CALL to ORDER 6:00Pm, Friday October 18Th, 2013
CALL TO ORDER – 6:00pm, Friday October 18th, 2013
Chair: Jessica Squires
Recording Secretary: Sam Heaton
Council Members Present
· Phil Robinson (Executive Coordinator)
· Grant MacNeil (President)
· Justine Mallah (VP Academic)
· Maggie Simpson (VP Operations)
· Justine De Jaegher (VP Finance)
· Vincent St-Martin (GSA)
· Colin Cordner (Senate)
· Amy MacDonald (GRC)
· Jesse Robertson (History)
· Ehsan Ghias-Begloo (Electronics)
· Lena Saleh (Political Science)
· Kerry Burke (Political Science)
· Andre Betim (Social Work)
· Melinda Spry (Sociology/Anthropology)
· Jeffrey Martin (Architecture)
· Jason Rothery (Communication)
· Caitlin Turner (Communication)
· Cecilia Jorgenson (Psychology)
· Lisa Menard (Psychology)
· Katy Hartling (Physics)
· Matt Dunford (Physics)
· Emma Hamilton-Hobbs (Art History)
· Ahsan Imran (Computer Science)
· Sebastien Plante (Cognitive Sciences)
· Alexa Dodge (Legal Studies)
· Dennis Arsenault (Human Computer Interaction)
· Ridha Ben Rejeb (Applied Linguistics)
· Melissa Huggan (Math and Stats)
· Jason Crann (Math and Stats)
· Chris Kudyk (Neuroscience)
· Pauline Goutain (ICLSAC)
· Andrew Connolly (English)
· Alicha Reddy (English)
· Gwen Temmel (NPSIA)
· Justin Famili (NPSIA)
· Mark Hosak (Political Management)
· Abdulhak Nagy (Electronics)
· Millesha Charles (HSTP)
· Scott Jarosiewicz (Political Economy)
· Chris Peppin (Political Economy)
· Inga Taube (Public Administration)
· Julie Nero (Public Administration)
· Rebecca Louis (Law)
1. INTRODUCTION OF CHAIR
a. Announcement of Proxies
Ahsan Imran for Fraser McQuarrie (2 votes)
Melinda Spry for Abigail Kidd (2 votes)
Pauline Goutain for Jenna Stidwell (2 votes)
2. ADOPTION OF AGENDA
Moved: Ehsan Ghias-Begloo (Electronics)
Seconded: Cecilia Jorgenson (Psychology)
Carried
3. ORDER OF THE DAY: Presentation and Discussion with the Wallace Clement, Dean, and Andre Loiselle, Associate Dean, Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Affairs
4. APPROVAL OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
a. E-minutes from September 27th 2013
Moved: Melinda Spry (Sociology and Anthropology)
Seconded: Lisa Menard (Psychology)
Carried
b. Minutes from September 27th 2013
Moved: Ehsan Ghias-Begloo (Electronics)
Seconded: Cecilia Jorgenson (Psychology)
Carried
5. ANNOUNCEMENTS
6. EXECUTIVE REPORTS
a. President (Grant MacNeil)
Respectfully submitted by Grant MacNeil
GSA COUNCIL – AGENDA
Carleton University Graduate Students’ Association, Ottawa, Ontario
Robertson Hall, Senate Chambers, 6:00 pm, Friday October 18th 2013
Kitigànensag GSA Carleton Community Garden
The GSA has recently learned that the Kitagensag community garden is in the way of a university building. We heard about it initially in a meeting with administration, and it was confirmed in another meeting soon after. Although the university denies that the construction of the building is finalized, it has become clear to the GSA that the building is going forward, and the garden is in the way. On October 16th, an emergency meeting was held to determine the best course of action. There was an abundance of good ideas, with a strong case made for fighting to remain where the garden is currently located, and for lobbying the university to respect its agreement with the GSA and pay the full cost of moving the garden. In both cases there is a sense of betrayal, and a feeling that the agreement with the university must be strengthened to insure that the garden is not under constant threat. The GSA is receiving an outpouring of support from groups and individuals both on and off campus. This move by the university represents a denial of the value of student led initiatives for a more sustainable and food secure campus. It also appears to represent a breach of proper university governance, where buildings are approved by the Board of Governors prior to construction. All decisions made about the future of the garden will be made in consultation with gardeners, stakeholders and the GSA membership, to insure an open and democratic process. If you are interested in more information, or joining the fight for a more food secure campus, please let me know and I will add you to the garden listserv.
