MINUTES
Graduate & Professional Student Assembly Council of Representatives
November 9th, 1998
Big Red Barn Graduate & Professional Student Center Greenhouse
5:00 P.M.

I. Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 5:02 PM by Stefan Hames, Vice President of the 1998–99 GPSA.

II. Open Forum

Dennis Carlson, Statistics, asked it the subject of communication with the administration and the other constituent Assemblies would be addressed at the meeting.

John Schwarz replied that the GPSA and the other constituent Assemblies have perceived a problem in communicating with administration. He noted the Assemblies want to work in unison more frequently. J.Schwarz stated he plans to propose a resolution to address this communication problem which will state that administrative plans which will affect graduate students be formally brought to the GPSA body so that information can flow out from the GPSA and into the community.

S. Hames stated that it appears the administration believes that notification to the UA about any potential changes are sufficient.

D.Carlson said that the proposed plans for West Campus were brought up at the last UA meeting, and it seems that graduate student input is considered very important to this project. He noted that information about this project is available on the web.

J.Schwarz stated there is already someone appointed by the GPSA who is working on housing issues, but requested that other members let him know if they would also like to get involved with this.

Wendy Fleischman, Vet Med, mentioned that a constituent of hers had heard that the SA had passed a resolution stating that any student not wishing to perform a live dissection must be given an alternative assignment. She inquired as to how this would affect the Vet School.

S.Hames stated he does not believe that writing a resolution will necessarily mean changes will occur at the Vet School.

J.Schwarz agreed, saying this resolution simply states the SA’s view on this particular topic. He noted that if W.Fleischman wishes, she can also draft a resolution stating the GPSA’s opinion on this subject.

Bonnie Bailey, Office of the Assemblies, distributed a brochure she received from transportation. She said that a Transportation representative told her this brochure was specifically targeted and sent to graduate and professional students who fell into any of the following three categories: had pre-registered, had transferred to Cornell, and/or had registered vehicles with transportation.

Various members commented that they did not receive the brochure although they have a vehicle registered with transportation.

B.Bailey concluded that she will contact Transportation about this.

III. Announcements and Reports

A) Alcohol Policy Update

D.Carlson announced that the changes to the proposed alcohol policy draft was unanimously defeated, with one abstention, at the last UA meeting. He stated the graduate and professional student ad hoc committee reviewing this policy plans to meet with Jan Talbot, Community Health Educator.

S.Hames added that the ad hoc committee has not yet met with J.Talbot because they are having problems getting everyone’s schedules to match. He stated that the ad hoc committee has already examined the policy, and knows what issues they want to discuss with Ms.Talbot.

D.Carlson stated the UA meets again in a little under two weeks, and voting on the proposed changes to the alcohol policy is currently not on that agenda. He added, however, that the following UA meeting is scheduled for December 2nd, and the proposed policy may be on the agenda for that meeting. Consequently, there is really not much time for the ad hoc committee to work with.

Deidra Dees, Secretary, thanked D.Carlson, S.Hames, and Ramon Thomas, JGSM, for working on this issue for the GPSA.

B) TA/RA Committee

S.Hames stated that he and J.Schwarz had just met with the TA/RA committee before the COR meeting. He confirmed that comments from the directors of graduate studies, graduate field assistants, and graduate students have been received, and for the most part, the comments were positive. There were, however, some small changes which were incorporated.

J.Schwarz added that the comments received will be sent as appendices with the document.

S.Hames confirmed that the majority of people supported it, and he was pleasantly surprised by the fact that most directors of graduate studies and graduate students were able to support the same document.

Hilary Ford, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, noted that while most graduate students were in favor of more specificity, some faculty felt it was too specific and regulatory.

J.Schwarz agreed, again noting that the comments will be included with the report and therefore allow graduate student voices to be heard. He noted this committee report is the first step and it now needs to be reviewed by Administration. It is hoped that policies will be written to establish guidelines as a result of the TA/RA committee report and findings.

C) COR Selection Process and Constituent Issues

S.Hames established that this issue will be addressed at the next meeting.

IV. Business of the Day

A) Cornell United Religious Work

Ana Cordova, Natural Resources, stated she is the graduate representative to the Cornell United Religious Work(CURW), and distributed a CURW pamphlet to those assembled. She stated CURW is an office at Cornell that attends to the spiritual needs of students. She remarked that CURW tries to be very inclusive, although it is still not totally inclusive. She stated that CURW has had little contact with graduate students, and they would like to address this issue.

A.Cordova noted that the services offered by the CURW are broad and have much more to offer than many students might expect. A.Cordova clarified that CURW offers a broad range of services including AA meetings, bereavement counseling, and others. She noted that the International Students Office, an office which provides support for international students, was originally a CURW idea.

A.Cordova stated the CURW wants to reach out to graduate students, and that students living off-campus have presented more of a challenge to reach than those who live on-campus. Some other ideas the CURW is considering include: offering support groups for those facing separation and/or divorce, a tour of Sage Chapel during graduate orientation, and more quiet spaces on campus.

