Monthly Archives: March 2013

3/9/13 meeting on GC restructuring

I thought the townhall meeting on GC restructuring last night was actually quite productive, and indeed deserving of the abundant display of OWS-style twinkle fingers. In particular, a representative present from the library seemed quite interested in getting more student input on upcoming library renovations, and a number of other concrete ideas for future action were suggested.

If you haven’t already read the administration’s “strategic plan,” you can find it here: https://www.gc.cuny.edu/About-the-GC/Provosts-Office/Strategic-Plan

And if you are interested in getting involved w/ formulating a response, there will be a meeting at noon on Monday, March 25th in room 5409 in which students will be drafting a petition (which will potentially be presented to President Kelly at the May 7thcommunity meeting). If you can’t make this meeting, though, you can still add to the google document later – I’ll keep you updated. Additionally, the next townhall convergence will be on Tuesday, April 9 @7pm.

We began last night with an hour for departments to meet individually to discuss potential problems with GC restructuring, plus possible student responses. Many thanks to Ximena, Kamran, Rob, Adam, and Brandon for representing poli sci (and apologies if I am not accurately summarizing our discussion). Here’s what we came up with:

No transformation without representation! (props to Kamran for that delightfully nerdy slogan) Students have not been included thus far in discussions about the future direction of the GC.

  • Note: Provost Robinson claimed at the last DSC meeting that students had been consulted about moving the DSC spaces to the library basement…before admitting that only 1 student had been present at a meeting…and then conveniently forgetting this student’s name
  • Bringing ourselves into the conversation might require some disruptive action. More on that later.

Space issues:

  • Instead of simply begging to hold on to our current student spaces, why not ask for more and see what we can get? For example, let’s demand cubicles for all level III students, as grad students at most schools have
  • The current configuration of the library makes no sense, and much of the fantastic natural sunlight on the 2nd floor is wasted. Why not consider moving some of the stacks to the basement, and creating more study/reading space on the 2nd floor
  • Shawnta Smith was there at the meeting as a representative from the library. She later mentioned during the group discussion that she thought putting some stacks in the basement is a good idea that hadn’t been considered before (go poli sci!)
  • Smith also said that librarians might be interested in working with students more closely in re-imaging the library space
  • Note: no plans were made to formalize this process. This is something to work on.
  • The DSC should conduct its own survey of space usage to parallel the administration’s (which seems to have focused solely on unused student spaces).
  • How many empty offices are there, for example? (this info is often kept hidden so departments don’t lose the space
  • Possible downsizing of admin office space? If space is such a problem, why not relocate certain admin offices or allow for telecommuting?

Funding/diversity

  • Hard caps on the number of students admitted will limit diversity
  • More transparency needed in who gets grad assistantships/ECFs
  • When a student gives up a fellowship, who does it go to? There don’t currently seem to be any transparent criteria in our dept (perhaps whoever is in the lounge at the right time?
  • We learned later in the meeting that each campus will be given $3 million to hire more adjuncts once the next year’s fellows begin teaching (this info was attributed the Geography’s EO)

Potential responses:

  • If the administration is not willing to bring students into the conversation
    • The GC rents out space for corporate events and sample sales (ex: Barclay’s, etc.) Protests at these events would be very embarrassing for the administratio
  • Working together with library staff. We potentially share many of the same goals (having the rowdy DSC offices in the basement detracts from a library’s mission
  • Consider a GC student union in the future
  • Framing the issues:
  • We all liked Joselyn’s listserve suggestion that we echo the administration’s neoliberal rhetoric
  • For example, in demanding more student space:
    • Why not emphasize that in order the attract a more talented and diverse student body, we will need to provide the same type of resources offered by the Ivies? (ex: quiet space in which to work)
    • “We want people to achieve things and produce things for the university. Who will use the GC space more productively?”(AKA these new, amazing students or retired faculty who might soon be receiving offices in the current 5th floor student space?)

