. As to the other issues raised by Dr. Schuyler  regarding the proposed new statement, I will note that, as SHA President Bill  Lees has already stated, the proposed new statement has been a matter of public  record since 2009 (see the Fall 2009 Newsletter). I also personally discussed  the proposed changes with Dr. Schuyler immediately prior to the meeting of the  Newsletter and Website Editorial Advisory Committee (of which he was then a  member) at the 2009 Conference. No objections were raised at the time. Alasdair BrooksSHA Newsletter Editor