A.Cordova noted that she would like to have some feedback on these ideas. Therefore, she was thinking about sending a survey out to constituents which would consist of four questions. She noted that such feedback is helpful when planning organizational changes.

S.Hames commented that it would be useful to make tours of Sage Chapel part of the optional component of orientation.

Members responded that it would be helpful if some introductory information about CURW was included in the distributed pamphlet. Members also inquired as to why some religious groups were not listed in the pamphlet.

A.Cordova replied that members on the pamphlet listing had asked to join CURW. She stated that if a community wishes to join the CURW, they should ask to be a member. Members are required to show commitment to working with the community by signing a charter, and having someone from that particular community group work at the CURW office.

Members suggested that there be two levels of membership. The first level would just allow a community to be included on the list in the pamphlet, and the second level would have the community join the CURW, and have someone work at the CURW office. Members stated that this method would help insure that smaller communities would not be left out.

A.Cordova replied that CURW is thinking about redesigning this pamphlet, and she will let them know about the suggestions brought up by members.

Matt Abramovitz, History, asked whether this would be appropriate to post on gpsa-l.

J.Schwarz replied that this issue is relevant because it is related to a committee assignment.

A.Cordova added that she also believes it to be relevant because it is a student support service that graduate students could benefit from.

Members agreed to sending the constituent survey out on gpsa-l.

A.Cordova confirmed that she will send out four survey questions to gpsa-l, and ask for feedback. She will then modify the survey questions as needed, and send the revision for members to pass on to their constituents.

B) Graduate Student Outreach Program

Jodi Paar, Chemistry, stated that the Graduate Student Outreach Program(GSOP) is part of the Public Service Center. She said it involves approximately twenty to twenty-five graduate students who develop their own mini-programs that they take to area schools. She stated the GSOP is interested in diversity, and tries to include various fields. J.Paar stated these programs are developed according to the individual graduate student’s ideas and how they would like to run such a program.

J.Paar stated that applications are currently being accepted and they are due on December 2. After the applications are turned in, there will be an interview process. The selected graduate students will then be paired with teachers who also applied for this program. During the spring semester, the graduate student will go to the school eight times to present the program.

J.Paar stated she believes this program is good for several reasons. There are eight sessions, thus the student is not just a guest lecturer and can have a more substantial effect on the students. She said this is an excellent chance for the younger students to learn. She noted that teachers also learn from what is presented, and the program may help to develop curriculum. She verified that graduate students who had been in this program previously also thought it was a wonderful learning experience. Because they had to translate what they knew about their subject into simple terms, they found they also gained a firmer grasp of how well they actually understood the material. Also, graduate students noted that it was nice to make a positive difference.

J.Paar stated that graduate students are not paid for this. Expenses are covered, and there is a $250 honorarium. She noted that the honorarium is not intended to pay for the time put into a program, but is intended to be an expression of thanks.

W.Fleischman asked where to obtain applications.

J.Paar replied that she brought some to the meeting, but that she will also e-mail the fields to let them know about this program. In addition to this, there will be notices placed on bulletin boards. She stated that members could also contact Cindy Kramer, Public Service Center, for applications.

W.Fleischman stated that if the e-mail is sent out to the graduate fields, then it will not reach the Vet Students.

S.Hames asked whether the professional schools had anyone who would send out the e-mail to all students, as the graduate field assistants do for the various fields in the Graduate School.

David Mccusker, Law, stated that if the e-mail is forwarded to the COR/GPSA professional student representatives that they can take care of ensuring that students in their school get the information.

J.Paar stated that members could also e-mail her at jmp29@cornell.edu if they need applications.

In response to members’ questions, J.Paar established that currently the programs only occur in the spring. She added, however, that they would like to expand to the fall, because scheduling for the spring can sometimes be hard for the schools. J.Paar stated the funding for the GSOP used to be from grants, but she is not sure of the current funding source since the Public Service Center was reorganized. She stated that while the sessions were originally planned to occur one day per week for eight consecutive weeks, the actual scheduling of a particular program depends on the specific class and is worked out with the teacher. J.Paar reiterated that the project tries to reach as many fields as possible. However, because of the outreach format, she noted that she is not sure whether any participant has ever been from the Vet School. J.Paar stressed that she does not want to exclude anyone.

J.Paar stated that she likes the format of the mini-programs because it reaches all students, as opposed to after-school programs, which only reaches those students who can stay after classes have ended. She noted that the format also allows for the graduate student to develop a working relationship with the teacher.

S.Hames mentioned that several of his colleagues have participated in the program and have found it very rewarding. He agreed that it clarifies the state of one’s knowledge because one has to put everything in simple terms. S.Hames encouraged members to participate and let others know about this program.

V. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned by S.Hames at 5:56 PM.

Respectfully Submitted, Stephanie Tinsley