And below, please find the official minutes from the report-backs to the larger group. I’m sure you’ll all be proud that poli sci went first, and set the tone for the meeting

 

Minutes:

At 8:15, after an hour of discussion in department groups, participants gathered for an inter-departmental town hall.

 

I. Department report-backs

 

Political Science:

-Major concerns: funding, space, diversity and admissions criteria related to funding.

-Proposals they’d like to see in response to the space issue:

· We should ask for more space in response to the threat of losing the basement library space. We should address our demands in their terms.

· We should appeal to the admin’s neoliberal bias by saying things like “we want people to achieve things and produce things for the university. Who will use the GC space more productively?”

· Students in the dept. are ready to take disruptive actions in relation to the impending removal of library space.

· Departments should survey their own use of space. For example, the political science dept. has an unused office, they don’t want the admin to take it away, but they could put it to better use that would serve students.

· Move the administrative offices to the basement instead of the students, or move the stacks to the basement. Or get people to telecommute to the GC.

· Demand that every level 3 student have their own work space.

· Other proposals:

· There should be no absolute limit to how many new students can start each year. Often nontraditional students achieve more than the traditional students. We should encourage nontraditional students, and be more flexible with alternative funding packages. Departments should be able to make individualized decisions about funding allotment.

 

Psychology:

-Two sections of discussion: things psychology students are concerned about, things they’ve already started doing about concerns.

-Psychology dept. is already undergoing its own restructuring.

-Psych students are upset about funding: unequal pay for equal work in the new fellowship system.

· Community clinic at Brooklyn College will not have enough grad student labor under the new system to accommodate its activities.

· Cutting down of number of incoming students will affect discipline diversity in the program. The perspectives that will be cut are not the core, traditional ones.

· Complaints about executive committee lack of transparency in terms of publicizing meeting agendas, etc.

· Psychology is divided across 14 subprograms (different PhD programs) that are on 7 or 8 different campuses. Communicating among students across the subdivisions is very difficult.

· Three subprograms are housed at the GC. But the computer labs at the GC are, under the new system, supposed to serve all of the subprograms.

· The reps on the psychology executive committee are currently all from one subprogram.

 

Theatre:

-Phrased their list as demands:

· Why can’t we move to no students paying tuition? Tuition remission and health care for all students.

· Commitment to close the workload gap and/or to ensure that GC students are the preferred candidates when Pathways class-cuts are implemented, with preferential treatment—first students without any financial aid, then students with tuition remission, and finally students who have the “old” E.O. fellowships.

· Additional supplementary money to attract students from traditionally underrepresented groups.

· If we’re supposed to finish in 5 years, we should get us funding to research (not travel, not visiting archives, money for our time like students in the sciences receive).

 

MALS:

-They’re trying to show solidarity with the rest of the institution.

-As masters students they get no funding, they are sometimes called the “cash cows”of the GC.

-It’s hard for MALS students to empathize, which is unfortunate because they’re the biggest group in the building. This exemplifies the administration’s “divide and conquer” strategy.

-MALS students could be included in some kind of funding package, however small.

-It would beneficial to this larger movement to include the MALS students in the restructuring conversation, in terms of their demands.

-The MALS students feel like they’re not at the GC for that long (often just two years) ands it’s sometimes hard to convince them to get involved in the larger student body’s conversations and fights.

 

MUSIC:

-Some music-specific concerns: Music dept. has already been scaling back enrollment, but the restructuring with further this process. The DMA program will suffer from lack of diversity of instruments. They perform a lot for free at GC events but are often not advertised.

-People from nontraditional music backgrounds will be excluded from the program under the new system. This is a serious loss.

-Some demands:

· Why can’t non-funded level 2 and 3 students get at least tuition remission and healthcare. If the admin’s really serious about time-to-degree, they should find ways to accommodate all students.

· Students have heavy student loads in the classes they teach. In Intro to Music at Hunter, for example, you teach 140 students per semester.

· They want workload reduction for current students.

 

Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian Literatures and Languages

· Much of the student conversation about the restructuring issues is about space.

