GSA Goals

2009-2010 GSA Goals

At the October 2009 meeting we will brainstorm on what the GSA feels is important for the Executive Council to work on this academic year. Below are our current and ongoing projects. We've listed these here so you can decide what additional areas we should focus on not on the lists and areas you'd really like us to continue focusing on. Please feel free to leave comments on this page.

Chair

• Strengthening our relationships with ASUCD, LSA, and PSA
  

• Graduate Ally Coalition-training graduate students to be allies to other grads in their program who may be experiencing oppression
  

• Continue work as Western Regional Representative of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students Social Justice Committee
  

• Recruiting graduate students to get involved with GSA (i.e. recruiting next year's Chair! If you want to learn more about the position please contact me)
  

• Assisting the rest of the Executive Council Members in their goals as best I can
  

• Participation in UCSA's Presidents' Council- a forum for all UC student-body (undergrad and grad) Presidents to discuss campus-based and system-wide concerns

Vice-Chair

• Graduate student involvement in campus committees and events

Treasurer

• I expect this year to be jam packed to budgetary concerns (GSA, Student Affairs, campus, and system-wide) — I will do my best to stay on top of this and represent UCD graduate students

Secretary

• To organize, maintain, and (where possible) electronically update GSA files and important information

Public Relations Officer

• Raising awareness and encouraging wider use of the wiki site by grad students across campus
  

• Making more grad students on campus aware of who the GSA are and what we do
  

• Creating more opportunities for grad students to get out from the lab/behind the computer so they can interact and meet other grads from the rest of the campus community

Campus Organizing Director

• Organizing Outings and Activities for grads
  

• Getting the GSA more involved with local charities
  

• Trying to take the mystery out of things like the PELP program and Filing Fee status.

External Chair

• Health care: working on the system-wide GSHIP campaign, pushing for dependent health care, working locally and nationally for health care reform.
  

• Administrative transparency: working on documenting my service and the service of other graduate students on committees to increase awareness and transparency, ongoing web site updates on all matter RE: UC BUDGET.
  

• Modification of the practices of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students.
  

• UNITRANS fee-based access for graduate students: increased access/usage for graduate students
  

• Sustainability: working with the ELP, chair of sustainability subcommittee with my city commission appointment.
  

• Partnering with ASUCD: trying to get graduate students involved with LobbyCorps, trying to get white liner access with non-UCSA member schools.
  

• Better use of student-based fees: sitting on several committees, sitting on the ad hoc committee for advising student affairs.
  

• H1B visa reform: removing the caps for students educated in the US (with higher degrees).
  

• Student loan reform: equalizing the interest rates (match undergrad levels), trying to match degree lending time to degree completion (we can currently only borrow 4 yrs, a typical grad degree takes 5-6)
  

• Diversity issues: working on partnerships to support the pipeline increasing diversity at the graduate level, supporting groups on campus that do diversity programming (CCC, WRRC, LBGTRC, etc).
  

• Working with the law school and vet school, to have equal representation of professional students on campus.
  

• Lobbying at the capitol (RE: budget and health care).
  

• Working with Council of Graduate Schools to lobby on shared issues in higher education.

Graduate Student Assistant to the Dean and Chancellor

Results from the October 2009 Brainstorming Session

Here we've compiled all of the general suggestions and questions given to us from the general assembly's brainstorming session in October. We've attempted to address areas that are already ongoing or handled by other departments on campus. We've also indicated where there are areas we can certainly work on this year. Please feel free to contact any member of the executive council or make additional comments/suggestions below. We will also discuss this at the November GSA meeting.

GA suggestions to GSA EC – October 7, 2009 meeting

TECHNICAL GSA ISSUES

• Do we have a Google calendar?
  

Yes


• Access needed to a list of all GSA reps – when will this be created?
  

We will be posting a list of registered reps on the wiki as soon as we have more reps registered; this list will be periodically updated through out the year. If you are a rep and you/your group has not yet submitted a rep registration form for this academic year, please complete the and submit the rep registration form to the GSA office (see external link: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/Assembly for the registration form).


