Council of Grad Students
First Winter Quarter Meeting
Friday, January 14, 2000
Ohio Union, Grey Suite K
OFFICERS and EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE: President Ron Meyers, Treasurer Briggs Cormier, Ex-officio Kathleen Carberry, Secretary Christine Parker, International Concerns Chair Garima Malik.
VOTING DELEGATES: Yasar Alptekin, Ruth Angaran, Suzanne Bartholomae, Elizabeth Blake, Betsy Breseman, Carmin Blumenauer-Gade, Amanda Callison, Homero Cantu, Michael Daniels, Manuel Diaz, Amanda Wisler (for Corey Ditslear), Kristin Field, Mark Gooden, Erich Guy, Cheryl Hindrichs, David May, John McCombe, Dana Oswald, Darshana Parekh, Dan Peterson, Stan Radzevicius, John Shea, Alecia Larew Naugle, Jennifer Stoots, Kevin Weakley, Jennifer Whetstone, Tara White, Alyson Young.
Non-voting delegates, Committee Representatives, Senators, RGS Representatives, and Guests: Student Trustee Allyson Lowe; Dean James Siddens; Terry Foegler and Steve Starrett, Campus Partners; Luke Bradley; Carrie Lamanna; Jeff Walline; Anil Challa; Byung-Moon Min; Jenny Pommiss
Guest speaker Terry Foegler, President, Campus Partners offered a brief history of Campus Partners, which was formed in December 1995. He indicated that Campus Partners' first years involved putting together a neighborhood revitalization plan, called the University District Neighborhood Revitalization Concept Plan (Plan). It is available here. The Plan addressed many issues, including housing, social services, commercial revitalization, education, transportation, safety, and student issues. About 250 initial recommendations relating to the campus area were included in the Plan, which was eventually adopted by a number of groups, including the Ohio State University Board of Trustees, the University Community Business Association, the University Area Commission, the Columbus City Council, and the Development Commission of Columbus. The recommendations were then prioritized with input from OSU and area interest groups. One of the community groups' most favored issues was moving OSU faculty and staff into the University area through a housing incentive program. Another very important issue was enforcement of the housing code, with financial assistance made available to enable current residents to make the necessary improvements. There are also a number of other outreach programs facilitated by the Campus Collaborative, in which President Meyers is active. The Gateway Project is part of a larger Main Street Revitalization Plan. In other words, he indicates that Campus Partners includes more than just the Gateway Project!
Q: What will the anchor stores be? A major bookstore targeting the academic communityand serving the permanent local residents with a significant children's section; 70,000 sq ft of university office space; a small grocery (with affordable prepared foods); and an independent movie theatre (6-7 screens) are planned. The names cannot be disclosed at this time.
Q: What was behind the decision to offer incentives only to faculty and staff (not grad students) to buy homes in and move to the Campus District? The idea for the incentive program came from Campus Partners, but the Office of Human Resources and other university offices were in charge of implementing it. The program is a long-term (5-year) one, so it was probably assumed that it would not be appropriate to include graduate students. President Meyers held a straw poll on the issue of making the housing incentive program more open to graduate students. Results: the majority is in favor of making this program a possibility for graduate students. He has pursued changing the policy with Campus Partners and the OSU Board of Trustees.
Q: What would you say in response to charges that the Project is forcing out small businesses? Student surveys were used in devising the plan for developing High Street, so the present plan reflects student wants. The businesses shown in the survey to be favored by students have been included in the plan. In addition, many of the buildings in the relevant area have been vacant for some time, so in some cases there is no one to force out. Existing businesses are offered the option of being relocated elsewhere and given help with expenses incurred by the transition. Since rebuilding the Gateway area will cause businesses to be closed for a minimum of 18 months, not every business can afford to remain. Some of these businesses will remain in the Project if they can afford it because, for example they have other locations that can support them during the building process. Campus Partners is not against small business; and is trying to help them. It is simply required for credit and funding purposes that a certain amount of large-scale business capital ("credit tenants") be included to make the Gateway viable.
Q: What about residents on the East side of High St.? Will they benefit of be forced out by gentrification? 500 or so jobs will be created in the immediate area, including construction positions, and training programs will be offered, so there will be both immediate and long-term benefits for welfare-to-work and other low-income residents. Residents will not be forced out directly or indirectly through gentrification due to the Gateway Project. The city has a policy that prevents it from taking any action that would increase poverty rates past 30%. The real problem is that the Section 8 housing contracts in that area will be expiring soon, and it is feared that losses of subsidies for low-income tenants will cause poverty levels and property abandonment to increase. In such a situation, rents are not high enough to support maintenance on the buildings, so dis-investment, not gentrification, is really the biggest danger in the area.