· They requested space for a conference almost a year in advance and couldn’t get any of the priority conference rooms. They’re on C-level and in the DSC rooms for their conference. There’s speculation that other space was available but wasn’t offered because it could be used for other functions that could bring in money.

 

Geography:

-This department is divided into Human Geography and Earth Science.

-Has been under pressure from dean of admissions about bringing up GRE scores, about not admitting non-native English speakers.

-Space: There’s some discussion that if the student space is moved to the basement of the library, that it’ll be structured as a free-flowing space without being divided into offices.

-the Geography EO has said the dept. is in conversation about possibilities of evening out some of the fellowship inequalities, possibly by giving students 2-1 course loads (i.e. two classes in the fall, one in the spring).

 

Sociology

-Issue of transparency around funding and admissions. It’s unclear to the members of the student body on the admissions committee how the admissions process was working.

-Lack of transparency about how fellowships get passed down when students leave the program in the middle of a fellowship.

-Demands: funding parity.

-Some faculty don’t get as many students in their areas…(?)

-The admin is devaluing the extremely bright students who are already here by saying their changing the system to attract better students.

-Nontraditional students will not fit into the new system under funding restructuring.

-Space: there are faculty members in the department who don’t have their own offices, who share offices on the 6th floor. They might be people to approach to build solidarity with faculty around issues of space.

-There is a problem with the language of prioritizing getting students in and out of their programs.

-We could survey faculty, asking them how long it took them to get through grad school.

 

English

-Unfunded students, prioritizing getting them funding and raising awareness about the different levels of funding.

-They think it’s good that new students will get more money, but why will current students who are unfunded not get more money?

-They have time and space reserved on Mon March 25: ad-hoc committee of the DSC put together a petition to crowd-source the rejection of the restructuring.

-They’re going to collect support for the petition throughout the semester and present it at President Kelly’s open meeting on May 7.

 

Anthropology

-Discussed how to get more students from their department involved in this conversation.

-What they’d like to do:

· Mobilize faculty support

· But faculty don’t necessarily understand why the new funding is a problem. Many see it as an opportunity to compete with other schools for the most qualified students. Many faculty come from elite universities and might have interests that are different from those of CUNY students.

· Question about the distribution of Grad D fellowships that were then mysteriously discontinued. They identify the problem of lack of transparency of what kinds of funding exist, what funding situations different students have.

· Problematic narrative of “you don’t know how bad it used to be here at the GC”.

· How do we get more people involved?

 

II. Potential alliances between students and the library:

 

-A librarian who works with certain departments (the sciences, some others…) reported on her perspective of the space controversy.

-Her focus is to provide library services to the students.

-The library basement is not utilized efficiently. The archive area flooded, can’t be used. We lost a collection that was down there; it went to Columbia.

-Makes sense to include students in the conversation about how to best use the library space.

-Bringing on a new public services coordinator who will have a lot to say about how the basement is renovated. The basement of the library is definitely going to be renovated, but the question is how.

Discussion of what is the structure through which students can give input to the library renovation.

-A DSC committee has been approached. A few students give more information.

Starting at 9:08pm:

Discussion of student perspectives on the question of library renovation:

-CUNY DSC.org has a survey out about students’ experiences with use of space at the GC.

-There is a distinction between student governance space and student-controlled space (i.e. library computer space). These two student uses of space are being conflated by the provost’s office in a very problematic way. How can we retain student government space and increase student-controlled space in the library.

-How can students draw attention to misunderstanding and misrecognition of student need for different kinds of space?

-Does the library have its own vision for the space in question?

-The DSC passed a resolution saying they’re not moving out of their space on the 5thfloor.

9:17

Possible Actions

-Do we want to all go back to our departments and try to build solidarity with faculty?

Comments on stack:

-What can we do about preserving the diversity of traditional vs. non-traditional students in the departments. Could we gather statistics about what kinds of students end up producing the work that departments see as successful? Is it funded or unfunded, traditional or nontraditional students?

-Everyone should read the GC strategic plan. The adjunct project is planning various events. Some departments (English) have decided to meet again on Friday April 5. He encourages all departments to consider reconvening on 4/5.