• GA meetings should be more eco-friendly: pitchers of water instead of bottles, etc.
  

We don't normally provide bottled water, that was just because we had leftovers from the picnic and didn't want to let them go to waste.


• Hold meetings in a larger room!
  

Room size is usually only an issue for the first meeting. We have this one booked all year so if we end up overflowing all year we can consider a better room for next year.


• Provide an overview of what the GSA does/ Orient new people to the GSA.
  

We will include an overview of GSA (generally and specifically as it pertains to reps) during the November General Assembly meeting. We also urge grads to utilize the information that has been posted on the GSA wikipage. For example, this page provides an overview of GSA and its scope: external link: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/GSA_Mission_Statement. For an overview for new GSA Reps to learn about their responsibilities: external link: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/Assembly.


• Add a professional development calendar to the GSA Google calendar.
  

Done

ADVOCACY ISSUES

• Have GSA become the central source for information (via email or the wiki) on what cuts are happening in different departments (crossing the divide in terms of humanities and sciences in terms of information and issues).
  

This would require a lot of data collection. It would really be the burden of those departments contacting us and letting us know what they want us to publicize. We have a central source on general budget issues on the campus and for the UC system, but do not have a source of information for each individual department. We started a page for individual students to use to keep us informed of what is going on in their departments with the hope that this page will self-fill. Link: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/UCD_Budget. The GSA Lobby assistant will start collecting information and putting it up on this site as we have recently sent an email as part of weekly announcements that requests people email us with information they have from their departments.


• Which groups are organizing around the budget crisis (union, UCDOC), what they’re doing, and what they stand for?
  

The UC Davis Organizing Committee created a page on the GSA wikipage that outlines their actions in response to the budget crisis: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/9/24_Walkout. The GSA also regularly posts and sends out announcements about their meetings when we receive them. In addition, there is this site external link: http://www.ucsolidarity.org/ which contains up-to-date information on what actions are being taken throughout the UC system in response to the budget cuts. There on the various groups that are organizing around the crisis. Although GSA has not officially endorsed any actions in response to the budget crisis we encourage students to learn as much as they can about the different actions and to attend these meetings to learn more and get involved if they wish.

The GSA EC also created a UC Budget page with up-to-date info on the budget crisis which can be viewed here: external link: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/UC_Budget. The GSA Executive Council advocates on behalf of budget cuts for students by advocacy efforts (see external chair page) and service on budget related committtees on campus (i.e. Grad Council, SSFAAC, Student Affairs Budget Advisory Committee, Health Fee Oversight Committee, etc). Please see each EC page to see who serves on what committee or email gsaexternalchair@ucdavis.edu if you have general questions regarding the budget/advocacy.

The UAW is the voice for the Academic Student Employees and advocate for contracts, wages and working conditions. For more information please see http://www.uaw2865.org/home/home.php

• Work with the “Sacramento Protest Organization” (?) with other campuses’ involvement.
  

The GSA doesn't "protest" on behalf of students we advocate on behalf of students. We are working with other campuses regarding fee issues through our continued communications with UCSA and Malaika's work with the Presidents' Council. Additionally, we've google searched "Saramento Protest Organization," with no results. If you have more information, please add it to the comments section.


• Work to avoid fee increases.
  

Education fees are determined by the Reagents; we can express our concerns to the student regent, but our powers are fairly limited. We do have 3 graduate students serving on the Students Services and Fees Administrative Advisory Council (SSFAAC; external link: http://ssfaac.ucdavis.edu/ which should be brought up to date soon) which has purview over some of the registration fees. We work with ASUCD and LobbyCorps to attend events at the state capitol to lobby on behalf of preventing fee increases. This is ongoing and we have been working on this for over a year. We also attend UC Day to lobby to the state about fee increases. We also work with UCSA to get our campuses view on fee increases to the Regents. We are currently attempting to get whitelining access to the regents with the ASUCD unit of University Affairs to have direct access to the regents. For more information please contact gsaexternalchair@ucdavis.edu.

