Who plans a social event without playing along? An exciting game of 'Jenga' at the GSA's Game Night, November 2008 Stacey Ellis is the 2009-2010 Public Relations Officer. I was also in this same position during the 2008-2009 school year. A wiki enthusiast with a hand in 
several different 
community 
wikis, I am quite enthusiastic that the GSA has chosen to use this format for our own website. In addition to my duties as the PRO, I am the self-appointed wiki-expert on the Executive Council and would be more than happy to help anyone interested in editing this wiki learn more about it and how it all works. If you're new to wiki editing and need any help, just ask! I am passionate about grad students having chances to get out from the lab or behind the computer and meet other people. I spent my first two years at UCD organizing social events within the Geography Graduate Group, and the next step seemed to start organizing larger events for the larger grad student population. These are a great opportunity for everyone to get out and meet new people, so I recommend you check them out!
None of this would be possible without the help of my assistant Chelsea. She keeps things going smoothly at CBDD and Pizza Night, allowing me time for the more fun jobs of giving out promotional items like tote bags and coffee mugs, as well as chatting with grad students at the events who may not be aware of what all the GSA is about.
Have a great idea for a future GSA social event? I'd love to hear more about it! I also welcome any suggestions or feedback on any of the other social events that you've attended, since there is always room for improvement. I can be contacted at <gsapro AT ucdavis DOT edu> or via a comment below...
See also 2008-2009 GSA Public Relations Officer.
Ongoing Events
Coffee-Bagel-Donut Day
Coffee-Bagel-Donut Day has grown more and more popular since last year. The number of grad students in attendance has varied widely, as has the amount of food consumed. We average about 18 dozen bagels, 15 dozen donuts and hundreds of cups of coffee (generally about 350 cups). Some weeks this suffices, other weeks we run out of food by 10:20. This is why we ask that people only take one bagel or one donut, as with over 300 people attending on an average Friday, we cannot afford to make it an all-you-can-eat event.
In an effort to cut back on the number of paper cups that wind up in the landfill, I ordered plastic reusable travel mugs to give away at CBDD last year. They were incredibly popular, and we are hoping to have more of them available soon! Although we currently cannot give away mugs, we are currently having a promotion in which anyone who brings in a reusable mug gets a ticket to enter in a weekly drawing. One person each week wins a $5 gift certificate to the UCD Bookstore. This has been a fun way to encourage reusables and cut back on waste.
Pizza Night
Pizza Night is a quarterly event that takes place at Woodstock's Pizza. In previous years, when financial situations were better, we had a monthly Third Thursday Pizza Night. Although held less frequently, the quarterly pizza night still has all of the food and chances to socialize! Bring your grad student friends and your desire to meet your fellow grad students from across the disciplines. Watch the events board or sign up for the GSA Listserv to hear when dates are announced.
The "free for all" that many people once associated with pizza night was been turned into a more orderly event last year. Many people early on in my job as PRO told me they didn't like going to pizza night because you wait forever and often wouldn't get any pizza because the people standing closest to the food would take a large portion and not leave any for others. As soon as another pizza came out, the crowd would rush toward the food, and the chaos would start again. These days, people are asked to line up in an orderly fashion, to ensure that those who arrived on time will be the first to receive food. There is a two-slice limit per trip through the line to ensure that no one takes an unfair share of the food, and everyone who wants food is asked to stand in line. Although not a perfect scheme, it has helped keep things from turning into utter chaos.
Past Events
GSA Picnic
The GSA holds an event during the Week of Welcome, and this year we held a picnic (alas, we could not secure a reservation that would allow us to have a BBQ). This year's event was held September 15, 2009 at the University Club. About 400 new and continuing grad students showed up. We served sandwiches, sides and drinks to the masses. The picnic was held in conjunction with the Graduate Studies' Resource Fair, allowing students to go between the two events.
Future Events?
Bowling
We had a lot of success with a bowling event last year, so I am hoping to get one organized for spring quarter! Stay tuned...
Ice Cream Social
We fed 75 grad students on a hot May afternoon last year, and everyone seemed to have a great time. I am hoping that we can do this again soon, since it was a lot of fun!
Officer Reports
October, 2009
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The return of CBDD: After a long summer of reduced hours and no donuts, our beloved Coffee-Bagel-Donut Day made its return during the Week of Welcome.
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Week of Welcome Picnic got good attendance, with about 400 people. It seemed smaller than last year, but it went smoothly and people enjoyed themselves.
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Pizza Night is now quarterly, and I'll need people to help get the word out so people don't show up monthly looking for it. Dates to be announced.
November, 2009
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From the requests/suggestions from last month's assembly meeting, I took on creating a page about dental coverage that lists out the dentists in Davis that accept our insurance. For now, it's just Davis, but I would love to see it expanded.
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Students also requested that some of the Grad Studies events (such as the Professional Development Series) be included in the GSA's Google Calendar. I added all events for the fall to it, and will keep it updated.
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Please send me or Marrah any items that you would like to see added to the Google Calendar.
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Students asked for "freebies" and I was wondering what that means. I get asked for coffee mugs every week at CBDD, and I would like to order more of them if that would be the most desirable freebie to graduate students.
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CBDD has been getting about 300 people. We have been going through 16-17 dozen bagels and 14-15 dozen donuts. Word is spreading!
December, 2009
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Last CBDD of fall quarter is this week (December 4). We do not hold it during finals week or breaks, so CBDD will be back on January 8.
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Per the request, coffee mugs will make their (re)debut in winter quarter! Stay tuned...
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Pizza Night is tomorrow (December 3). Note that this is earlier than usual due to scheduling issues with Woodstock's. Starts at 5:00 until 7:00 or the food runs out, whichever comes first.
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Both CBDD and Pizza Night are a chance to bring food to the GSA's food drive to benefit the Yolo County Food Bank.
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