-Possible future actions: a transparency day in which students advertise what their funding/work situation is. The DSC is doing a lot in terms of putting together resolutions, but we need as much direct, democratic participation and communication with students, faculty and staff.

Upcoming dates:

April 5—re-convergence date?

May 7—community meeting with Bill Kelly

March 25—petition-writing against the restructuring.

-It might be premature to speak to faculty.

-Maybe everyone who’s here can get two or three friends in their department to show up to the next meeting.

-These issues will be bigger to the faculty who are not full time at the GC. Those are the ones we should reach out to as allies.

-We can frame these issues as labor issues. This will help establish alliances with faculty. We need to build alliances as workers, for example among the other instructors who we work alongside. Not just other adjuncts, but also fulltime faculty and staff.

-These are not just labor issues. Especially for MALS students, these are opportunity issues.

Tuesay 4/9 is our preferred date for a reconvening meeting to talk about actions building up to May 7’s community meeting, etc. Before that date each department should meet internally and be ready to speak back.

Getting your events featured on hallway flatscreens

Thanks to the English Deptartment’s Anne Donlon for the instructions below:

You may have seen the email from Jane Trombley in Communications & Marketing announcing the newdigital signage launch, and you may have noticed the flatscreens going up around the building. Communications has published a page on the website with the templates for fliers and information on the process of getting things posted:https://www.gc.cuny.edu/About-the-GC/Resource-Services/Communications—M…. The screens that will be in the lobby, and the screens that are in the glass display cases on each floor are managed by Communications. They have stated that anyone will be able to post fliers on these screens, as long as they use the template provided and provide the necessary information. In addition, there are other screens throughout the building with oth er “owners.” This information is charted on the webpage, linked above. Students and other members of the community will have to contact each “owner” separately if they want their fliers to appear on those screens.

The DSC is the “primary owner” for three of the screens on the 5th floor (two in the DSC hallways, and one outside of 5409). Our policy is currently a work in progress, and I’m sure it will evolve depending on the demand for screen time. Currently, we’ll proceed as follows:

Email your flier to ccc@cunydsc.org.
Fliers must be sent at least 3 business days before it is to be added to the rotation.
Fliers must be sent as a powerpoint file using the correct vertical template, provided on the Communications site, and attached.
Each flier should include relevant information, including, for example, place, time, contact information for a given event.
The sender must include a start and end date of when they want the flier to appear.

Each flier has to be individually added and removed from the powerpoint rotation in real time–it’s not at all automated–so please allow for some flex time when you make your request.

Finally, if you have comments on the digital signage project, Communications & Marketing has set up this email address:signagesuggestions@gc.cuny.edu.

Instructions: registering for “weighted instructional units”

If you’d like to maintain full-time status to keep getting fellowship money after you finish your coursework, you’ll need to register for weighted instructional units.  Here’s a how-to, copied from Mike Miller’s very helpful listserve email:

  • Go to the GC dynamic schedule here, and select courses for the desired term.
  • Then, under “subject,” choose “Weighted Instructional Units.” That’s where you’ll find the CRNs for WIUs.
  • In order to maintain your full-time status, you need to register for 7 WIUs. If, for example, you only have 3 credits left, and will be registering for one course, you’d need to register for 4 WIUs (which has a different CRN).

 

March DSC meeting updates

Here’s what went down at the very lengthy March DSC meeting last night.  Highlights included a rather tense discussion with Provost Chase Robinson about possible plans to move the 5th floor student spaces to the library basement, plus announcements about the triumphant return of the Middle East Studies Group, the introduction of discount tickets to the Angelika film center, and upcoming meetings on GC restructuring.

Provost Robinson, along with chief librarian Polly Thistlwaite, took questions about a recent grant proposal submitted to New York state asking for $1.2 million for a new student services center.  One plan for the $$ involves moving the 5th floor DSC offices and conference rooms to the basement of the library, and using some of the 5th floor space to create offices for retired faculty.  The DSC unanimously adopted a resolution last month affirming its claim to the 5th floor spaces.

