Graduate and Professional Student Assembly
Big Red Barn
August 28, 2006
5:30–7:00 p.m.

I. Welcome and Introduction

J. Vertesi called the meeting to order at 5:40 pm.

Everyone introduced themselves by stating their names, departments and an interesting fact about themselves.

II. Open Forum

G. Curtis read a resolution she wrote in support of David Skorton�s statement to the community at large. She thought it would be a good idea by supporting him in his statement.

S. Boutin asked G. Curtis to state her reasons why she wanted this resolution.

G. Curtis� first reason is she thinks it�s important to make a gesture to have him recognize that he put out a message of any kind. Second she thinks he�s taking a very bold step / ethical position. More importantly, the resolution is to affirm that Skorton has invited dialogue in deliberation.

The resolution was put aside and then added onto the end of the agenda as a resolution.

III. Exec Updates and plans for the year

J. Vertesi said that a new e-mail list �gpsainfo� was launched to aid in communication between the GPSA and its constituents. There will probably be newsletters sent out possibly twice a month with it. She said it�s a great opportunity to really connect with people and they have 450–500 people signed up on the list serve already.

The GPSA website has also been updated.

J. Vertesi said that there will be 2 new ad hoc committees�housing and transportation & environment committees. These ad hoc committees were created in response to the fact that it�s the 2 top concerns for graduate students.

J. Vertesi wants to institute a new committee rule: people can only participate heavily on one committee. b/c in the past there were problems w/committee entropy. She said she wants to see a wider participation amongst a wider group of grad students.

J. Vertesi also mentioned that she met with the SA president and they set goals together: they hope to see stronger communication between the undergrad and grad student assemblies. They hope to have a Graduate student trustees seat.

IV. Committee Chair updates and plans for the year

M. Walsh said everyone is on the new e-mail list and he wants everyone to try and get their fields signed up for the list. He hopes to send emails once or twice a month on this list. M. Walsh said to check the website for instructions on how to sign up for it.

M. Walsh also hopes to create an electronic newspaper by using this new email list. He will need a lot of help with it. M. Walsh�s current vision is t have a electronic newspaper that will be 4 pages long with a calendar of events.

M. Walsh will require that every finance commission event be sent to the Cornell events calendar. This is so that the graduate student community will know about the many events funded by the GPSAFC in one central location. Z. Wang from the Pay and Benefits Committee said that they hope to have a representative for more communication with on campus housing. Ideally she would like one representative for each on campus housing location.

Z. Wang said they want to work on the off campus housing issues as well. She hopes Cornell will have a more active role to help with those type of issues. The University is now aware of various issues that can arise off campus.

Z. Wang said the Pay and Benefits Committee would want student opinions on the transportation issue.

Z. Wang also mentioned the student benefits survey: there was one 2 years ago. They want to try and make the pay and benefits survey more useful.

Y. Yu from the funding policy said that they hope to invite all byline groups who GPSA sponsored to report what they�re doing and their budget plans.

Y. Yu said that we need to Update the charter appendix A and B which is mainly about how funding works. It was last updated maybe 3 years ago.

C. Kang from the finance commission could not be at the meeting.

E. Spero from the events committee said we are going to have our first grad night out on Sept 7.

E. Spero said she is working on the ball which will probably be in WSH this year and that it will be a multi-room event for everyone. They should be able to get basically all of WSH. If a student doesn�t like something, they can go to something else at the ball. There will be rooms with dancing and others with games which hopefully will appeal to more people.

E. Spero also thought of the Grad quiz bowl as an event�possible idea to get different fields of people together.

V. Upcoming meetings � September 11, October 9

J. Vertesi said Sep. 11 is first COR meeting. She gave a brief summary of what is going to happen at that meeting.

J. Vertesi said we can rotate the location of COR meetings on campus at the different special schools (which have a room big enough for a COR meeting).

J. Vertesi said the Oct. 9 meeting has to be moved b/c it�s during fall break, it will be moved a week later to Oct. 16.

E. Spero made motion to make it a week later. G. Curtis second and it was passed.

VI. Graduate School Committee Appointment

S. Boutin gave a summary of what the Graduate School Committee does.

J. Vertesi opened for nominations.

K. Siler nominated G. Curtis and M. Bhadauria second it.

G. Curtis asked about 1 committee rule and if she should step down. J. Vertesi said she preferred G. Curtis to follow the 1 committee rule.

B. Romero nominated herself. A. McNamara 2nd it.

Both candidates stated why they would make a good representative.

G. Curtis was curious about the 1 committee rule.

S. Boutin made a motion to suspend election to find out where the rule only 1 committee allowed.

J. Vertesi explained the reason for this rule: because in the past there was a decrease of involvement when a person was in 2 committees. Only 2 or 3 COR members were attending GPSA meetings last semester. J. Vertesi said that so many responsibilities is too much for one person. With this one committee rule they hope to have more people from the assembly and COR to participate in the committees and get more involved.

Basically the 1 committee rule was established with the interest in effectiveness of the council and wideness of participation of graduate students.

An assembly member asked how it became a rule w/o discussing it. J Vertesi said it�s not a charter change. The assembly member believes it might discourage people from participating since they can only be on one committee.

G. Curtis believes it is a way to tell volunteers not to do something and it�s a pathway to discourage rather than encourage. She thinks as volunteers people should set their own limits.

The assembly voted and B. Romero is the next grad school committee representative.

VII. Budget Approval

The assembly members from each of the committees stated their budget and how much funding they�d need. J. Vertesi put it on an excel sheet which will be distributed at a later meeting.

VIII. University Neighborhood Council Update � Gwen Curtis

G. Curtis spoke about what has been done in the committee it�s current issues. The current issue is deer issues in the community. Another one we heard about is when Hasbrouk students came to the assembly meeting last semester and talked about the influx of undergrad students in the Hasbrouk community.

G. Curtis said the university neighborhood council is supposed to interface Cornell and surrounding neighborhoods.

G. Curtis said it has been mandated for her by the university neighborhood council to see if grad students are for/against either putting up a fence or culling deer at the plantations. She also mentioned that the council had an inaccurate fact sheet and no methodology.

G. Curtis said she hopes to have a second person on the committee b/c there is another open seat.

M. Walsh motioned to extend the meeting 15 minutes, M. Ye 2nd it. The motion passed.

IX. New Committee Proposal � Sean Boutin

S. Boutin explained the origins of the committee. He said the primary purpose of it is to gather information. The new committee would only go into play when a majority of people need them and it will have no power, just information.

X. New Resolution (R. 1) � G. Curtis

Some parts of the new resolution were amended.

The resolution passed with 14 votes.

XI. Adjournment

J. Vertesi adjourned the meeting at 7:14 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
YuhLi Tsuei
Office of the Assemblies