The 2018 meeting of the South Central Society for Music Theory will be held on March 23rd and 24th at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Hattiesburg is centrally located within the Gulf South region, easily accessible both by car (lying at the intersection of interstate 59, highways 49 and 98), and by air (only an hour away from Gulfport GPT Airport or ninety minutes from New Orleans MSY). We hope you’ll join us in the Hub City this March!
For questions, please contact:
Douglas Rust (Chair, Local Arrangements): douglas.rust@usm.edu
Ben Wadsworth (President, SCSMT): bwadswo2@kennesaw.edu
Lodging:
Conference Hotel:
A block of rooms is available at the Comfort Suites/Hattiesburg on 122 Plaza Drive—1.7 miles from the USM School of Music. Take exit 65 from Interstate 59, go west to the 1st light and turn right to reach the hotel. The SCSMT Conference rate is $89 @ night. The hotel offers complimentary parking, internet access, and a free hot breakfast buffet 6-9am Friday and 7-10am Saturday.
Rooms at the Comfort Suites can be reserved by calling the hotel directly (601) 261-5555 or going online at https://www.choicehotels.com/mississippi/hattiesburg/comfort-suites-hotels/ms423 and use the booking code SMT.
To be guaranteed a room at the group rate, all reservations need to be made before midnight on March 15th, 2018.
Alternative lodging options:
Those seeking guest points with specific hotel chains should note that the Comfort Suites is located within a cluster of hotels near the intersection of I-59 and 98/Hardy Street. Your favorite hotel chain might be located nearby the conference hotel.
Transportation to/from the airport:
Renting a car probably is the most cost-effective transportation from the airport to the conference hotel to the SCSMT conference venue. A basic Uber fare from Gulfport-Biloxi Airport will cost $106, while a ride from New Orleans MSY Airport will run $169.
Parking:
On Friday: Reserved parking for SCSMT is available at the School of Music in the lot outside of Mannoni Auditorium. Print this parking reservation document, which includes a map of the campus, and display it in your front window to park in the reserved spaces. (The blue-green star on the bottom of the map, a little left of center, marks the lot reserved for SCSMT.) To get there, drive east on 98/Hardy Street from the Comfort Suites. Turn left on 31st Avenue (at the Bancorp South branch) then take your first right to reach the parking lot reserved for SCSMT.
On Saturday: Please park in any lot, but avoid spaces that have either (1) a parking meter, or (2) yellow-painted curbs for university vehicles only.
Conference Registration:
Registration for the society and conference are in-person at the Annual Meeting. The following fees apply per Annual Meeting:
Faculty/Community Members: $20
Graduate Students: $15
Undergraduates: free
Chanticleer is performing a concert at Main Street Baptist Church on Friday night at 8:00 pm (as part of the ACDA conference on campus). The venue is within walking distance of the conference hotel and tickets may be purchased online at this url: https://ev6.evenue.net/cgi-bin/ncommerce3/SEGetEventInfo?ticketCode=GS:USM:SY18:C23:&linkID=usm&shopperContext=&pc=&caller=&appCode=&groupCode=CHANT&cgc=.