  • Robinson emphasized that the GC has not yet received the award.  Additionally, the grant proposal did NOT include specific plans,but instead only “vague aspirational language”
    • A DSC rep read part of the proposal aloud, and indeed there was no mention of the basement.
  • Should the GC receive the funding, Robinson suggested 2 possible scenarios:
    • (1) The administration returns the $$.
    • (2) They go “back to the drawing board,” considering student reluctance
  • However, Robinson was unwilling to state that moving the DSC space is off the table
    • He said that we are “wasting our time” if there’s no willingness to move, and that he is unsure how much latitude there would be in using the money in other ways
  • Robinson also said that plans to “liberate this space” on the 5th floor were made under the assumption that “space is fungible.”  He said that the square footage of the student space would not change, even if it is moved to another location.
    • He also suggested that moving the student space to the library would make it more accessible.
      • DSC reps voiced concerned that the library basement has no sunlight, and moving the student spaces there could create problems for library traffic patterns and for students attempting to study quietly, etc.
    • Robinson said that the library basement is currently underutilized “dead space,” and that the administration has been receiving a great deal of pressure from CUNY central to put it to better use.
      • DSC reps mentioned that perhaps the problem is basement’s cave-like atmosphere and lack of functional computers and printers.
    • Polly Thistlewaite said that no disrespect to students was intended, as the library is the “heart of the institution.”

In other news:

  • If you don’t have health insurance, please chat with the DSC Health and Wellness, rep, Monique Whitaker.  There might be low-cost options available, including ways to obtain NYSHIP.
    • Monique also reminded us to protect our backs by wearing backpacks, not 1-shoulder bags.  Also, check out the new Health and Wellness poster series and remember to eat more almonds, because they are awesome.
  • The discount movie passes for the Anjelika will be $7.50.  As with the $6.50 AMC passes, you will need to pay by check or money order.
  • The Middle Eastern Studies Group has been rechartered.  If you expressed interested, you should be receiving an email soon about elections for the group’s 3 co-chair positions.
  • Stop by room 5495 on Monday afternoons between 2 and 4pm for free coffee, tea, snacks and condoms.
  • Technology fee update:
    • The technology dept. is now tracking how many pages you print/semester (hence the new password requirement).
    • Last fall, over 2 million pages were printed.  Usage ranged from 1 page to more than 14,000 (!)
    • There will be no cap next year on the number of pages you can print.  However, the idea of a quota has been quite popular among administrators at various tech meetings, so stay tuned.
  • Upcoming meetings on GC restructuring:
    • The townhall meeting on GC restructuring (including those new fellowship packages) will be this Tuesday, March 19 at 7pm in the cafeteria.  Some of you have expressed interested, so let’s meet in the dept. lounge for a few minutes before heading up.  The first hour of the town hall will be designated for departments to talk individually, before then converging as a larger group.
    • The DSC ad hoc group on the new fellowships will be meeting on Monday, March 25th at 12pm to put together a petition (they’ll create a google document that anyone can sign).  All are welcome.
  • And finally, the next DSC party will be held after our next plenary meeting on April 19th (so likely around 8pm).  Hope to see you all there.

As always, please let us know if there are any concerns you’d like us to bring up at the next meeting, and keep in touch about how you’d like us to spend our program’s activity fee $$.  We still have a few hundred dollars left for the semester.

Best,

John and Flan

Grad Council Meeting – March 6th

by Sarah Kostecki and Kristofer Petersen-Overton

Overview:

I. Approval of minutes of December 12, 2012
II. Opening comments
III. Granting of Degrees and Certificates to February 2013 Phd, DMA, MA, M.Phil, DPT candidates (only faculty voted on this item)
IV. Nominations for two faculty to serve on the the Student Complaint Appeals Committee for 2013 – 2014
V. Committee on Curriculum and Degree requirements
VI. Structure Committee
VII. University Faculty Senate – Report
VIII. New Business

