GRADUATE AND PROFESSIONAL STUDENT ASSEMBLY COUNCIL OF REPRESENTATIVES NOTES

Big Red Barn Greenhouse October 16, 2000 5:00 — 6:00 p.m.

I. CALL TO ORDER

Lidija Sekaric, GPSA Vice President, called the meeting to order at 5:03 p.m.

The order of the agenda was adjusted to allow the guest speaker, Carl Cohen, Assistant Director for Commuter and Parking Services, to promptly address the group for the Business of the Day. This would ensure that members would have enough time to ask questions regarding transportation concerns.

IV. BUSINESS OF THE DAY A. PARKING AND TRANSPORTATION

C. Cohen spoke to the COR group regarding the various transportation options available to the graduate community. He began by referencing a handout that the GPSA had distributed to members at their September 25 meeting. This document originated in 1997/1998 and summarizes the results from a data collection survey funded by transportation that was done to evaluate the transportation needs and desires of the graduate population at Cornell. At that time, input from the GPSA and graduate representatives from the Transportation Advisory Committee were listened to and, when feasible, put into practice.

C. Cohen told members he felt some positive changes were implemented as a result of this survey. He said that prior to this survey all students received the same informational material regarding transportation issues. As a result of the study, the brochure, Mastering Campus, was written specifically for graduate and professional students. He distributed this brochure to assembled members and said this brochure is given to all new graduate and professional students to better help them navigate campus.

C. Cohen said that safety is a number one priority for transportation services. He reported that Cornell has a very diverse population with diverse transportation needs. People drive, ride the bus, walk, and ride bicycles or in-line skates on campus. He reported that transportation services would be adding a considerable number of bicycle parking spaces across campus in the near future. Members were given another brochure entitled, Crossing Campus: keys to safely navigating Cornell University. He said they are trying to reach the Cornell population in many ways and increase safety awareness. Various “infomercials” will be playing across campus. He also gave members a reflective light that was designed for pedestrians to attach to backpacks or other external areas. A small button on the light makes it turn on and flash and could be helpful when a pedestrian might be walking across campus in the dark. C. Cohen informed members they could e-mail him at crc3@cornell.edu if they did not receive any of the handouts or the reflective light from the meeting and wanted one.

C. Cohen explained that the Employee Benefit Pool funds the Transportation Demand Management Program. Monies received from this source have legal restrictions regarding how the money may be used and whom it can be spent on. The graduate population isn’t covered under the Employee Benefit Pool and cannot receive some of the benefits Cornell employees receive due to the cost issues. C. Cohen reported the 1997/98 survey addressed this very issue, and asked if graduate students would be willing to have an across-the-board charge instituted that would provide greater benefits to them. The survey indicated that the graduate and professional student community was not willing to assume an additional charge for this purpose. C. Cohen said transportation has tried to be as creative as it could with the money it has available and provide the best options is can under the circumstances.

C. Cohen listed a number of transportation options available to the graduate and professional community:

1) many students don’t realize they can carpool.

2) the “PlusPass” package stipulates that if one pays to park in B lot, they may get a free bus pass.

3) occasional parking program sells discounted parking permits in books of ten. This offers scratch-off permits that provide convenience.

4) extended emergency ride program allows students to obtain an emergency ride home when needed.

C. Cohen concluded that it is sometimes hard to know how successful the program is. He thinks it is working, but he has heard that some graduate and professional student don’t seem to know about the transportation options available to them. He asked members for ideas and suggestions.

Lynn Fletcher, Neurobiology and Behavior Representative, asked where brochures could be obtained?

C. Cohen replied that graduate college locations across campus and new students are sent copies.

L. Sekaric commented she has never been offered the information before.

Hilary Ford, Assistant Dean of the Graduate School, said the colleges provide information to incoming students and this would be a good thing to add.

C. Cohen added that people renewing their current parking pass in the Spring get a copy of Mastering Campus as well.

V. Augusta, Education Representative, complained that when some constituent crossover occurs in a carpooling situation that transportation does not acknowledge all the participants.

C. Cohen agreed that this is the case. He mentioned that when a faculty or staff person decides to go back to school to further their education (and become a graduate student) that they lose their former transportation benefits simply by crossing over constituent groups. He said that, unfortunately, there are legal issues surrounding this problem and transportation cannot correct it with the funds at their disposal.

V. Augusta answered that she felt it was a shame that something could not be done to fix this problem since a university goal is to reduce traffic on campus, and the current method in this instance doesn’t enhance carpooling incentive.

K. Mowry, Nutrition Representative and GPSA Secretary, asked C. Cohen to address the GPSA concern regarding the fact that the parking lots by RPCC are now closed to grads. A Lot, which is a close alternative, does not allow grads to park there.

C. Cohen replied that unfortunately, the result of construction is that some people may get displaced. Their primary consideration in this case goes to the students who live in RPCC and the employees who work there. He reminded members that this displacement is temporary in nature.

