DSC Meeting Minutes – February

DSC MEETING MINUTES – FEBRUARY 15, 2013

Professor Donald Robotham, Director of the Advanced Research Collaborative; EO of Educational Opportunity & Diversity Programs; Doctoral Program Anthropology

Educational Opportunity & Diversity Programs

1. Black Male Initiative

  • Fund students to recruit applicants to Pipeline program
  • Pay for students to come into interviews
  • Go to conferences to recruit students

2. Magnet Fellowships

  • Entering GC across all fields
  • Underrepresented groups
  • 8 scholarships
    • $24,000-$25,000, 5 years
      • increased from 18K
      • service: mentor students in Pipeline Program Years 1-3
        • equivalent to teaching in CUNY college
        • 3rd year: manage Magnet-Pipeline program
  • must be nominated by department
  • In addition to Magnet, some other money for in-state tuition
    • 1 year – apply every year
      • renewable
  • can be applied for after entering GC
  • every person who has applied got at least tuition

3. Pipeline program

  • encourage students in CUNY schools to apply to doctoral programs
  • Tutoring from GC Magnet Fellows
    • Choosing schools to apply to
    • Working on applications – “craft” of admissions process
    • Navigating Admissions Committee
    • GRE Workshops
    • Funding for grad school applications
    • Spring semester: model graduate school
      • Smaller seminars
      • Longer research papers
      • Matches Magnet Fellow program

Advanced Research Collaborative

  • New institution: drive collaborate and interdisciplinary research
  • Bring in fellows
    • 1 group from outside CUNY
    • 1 group from CUNY campuses
    • Trying to bring students in more and create grant program for this year
      • Shape student research projects
      • Small grants ($1000 and less) for collaborative, interdisciplinary plans
        • Not too onerous of requirements
        • Hopes to get this in place this semester
          • Future years will depend on budget

Eero Laine, Co-Chair Student Affairs

  • Middle Eastern Studies Association in process of de-chartering
  • DSC Governance Task Force
    • Administration seems to be interested in taking this up
    • Many program governance documents not updated in a decade or more
    • Roach Motel/Bill Kelly statement

 

Anne Donlon, Co-Chair for Communications

  • Digital Signage
    • Some installed, more coming
    • Signagesuggestions@gc.cuny.edu
    • should be open to all students to post on all screens
    • any students to post on DSC screens should be sent to ccc@gc.cuny.edu
      • some flex time (approx. 3 days to appear)
      • include dates students would like it to appear
      • New Interim Steering Committee meetings
      • Meeting with Chase Robinson, Polly THistlewaite, Mike Byers
        • Student Services for basement of library intended
          • Move DSC and all 5th floor student
          • Use 5th floor space for offices for research centers, etc.
          • Parental Leave Working Group requested meeting
            • Put off pending consult with CUNY Legal
            • In Meeting with Pres. Kelly, made some decisions
              • Plan for childbirth leave
                • Different than parental leave (which would include parents of various genders and would include adoptive parents)
                • Only for mothers giving birth during semester of birth
                • Makes a medical policy
                • Meeting w/Pres. Kelly
                  • Inside Higher Ed article
                  • Easel issue
                    • We would like some kind of bulletin board in high traffic area on every floor
                  • Concerns about Diversity institution-wide
                  • Concerns about funding for currently un- or under-funded students
                • Student Affairs
                  • Parental leave
                  • New Director of Career Planning and Professional Development: Jennifer Furlong
                • DSC Nominations currently open

 

Co-Chair for Business, Colin Ashley

  • Program allocations announced next week
  • Updated budget next Plenary
  • Present 2013-2014 Budget next Plenary
    • Imagine what re-structuring will do
    • Movie tickets now $6.50
    • Website
      • Couldn’t use
      • Trying to find more money to meet other bids
      • Blood drive
        • Bus/van will be on 34th or 35th St. next week
        • Encourage people to donate blood and ALSO recognize why we wanted blood drive off-campus
        • Chose not to re-appoint Adjunct Project Coordinators for 2013-14 year
          • Disconnect with Adjunct Project and GC adjunct labor issues
          • Question of labor of coordinators and of relationship
            • Appropriately connected to mission?

