GPSA Student Advocacy Committee

Graduate and Professional Student Assembly
Student Advocacy Committee Meeting MINUTES
August 29, 2008: Big Red Barn, 5:00pm — 6:00pm

Attachments:

• Agenda of Meeting (File: 080829 Advocacy Agenda)
• Draft Contact Sheet (File: 080829 Advocacy Contact Sheet Template)

In attendance

• Brian M. Forster, Chair
• Briony Horgan
• Bethsabe Romero
• Jay Worley

Meeting began @ 5:00pm

I. Introductions

Members of the committee introduced themselves to one another.

II. Results of Last Meeting Items

(a) Parental Accommodation

Brenda Wickes, Assistant Dean at the Cornell Graduate School sent the following message back to the committee regarding the concerns the advocacy committee raised during our July meeting. She stated that the policy written are the minimums guaranteed and that other arrangements could be negotiated between a graduate student and their graduate field/department.

In summary, the Parental Accommodation Policy was set up as a basis from which graduate students and advisors/departments could work off to come to arrangement for graduate students who need to take time off due to birth, adoption or acute health care of their child(s). The GPSA Student Advocacy committee will continue to monitor graduate student response to the Parental Accommodation & continue to work with the Graduate School office as needed.

(b) Student Advocacy Website

Following the last committee meeting, B. Forster met with the Office of Assemblies to begin discussing the set-up of the new advocacy website. Unfortunately, it was discovered that although Resolution 8 from last year (the resolution dissolving the Pay-Benefits committee and establishing Student Advocacy in its place), charter changes need to be approved by Cornell President David Skorton. As a result, the website can not be put up until the charter change is approval. B. Forster did show A. O’Donnell and A. Epstein what the committee wanted on their new website. It would be posted as soon as possible.

© Committee Applications

B. Forster informed the members that the Operations and Staffing Committee (which B. Forster is automatically a member of) will meet after 1st CoR meeting and review the applications for the Student Advocacy committee. In addition, any graduate student who serves on a university committee is automatically members of the Student Advocacy meeting.

III. Current Business

(a) Mental Health

B. Romero reported to everyone the role of the Mental Health committee and that they are currently working on ways to improve services for graduate student mental health cases, especially for long term care.

(b) Contact Sheet

Following the last meeting, the committee has begun to work with Brenda Wickes in developing a graduate student/professional student contact sheet- a quick handy guide for students to find the office and/or contact person they need to contact should they have a particular problem. Attached to these minutes are the current issues that were believed should be included on this contact sheet (excluded from public version). Currently, B. Horgan, J. Worley & B. Forster are each working on filling in the contact information for this contact sheet. A draft will then be sent to B. Wickes at the Graduate School.

J. Worley suggested ways of distributing this contact sheet once it is finalized. Ideas included, large poster prints, emails to each graduate field, etc…

B. Horgan suggested that at the first Council of Representatives Meeting (9/8/08), we distribute a draft contact sheet and obtain suggestions from the CoR members before we send out / post this contact sheet on the internet.

© Working Procedure

B. Forster informed the members that throughout the semester he would begin working on writing the working procedure, taking the comments and ideas that each committee member has told him about how the committee should function. B. Forster said he would email drafts of this procedure throughout the semester for everyone’s imput.

IV. New Business

(a) Geneva Trip

B. Forster, along with Michelle Leinfelder (GPSA President), Deondra Rose (GPSA Vice President of Operations), Michael Walsh (Graduate Student Trustee) and Brenda Wickes (Assistant Dean) went to the Cornell Agricultural Station in Geneva, NY. The GPSA representatives were given a tour of the station and nearby areas by SAGES, the Geneva student association.

(b) Geneva Health Care / Insurance

During the Geneva trip, the graduate students in Geneva asked the GPSA to look into their health care/insurance policy. Geneva students use Gannett as the primary care provider and referral center. The committee decided it would contact both Janet Corson-Rikert, Director of Gannett and Allen Bova, director of risk management to discuss with them health care for Geneva students.

B. Forster contacted the SAGES officers to ask the Geneva students to let him know of any cases where the Geneva students needed to travel down to Gannett.

V. Upcoming Events

• Sept. 7, 2008: GPSA Retreat
  B. Forster will be speaking about the GPSA Advocacy Committee & the Geneva Trip
• Sept. 8, 2008: 1st CoR meeting, 5:30pm, WSH Memorial Room B. Horgan & B. Forster will be presenting to the CoR how this committee came to be (via Resolution 8 from last year), what the advocacy committee has completed thus far, present a draft contact sheet & other issues it has been looking into this past summer. Plans for the upcoming year will also be discussed.
• Sept. 11, 2008: Grad Club Fair @ the BRB
  B. Forster will find out whether the GPSA will be present at the fair and if the advocacy committee can join in tabling, etc…
• Sept. 22, 2008: 1st Assembly Meeting

Meeting adjourned @ 5:45pm

Submitted,
GPSA Student Advocacy Committee
2008–2009