Senate Meeting September 26, 2007

Groups in attendance:

Present	ABGS, ACGS, ASPE, CIGSPA, ED-LEAD, EGSA, GASP, GHA, GPHA, GPPA, GSWA, GTU, HGPSA, IOPGA, MASS, MGSA, MPASG, OSGA, SPIE, SPO
Absent	AGITS, GSA, MGSO

Motion to waive the reading of the minutes: APPROVED

Motion to accept the minutes as written: APPROVED

President’s Report:

• Mission/Purpose/Vision of GPSG
• Allie requested that all senators bring up the question of GPSG’s role on campus to their respective organizations so that we might be able to more concretely identify our priorities. This has become especially relevant in the past couple of years, as the GPSG has run into more funding problems. Our ability to define our purpose and goals will help the GPSG find focus and direction, as well as represent the needs of graduate students.
• Specifically, Allie asked senators to think about possible short and long-term goals GPSG wants to accomplish this year, and over the next five years. She also asked that organizations come up with a rationale for the budget. What should GPSG’s priorities be when it comes to funding the needs of graduate students?
• National Association of Graduate and Professional Students (NAGPS)
• Allie has also been thinking about the possible benefits of GPSG joining NAGPS, and requested that senators look into the org and discuss it with their respective organizations. Joining the NAGPS includes possible benefits, such as health care plans for graduate and professional students (under which dependents can be covered as well), has national conferences to which GPSG might send one or more of its officers, and has an annual due of $1000 that would be paid for out of GPSG’s budget.
• Officer and Committee proposals:
• Following up on the proposition from the last senate meeting, Allie presented descriptions of the new Outreach Officer position and the GPSG committees. She also made clear that the senate, if approving the proposal, would only vote these positions into the by-laws at this time; the nominations and elections for the officer and committees will be determined at a later time.
• Outreach Officer:
• Office will address needs of international students, a quickly growing grad population
• Outreach to new groups and student members as well as faculty and staff
• The senate unanimously voted in favor for adding the officer position to the by-laws.
• Changes to current Special Projects Committee:
• Because the current Special Projects Committee (headed by the Vice President) traditionally focuses on the Research Fair, and because we are proposing adding a new committee to the by-laws to focus on new projects relevant to GPSG, Allie proposed that the name be changed to “Research Fair Committee.” Additionally, in light of the possible addition of a new Special Projects Committee, some changes to the Research Fair Committee were made to accommodate new responsibilities.
• The proposal for the name change and changes to the by-laws were unanimously voted in by the senate.
• New Special Projects Committee:
• Because of the changes made to the by-laws that changed the Special Projects Committee specifically to the Research Fair Committee, Allie proposed adding a new Special Projects Committee (headed by the GPSG Secretary) to concentrate on new projects that GPSG could initiate or continue, such as the proposed mentoring program.
• Liz explained that the new Special Projects Committee would probably require about 4 hours/month commitment per member, and that once formed, the committee would vote on any project they would like to pursue over the course of the year.
• The senate unanimously approved the new committee.
• Outreach Committee:
• To reinforce the directives of the new Outreach Officer Position, Allie also proposed a new Outreach Committee that would literally focus on “reaching out” to UNCC graduate students. Projects for the proposed committee might include (but are not limited to) organizing social functions for graduate students, such as happy hours, and spreading awareness of GPSG to students who might not know about us, such as unchartered organizations and international students.
• Because the Outreach Officer position has not yet been filled, the senate unanimously agreed to table approving the Outreach Committee.

Vice President’s Report:

• 8^th Annual Research Across the Disciplines Fair
• Currently, the fair is scheduled for March 15, 2008 from 9-3 pm.
• Research Fair Committee
• Cathy announced that nominations are open for those who would like to be a part of planning the upcoming Research Fair. The responsibilities of the committee will include: event planning (door prizes, catering, keynote speaker), printing (programs, flyers, packet information), reviewing abstracts and finding judges, and updating research fair information on the website.