K. Mowry brought up concerns with handicapped parking and what she felt were the outrageous fees transportation charges for these permits. She cited her personal experience from this fall when she was temporarily injured and had to obtain a handicapped parking permit. She said she had to pay approximately $70.00-$80.00 for one month. She attempted to return the pass early and was told she could not get any money reimbursed. She said that graduate students do not have much money and asked if there was some sort of waiver system to help people who might temporarily find themselves in this situation.

C. Cohen answered that transportation services is committed to giving people with disabilities access to campus. He said that providing that access does come at a cost. He quoted a fee of approximately $490.00 per year for one to park on campus with a handicapped permit. This fee also includes the “PlusPass Option” and CU Lift, a service funded by Student Disability Services. He told members that TCAT has a paratransit system as well.

K. Mowry said she paid almost one fourth of the total C. Cohen quoted, even though she needed it for less than one fourth of a year. She said the cost she had to pay was not proportionate at all and the fee seemed very high to her for people who temporarily need a handicapped permit.

V. Augusta added that another important issue is that people who need handicapped permits have their choice taken away. Their transportation options are much more limited than able-bodied people and they are more or less stuck having to deal with these restrictive choices.

L. Sekaric asked how reliable Gadabout is?

C. Cohen replied that Gadabout is very reliable. However, he said one must be eligible and there are several factors Gadabout examines before they will provide transportation.

K. Mowry said no one had told her all of this information and she was unaware that some of these alternatives might be available to her. She expressed a great deal of frustration with the process she experienced, saying she was unexpectedly handicapped for a short time period. She reported she got a runaround from one office to another, paid an exorbitant amount of money for a permit, tried to return it early and was told she couldn’t get any money refunded, and now is being told that other less expensive options could have been available to her.

C. Cohen said he would be glad to talk with her privately about the specifics of her situation.

K. Mowry reiterated that graduate students couldn’t afford the kinds of prices transportation charges for this kind of service.

L. Sekaric said this discussion would need to be wrapped up as the meeting is only on hour in length and there were other items to discuss at the meeting.

C. Cohen provided members with a copy of a TCAT press release scheduled to go into the Cornell Chronicle on Thursday, October 19, 2000. He explained that this press release is one way they are informing the community about the TCAT Board of Directors’ proposal for a fare increase. He also said information is available on the transportation web site. He told members this increase is necessary and due, in part, to the recent increase in gasoline prices. He added that another factor related to the fare increase is higher insurance premiums TCAT must now pay that resulted from the bus accident that occurred last Spring. C. Cohen stated there would be several informational sessions planned over the next few weeks and pointed out that a session will be held on the Cornell Campus on October 24. He encouraged members to attend an information session.

K. Mowry asked in the OmniRide fare will be increased?

C. Cohen replied that, at this time, there are no plans to increase the OmniRide fare. However, this could potentially happen at some point down the road.

L. Sekaric asked if people could meet with C. Cohen privately to discuss concerns?

C. Cohen replied that he would be very willing to meet with people. He said he would be willing to come back and address this group again if they wished, or meet with people at other times or locations. He said that it is better to try to bring a group of people together for discussions whenever possible. He told people they could call him at 255–5688.

II. OPEN FORUM

L. Sekaric announced the graduate school is still in the process of revising its code of legislation. She told people she would send the url to gpsa-l@cornell.edu for them to review and asked that people try to look it over and provide feedback.

K. Mowry expressed that this was an extremely important piece of legislation and will affect everyone in one way or another because it discusses issues surrounding graduate life. Examples such as A exams, B exams and leaves of absence were cited. She asked everyone to make time to read the document and provide feedback if they wished.

P. Carr introduced Hope Mandeville, the new Director of the Office of the Assemblies, to the members.

H. Mandeville told members she had previously worked with the English department. She expressed that she was very interested in graduate issues and looked forward to working with the assemblies.

D. Mahon, Student-elected Trustee, announced that a Resolution regarding TA certification would be presented at the next Student Assembly meeting on October 19, 2000. He said the text of the resolution would become available later this week.

Dan Demaine, Soil, Crop, & Atmospheric Science Representative, asked what the TA duties are?

P. Carr replied that Stefan Hames, current Ecology & Evolutionary Biology Representative and 1999–2000 GPSA President, and John Schwarz, 1998–99 GPSA President, had worked with a graduate school committee to better define TA issues. A report was formulated that was later used to help change Cornell policy and more clearly define TA responsibilities.

D. Demaine responded that he felt his TA employment letter was relatively vague. He wondered if a certification requirement would cause anxiety for some TA’s.

L. Sekaric said that Engineering already has a certification process. She said she wasn’t exactly sure what the SA would be proposing in their resolution.

P. Carr suggested that everyone wait to see what the SA proposes in their resolution and then decide how they feel.

D. Brown, Agricultural Economics Representative, mentioned that he had received a TA Handbook that was helpful to him.

Members mentioned that Engineering also distributes a handbook to their TA’s.

H. Ford thought this handbook is put out by the Center for Learning and Teaching.

P. Carr reported to members that the SA Resolution, Resolution to Preserve the Sanctity of Cornell Students’ Right to Petition for Redress, returned to the SA for further discussion. Modifications were made to the text of that resolution to clearly exclude graduate housing.

