Malaika Singleton, GSA Chair
New Developments
LGBT Grads, we need you to take the ![[WWW]](http://wikispot.org/wiki/eggheadbeta/img/sycamore-www.png){kind=small}
Campus Pride Survey!
SENT ON BEHALF OF THE NAGPS SOCIAL JUSTICE COORDINATOR. Please contact Leslie Martinez at sjc@NAGPS.org with questions. The following email was composed by Campus Pride.
Do you consider your campus to be gay-friendly? Does your campus have work to be done on transgender issues? What does it mean to be a lesbian, gay, bisexual or a transgender (LGBT) student, staff, or faculty member on your campus? No matter your experience Campus Pride wants to hear from LGBT students, faculty, staff and administrators. Participation is confidential and data specific to higher education institutions will not be identified in the final analysis.
National trends and experiences from the study will be shared biannually as a way to better understand LGBT needs and render informed decisions on policies, programs and practices impacting LGBT campus life. To be released in 2010, the national report will be compiled in a research summary of findings from Campus Pride titled the "State of Higher Education for LGBT People."
TELL US ABOUT IT, go to www.campuspride.org/research
Please do so before June 30, 2009.
The National LGBT College Climate Survey is a comprehensive assessment to document annually the experiences of students, faculty, staff and administrators who identify as LGBT at America's colleges and universities. The survey is conducted through the Q Research Institute for Higher Education owned and operated by Campus Pride.The annual assessment examines emerging issues, trends and changing demographics of LGBT people in higher education. The Research Director is Dr. Susan R. Rankin of The Pennsylvania State University and Associate Research Director is Dr. Warren J. Blumenfeld of The Iowa State University.
This project is approved by the Office of Research Protections at The Pennsylvania State University.
More info or questions, email info@campuspride.org
Shane Windmeyer, MS, Ed. Campus Pride
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Malaika K. Singleton
Western Regional Representative
NAGPS Social Justice Committee
Introduction
Greetings GSA! It is truly an honor serving as Chair and I look forward to another great year. Although we face many challenges with the budget crisis we will do our best to continue to advocate on behalf of graduate student needs and concerns. I look forward to building and sustaining relationships with other organizations such as the LSA and PSA this year. I will also continue working to provide resources and support for graduate students through collaborative projects such as Grad Women Thrive. Thanks to all of you for your continued support. In addition to my work as Chair, I was recently nominated to serve as the Western Regional Representative for the NAGPS Social Justice Committee.
I've been involved in many on and off-campus groups/activities. For 2007-2008, I served as Co-Chair of the Black Graduate and Professional Student Association and I'm currently BGPSA's Historian. I'm also an active member of the Davis African Club. Other groups that I've been a part of or have worked with include the Cross Cultural Center, the Women's Resources and Research Center, the Graduate Academic Achievement & Advocacy Program and the Graduate Student Leaders Consortium (GSLC). I'm a fifth-year Ph.D. candidate in Neuroscience and I previously earned a B.A. in Biology and Psychology from Rutgers University-Newark College of Arts & Sciences and New Jersey Institute of Technology in 2004. I grew up in South Carolina and I'm of predominately Gullah/Geechee descent.
contact me at <gsachair AT ucdavis DOT edu>
Ongoing Projects
As GSA Chair I serve as a representative on the Graduate Council of the Academic Senate and report to the Assembly as needed.
I am also serving on the Student Services Subcommittee of the Budget Advisory Committee
I am also working with our Graduate Student Assistant to the Dean and Chancellor, Cynthia Degnan, the WRRC's Graduate Outreach Intern, Brook Colley, Elisabetta Lambertini, and former GSA Vice-Chair, Ann Kelleher, on a Grad Women Thrive in Academia 'zine. This will be a 'zine to share vital insider's information, useful tips, and personal experiences between grad women to navigate academia-and life-as a grad at Davis and make the most of it. If you are interested in the project, may contribute, and want to be kept informed of how it develops, contact us and suggest topics you'd like to hear about. Contact 752-3372 or email <wrrcgrad AT ucdavis DOT edu>. Our first issue was completed in Winter Quarter 2009 and copies of the paper 'zine can be picked up at the WRRC or the GSA Office at 253 South Silo. Click the link above to check out our electronic version of the 'zine.
Previous Duties as Vice-Chair (Fall 2008-Winter 2009)
I actively solicited and nominated graduate students for campus and System-wide committees on which graduate students are invited to serve. If you are interested in serving on a committee please download and fill out an application here.
