Meeting Minutes- 02 November 2009

Meeting convened in the Newcomb Hall Board Room at 6 pm

Introductions

Guest Speakers:

Todd Goodale - Associate Athletic Director for Marketing

* He handles marketing and promotions for homecoming, getting in to Football games, how to use UVAshots.com to enter Basketball games, (ie. student access to athletic events)
* For access to Basketball games it is easy to create an account on UVAshots.com. There are 1800 student seats in the lower area of the arena and 1000 in the upper deck. Saber points (a lottery system) influences entry time and chance of securing access. Guest tickets are also available for students which can be used for spouses or significant others. Obtaining student tickets should not be a factor for most games, with the exception of UNC, Duke, and Virginia Tech
* Attending other Hoo Crew events (for athletic events such as Soccer, Baseball, Swimming, etc.) will help students accrue Saber points and increase their chances of getting into Basketball games
* On Wednesdays from 5 - 6 there is an open basketball practice just for students.

Dean Mary Stegmaier - Assistan Dean of the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences

* Deals with the day to day operations of graduate admissions including graduate student funding and enrolled student academic policies.
* Discussed the recent switch to SIS, the new electronic application system for students.
* Located on the 4th floor of Cabell Hall

Dean Laushway - Associate Dean of Students

* Manages the on-call system to deal with student incidences
* Works with teh 1st through 4th year class councils as well
* Handles many cases concerning the University Alcohol Policy. An event that is sponsored by a University entity needs to have a completed and approved permission form. The biggest issue is liability -- it's ideal for organizations, such as GSASC, to hand over liability to a third party vendor. The other option for our events is to have an approved party manager dispense the liquor.
* Regarding graduate student space, a focus group has been set up to meet with Aramark & dining services to discuss the following issues: 1. Potential space in Newcomb Hall; 2. Graduate Student dining plan (with a discount incentive). Council members also inquired as to the viability of a plus dollars only plan.
* He's also interested in facilitiating conversations with other graduate schools at UVA. A more unified experience across the schools (Law, Darden, Medical, Nursing, Commerce, Curry, etc.) would improve the conditions, resources, and coordination for all. In light of this, a Wine & Cheese has been planned for all schools in December.

Reports

Life Committee

* Space for Graduate Students (see above)
* Dental Insurance
* Maternity Leave - There is no official policy for graduate students within Arts & Sciences regarding maternity leave. They would like to obtain information from departments for comparative purposes. Proposed to do this through an online survey.
* Child Care
* Sexual Harrassment / Safety: Awareness and education about policies and experiences needed. Graduate students are in a unique position, occupying an in between status since they are not full professors nor are they students. More discussion needs to occur other than just in graduate orientation. Nicole Erano's office is the point person about securing information. Also the Dean who handles students with children has information. While there is a presentation at the UJC website, more informaiton needs to be readily accessible by graduate students and they need to know it exists.
* Each department representative can help in obtaining raw data regarding the above issues by sending out online surveys. To ensure participation, disclaimers will be included. Students do not have to answer all questions but feedback for any of them would be beneficial. * Support for Wendy Perry's attempts to secure a two year post-doctoral student to help with her duties is important. The graduate council can support her application by talking with Jeff Trout and emphasizing the need for a greater infrastructure to help graduate students' professional development.

Treasurer

* The health care subsidy is under consiration as premiums might go up next year according to Aetna.

Social Committee

* Halloween Success -- the Halloween party at West Main was a huge success. Out of the $1800 allocated, only $238 was used due to the high attendance.
* Lighting of the Lawn -- Coming up!

Research

* Nothing to report.

Stud-Co

* New initiative for a shuttle service to Richmond during Holidays. Students can sign up for the service. The first test run will be for Thanksgiving and if it is a success, the program may be enlarged to include transportation to Dullus. Details are on the UVA Student Council website.

Honor

* Co-sponsoring events to promote honor participation
* Departments that want to get involved with Honor promotion should contact the Honor Council.

New * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Business

Voted unanimously to fund at $130

Voted unanimously not to fund

Voted unanimously to fund at $100

Voted unanimously to fund at $400

Voted to hold off on a decision at this time

Voted unanimously to fund at $300