 

USS Delegate, Christine Nadler

  • Run-around re: FOIA request
    • Will be writing something regarding budget issues and misuse of funds
      • Have received some budget information
      • Still waiting on some other information: correspondence between USS and CUNY central offices
        • What was the communication chain re: Video produced by USS in support of Pathways
          • Claiming that there are no records
          • Work on #USSFail campaign
          • Creating a permanent USS Committee
            • Make it in bylaws
            • Particularly as relations get contentious
            • Audit of USS finally happening
              • Hasn’t happened in 10 years
              • Have firm
              • Not official audit this year – only evaluation of the records
              • Data back from Parental Leave survey
                • Looking for broader policy (EX: includes adoption)

 

UFS Delegate – Stefanie Jones.

  • Gender-Neutral bathrooms
    • 1st floor bathroom will be wheelchair accessible
    • 5thfloor bathroom: Q about accessibility
      • will they go ahead
      • Wellness Center
        • Racism and Mental Illness in the Academy conference coming up
        • UFS met last week
          • Resolution on academic freedom at Brooklyn College
          • Kroll Report
            • Not-independent report on Baruch BOT
            • Will be read in executive session = kick everyone out
              • Which is probably illegal
              • CUNY undergrad students probably getting false information
                • Claim that classes have been approved, but in actuality this has happened without faculty consultation
                • Putting all eggs in basket of lawsuit against Pathways
                • Preliminary state and city CUNY budget

 

Resolution re: Student Center

  • 5409, 5414, 5489, computer lab, program offices
  • First step to get Plenary on board and informed about importance of the space
  • Next meeting at beginning of March w/Provost and others
  • Planning to move everyone off the 5thfloor and get rid of all the student space on C level of library
    • 5th floor would become office space for research centers and offices for retired professors
    • ideas: send them

 

Bylaw changes (presentation only)

 

Resolution on CUNY Catalog

 

Officer for Funding – Jen Tang

  • One more round of grants to be considered
  • Must be used by June 30
  • Usually up to $750, but can apply for more
  • Write for start-up grants up to $150
    • Quick approval for small amounts
    • Can be submitted on rolling basis
    • Cunydsc.org/grants
      • Find attachments of tips for writing grants
      • Use screens

 

Dominique Nispersos, Office for Student Life & Services

  • Comfort stations in library positive feedback
    • Throughout semester
    • More massages throughout semester
    • Student Survey
      • 2nd week of March
      • looking for places for discounts

 

Nicole Hansen – Officer for Outreach

  • something at Baruch
  • International Student Town Hall
  • Social event at Queens
  • PSA Mentoring
  • Meeting of Ad-Hoc Committee on Student Fellowships
  • Hierarchal flow chart: policy decision tree within CUNY
  • Outreach team
    • People to be involved and not representatives
    • Student Representation on program standing committees
      • Administration telling people everything is confidential, which is wrong
      • Pursuing broader application of Open Meetings Law
      • Send feedback/ideas (outreach@cunydsc.org)

 

Monique Whitaker, Officer for Health and Wellness

  • Monday afternoon coffee breaks, 2-4pm
  • Upcoming Student NYSHIP Workshop
    • Run by students for students
    • How not to get stuck with large bills unexpectedly
    • GC Wellness Festival: April 15 on C level
    • Affordable Care Act free birth control will not apply to GC/NYSHIP because of status of “students”
    • Health Service flyer

 

Governance and Membership

  • Trying to fill seats

 

Technology and Library, Kristin Moriah

  • Printing
    • Admin pushing quota system
    • Occupy Data: Feb. 23
    • Hackathon: March 1 and 2