I regularly assisted graduate students with grievances and offered resources to assist students with problems. If you are having issues with your advisor, program, or need help/advice with other aspects of graduate student life, please contact our new Vice-Chair Karinna Hurley at <gsavicechair AT ucdavis DOT edu> and she will do her best to help you through whatever it is. Grievance assistance services are confidential.
GSA Vice-Chair Quarterly Report-Fall 2008
Summer 2008: Met with previous Vice-Chair Tom Aguilar to discuss position duties and get other useful advice and resources to best serve graduate students
Helped out for Coffee Bagel Donut Day
September -October 2008: I met with a couple of students to provide support and resources and I also helped to recruit and nominate students to serve on subcommittees of the Graduate Council and Academic Senate. I also reported to my first Graduate Council meeting where I serve as a representative along with James and Cynthia. In addition to recruiting and appointing students to various committees of concern to graduate students, my goals for this year are to work with all interested parties to address the issues of diversity, retention, and recruitment.
October-November 2008: I had my first couple of meetings (October 10 and 24) with WRRC Grad Outreach Intern Brook Colley, Cynthia Degnan, Elisabetta Lambortini, and Ann Kelleher to work on the Grad Women Thrive in Academia 'zine. The first issue will cover maternity issues and childcare for graduate students who unexpectedly become pregnant, plan to start a family, or already have children during graduate school. In regards to this issue, I’ve posted the University of California Academic Student Employee (ASE) Childcare Reimbursement Program to the gsa wikisite. The reimbursement will be paid through payroll as taxable earnings to the ASE for a qualified (non-school age) dependent child up to $300 per quarter or $450 per semester.
I also reported to my second Graduate Council meeting (Oct. 15).
I received an inquiry on October 16 from the Academic Affairs Officer, Gyami Shrestha of UC Merced’s GSA. Gyami specifically wanted to know how other UC’s handle graduate student nomination/representation for Academic Senate Committees and asked if there were specific items in our bylaws or UCD Academic Senate Bylaws that address how grad student reps are nominated by GSA, accepted by Academic Senate, and how they serve on these committees.
-I responded by referring Gyami to our GSA Bylaws (Article 3, Section 3.03; Article IV, Section 4.01) and I also referred the Academic Senate Committee details and bylaws on their website.
On October 17, I participated in the pre-meeting of student invitees to the Chancellor’s Search Advisory Committee. Cynthia, Ann, and I discussed what issues we felt were most important for the Search Committee to keep in mind when selecting our new Chancellor. These issues included emphasizing interdisciplinary research, a respect for the culture at UCD, accountability, diversity, financial support of grads, support for graduate education at the highest level, support for grad student life in general, and issues such as parent and maternity leave.
On October 23, I attended the official meeting with the Chancellor’s Search Advisory Committee as Cynthia Degnan, Graduate Student Assistant to the Dean, represented and spoke to the Search Advisory Committee on behalf of graduate students. I’ve met with a third student to offer grievance assistance and resources. I’m still actively seeking graduate student representatives for committees and feedback from those who are currently serving on committees.
I agreed to serve on the Selection Committee for the Chancellor’s Achievement Awards for Diversity & Community. These awards are open to faculty, staff, graduate students, and community members who have demonstrated a commitment to diversity and community.
I also received a request from Jesse Maddox, a recent Brown University graduate, to form a partnership between the UCD GSA with his company Brunobooks.com. I presented the information that was provided to me to the General Assembly at our November meeting to see if this were something that we would be interested in doing. The upside of the partnership would have been having a customized site to search for the best prices for books while also earning a percentage from the sales to use for a charity of our choosing. The downside would have been making a partnership with a for-profit business venture. Ultimately, a motion was put forth to defer the idea until the December meeting by which point I emailed Jesse back and explained why I did not think that the UCD GSA would be the best match to partner with Brunobooks.com. I especially emphasized the environment of graduate education makes it difficult to find out which graduate courses are being offered, which books are required, etc. without already being involved with that particular graduate group or department and already enrolled in the class. Jesse then realized that he meant to partner with the Undergraduate Student Government (Oops!) so I promptly referred him to the ASUCD site and Paul Harms for consideration.
November-December 2008:
Nov. 12- I participated in GSA’s hosting of the Breakfast with Graduate Coordinators which was very effective for both GSA Executive Council members and the coordinators as it was a chance to showcase what GSA offers to graduate students and how we can best work together to provide resources to grads.
Our Public Relations Officer Stacey also hosted a Game Night which I attended to meet and socialize with fellow grads. I missed the games but luckily not dessert.
