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Minutes - 7 May 2004

In attendence were:

Absences:

Speakers

John Greisberger, Assistant Vice-President for Student Affairs and Director, Office of International Education

Since the first World Trade Center bombing in 1990, there have been many changes in national policy regarding immigration regulations and VISA policies affecting international students. Since September 11, there have been even more.

The Student Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) was created, which has brought about a huge workload for OIE. What SEVIS did was add changes to the regulations that created an electronic reporting service requiring each academic unit (4 quarters here at OSU) to report addresses, enrollment, and other information on all 4,023 international students studying at OSU. For each academic program, an international student can only be below full time status for one quarter.

SEVIS also added a fee for each VISA application. The best way to pay this is through the internet, but it must be paid through a U.S. bank before applying for a VISA. This can add weeks or months to the application process.

Current VISA requirements include that anyone applying for a VISA must have a personal interview done at a U.S. consulate. In adition, they may have to have a security check done based on their nationality, sex, and area of study. They must also have a special registration at their port of entry and can only leave at certain airports where they can do an exit interview. They will be denied reentry if they do not follow this procedure. They also must have a photograph and digital fingerprint done on entry.

This does not show that we are a very open country. Graduate applications from abroad are down 49% here at OSU and down 35% nationally. Other countries (such as Canada, UK, and Australia, for example) are thanking the U.S. for these policies because their enrollment has increased.

[Due to a computer malfunction, the remainder of the speaker's presentation and the questions from the floor are unavailable. I apologize for this.]

I. Call to Order

Meeting was called to order by Pres. Depelteau.

II. Approval of Minutes for 9 April 2004

Approved by unanimous vote.

III. Officer Reports

A. President - Jamie Depelteau

Written report submitted.

B. Vice President - Kerry Hodak

Written report submitted

C. Treasurer - Ann Farrelly

No questions or comments.

IV. Committee Reports

A. Events

Chair Patty Cunningham: Tickets are available for Duster. May Week started in 1920 and is like Welcome Week but at the end of the year. There are over 90 events scheduled this week. There is a Speed Dating event scheduled; I have flyers if you are interested. There is a Big Free Concert concert sponsered by OUAB featuring Wyclef Jean, Ludacris, and Twista.

B. Outreach and Engagement

C. Governmental Relations

D. Diversity

Chair Vikram Bedekar: The Diversity Committee strongly supports the VISA reform spoken about by our speaker. We are going to be conducting a survey about the diversity of CGS delegates. It will be available on the website. We are also going to be sponsering NCBI training in the fall.

E. Ad Hoc Committee on CGS Resolutions

V. Old Business

No old business

There was a motion by Delegate Fraser to reorder the agenda so as to bring Elections before New Business. The motion was seconded from the floor and passed by Unanimous vote.

VI. Officer Elections

No objection to Kerry Hodak being elected Treasurer

No objection to Amanda Scott being elected Secretary

No objection to Cathy Baack being elected Vice President.

Each candidate for President was given the opportunity to speak, questions were taken from the delegates, and votes were counted. Barb Pletz won the election and was named President.

VII. New BUsiness

A. Act 0304-SP-021: An Act Amending the Constitutional Duties of the Treasurer

This is a first reading on this act so no vote will be taken. This act would assign the oversight of the Ray Award to the Treasurer. Del. Pearson: Whose responsibility is it now? Currently the President decides each year to have a Ray Award Committee and includes it in the annual Act on Committees. After the delegates approve the act, the President appoints a Committee chair.

B. Act 0304-SP-022: An Act Amending the Bylaws Regarding Guest Speakers at Meetings

This is a first reading on this act so no vote will be taken. This act is to codify the existing practices for inviting guest speakers to Council meetings. Del. Pepper: Last year the delegate body voted on a speaker and the President overruled that the speaker would come to the next meeting. Would this happen again? Chair. Daniels: The situation was slightly different -- the motion called for that speaker to be on the March agenda, and the speaker did in fact appear on the March agenda; there was a dispute about where on that agenda the speaker should have been. But that incident did act as a wake-up call for us that we needed to be clearer on the procedures for this.

C. Act 0304-SP-023: An Act Establishing the 2004-2005 Delegate Apportionment

No questions from the floor. Passed by unanimous vote.

VIII. Delegate Issues and Concerns

IX. Announcements

X. Adjournment

The meeting was adjourned at 5:37pm.

Respectfully Submitted,
Cathy Baack (baack.4@osu.edu)
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