SRIS members attending the TESOL 2015 convention were bursting with energy and creative ideas for delving into issues of social responsibility and equity for the 2016 convention. In TESOL’s 50th year, the theme of Reflecting Forward offers ample opportunity to look back on the past 50 years of social justice struggles and celebrations as well as the occasion to look toward the next 50 years. What will equity and social responsibility look like in the future? Although the thread of social responsibility can weave through any topic, SRIS organizers began developing the following ideas for two panel discussions.

In the 2016 SRIS primary InterSection, SRIS will take the lead with the Intercultural Communications Interest Section to present a survey of five topics:

1. Whose English is it anyway? The marginalization of English that does not originate from the “inner circle” of English speaking countries
   
   
2. Teachers sharing their experiences of working and living in a culture that is not their own
   
   
3. Teaching code or communicative competence: Building programs that recognize the value of multiliteracies
   
   
4. Hiring practices for cultural and communicative competence: When are U.S. and Canadian passports preferred? When are NNESTs overlooked?
   
   
5. Monetary agendas that drive educational policies: Is the international student viewed as a cash cow? The ethics of English as an international/global language
   
   

Those attending the SRIS open meeting this year began brainstorming ideas for the 2016 SRIS Academic Session. Keeping the theme of Reflecting Forward in mind, SRISers discussed ways to address issues of marginalization in the classroom, contextualized within the K–12 classroom in Baltimore. For example, what can teachers do to respond to violence toward a specific group of people? How can teachers/TESOL/SRIS address vulnerability in the classroom or at school? SRIS is committed to highlighting marginalization that occurs through the intersection of race, class, gender identity, sex, religion, and more. Your ideas, suggestions, questions, or comments about these topics are welcomed!