OC-Transpo Meeting
The GSA was invited to a meeting with representatives of OC-Transpo. Specific service issues were addressed, such as increases in services to certain routes. The representatives seemed fairly responsive to some of the service requests, and suggested the addition of larger buses to certain routes, and in the future considering class times in the scheduling of bus arrivals and departures. There will likely be a follow up meeting, and if you have any specific service related issues, please let me know.
Campus United
Campus United held a meeting in early October. After hearing from various campus unions, it is becoming apparent that students and workers are under attack on our campus, and there is an even greater need for campus solidarity, especially as many of our members are involved in bargaining as part of CUPE 4600. The GSA Political Action Committee is meeting and mobilising on various issues on campus. Please let myself or Lauren Montgomery know if you would like any more information, or would like to get involved.
VP Finance (Justine De Jaegher)
Respectfully submitted by Justine De Jaegher.
Ontario Graduate Caucus (OGC) Graduate Symposium
The Ontario Graduate Caucus of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, has organized an inaugural Ontario Graduate Student Symposium from November 1 to 3 in Hamilton, Ontario.
The symposium is an opportunity for graduate students from across Ontario to discuss issues like student-supervisor relationships, student and worker rights on campus, childcare, rising domestic and international student tuition fees, mental health, and academic freedom, among others. Participants will share skills on how to effectively promote and share research and will have a unique opportunity to network with other graduate students in Ontario.
The symposium features a keynote from Jorge Cham, creator of the PhD Comics series and movie.
Travel, accommodations and meals will be covered by the CFS-Ontario. Childcare subsidies are also available upon request.
If you or someone from your department would like to register for the symposium, please contact as soon as possible as spaces are limited.
Family Leave Grant
The GSA is pleased to now be accepting applications for the Family Leave Grant. This grant is designed to provide financial support for full-time and part-time Masters and PhD students who require academic leave for parental or other family related issues. Only those students that were granted academic leave for parental/family related issues are eligible to apply for the Family Leave Grant. To be considered for the grant, applicants must demonstrate financial need, must not be receiving other forms of leave pay, and show proof of registration for two terms prior to the start of the leave. The GSA Family Leave Grant is for a one-time amount of $1,500.
Application forms and more details can be found on the GSA website at gsacarleton.ca and at the GSA offices, 6th floor University Centre.
Post-Secondary Mental Health Helpline Announcement
On Friday, October 4, MPP Yasir Naqvi visited Carleton to announce the Ontario government's new mental health helpline for post-secondary students called Good2Talk. The GSA will continue to advocate for a broader understanding of mental illness by asking that government and university initiatives consider structural triggers associated with mental illness, such as financial vulnerability for students and limited access to specialized psychological care, exacerbated by annual tuition fee hikes due to the chronic underfunding of post-secondary institutions.
b. VP Operations (Maggie Simpson)
Respectfully submitted by Maggie Simpson
Mike's Place Promotions
Next time you stop by Mike's Place and purchase a pint of Samuel Adams, keep the glass! But only while supplies last! Throughout the year Mike's Place will be offering fun promotions, and themed events!
Graduate Residence Caucus (GRC) Election
On October 5, a new Graduate Residence Caucus executive was established. The GRC is the elected body that represents graduate students living in Leeds House at Carleton. The GSA is please to announce the new executives:
Chairperson - Arthur David
Social Coordinator- Joanne Decosse
Communications Coordinator- Shivani Sood
Advocacy Coordinator - Amy MacDonald
In the following week, the GSA is coordinating a meet and greet with the new GRC executive, the Rideau River Residence executive, and the GSA to brainstorm and plan for the upcoming months.
VP Academic (Justine Mallah
Respectfully submitted by Justine Mallah
International Student Town HallThe International Student Town Hall was held October 9th, with a great turn out (over 100 attendees). Attendees were given an overview of the services available to international students at Carleton by the Graduate Students’ Association (GSA), the Rideau River Residence Association (RRRA), the International Student Centre (ISC) and the International Student Services Office (ISSO). Services Coordinator Hildah Otieno of the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) provided an overview of what the CFS does for students as a whole and for international students more specifically, as well as a discussion of the emerging issues international students are facing. During the second half of the Town Hall, there was a presentation and a Q & A session by certified Immigration Consultant Behzad Rezai from A+ Canadian Immigration Law Consulting Firm. With Bill C-35, it is harder for international students to receive immigration advice since universities are no longer permitted to give this type of advice. For this reason, we were very lucky to have Rezai speak. He stayed a half an hour after the event ended to ensure that everyone had their questions answered.
