Rutgers University Graduate Student Association - New Brunswick
GSA Council Meeting # 2, AY 08-09
October 12, 2008


  1. Approval of agenda and meeting minutes
    1. Approved unanimously
  2. New Business
    1. Recognition of new Graduate Student Organizations (GSOs)
      1. Asha for Education (second meeting)
        1. Vote: Approved unanimously
      2. RUasis&t (American Society for Information Science & Technology) (second meeting)
        1. Ally: Started in SCILS, now branched out into providing software workshops for different departments, general technology workshops, and put people in touch with those who can help them.  Membership includes students not in SCILS
        2. Q: What software?  Ally: MS Office, Dreamweaver, databases, services offered through the libraries and other campus services
        3. Q (Becki): How do you work with/against University IT?  Ally: Trouble getting in contact with IT services.  Students often want other students to help them
        4. Q (Becki): Is there a charge?  Ally: No, we've been able to get people from the ASIS&T organization to help us for free if we can't do it on our own
        5. Vote: Approved unanimously
      3. Cognitive Area Student Tea (second meeting)
        1. No representative present, tabled until next meeting
      4. Theobald Smith Society Branch of the American Society for Microbiology (second meeting)
        1. GSO Secretary: student chapter for ASM, bringing together students to have the opportunity to speak and listen.  Hoping for student involvement, to bring in a speaker and draw a large crowd.
        2. Vote: Approved unianimously
      5. Pansexualia (second meeting)
        1. Brian: Seeking rerecognition - were recognized in 2006-2007.  Intention is to provide a community resource for sexual and gender minorities.  Future goal potentially to work with office of Social Justice Education.
        2. Vote: Approved Unanimously
    2. Approval of amended budget
      1. Amended Surplus Line, Payroll Line
        1. Number was off last time, as it was an estimate.  We have the final numbers now
      2. Emergency line
        1. Emergency allocations
      3. Funding application website Line
        1. Interactive website so a member from each GSO can log on, submit funding applications.  We will test the application in the Spring.  You will be able to see all funding decisions at any time, and how much is available in each category
      4. Payroll
        1. We've hired a designer to do our website, and a few other positions
      5. Q: what happens if emergency funds don't get spent?  A (Sarah): rolled over to next year.  A (Nachi): Sometimes GSOs are not able to get applications in on time for justified circumstances.  This line item will allow us to help get their events funded before the Spring allocations meeting.  Sarah: sometimes groups are founded after the Fall allocations meeting, this line item allows them to get some funding
      6. Q: Undergrad organizations use Sabo for their funding website.  Why don't we?  Sarah: many complications to running the website through the University.  Nachi: we want to keep our finances independent from the University, since we currently have this autonomy.
      7. Vote
        1. Vote: approved unanimously
  3. Issues of the Day
    1. Events Coordinator position
      1. Benjie Peters will be leaving the AA position.  Ben Pauli, our current Events coordinator will be moving into this position, meaning we have an opening for the Events Coordinator position.  This is a paid position
      2. Job description will be sent out with the GSA weekly notices.
      3. We have 4 paid positions: Admin Assistant, Events, Publications, Website.  We will also be opening a position for the online funding application.  Also, we have a lawyer on retainer - email help@gsa.rutgers.edu if you want to meet with the lawyer
    2. Required Meetings
      1. We have 9 meetings per year, most of which are quite short.  We currently require groups to attend 4 of these meetings, to make sure that groups hear important announcements, and to make sure that groups have a vote.  There are funding penalties if groups do not attend 4 meetings.
      2. The first meeting of each semester will now be mandatory for all GSOs
      3. We are considering making 6 out of the 9 meetings over the year mandatory
        1. Q: many people in my program live far away, and groups with mostly Masters students are not on campus often.  A (Becki): most groups have many many members, and the responsibility can be diffused among them.  The more people who are aware of the GSA, the more active the GSA as a whole will be.
        2. Q: Would you consider providing childcare?  That's a reason that a lot of people can't come.  A (Sarah): We can't do that. But, if we enacted this rule, and there was some legitimate reason why a group can't attend 6 meetings, or some sort of extreme circumstances, we could work something out.
        3. Q: What about some kind of bonus for attending 6 meetings.  A (Sarah): we have a finite budget, so we'd have to reduce everyone else
        4. Q: Why not combine meetings with other GSA events, like karaoke
        5. Q: Is there any objection to bringing children to these meetings? A: No.
  4. Reports
    1. GSA Officers
      1. President (Ignacia Perugorría - president@gsa.rutgers.edu)
        1. VPLC meeting last Wed. - discussed projects happening, especially on Livingston campus - "greening" of College Ave.  They are moving all non-professional programs off of Livingston, and will build a hotel on Livingston Campus, in order to host families during the football games, and to hold conferences and other large events for which we do not currently have good venues.  Barnes and Noble is taking over all of the convenience stores in the university, starting Nov 1.  B&N will also build the "flagship college bookstore in the country", over near the current NJ bookstore, ready by next fall (at least, that's the plan).