TECHNOLOGY ISSUES

• Have more consistent internet access across campus.
  

EIT has a plan in place for expanding wireless and cell access. It has been slowed by budget cuts but they are still working on it. The undergrads offered money to help spread wireless last year so maybe that will help.


• Make a webpage for interdepartmental lecture series.
  

Trina will work on this. Additionally, many of the EC members get emails about lectures and often post them to the GSA calendar. You can see what events are going on daily on the home page or see http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/Events_Board.

BUDGET-RELATED ISSUES

• Staffing issues: Concern about choosing office staff without full GSA discussion.
  

For clarification on this issue see our Bylaws. Article III, Section 3.10 outlines the GSA Hiring and Termination process, which is the responsibility of the GSA Executive Council, not the General Assembly. Section 3.10 Hiring and Terminating The hiring and terminating decisions of the Association are the responsibility of the Executive Council. The screening and interviewing of applicants shall be handled by a Hiring and Screening Committee, composed of the Association Chair and two other Assembly members appointed by the Executive Council. This committee shall recommend a candidate to the Executive Council after reviewing applications and interviewing the most qualified applicants. The Executive Council shall evaluate the recommendation and make the final decision on whom the Association shall hire. The initiation of the termination process of an employee of the Association shall be started by the Chair only after two- thirds of the Executive Council agrees to such action. Before such action is taken, the employee shall be given written notice of the impending initiation of the termination process.


Hiring isn't feasible at the GA level. For positions like the IGS and the APRO we needed to get them done ASAP so we work in the summer on it. Any interested GA members are welcome to be a part of hiring but we can't take it all to the GA. If they are asking about the office coordinator position, that is even more complex and really can't be brought to the GA.


• Do we really need pizza for monthly meetings?
  

Reps are doing alot to support their constituents, and pizza (or other food) has always been used as an incentive/reward for coming to the general assembly meetings.


• How is grad money being spent?
  

The budget is intended to be a fairly transparent matter. It is generally reviewed and approved by the General Assembly in June, again in October, and another time midyear (~February or March). The October budget review was post-posted this year owing to the uncertainty surrounding staffing budgetary needs; the GA will review and approve the budget as soon as this is resolved. For more information on the budget see the Treasurers page (external link: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/GSA_Treasurer).


• How are the cuts affecting us?
  

As a GSA, not a lot. As grad students, some, but graduate support has largely been protected in Graduate Council. However, if you would like to share how budget cuts are affecting you personally or in your department, please email gsalobby@ucdavis.edu. We are collecting this information to put on our wiki and we will keep this information given to us annonymous.


• Redistribute extra money to travel grants.
  

Travel awards are something the both the EC and GA and continually expressed support for, and as a result, it has more money than any other non-personnel line item, save the Department Fund. The GA will have the chance to vote on how the money gets redistributed when the budget gets presented back to them. This is something to remember when we make the proposed budget.

HEALTH- AND HEALTH INSURANCE-RELATED

• Work toward benefits for dependent care/Advocate for better family health benefits & lower deductible for health insurance.
  

GSA is involved with representatives from Cowell and from the Office of Graduate Studies who are working on this at the system-wide level. Marrah has been working on this for years. She advocates at the national and local levels for better coverage for students who are often times the "working poor," and do not have benefits for their families. She is sitting on the campus-wide GSHIP committee. With this plan UCD grad students would have the same plan as all UC graduate students and with a larger number in the pool, we will hopefully get dependent care. Dean Timm has expressed that we will not accept a plan that doesn't have affordable dependent health care. As an NAGPS member school we have access to a (fairly) cheap insurance plan and it also covers dependents external link: https://www.uhcsr.com/NAGPS.


• Advice on healthcare providers that accept GSHIP: for example, dentists – who are they? Which ones are trust-worthy? Which ones are capable?
  

