GSA Assembly Meeting

Friday, March 3, 2017

Hall of Fame Room – SEFCU Arena

5:30PM

Assembly Speaker, Grant Zelin called meeting to order at 5:39PM.

Dr. Michael Christakis, Vice President for Student Affairs; Interim President James Stellar; joined by and Kevin Williams, Dean of Graduate Education.

  • Interim President Stellar – We are trying our largest academic expansion in our history.
  • CEHC – Harriman Campus
  • College of Engineering and Applied Sciences – new Downtown building
  • Health Sciences operation is expanding – to provide opportunities to work with nearby labs
  • New Dean of Homeland Security college will join us in June.
  • A Business School Dean search is running.
  • Will also run a search for Dean of Public Health.
  • Questions:
  • Update on blue ribbon panel on graduate stipends?
  • Dean Williams – We have a compact planning process going on to increase the budget for graduate student stipends.
  • Last year we received $300,000 which will be doled out this coming year to increase stipends – approximately a 4% raise
  • GSEU – working on a 2% raise in stipends; is retroactive from October 2016
  • We have increased 2-3% each year since 2014
  • Minimum stipend will be almost $16,000, up from a minimum of $12,000
  • His priority is to fund the departmental graduate assistantships, for the doctoral students (research and teaching) – to support the academic and research mission of the university
  • About 12-15 Administrative Unit Graduate Assistants, out of 400 total Graduate Assistants (Student Affairs and ResLife fund their own GAs)
  • Graduate Student survey has a pretty good response rate thus far – better than 3 years ago. Will likely be open for another week or so.
  • If you have not yet completed it, please do.
  • Raise for contingent faculty, where do we stand?
  • Interim President Stellar – this is an ongoing task force
  • He believes we raised the adjunct stipend from $2,800 to $4,000.
  • Hope is to get to around $5,000.
  • No specific timetable, but hope to complete this in a 3-4 year period.
  • Asking departments to sign students up for two classes per semester instead of one, to allow for eligibility for health insurance.
  • What prompted decision to remove December graduation?
  • Process has been going on for around 18 months.
  • Want to “amp up” spring graduation ceremony – to have a more “signature” experience.
  • Found the December ceremony to be an outlier; not many SUNY institutions have them.
  • Struggling to maintain December ceremony in SEFCU Arena.
  • We realized that some people would be hurt by this. We encourage Colleges to have recognition ceremonies for December graduates.
  • No correlation between the certificate/degree completion date and graduation ceremony.
  • Why move graduate ceremony from Saturday to Friday? (Some people have working parents.)
  • Logic was to create a weekend experience.
  • First change made was a consolidation of food services, so food located in four sections of LC based on College, instead of across campuses.
  • Large undergraduate ceremony will be the end mark. Torch Night on Saturday evening.
  • Dean Williams – Tried to create a smoother flowing commencement weekend.
  • No other events on Friday besides Graduate Student Ceremony.
  • Working with Colleges to figure out how we can make Friday special for graduate students.
  • We will see if this works, if it does not we will re-evaluate.
  • Lack of Notice?
  • Hopes adjustments can be made for travel arrangements if they had already been booked prior to announcement of the ceremony change.
  • Interim President Stellar – believes we could have taken more time to receive feedback in this area – a lesson to him to go slower in making significant changes – “here maybe we went too fast”
  • Health and Counseling Center – When will they be moved?
  • VP Christakis – Campus Center (university will begin preparation for retail venues and new spaces in March) – on track for a Fall opening
  • Dutch Quad dining hall will close the day after commencement
  • Approximately Fall of 2018 – new Health Center will be located there
  • Two residences halls above the Dutch Quad dining hall will be renovated in the coming years as well.
  • Interim President Stellar – movement back to campus is important because there seems to be a rise in anxiety (Counseling Center)
  • Trying to cut down on sexual harassment by seeking to train 25% of undergraduates to step in when they see an issue.
  • Looking to hire more clinicians for Counseling Center, also looking to add additional hours to the Health Center.
  • Graduate Student Orientation?
