GPSG Minutes August 28, 2007

 

Groups in Attendance:

Present

ACGS, GPHA, ABGS, MGSA, IOPGA, SPIE, ASPE, AGITS, CIGSPA, ED-LEAD, EGSA, GTU, GHA, GPPA, GSWA, MPASG, MASS, SPO, GASP, HPGSA, GPHA

Absent

OSGA, GSA, MGSO

 

Senator Orientation:

            New GPSG President Allie Shukraft stressed the importance of establishing senator continuity throughout the year, and as such, reviewed the GPSG by-laws, which make a distinction between elected senators for chartered groups, and an elected proxy to fill in on days the elected senator cannot make the meeting.  According to the by-laws, the proxy should not fill in more than 3 times for the elected senator in one semester.  As such, the GPSG officers will be keeping records of the attending senators throughout the year.

            Allie briefly discussed the responsibilities of the senators, with interest, consistent attendance, and active participation stressed as the most important senator goals for the year.

 

Secretary’s Report:

            As the only returning GPSG officer from last year, I discussed some of the problems I have observed with the current volunteer point system, under which organizations who are chartered with GPSG have to complete 2 volunteer credits within the duration of the school year.  In past years, this point system does not always pan out fairly; while one person might volunteer an entire day at an activity like the GPSG Research Fair for one point, another student might receive the same credit for volunteering an hour or two at a GPSG coffee break, or similarly lesser activity.  My observation is that this creates an atmosphere where chartered orgs do not feel like their time is always being effectively put to use. 

            At the meeting, I requested that all senators try to come up with some ideas for how they might be able to serve GPSG throughout the school year in meaningful ways.  My suggestion at the moment is to condense our volunteer opportunities to a few events, such as the GPSG Research Fair and the GPSG Chancellor’s Forum, in order to foster a sense of collected purpose and community amongst UNCC’s graduate students.

            Communication was also discussed at length in the meeting.  Because GPSG had so many problems obtaining up-to-date communication information in the 2006-7 school year, we requested that the GPSG website be the primary source of information regarding meetings and updates for GPSG (http://www.sco.uncc.edu/gpsg).  Additionally, we are asking that all chartered organizations submit their current officer and advisor contact information to Liz Smith, secretary, by the next GPSG meeting. 

 

Treasurer’s Report:

            Josh Eyer, the new GPSG Treasurer, discussed some problems current problems we are having with the overall GPSG budget.  At the time of the meeting, GPSG’s entire budget was frozen, meaning that no group could access funds or receive reimbursement for travel.  This was because of some problems/questions SAFC had with the way the budget has been distributed in the past (it was unclear whether or not viewpoint neutrality had been achieved), and because of some accounting records that, without interpretation, made some reimbursements of previous years appear somewhat questionable (upon investigation, it seems that some individual members were being reimbursed for the funds of a group that traveled together, such as if they had paid for one or more hotel rooms for other people on their credit card).  Regardless, it was suggested that, in order to rectify the situation as soon as possible, some tentative caps be recommended for travel.  At the present, the caps stand at $250 for attendees, $400 for domestic presenters, and $500 for international presenters.  Because of the urgency of the budged situation, the caps were (tentatively) figured based on models presented by other universities, such as UNC-Chapel Hill and NC State.  More discussion will ensue before final cap amounts are established.

            In order to make a strong case for GPSG and our budget needs, Josh urged every group to try to qualify their needs in terms of numbers and dollars, and help us to collect accurate data regarding travel and conferences, so we might be able to keep consistent records and easily calculate budget trends in the future.

            Some good news for funding was related, however, as Josh informed the senate that graduate organizations could team up with CAB (Campus Activities Board) for honorariums, up to the amount of $3000.  The process, he said, should be started well in advance.

            Other good news included information regarding graduate parking.  While most students purchase a standard parking pass, Josh related that one or two days/week parking passes are also available through the school.  For students who are only on campus one or two days a week, these passes can save a substantial amount of money, as students are charged only $3/day for the semester.  Parking passes can be exchanged at $25 for students who have already purchased a pass for the year.

            A graduate assistantship position has also been approved for GPSG.  The 9-month assistantship would be 20 hours a week, and would pay $12,000 for the year.  If desired, the assistantship could also be broken down into multiple assistantships.

 

Vice President’s Report:

            New Vice President Cathy Moore addressed some of the concerns voiced from students who participated in last year’s Research Fair.  She acknowledged that the judging rubric that has been used in past years might favor certain disciplines over others, and thus asked the senate to report back in a survey how this year’s fair might better represent the presenting conventions of various departments.

 

President’s Report:

            Following up on some of the communication issues in the Secretary’s Report, Allie announced her interest in establishing a blog-style forum for general questions about GPSG and to help foster better graduate student communication.  Senators were also reminded that their organization mailboxes (located in the Cone Center) need to be checked every two weeks. 

            Allie also presented the tentative meeting calendar for future senate meetings, which was unanimously approved by the senate.

            For the upcoming agenda, GPSG plans on presenting some of the information in the by-laws for senate review.  The Financial Committee has yet to be determined, and nominations can now be submitted. 

 

Announcements:

 

Motion to Adjourn: APPROVED

 

Recorded by Liz Smith, Secretary