P. Carr announced the SA Ad-Hoc Proxy Committee has one vacancy that is available for a graduate/professional student to fill. He summarized that this committee votes on shareholder resolution issues and asked if anyone would be interested in filling the vacancy.

No one at the meeting indicated interest in joining the SA Ad-Hoc Proxy Committee, so P. Carr said he would send an announcement to gpsa-l@cornell.edu.

III. ANNOUNCEMENTS AND REPORTS A. GPSA UPDATE

P. Carr informed members that John Sebastian, Medieval Studies Representative, was just appointed to serve on the General Committee of the Graduate School.

  B. ASSEMBLIES LEADERSHIP MEETING

P. Carr reported that the issue to include a student to serve on the TCAT Board of Directors is slated to be on the Leadership agenda later this month. The Leadership meeting takes place monthly and brings assembly leaders and the senior administrators together to discuss issues.

P. Carr also reported that the undergraduates are still working on e-Cornell and the distance learning issues. This is on the Leadership agenda as well.

C. BIG RED BARN OPERATION

K. Thompson, City and Regional Planning Representative, reported he had recently met with Kris Corda, Director of the Big Red Barn (BRB). He was happy to inform members that the problems regarding foamy beer have been resolved.

Members greeted this news with a great deal of enthusiasm.

K. Thompson introduced K. Corda to members and said she would respond in more detail to the GPSA concerns.

K. Corda told members that the reason the beer was foaming so much was because it wasn’t being kept cold enough. Investigation on the part of the BRB staff revealed that a refrigeration fan wasn’t working properly. They are now using “NASA” bags that can keep the beer cold enough for the times needed and they are working on a long-term cooler solution.

K. Corda said that in response to GPSA suggestions, she did contact the Ithaca Beer Company to see about having them bring their beer. Ithaca Beer Company brought beer, and based on the initial feedback, drinkers seemed to prefer a flavor called “Amber Ale”. Seranac is still very popular at the BRB and K. Corda said she thinks they will probably try to switch between the two. Details still need to be worked out.

Another issue of great concern to the graduate community was BRB scheduling during summer and off-peak times. K. Corda reported that the graduate school owns the BRB and Dining is a tenant. Dining is considering leaving the BRB open this summer and closing other locations such as Trillium. She said the BRB was open during Fall Break and will be open over winter break. The usage will be monitored as decisions are made regarding keeping it open for the future during these non-peak times. K. Corda told members she has a staffing concern since she has experienced recent trouble getting enough staff.

K. Corda also reported to members about a capital improvement project that had proposed building extensions to the BRB. She isn’t really sure where in the planning process this proposal is at the moment.

P. Carr added that he has spoken with Dean Cohen and believes that it would be awhile before anything happens. There are complicated issues to resolve.

V. Augusta said the BRB is disgustingly hot inside during summer months.

K. Corda agreed. She said air conditioning is probably not a feasible option since it would be so expensive to re-wire the building. Instead, they are exploring ways to remedy the situation with limited funds, such as improving airflow and circulation.

Someone suggested that the GPSA could donate money toward this endeavor.

K. Corda said maintenance costs are split between the BRB and the university.

K. Corda summarized that the BRB would be getting screens on the windows of the greenhouse, which is a big improvement since there are currently no screens on them. In addition, new cranks would be installed on the windows to allow them all to actually open.

P. McPheron, Director of Graduate and Professional Student Housing, added that the BRB is classified as a historic building.

K. Corda agreed this is a factor, saying that this does make any kinds of improvements or additions to come under much more scrutiny.

B. FELLOWSHIP DISTRIBUTION

P. Carr reported they were almost out of time and this would be briefly discussed today and talked about in greater detail at the next meeting.

He told members that Sarah Hale, Assistant Dean for Financial Policy at the Graduate School, brought this issue to the GPSA last Spring. The GPSA conducted a survey by sending an e-mail to the gpsa-l listserv and asking people to forward the survey to their constituents. Fifty-five people responded to that survey, with an almost even split on opinion taking place. The graduate school conducted its own survey this fall by having a poll for grads to sign as they picked up their checks. Approximately 600 people responded to this survey, most in favor of the having fellowship money direct deposited.

L. Sekaric told members the graduate school could just go ahead and implement this, however they are asking for the GPSA to provide input and want their feedback.

P. Carr told members that GPSA needs to think about this issue and decide if they do have a problem with it. If so, he suggested they formulate a strong rebuttal stating why they oppose it.

K. Levac asked if there would be a choice? Could students request payments to be made monthly or in lump sums?

L. Sekaric replied that, if implemented, one would not have a choice.

P. Carr said the only choice would be whether to have the monthly payments direct deposited or not.

H. Mandeville said that Cornell used to handle the money in this way approximately six years ago.

V. ADJOURNMENT

L. Sekaric adjourned the meeting at 6.07p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,

Bonnie Bailey, Office of the Assemblies