Abstract :
That used to be an annoyance at symposia has now become an unacceptably common practice: Authorsw ho have a paper accepted to be presented at a meeting, do not show up to present the paper, and do not have the courtesy to inform their hosts that they are not going to present the paper. The excellent URSI Commission B International Symposium on Electromagnetic Theory, held at the Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden, August 14-17, 1989, was both a prime example of this and a turning point in the tolerance of organizers and attendees toward such behavior. Almost every session had at least one, and in some cases as many as four, "no shows" who did not inform the organizing committee that the paper would not be presented. Tom Senior, Chairman of URSI Commission B, provided the leadership for the Commission to take formal action to try to put an end to this practice. The Commission voted unanimously that letters such as the one below be sent to all such authors, and that indicated actions be taken. This is to be applauded.
