Hall of Fame Room SEFCU Arena

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.