Bill Kelly

• Open Meetings
  • Provost calling on all EOs to evaluate compliance with bylaws
  • 5/15 deadline to be compliant
    • not compliant: à Provost OR Structure Committee of Grad Council
    • had not received any complaints in 15 years
  • Especially vis-à-vis student
  • Not honors system but a set of bylaws
    • Own program bylaws must be in compliance
  • Not going to go on “witchunt”/not going to be
  • Can submit complaint anonymously to Grad Council or Provost
  • Current legal opinion: Program Standing Committees not subject to NYS Open Meetings Law
  • Do not necessarily want single specifically spelled out regulations – takes away local control
• Funding Gap
  • Used to have almost no fellowships, much less valuable fellowships
  • In most years, have increased value or increased work
  • Trying to be like other universities with fellowships
  • “striking breakthrough” this year
  • yes, is still funding gap
  • will try to build, but in meantime…
    • find way to reduce teaching load moving forward
      • doesn’t kick in until 2014
    • adjuncts
      • difficult at universities
      • determined at universities, determined by collective bargaining – not much he can do
    • dissertation fellowships
      • 89 this year
      • try to grow pot every year
    • this spring, money to small grants for research
    • tuition waiver and health insurance for all who work as adjuncts
      • extending beyond 5 years not high on list of things to send money to
      • will “take under consideration” possibility of making it 10 semesters used however you want
• NYSHIP in Dissertation Fellowships
  • NYSHIP – have to be student employee, but Dissertation Fellowships usually work-free
  • Asked Provost’s Office to look at options over the summer
• New Chancellor
  • Goldstein leaving as “huge loss” – “remarkable” leadership
    • Has evinced “unstinting” support from Graduate Center
  • Board will name Interim, then national search conducted
    • Probably BoT naming Trustees on committee, then faculty and student representation and an alumni rep
    • Probably asking UFS and USS to delegate someone
• Maybe potentially CUNY university press
  • Potential partnership with University of Liverpool Press
  • Think it will happen pretty soon

 

Co-Chair for Student Affairs

• Will figure out way to coordinate governance/meeting concerns
  • Be in contact with DSC
  • 6.4b on DSC Website – direct recommendation to graduate council
    • 10% of students sign on to petition if problems directly to Grad Council
• elections still open, VOTE
• OpenCUNY hiring coordinators
• Looking for new Editor-in-Chief of Advocate

 

Communications

• Creating Emeritus DSC Leadership Advisory Board
• Parental Leave Working Group
  • Working Group executive summary of survey results and policy recommendation
    • All full time GC students without gender of method of family forming, without regard to fellowship status
    • Automatic extension of deadlines
    • 1 semester salary at half of GCF with minimum health requirement
    • retain status and tuition remission
    • full health care
  • Draft GC Policy
    • All kinds of parenting
    • Academic accommodation for all GC students
    • Negotiation: work accommodation available only to GC fellowship students, only people working within CUNY, or all GC students
  • Expect in place by September 1
• Information Technology
  • Email project postponed/all off
  • Migration to CUNYFirst
    • Business End (admin parts of Banner): June
    • More info in fall
  • Student printing data collection: status quo
  • Pursuing GC portal through campuseai.org (open source)
  • Wireless upgrade
• Institutional Research
  • Received results of Doctoral Students Survey
  • Master Survey underway
• Auxiliary Enterprise: manage revenue
  • Rentals, dining primary sources of revenue
  • Money held in reserve for student housing
  • Looking at student housing site in Long Island City
• Meeting with Pres. Kelly
  • Parental leave
  • Condom dispensers in bathrooms
    • Condoms and other barrier forms in bathrooms on 5^th floor
• Student Affairs
  • Update on stipend limits/term limits
• Robinson will not be pursuing relocation of student center to C level

 

Business

• Spend money in May
• DSC Website: “Soft overhaul”
  • Update
  • Navigation and menu problem fixed
  • Aesthetic upgrade
• Blood Drive coming up in June
  • Balance blood drive v. discriminatory practice

 

USS Delegate

• FOAI emails received
• USS continues to be

 

UFS Delegate

• CUNY 2020 – skeptical
• UFS passed resolution against extension of Pathways Committee

 

Internet Research Team: Chartered

 

DSC Budget 2013-2014

• Will continue subsidizing medical tests for uninsured students
• Small reduction in grants
• Discretionary down for Steering, Exec
• Less money for GC Advocate freelancers
• More money for OpenCUNY, UFS delegate
• Slightly smaller party budget
• Slight smaller office supply budget

 

Bylaw Changes

• Governance Task Force
• USS Standing Committee
• Changes to Grants Processes
• Funding increase for start-up grants

 

Constitution Change

• Add additional duties to USS Delegate (chair USS Student Advisory Committee)

 

Response to Open Meeting Letter

• Potential lawsuit to apply Open Meetings Law to program standing committees
  • CUNY never applied OML without lawsuit
  • Push back on claim by CUNY Counsel that program student committees
  • Consultation with attorneys
  • Pretty much all we have left
  • Why do this?
    • Lots of leeway in interpretation of laws
    • Students on Exec have voice on all policy
    • What students allowed to hear and communicate to constituents varies by program and by issue
    • Applying OML would clarify what situations are actually allowed to be kept confidential
      • Which situations would actually be able to kept closed and not communicated
• Could compile out-of-compliance governance documents
• Engage in education campaign regarding rights to representation
• Request to be present OML and governance issues at an all-EO meeting

 

Student Life and Services

• Survey still open
  • Have reached N
  • Try to get more
  • Average respondent: Level III, not taking clases
• Comfort stations will be happening
• Looking for folks to lead meditations
• Supplies for kitchenettes

 

Outreach

• Queen College – first week of May
• International Student Town Hall: April 30
• Updated CUNY Power chart coming soon!
  • CUNY, GC, DSC, programs

 

Health and Wellness

• Wellness Festival last week
• Health posters and flyers available and up
• Updates to website
  • Added to NYSHIP providers
• Health and Wellness survey coming soon

 

Governance and Membership

• Constitution and bylaws up to date on website!
  • each page will include date last updated

 

Funding

• Grants

Library and Technology

• Mac Lab on C level library – use it!
  • Can reserve room through IT website
  • In danger of losing it
• Ideas about what to do with MacLab? Send them to kmoriah AT gc DOT cuny DOT edu
• IT Student Equipment Loan Program – use them!!!
  • See IT Website: camcorder, flip cap, netbook, webcams, macbooks, recorders
• Still have grants to disburse: Ad Hoc Committee for Student Tech Workshop Facilitation Grant