Some of this can be gleaned from Davis Wiki, as people have commented on whether or not a dentist accepted their insurance. We started a GSA Wiki page http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/Dental_Coverage where people could contribute their own experiences too. We've also started a vision page http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/Visual_Coverage


• How do new students access their GSHIP benefits?
  

http://healthcenter.ucdavis.edu/newstudent/grad.html

• Work for access to multiple insurance plan options.
  

Both the External Chair and the GSADC are currently working on that. As an NAGPS member school you have access to a fairly cheap insurance plan and it also covers dependents (https://www.uhcsr.com/NAGPS)/ We also have a resource fair at the start of the year that has someone come on-site to give info about other plans.


• Social networking for grads with children.
  

We would support this.


• Day-care/child-care requirements and need for more facilities.
  

The Chancellor's Advisory Committee concerned with Childcare has a GSA rep serving on it.


• Save the breast-feeding care and support group!
  

The Vice Chair is going to the meeting about saving the program on Wednesday.


• Supportive services in various capacities to pregnant grad students or students with young families.
  

The GSA Chair, former GSADC, the WRRC Graduate Outreach Coordinator, and other graduate students worked together to create a paper and electronic 'zine titled Graduate Women Thrive in Academia. The first issue was focused on Pregnancy and Parenting and launched in Winter Quarter 2009. Copies of the paper 'zine are available in the GSA office at 253 South Silo and the electronic version can be viewed from the GSA wikipage here: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/Grad_Women_Thrive_in_Academia

LEGAL REPRESENTATION

• Have meeting be more than 15 minutes.
  

Our new lawyer seemed pretty flexible and may be offering more than 15 mins for students. We have updated the page about our legal services to include some information about free legal aid, etc so students can see other options. http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/Legal_Aid


• Retain a second lawyer for situations in which conflict of interest prevents representation.
  

We will look into this if the situation arises.

HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION ISSUES

• Advocate for a lower campus housing rate.
  

Although the rent is going up, it is substantialy less expansive than off-campus housing.


• Get grad students a bus pass option (2).
  

See External chair page. We are working with UNITRANS and ASUCD to see if we can get a low flat rate fee for graduate student bus usage. Right now, the annual TAPS survey will go out with some questions we've generated to determine the usage and areas graduate students need bus service. After this is done, we will be able to determine the feasibility and determine a cost per student.

FINANCIAL/JOB ISSUES

• Pursue getting student discounts at stores (a low-margin, high-volume business strategy for complying vendors).
  

We might not have enough people to make something like that viable, but we will have the GSA lobby assistant look into it.


• Have more give-aways to graduate students
  

We need clafirication. More travel mugs and things like that? This could be expensive.


• Watch out for TA and GSR interests and opportunities and work to avoid pay cuts/ Work to raise salary for TA positions.
  

UAW is the official voice for wages and pay issues.


• Monitor the volume of TA and GSR opportunities available.
  

http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/employment/


• Build a better database for TA and GSR opportunities
  

See http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/employment/ , though we can work to improve


• Improve outreach on funding opportunities.
  

When we get notice of a fellowship it is posted: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/Funding


• Work to get first pay-day of fall quarter changed to first day of fall quarter rather than November 1 for TAs, GSRs, readers, etc.
  

A contract issue, therefore dealt with by the UAW.


• Streamline and centralize the TA application process – it seems inefficient for students without a home department.
  

Each department hires its own people and has a different way of doing it. Most departments that don't have regular graduate students post their TA opportunities here external link: http://gradstudies.ucdavis.edu/employment/

INTERNATIONAL STUDENT ISSUES

• Abolish NRTF for international graduate students (California competitiveness starts from here).
  

This is a campus policy for both undergraduate and graduate students. Also, this pertains to students who came from another state, at least for their first year. Therefore, international students are not the target. Unfortunately the move to use NRTF to supplement campus income is starting and it is very unlikely that any body at UCOP would even consider removing NRTF for students at this time and in the buget crisis.


• Have an introduction to Davis and the U.S. specifically for new international students, like a potluck dinner.
  

Abby UCDC is working to better integrate WOW with SISS.


• Sponsor a cultural exchange night – get U.S. and international students together for a shared food night.
  