Q: What about the possibility of real estate speculation in the area, which would drive up rents and drive out low-income residents? The overwhelming trends in urban housing tend to mitigate against gentrification in an area such as this. The area lacks "amenities" that usually spurs gentrification, such as unique architecture. Again, the bigger threat is the loss of Section 8 subsidies in this area, not rampant commercial growth. Campus Partners is continuing to study the situation. Graduate student housing options are also still being researched.
Meeting officially called to order at 4:18 p.m.
I. Approval of Minutes
Moved by Delegate Gooden (Motion 2000-1-1), seconded by Delegate Cantu. Motion passes unanimously with no abstentions.
II. Officer Reports
A. President - President Meyers reported that he sent a letter to President Kirwan requesting that his office work with CGS to change University Senate rules so CGS could appoint student representatives to university-wide committees dealing with student issues/concerns. President Meyers, along with USG and IPC, is also advocating that some of the money from the contract with Cola-Cola be used to directly support student activities, and that the student governments be involved in the allocation decisions.
B. Treasurer - Treasurer Cormier reported that the budget is fine, and that a detailed report will be sent out at the end of the quarter. He continues to work on obtaining the income from "check-off funds" (funds received when students registering for classes choose to give $1). CGS usually receives about $700 (out of a potential $10,000) from this option - encourage people who register to give by checking off the student government contribution!
C. Secretary - Details about the attendance policy, which will as of today be enforced, is included in the mailing. Please contact the Secretary at parker.107@osu.edu if you will miss a meeting. Please include the reason you will be absent.
III. Committee Reports
A. Executive Committee - 3 new executive committee members were introduced: Elizabeth Warren (Chair of Diversity), Melanie Cruz (Chair of Compensation & Benefits), Garima Malik (Chair of International Concerns).
B. Graduate Research Forum - President Meyers announced that the deadline for receipt of abstracts is January 21, 2000 at 4 p.m. at the CGS office. Awards: $300 plus a $50 travel stipend for 1st place, $200 for 2nd place, $100 for 3rd. More judges are always needed, so please nominate faculty members you feel would be appropriate.
C. Professional Development Fund - deadline still January 21, 2000. Make sure you have the updated yellow form!
D. International Concerns - Garima Malik reports that student funding, housing, health insurance are all issues currently being discussed. The next meeting of the International Concerns Committee will be in CGS office on January 19, 2000. Anyone interested is encouraged to attend.
E. Legislative Committee - Mark Gooden reports that his committee plans to travel to Washington, D.C. for Lobby Days in February 10-11, 2000. Please contact him at gooden.7@osu.edu if you are interested in participating. Delegate Gooden also reports that the Senate has approved an additional $20 million for the Gaann-Javits Fellowship Program; more information about these fellowships is available at www.nagps.org. The NAGPS web site also provides a "Fax gateway" service, through which you may fax letters directly to your Congress people. A handout is available that includes a list of web sites about graduate student concerns.
IV. Old Business
A. Resolution: Trustee Allyson Lowe presented a resolution regarding an expense reimbursement for "A" Parking Tags for the CGS President and Vice President. The "A" parking tags, which are necessary for the Officers to perform their official duties, at present are paid out of the officers' own pockets, even though the tags ($345) are priced to faculty income levels. This presents a significant financial burden on these officers. Other student organization pay this expense for their Presidents and Vice Presidents, so it is moved that CGS reimburse the CGS President and Vice President for the difference in cost between an "A" and a "B" parking tag and that the CGS budget be amended to include this item. Moved by Allyson Lowe (Motion 2000-1-2), seconded by Delegate Young. Resolution is approved unanimously with no abstentions.
B. Resolution: Support University Technology Transfer Oversight Committee (TTOC) Authorization for Staff and Students to Receive Equity as Part of License of University Technology - this resolution concerns students and staff members who invent something "of value" while working at the university. When the University licenses such an invention, the creator would receive some sort of benefit, but only if the creator is a faculty member. President Meyers would like to send a letter of support for a policy initiative that would include students and staff in this licensing benefit program. Vote of support for sending this letter is unanimous with no abstentions.
V. New Business
A. Elections: Brief presentations by candidates for Vice President preceded the vote. Jennifer Pommiss received a majority of the votes cast by delegates at the meeting, becoming the new CGS Vice President effective immediately.
VI. Delegate Issues and Concerns
VII. Announcements
Next Meeting: Friday February 4, 2000 University Hall 014
VIII. Adjournment - 5:25p.m. seconded by Delegate Young (Motion 2000-1-3).
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