Treasurer’s Report:

• Josh explained that, in order to unfreeze the current travel funds, the senate needed to vote on some travel caps. The Finance Committee members proposed the following travel caps for both chartered organizations, and unchartered organizations who access the at-large travel funding:
• Organization travel:
• Presenting at a non-local conference: $500
• Presenting at a local conference: $300
• Attending a non-local conference: $300
• Attending a local conference: $250
• At-large travel:
• Presenting at a non-local conference: $400
• Presenting at a local conference: $250
• Attending a non-local conference: $250
• Attending a local conference: $200
• As general proposed guidelines, local travel constitutes conferences within a 300 mile radius of Charlotte, while non-local conferences at least 300 miles away. There is a $1000 limit per department, meaning that a person belonging to more than one organization can only access a total of $1000 per year.
• The senate approved the finance committee’s proposal for travel caps, which will be amended to the by-laws.
• GPSG G.A. position
• Following up on the proposal to hire a graduate assistant to fulfill some of the responsibilities of the previous account specialist position, Finance committee proposed a yearly assistantship paying between $9000-10,000 a year. After some discussion, the senate proposed $9500 for the position, and unanimously approved the amount.

Announcements:

• The senate was reminded that UNC Tomorrow has scheduled a forum Friday, Oct. 3, and was urged to spread the word throughout their respective departments.
• UNC President Erskine Bowles and UNC Board of Governors Chair Jim Phillips will be on hand when the University of North Carolina Tomorrow Commission hosts a public forum on Oct. 3 in downtown Charlotte.
• The future of the UNC system will be the focus of this community-listening event, where Bowles and Phillips will be joined by UNC Charlotte Chancellor Philip L. Dubois and other University officials.
• The public session, which begins at 9 a.m. in Room 267 at the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Government Center
• Also, a lactation room is now open to nursing mothers on campus.
• Nursing mothers (faculty, staff, or students) seeking privacy to nurse a child can now use “A Mother’s Place,” a new lactation room located in the College of Health and Human Services (CHHS), Room 305. “A Mother’s Place” is equipped with a Medela Symphony brand breast pump, donated by the company, along with an infant-size bassinet and rocker.
• To access the room, nursing mothers must obtain a key request form from the CHHS dean’s office, Room 476, and submit the form to facilities management on Craver Road. The key will allow entry to the room when the CHHS Building is open for university use; individuals must sign up on the reservation schedule posted outside of the room.
• Tama Morris, director of the CHHS Learning Resource Center, spearheaded the creation of the room. Donations are being sought for a dorm-sized refrigerator to allow users to store breast milk.
• ABGS – Octoberfest
• In coordination with the Wine Vault, ABGS will be hosting an Octoberfest celebration October 14. The cost is $25/person, and there will be over 100 kinds of beer available for sampling.
• HPGSA – Leukemia and Lymphoma Society
• Last year, HPGSA raised over $2000 in their Leukemia and Lymphoma walk; they urged senators to spread the word and come out for the event.
• MASS made an announcement for the Southquad architecture conference,s this year taking place October 4^th. Interested students, faculty, and community members are welcome to attend.
• Request – Nourishment Liaison for next meeting. We would like volunteers to bring food to senate meetings (all money will be reimbursed by GPSG). There were no volunteers.

Motion to adjourn: APPROVED

Recorded by Liz Smith, secretary

Voting Record:

Org:	New Officer Position: Outreach	Change by-laws: F.C.	Change name: Special Projects Comm. To Research Fair Comm.	New Comm: Special Projects	Table Outreach Comm until Outreach Officer Elected	Approval for F.C. suggested travel caps	Approve Finance Comm suggestion for $9500 GPSG GA salary
ABGS	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
ACGS	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
AGITS	Absent
ASPE	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
CIGSPA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
ED-LEAD	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
EGSA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
GASP	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
GHA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
GPHA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
GPPA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
GSA	Absent
GSWA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
GTU	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
HPGSA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
IOPGA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
MASS	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	A	Y
MGSA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
MGSO	Absent
MPASG	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
OSGA	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
SPIE	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y
SPO	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y	Y