——-

I. President Bill Kelly and the Council approved the minutes from December 12, 2012

II. President Kelly then made his opening comments:

a) Budget – nothing to report. The current 5 yr. agreement will continue as planned for the next 3 years
b) Sequester – President Kelly and others are “maintaining consciousness” of the current sequester at the federal level. There is always the potential that cuts could make their way to the state and city level. No planned changes due to the sequester at present.
c) Update on 2012 – 2016 Strategic Plan – 3 Main Goals:
1) Enhance finance support – He gave a recap of the incremental rise in PhD financial support since 2006 and has noted that support has gradually become more generous (as we all know). In 2006 the university first began tuition remission. In 2009 – out of state/international ECF’s became available. NYSHIP was also extended to adjuncts and other ECF’s. 2011 – the opening of the first residential facility.
2013 –
New students:
-New ECF’s will go into effect, value of 25K and 1/1 teaching load.
-All incoming students without an ECF will receive 5 year full tuition fellowships and will be placed into teaching positions as they become available
-Goal is that in 5 years all PhD students will be fully funded
-In total 52 million was added to financial aid roles for Fall 2013
Continuing students:
-University has expanded en route support to current PhD students (no further details)
-Expansion of dissertation fellowships – in 2013 70 fellowships were awarded totaling 1.2 million. In 2014 the goal is to expand dissertation funding and award 85 fellowships totaling 1.5 million.
Fellowships will also include full tuition.
-ARC (Advanced Research Initiative), The Demography Program, and Digital Initiatives expansion will also provide more funding opportunities to students
-Harrison Fellowships (based on academic merit and need) – funding has increase almost 96% over the past few years
Teaching disparities between current and incoming GTFs
-President Kelly said this issue will be addressed in 2014. They are identifying resources and partnerships that will help decrease the work load of current GTFs (no further detail was given)

2) Expand professional development
-As already communicated, Jennifer Furlong of Penn, NYU and the Chronicle of Higher Ed began as the head of the new Office of Career Planning and Professional development earlier this year.
She will speak at a future Grad Council Meeting.
The office was put into place as a direct result of the Spring 2012 student survey. While 88 percent of students stated they were satisfied with Grad Center resources, lack of professional
development was a concern.
3) Deepen the culture of collaborative research
-The GC’s goal is to identify important topics of increased academic interest, ie. – globalization and inequality – and provide opportunities for faculty, students, and outside scholars to work together
on collaborative research initiatives that focus on these topics. The Provost will address this more during the next Grad Council meeting.

Other topics:
1) The rooftop project will get underway this summer. A glass pavilion will be installed on the roof of 34th and 5th that will hold GC events. New artwork and a stairway will be installed.
2) Glass canopies. The glass canopies over the doors to the GC are finally being fixed. Apparently it took a while to find someone to fabricate the lost and broken pieces to match what was already there.

II. Granting of Degrees – Provost Robinson then took the floor to announcing the granting of degrees (Approved by faculty only).

III. Polly Thistlewaite announced the 2 nominations to the Student Complaint Appeals Committee; Victoria Pitts Taylor (Sociology) and David Gordon (History) (both approved). No additional nominations were made.