SISS holds social activities for International students – Karinna will contact them and see if they have grad-specific events and possibly how we can work together. If a rep wants to take a cultural exchange night on as a project we would be supportive.

MENTORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

• Create a formal program for graduate students to tutor undergraduate and high school students.
  

The Graduate Academic Achievement and Advocacy Program accomplishes this. http://thecenter.ucdavis.edu/gaaap. The Co-Student Director, George Sellu, will speak about it at our November meeting.

SUSTAINABILITY AND SERVICE

• Work to promote lab sustainability.
  

Marrah is working on campus and community sustainability at the moment. Please see external link: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/sustainability. Also, there are programs on campus that train department coordinators on how to make their department events more sustainable. This is then passed on to labs.


• Promote community service opportunities.
  

A Graduate Student Community Service Committee already exists for this purpose. They were at our GSA Picnic and Resource Fair during the Week of Welcome (WOW) in September. The GSA Chair will recruit one of their representatives to speak and present at one of our upcoming meetings this year to give grads an opportunity to get involved. Adam has, and will continue to work on volunteer opportunities.


• Promote/acquire (?) community garden opportunities.
  

Davis has a number of community gardens. The Daviswiki has information. Also see: http://gsa.ucdavis.edu/sustainability


• Organize an alternative spring break trip, like a Habitat for Humanity trip – something that’s more volunteer-/service-oriented.
  

We connect with other groups that do this and advertising them to the GA.


• Hold a single grad student event.
  

We had a speed dating event two years ago and didn't go well, though we would take suggestions for future events.


• Sponsor weekly exercise events, like a noon walk around campus (meet at the ARC) or a bike around the green belt.
  

We will work on this if there is enough interest.

GENERAL

• Work to get more textbooks available through the library and to get longer check-out times.
  

The undergrads often want the library to do this and the library resists. They will put textbooks on reserve if the professor gives them a copy but, as it is for students, it isn't economically viable for the library to buy every new version of a textbook for the reserves room.


• Advocate safety classes for undergraduates (so we are safe!).
  

We have the Grad Allies group and we also have the self-defense training offered through the WRRC. We also have TA training through the TRC who will assist with issues a TA may have with a student. We need more clarification about this.


• Doing the first month (1 to 2 times per week) as a welcome/orientation to Davis starting the week before school starts.
  

Grad Studies has considered this, but it is really not up to GSA.


• ARC membership during the summer/ARC discount during the summer.
  

Adam has worked on this for three years: not going to happen.

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2004-2005 GSA Goals

Results of October 2004 Assembly meeting brainstorming activity

Goal 1: Graduate Students will be more aware of campus resources.

Measurement: Graduate Student use of campus resources will increase, including GSA resources. HEDS 2002 survey: 1000 grad students unaware of GSA or that they have benefited from GSA!!!
Strategies:

1. Work with the OGS (Office of Grad Studies) to develop proposal to ask all Units to have a Grad coordinator.
   

2. Be more aware of other departmental resources (statistics help)

Goal 2: Enhance the Quality of Mentoring

Measurement: Decrease the number of Graduate Students who leave without a degree or leave early.
Strategies:

1. Work with Graduate Council to develop Accountability policies to accompany the Mentoring Guidelines.
   

2. Make Grad Mentoring (letters from Grads, like evaluations from undergrad classes) a part of tenure and merit reviews (This has to go through Academic Senate, but it would be good to work with Grad Council first).
   

3. Assist with communication programs and protocol (chain of command)
   

4. Student grievance/conflict resolution. Related workshops.

Goal 3: ALL Graduate groups will be represented in the GSA

Measurement: a) increase in the number of groups being represented in the GSA; b) increase the number of students attending GSA events.
Strategies:

1. Review our constitution’s representation structure for appropriateness.
   

2. encourage interdisciplinary activities. IGS?

Goal 4: UCD will have a Graduate Student Commons: Short and long term plans.

Measurement: Permanent physical space and resources for Graduate Student use.