  • Departments do some level of orientation.
  • Looking at institutional resources that could be shared in an orientation.
  • Graduate students feel isolated within their department. Would like an overall orientation for socialization among graduate students.
  • There is an orientation office at Student Affairs.
  • Would be happy to assist in the socialization of graduate students. Committed to having a dialogue on how to make graduate student orientation better. (VP Christakis)
  • But…
  • Freshman and transfer students do pay an orientation fee.
  • If you want to get word out to new graduate students – contact Kevin Williams and he will send an announcement to entire graduate student listserv.
  • Can we get students involved in graduation decision making?
  • After you graduate, you get a survey.
  • Motion to approve February 3rd Assembly meeting minutes. Motion seconded.
  • Vote: 20 – Yes, 1 – Abstain.
  • Motion to amend the agenda to discuss NAGPS April meeting. Motion seconded.
  • Saben Durio, President
  • Saben appointed as one of two graduate representatives in SUNY Assembly for institutions with doctoral programs.
  • SUNY Student Assembly is working to address political climate in our nation.
  • Trying to boost notoriety of our organization.
  • Has been contacted by administrators regarding the taskforce.
  • Keep working!
  • Wants to make orientation more comprehensive – boost graduate student experience among students.
  • We have a duty to make the academic and co-curricular experience of our graduate students better.
  • Dylan Card, Vice President – nothing to add
  • Tom Robertson, Treasurer
  • Treasurer’s report –Motion to approve Treasurer’s report. Motion seconded.
  • Vote: 23 – Yes
  • Jaime Coffino, Equity and Inclusion Chair
  • Please email students in your program about Student Needs Accessing Survey. Would be helpful!
  • No one from school of Business, Med or Law programs has responded yet.
  • Is happy to address any concerns anyone has, such as including questions that relate to distance learning.
  • Amani Edwards, Programming Chair
  • Requesting more funds for…
  • Graduate Student Professional Development Day – April 7th
  • He will do a 2-hour workshop
  • Speaker is requesting $1,400 (including his hotel)
  • SkyZone trip – open to all graduate students, but for first 30 who sign-up
  • 90 minutes of jumping + pizza and drinks
  • Room reservations
  • Sodexo orders
  • (a total of about $4,000)
  • Motion to approve allocation of funds. Motion seconded.
  • Vote: 22 – Yes, 1 – Abstain
  • Stanley De La Cruz, University Council Representative
  • University Council is meeting more frequently to accommodate presidential search committee.
  • Presidential Search Committee is meeting frequently as well.
  • Sits on Campus Rec Advisory Board – looking for someone to step into this position.
  • Dawn Wharram, Lead Senator
  • Trying to get more positions filled: senators, etc.
  • Dylan Card, UAS
  • Planning a few trips to bookstores around the region within the next two weeks.
  • Jessica Manry, Wages & Benefits
  • Brought back up conversation of childcare on-campus.
  • Hoping to speak with Educational Psychology and Mental Health Psychology programs to have a lab to accommodate childcare for students.
  • Program would benefit both undergraduate and graduate students.
  • Undergraduates have a grant fund for childcare. Graduate students are ineligible for this.
  • Legislative Action Days
  • Meeting next week (Monday, March 13th) to work on planning for the day.
  • Will be working on the issues to be addressed.
  • Caitlin suggests reaching out to Kat Slye.
  • Saben suggests aligning our plan with NAGPS LAD plans.
  • GSA Taskforce Updates
  • Close to sending President Stellar a clear set of questions regarding Trump’s Executive Order.
  • Abby – has been meeting with university staff
  • Staff would like to see a forum on the Cabinet asking questions to Interim President Stellar.
  • Forum would be open to student body.
  • Looking to work with Muslim Student Association, Multicultural Resource Center and GSA to facilitate this.
  • Motion to table Officer Stipend Proposal to the next meeting. Motion seconded.
  • Vote: 21 – Yes
  • April Assembly Meeting – Friday, April 7th
  • Motion to form an election committee. Motion seconded.
  • You go to Student Involvement liaison, you set the date of the election.
  • You set a forum date. *TIP: Make it the Assembly meeting.
  • Tell GSA IT person to put bios on website.
  • Send a message to GSA-Notices.
  • Elections Committee: Cristina Alston, Grant Zelin, Ignatius Stanis Santosh George.