Nov. 14- I served on the Graduate Student Panel for the Office of Graduate Studies’ STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) Preview Day to encourage prospective underrepresented graduate students to pursue careers in this field by sharing my life story and also by telling them what resources (GSA, BGPSA, CCC, WRRC, LGBTRC) they can expect to utilize at UCD to foster a sense of community and well-being.
The Grad Women ‘Zine also met again and things are moving along.
Nov. 14-I also attended GSA’s IGS’s Round Table Initiate on Human Rights and I highly recommend it. We each received articles from the UN Declaration of Human Rights. Following the reading and discussion, Paul and Alison gave presentations and then we split up into groups to discuss topics such as sanitation and water ways, overpopulation, etc. Fun was had by all. The next RTI will be in April and the focus will be globalization.
Nov. 19- I was present at the Dialogue with the Dean where the topic was graduate groups. Most graduate students present were from departments and had many pressing issues such as finding a sense of community and other issues such as funding (having to search for a TA every quarter) and finding mentors and collaborators for dissertation projects. As much as I wish that my role in GSA allowed me to help in these areas, I felt that many of the topics were out of our jurisdiction. However, I did provide tips on how grad students can use their GSA department funds to hold social events to build community. For instance, in my graduate group (Neuroscience) we host biweekly movie nights were we all get together with popcorn, soda, and snacks (provided by GSA funds) and a good film for a night of fun. Just an idea to get you started.
Dec. 3- In Graduate Council meeting, we had an interesting presentation on on-line or distance learning from the UCD Extension program. We watched a presentation of an on-line course, Telemedicine, taught by Professor Yellowlees as an interactive forum for discussion between students and professor.
I will be working with Mary McLaughlin, Executive Assistant to the Provost and Vice Chancellor, to recruit students, faculty, and staff to serve on the 2008-2009 Chancellor’s Administrative Advisory Committees and am still seeking reps to serve on Academic Senate Subcommittees.
In December, I also fulfilled my duties on the Selection Committee for the Chancellor’s Achievement Awards for Diversity & Community.
At our December 3 meeting former Chair James and I discussed the importance for GSA to sponsor the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Scholarship Fund (MLKSF) whose benefit dinner will be hosted here at Freeborn Hall in January. After discussions as to why this is important (community service, advertisement, commitment to diversity) the General Assembly approved sponsorship in the amount of $100.
Activities as Interim Chair (January 2009-February 2009)
January 12th- I served as a Judge for the GSA Travel Awards
January 15th- I attended the MLKSF Benefit Dinner
January 22nd- Met with Lerone Banks (SRRC) to discuss how our organizations can work more together in the future. In these efforts, I invited Emilio Camacho to speak at our February meeting which he was unable to attend but he did come to speak at our March meeting about the GAAAP.
January 23rd- Meeting with UC Student Regents D'Artagnan Scorza and Jesse Bernal. It was an opportunity for me to learn more about the UC Student Regent position. It was also a chance for them to catch up with External Chair and Former Chair James to learn about the issues of concern for UCD students.
January 24th – CAAA Board of Directors's Meeting; I provided a GSA Report to bring them up to speed on our activities since the Fall meeting.
January 29th- Spoke about GSA Services For Grads at the Mind, Body, & Soul Workshop hosted by the SRRC
I attended the reception and award ceremony for the Chancellor's Achievement Awards for Diversity & Community
January 30th-I attended the Information Workshop about the UCD WRRC-Gender Education Program. I took notes about the GE Program and its challenges and spoke to the student leaders to let them know that the GSA would be discussing this topic and potentially writing a letter of support. The GA did later approve a motion to write a letter of support and that letter was drafted and sent out in April 2009.
February 4th- We had our Special Elections at this GA meeting and I ran for and was elected to the vacant Chair position. Karinna Hurley was elected to the Vice-Chair position and was formerly PRO for GSA.
Activities as Chair (February 2009-Present)
February 10th- I attended the Campus Budget Advisory Committee Meeting which provided an overview of UCD's unique budget concerns. I also accepted a position to represent graduate students on the Student Services Subcommittee of the BAC.
February 12th- I began serving on the Chancellor Search Advisory Committee. Later this evening, I attended the Dialogue with the Dean which focused on Budget issues. I took notes and will post them to the wiki site soon.
March 1st- I attended the GSA Ski Trip and had a blast. I have a couple of pics that I will post at a later time.
March 7th-I served on the Northern Region UC Student Regent Nominating Commission and we reviewed applications for the Southern Campuses and selected students to be interviewed at a later date.