IV.  Our own Joe Rollins announced curriculum and degree changes. 16 changes total. Kris and I voted for all of them.

a. Major items
1) DNS – Nursing Science – Change in Admissions requirements (Approved).
2) Doctor of Physical Therapy program – CSI – Change to degree program – PHT 80000 to summer program new course – PHT – 80000, Revised Course – PHT 80500 – Reduction in credits from 3 to 2
3) PhD Music – Change to Degree Program – Revisions to First examination and Course requirements (Approved).
4) Doctor of Public Health – Creating a New Concentration in Maternal, Child, Reproductive, and Sexual Health and New Courses – PUBH 870 – Maternal Child, Reproductive and Sexual Health in Context, and PUBH 871 – Maternal, Child, Reproductive and Sexual Health – A life course (Approved).
5) PhD program in Clinical Psychology at Queens college – Increase in credits from 81 to 90. ****Discrepancy here on the voting ballots. Ballots said a decrease in credits from 90 – 81 instead of an increase in credits from 81 to 90. This was noted and approved under the condition the ballot would be re-worded (Approved).
New Courses – Psych 85408 – Supervision and Consultation, Psych 82908 – systems of Psychotherapy. Changes in existing courses – Name Changes: Psych 71000 – Advanced Physiological Psychology is now Sensory and Motor Systems. Psych 82908 – Psychodiagnostics 1: Interviewing and Assessment of Intelligence and Personality is now Psychodiagnostics 1: Intelligence Testing. Psych 766 – Psychodiagnostics II: Applied Assessment, Consultation and Supervision is now Psychodiagnostics II: Personality Assessment (Approved).
6) PhD program in Behavior Analysis – Program reduction in credits from 72 to 60 (Approved).

VI. Governance Structures and Bylaws – Professor Barbara Weinstein then walked us through a few changes to governance structures and bylaws.

a. Africana Studies – New Governance structure (Approved)
b. Change to Graduate School Governance – Section 4.2 E – Change to certificate program language (Approved)
c. Change to Graduate Council Bylaws – Addition of “one elected representative from among the Library Faculty” to section 2.1F  – Members Ex Officio and Appointed Members of Graduate Council (Approved)

VII. University Faculty Senate (UFS) –  Professor Stefan Baumrin then gave us a report on the UFS
1) The Chancellor spoke yesterday regarding putting more resources behind interdisciplinary masters degree programs at CUNY Campuses. Many were closed in the 70/80’s and need to be recreated. Faculty are invited to share their suggestions.
2) John Jay/Brooklyn College/School of Professional Studies – the names of students and faculty were made public on a site called Inyourclass.com<https://inyourclass.com/>, with no way of requesting removal of your name. Prof. Baumrin said this invasion of privacy did not go through review boards and doesn’t anticipate something like this happening at the GC.
3) Kroll Report – A report by private security company Kroll on the protest that took place at Baruch College on November 21st, 2011 was published in January. For those of us who were there and witnessed the violence unleashed against protesters, the report is a white-wash. It’s available online here: https://www.cuny.edu/about/administration/chancellor/Kroll-Report2013.pdf Check out Occupy CUNY’s response here: https://occupycunynews.org/2013/01/25/12-things-to-know-about-the-kroll-report/
4) CUNY Portal – 800 more Pathways Initiatives are now a part of university curriculum
5) Cuny 2020 – 50 million dollars worth of grant money has been set aside for grant competitions. CUNY colleges will be able to propose and compete for resources that foster economic development and employment opportunities. See a statement of this initiative here: https://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2013/01/22/statement-by-chancellor-matthew-goldstein-on-governor-andrew-cuomo’s-2013-14-executive-budget-proposal/<https://www1.cuny.edu/mu/forum/2013/01/22/statement-by-chancellor-matthew-goldstein-on-governor-andrew-cuomo%E2%80%99s-2013-14-executive-budget-proposal/>
6) UFS will be moving to 42nd street from 80th street on the 15th of March

VIII. New Business – President Kelly then closed out the session with new business. A few things to note here:
1) Someone asked if CUNY would be able to take over the SIBL and OUP space once these partners leave the building.
President Kelly answer: NO. Capital funds would need to pay for this and it won’t happen.
2) Someone else asked if the main elevators now go up to the 10th floor pavilion.
President Kelly answer: NO. This can’t happen because CUNY would have to make all elevators handicap accessible. There will be separate (handicap accessible) elevator access to the roof.
3) A student asked if CUNY would be adding NYSHIP healthcare to the dissertation fellowships.
President Kelly answer: The GC can only offer NYSHIP to students if they are employed by one of the campuses. Pres. Kelly and others are working on an arrangement where dissertation fellowships will be attached with an appointment at the GC or another CUNY campus so that students can continue to receive healthcare while they are writing their dissertation. He didn’t offer any detail as to what these appointment might be, or how many hours a week students would be required to work.