General Meeting
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
4127 Sennott Square
5:30 p.m. – 6:22 p.m.
Minutes
General Meeting
I.Call to Order – 5:30pm
President: Arnold StaggerVice-President: PJ Dillon
Anthropology: Julie HoggarthIntelligent Systems:Ian Wong
Bioethics:Linguistics: Kim Rehak
Biological Sciences: Alexandra RohdeMathematics:
Chemistry: Jessica SarverMusic:
Classics:Neuroscience:
Communication: David Landes
Computer Science: Ricardo VillamarinPhilosophy:Kathryn Lindeman
Economics: Steven BosworthPhysics: Zeynep Isvan,
English: Emily WenderPolitical Science: Brian Phillips
French & Italian: Scott BishopPsychology: Christine Walther
Eléonore Bertrand Megan Julian
Geology: Sarah Morealli
Germanic: Religious Studies: Patrick Hughes
Hispanic L&L: Alessandra Chiriboga Slavic:
History: Brian ShaevSociology:
H.A.A.: Sara SumpterStatistics: Brian Harmon
Theatre Arts: Meredith Conti
H.P.S.: Catherine StinsonGSO Advisor: Dr. Stephen Carr
Administrative Assistant:
- Approval of the Minutes from our October 7, 2008 meeting
A. motion to approve minutes, approved at 5:31pm
III.Additions to the Agenda
A.PJ Dillon: Happy hour committee has option to combine our happy hour with GPSA event. GPSA has said that not enough students have been attending their events; lots of students attend GSO Happy Hours. PJ thinks that the GPSA would be willing to kick in about $2000 for such a combined event. Arnold doesn’t like the idea of doing a combined party, since Happy Hour is supposed to be OUR thing for A&S grad students. Other reps said we should do it…take their money and it would be attended mostly by A&S folks anyways—use their money for something useful. The matter was put to a vote to combine the GSO Happy Hour with GPSA: the vote is Yes, to combine with GPSA for a spring happy hour.
B. PJ Dillon: GPSA talking about increasing activity fees to $30. GPSA probably won’t vote on this until April. A lot of people said that it was ridiculous to ask to raise it without any real reasons why, and last year the whole grad student body voted an increase down, so to put it up to a vote a year later is rather suspect. Others said that they oppose any more increase until GPSA gets it act together. Recommendation of PJ is to table this issue until we have more information from GPSA, since we do have a lot of time before this is going to be voted on by GPSA.
C. GPSA travel grant changes. GPSA is talking about changing their travel grants policy to make it available as supplemental funds. This would mean that in order to be eligible, a student would have to prove that they have already got funds from another source. GPSA didn’t give reasons why they wanted these changes, but PJ thinks that it is to cut down on the number of applicants. Some reps mentioned that this was a big concern and that the GPSA should be made aware that such a change would not be taken lightly.
IV.Executive Council Reports
A. President’s Report
Arnold’s last day as president is today. Arnold thanks everyone for allowing him to serve. Mentions that only reason he is president is because he was the only one to volunteer last year. Arnold puts in a plug for people to get more involved.
B.Vice President’s Report Attended University Senate last month; nothing new to report. PJ Brought up the the email issue on emails being blocked from Pitt’s Servers. He was referred to a Senate Subcommittee. They said that they would prefer that we go through the student reps to this committee. PJ is going to contact these student representatives to see where this gets us.
C.Administrative Assistant’s Report
Not in attendance, ill.
D. Faculty Advisor Report, Dr. Stephen Carr
: A lot of work being done on the budget, and we will scrape by this year, but next year will definitely see some cuts. Carr advises that we have reps at the budget committees. State’s contribution to Pitt’s budget has been too low for past seven years, and now it is going to be lower for next year. Doesn’t think grad students going to be too affected this year. Megan Julian (Psych) said that she had volunteered to be on this budget committee (to Adrienne). Zeynep Isvan (physics) said she had volunteered but hadn’t heard anything further.
V.Committee Reports
A. GPSA : Margueritte Matthews—was not able to attend last meeting. Tickets to the Nutcracker were being given out (and everyone should have received an email from Adrienne about this). One woman said that a lot of students from her department went today to get Nutcracker tickets, and waited for the GPSA office to open. When the GPSA office did open they were told that the tickets had already been sold out. There was concern about this since today was the first day to claim tickets, how they were sold out already. PJ was at the GPSA meeting: GPSA going to form a bylaws committee to update them. Thinking about changing travel grants policy to make it part of supplemental funds, which means that you would have to prove that you have already got another grant from elsewhere to be eligible. Also talking about removing the Allegheny county exemption on grants (to make it so local conferences can get funding). Also talking about increasing to $30 the student activity fee. See “Additions to Agenda” section for more.
B.Grad Expo. Sara Sumpter, Chair. No update from last meeting because they are meeting tonight.
C. Teaching Awards, Bryan Harmon, Chair. Met before Thanksgiving. Probably going to do a luncheon rather than a banquet (to save money). Having problems getting faculty member from social sciences to serve as faculty rep. Meeting again this Friday. Arnold asked if the reason the committee was goint to hold a luncheon rather than a banquet was because the committee did not have enough money. The committee said that this was not the case—they have enough money, but are trying to save money, and also because they feel a luncheon would be more successful than a banquet.
D. Happy Hour, PJ Dillon, Chair. PJ talked to manager at Shady Grove—excited about the prospect, but hasn’t gotten back to PJ yet. Possibility of combining with a GPSA committee and they could chip in a big wad of money ($2000). See “Additions to the Agenda” section
- Library Committee, Patrick Hughes, Chair. No report
F.Website, no report.
PJ Dillon, chair. Added names and info of Reps—double check to make sure correct; IF you don’t want your email on there, you can take if off—the presence of emails on the website may make it easier for other SPAM companies and the like to take email address and add to spam lists.
H. Campus-wide Committees – External Committees- no announcements
I.Arts & Sciences Committees-
STILL need interested volunteers from Humanities and Social Sciences for the PBC
- New Business
A. VP Elections: if you want to nominate someone or yourself, send Adrienne an email. Nominations open until the 6th of January.
VIII. Adjourn; having no new business to discuss, adjourn at 6:22pm.
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