Free pizza and International Student Identity Cards (ISIC) were also distributed at the event.
If you or someone in your department has immigration related questions, feel free to email me at as he is willing to provide advice to Carleton students.
Graduate Academic Caucus
On Thursday October 10th, the Graduate Academic Caucus held its first meeting of the academic year. There was such a strong turnout that the next meeting may need to be held in a classroom rather than the GSA boardroom. At the meeting, we reviewed the GAC Terms of Reference, we talked about the potential of a library silent reading room for graduate students, and we had a discussion of the services on campus geared towards graduate students-- last year GAC was appointed as the Think Tank of the Graduate Student Services Committee. Importantly, councillors are encouraged to raise suggestions to improve the grad student experience.
During the meeting, members also provided feedback on the types of issues they would like to discuss this year. Corporatization of universities and commercialization of research was a topic of major interest so I am now working with Lauren Montgomery (VPX) and the CFS to have a CFS representative provide a presentation on this topic at the next meeting. The next meeting will be held towards the end of the semester. If your department already has full representation but you are still interested in attending, all graduate students are welcome to attend any GAC meeting, with speaking rights.
Though it is important that all departments are represented on this caucus, there are still several departments that do not have vacant seats. Each department is allocated two GAC seats. If you are unsure if your department has representation please email me ().
GAC seeks to serve the academic representation needs of all graduate student members on campus. It provides a means of collecting input on academic matters from the broader graduate student community and disseminating the work of the GSA.
GAC Minute Taker
We will be looking for a new minute taker for GAC (this is an honorarium position), keep an eye out for the posting in the next Grad Bulletin.
Graduate Research Forum and 3-Minute Thesis
The second annual 3-Minute Thesis and Graduate Research Forum (GRF) day will be held March 6th in the River Building. The 3MT/GRF registration opens Dec. 1. Every graduate student is eligible to participate in the GRF and the eligibility for the 3MT has become much more flexible. MA and PhD students must have made substantial progress on research and analysis of their topic. However, eligibility now includes those who are not only completing a thesis but also a Major Research Paper, etc. Students who have not yet finished their courses are still eligible, however, graduate students who are strictly enrolled in course-based degrees are not. For the full list of rules and eligibility requirements, please visit: http://gradstudents.carleton.ca/professionaldevelopment/3-minute-thesis/rules-eligibility/
If you are interested in helping plan the GRF, we hope to establish an ad hoc committee during new business. The GRF committee is open to any graduate student. If the motion is successful, we will be passing around a GRF sign-up sheet. Our next meeting will be at the beginning of November.
The Graduate Research Forum is a day-long academic social where graduate students from every department at Carleton showcase their work to the broader Carleton community. The day also features a panel discussion and a Keynote Address.
Reading Week
As the fall reading week is October 28-November 1, the GSA office and Mike’s Place will be closed during that period. If you are taking classes at University of Ottawa, unless you were told otherwise, you must still attend those classes since the University of Ottawa reading week is not the same as ours.
VP External (Lauren Montgomery)
Respectfully submitted by Lauren Montgomery
The Hikes Stop Here
The GSA participated in a conference call on September 30th for the campaign “The Hikes Stop Here”. This is a provincial campaign that is aimed at reducing tuition fees in the province of Ontario. Locals from across Ontario as well as facilitators from the Canadian Federation of Students had a detailed conversation about the direction of the “Hikes Stop Here” campaign all over Ontario, as well as Local specific actions. Locals across the province are participating and organizing actions to draw attention to escalating tuition fees in the province. Some locals have created “debt walls”, and some locals will be participating in a Zombie walk in Queens Park.
No Means No/ Sex Positivity
The GSA worked with the students unions at the University of Ottawa (SFUO-the undergraduate student Union and GSAED-The Graduate Student Union) to table sexual health information, condoms, and the No Means No campaign during the Panda Game held October 5th. It was a very eventful and interesting day for outreach.