March 10th-External Chair Marrah and I attended UC Day at the Capitol. This included an early morning briefing on the budget woes and the protocol for meeting with legislators or legislative staff. President Mark Yudoff spoke during lunch and we also had a dinner and reception for Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef later that evening. I had a class and was unable to attend meetings with legislators earlier but Marrah and our lobby assistant Stephanie did attend meetings were with legislative staff.
March 11th- I was supposed to speak about GSA and the services that we offer at a “Networking for Grads” program that was put on by the Professors for the Future program participant Keir Knightley but we had a poor turn-out so the event was rescheduled for a later date.
April 2-3rd- I attended the NAGPS Western Regional Conference which was hosted right here at UCD by our External Chair Marrah. The conference was an excellent opportunity to learn about various organizations to get involved with such as Better World Books and Teach for America. There were also workshops on student activism, mentoring, job searches, retention, and planning green events just to name a few. I really enjoyed it.
April 4th- The UC Student Regent Northern Nominating Commission held interviews for the candidates who were selected by the Southern Commision. We selected four individuals to be interviewed by the UCSA Board of Directors for consideration for the UC Student Regent position.
This was also the last day of the NAGPS Western Regional Conference which I was unable to attend. Officers were selected at a meeting and at this meeting, I was nominated as the Western Region Representative for the NAGPS Social Justice Committee. I will be working with the Chair to get a Rep for each Western Region Member School and address social justice issues such as campus climate and diversity.
April 8th-Vice Chair Karinna and I tabled at the Cowell Student Health Center's Wellness Carnival which was held on the Quad. We handed out GSA and NAGPS materials and collected emails to get graduate student input on healthcare concerns.
April 18th-External Chair Marrah and I tabled for Picnic Day, handing out GSA swag to graduate students and collecting email for our listserv. It was also a great opportunity to talk to prospective students who I intend to follow-up with.
April 21st- The Grad Women Thrive group got together to put together our Paper 'Zine which is now in circulation! Pick up your copy at the GSA office or stop by the WRRC for a copy.
April 23th-I got in a game of bowling at GSA's Game Night, thanks to our PRO Stacey Ellis!
April 27th- I attended a meeting for the Graduate Ally Coalition and this group will be creating a training program for graduate students who want to serve as allies for students in their program, providing resources and aiding students who may be threated due to their race, gender, religion, sexual orientation, etc. The training will be held in the Fall and we've been able to recruit many students to the cause. GSA supports these efforts.
I also attended the GSA hosted Budget Forum for Graduate Students. Many of the EC members were there and we had an undergrad and a graduate student come to voice their concerns about the budget crisis. This forum was held in addition to the wiki page put up for students to anonymously leave comments. These efforts led to a letter being drafted and sent to the Office of Student Affairs, highlighting the things that graduate students feel are essential and should be preserved.
May 2nd- I attended and presented at our Interdisciplinary Graduate Symposium. Although turn-out wasn't as high as we expected, all who attended had a good time and I took lots of pictures. I also have video for an extraordinary eco-theater presentation given by former grad, Dr. Ron Davis. I will get around to uploading and sharing sometime this summer.
May 7th- I attended the rescheduled “Networking for Grads” program. I spoke about the various resources and opportunities that GSA offers for networking including our travel awards, organization and special project funds, department funds which can be used to build and foster community amongst your graduate group, social events, etc. I also talked about the Grad Women Thrive 'Zine and our Interdisciplinary Graduate Symposium.
May 8th- I met with our UCD Chancellor Designate Linda Katehi who I had the pleasure of meeting and interviewing as a member of the Chancellor Search Advisory Committee. She is outstanding and I wish her the best of luck as our Chancellor under these trying circumstances.
May 11th- External Chair Marrah and I led a forum hosted by the GSADC Cynthia Degnan on Mentoring in the Sciences. We described our relationships with our advisor and how we go about maintaining and improving those relationships so that other grad students can learn from us. Some of our suggestions included emailing your professor data or topics of discussion prior to a sit-down meeting for optimal efficiency and use of time. We also discussed the difficult topic of how and when to switch labs.
May 13th-The GSA EC were happy attendees of the Thank Goodness for Staff Picnic. We are very grateful to our office staff, Sandra, Ashleigh, and Stephanie.
May 21st- I stopped by the Dean's Social and grabbed a snack with fellow grads. We chatted about GREs amongst other things.
May 30th- I attended the Farewell Dinner and Show for Chancellor Larry Vanderhoef and his wife Rosalie.
June 1st- I served as a judge for the Travel Awards. It was fun to read about all the cool things my fellow grads are doing. Good luck to you all!
June 6th- I will attend the Cal Aggie Alumni Association Board of Directors Meeting and give a GSA report, highlighting the things that we've done since Fall.
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