        2. Universitywide Committee on Work and Family Issues never took place, because two people isn't enough for a focus group.  It will be rescheduled for next semester.  If you have questions, opinions, or concerns about family issues, email Nachi (president@gsa.rutgers.edu)
        3. Q: Who is paying for the hotel?  A (Nachi): They will borrow the money, build the building, and then lease it to one of the major national hotel chains.  Rutgers will have special rates.  Administration says they will not lose any money.  Admin says the advantage to having a hotel that we won't run is that we will have leverage in deciding the special rates.  Questions remain.  Admin says that having a hotel will give us the stature of a very important university...
      2. Vice-president (Rebecca Steele - vicepres@gsa.rutgers.edu)
        1. Football Lottery: we have 100 tickets.  Less than 100 people signed up for the lottery.  That means that less than 100 people wanted to go to the game.  We won't sell the extra tickets, because the lottery is the only mechanism we have to know how many people want to go.  We've asked athletics to take care of ticketing so that there would be more pickup hours, but they have said no - this is the only way we can get tickets for you.
        2. Q: Will we get more tickets with the bigger stadium?  A (Becki): We could get more now, but not more people want to go
        3. Q: Will you sell tickets for the bowl game? A (Becki): How optimistic of you!
      3. Treasurer (Sarah Murray - treasurer@gsa.rutgers.edu)
        1. If you still haven't signed your funding application, do so after the meeting, or come to Sarah's office hours (listed on the website)
        2. If someone from your GSO volunteers on any committee, you are eligible for more money
        3. If you want to volunteer on the External Allocations Committee, we will be meeting some time in January.  Contact Sarah if you are interested in participating
      4. Secretary (Aaron Braver - secretary@gsa.rutgers.edu)
        1. Sign the attendance sheets!
    2. Internal Committees
      1. International Students Affairs (Chair: Gayatree Ganu - isac@gsa.rutgers.edu)
      2. Publications (Chair: Luiz Ramos - pubchair@gsa.rutgers.edu)
      3. Social and Cultural (Chair: Carlos Diuk - social@gsa.rutgers.edu)
      4. Student Affairs (Chair: Elric Kline - affairs@gsa.rutgers.edu)
        1. Still following up on items from last meeting.  Nothing new to report
        2. If you have thought son the printing limits, or housing, get in touch with Elric
      5. Sustainability (Chair: Carolyn Barber - sustainability@gsa.rutgers.edu)
        1. Q (Sarah): do people have comments about the no paper plates policies, or using our catering kits?  If you need to buy paper plates, you can buy recycled ones, and submit some form of proof that they're recycled
        2. Q: is there a fee for the picnic kit?  A: no.  But please return everything!
        3. You can use our kitchen, too
          1. Nachi: we are negotiations to get the kitchen redone, getting energy efficient appliances
      6. TA/GA Steering Committee (Chair: Joseph Dwyer - taga@gsa.rutgers.edu)
        1. Mason Gross Art Dept - many TAs being asked to work more hours than they are supposed to, even in the face of the new contract which enforces these hourly limits.
          1. Nachi: Last year they tried to withdraw funding from three students without notice (they have annual evaluations, but are not notified of them).  The GPD and the Dean were trying to prevent students from participating in decision-making, even though the bylaws allow them to do so.  If you have friends in Mason Gross, encourage them to bring any problems to us, as we can do something
        2. If you are interested in this or other TA/GA issues, contact Joseph
        3. Elric: Nobody knows exactly what happens with externally funded grad students from the sciences - if that describes you, please contact Elric (affairs@gsa.rutgers.edu) or Joseph
    3. Administrative Assistant (Benjie Peters - help@gsa.rutgers.edu)
      1. Ben will be leaving at the end of the semester, with a time-sharing transition period before that
    4. Events Coordinator (Ben Pauli - events@gsa.rutgers.edu)
    5. Publications Manager (Charlotte Whalen - puboffice@gsa.rutgers.edu)
    6. Webmaster (Audrey Devine-Eller - webmaster@gsa.rutgers.edu)
  5. Questions and Announcements
    1. Get involved!  Officer positions for next year
      1. There are different degrees of involvement - you don't need to dedicate your life to it