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COUNCIL OF GRADUATE STUDENTS

SPECIAL MEETING

July 9, 1999

Ohio Union Grey Suite K

Present: Officers: Kathleen Carberry (presiding), Candace Cherrington, Sabiha Daudi, Tracy Paul. Voting Delegates: Yasar Alptekin, John M. Brockman, Homero Cantu, Anil Challa, Briggs Cormier, Edwin England, Mark Hicar, Jeffrey Mielke, Elizabeth Rothermich, Kristina Secnik, Vikas Sinha, Tara White. Non-Voting Delegates, Committee Representatives, Senators, RGC Representatives, and Guests: Elizabeth Loentz, Brian Rivera, John Shea.

The meeting was called to order at 3:40 p.m. July 9, 1999, with President Kathleen Carberry presiding.

I. Approval of Minutes

Minutes from the meeting on May 21, 1999 were not yet available.

II. Officer Reports

  1. President

    2. President Carberry referred Council to her written report. There were no questions from Council.

  2. Vice President

    3. Vice President Candy Cherrington referred Council to her written report. There were no questions from Council.

C. Treasurer

Treasurer Tracy Paul distributed and presented the budget report for May 1998 - June 1999. Delegate Brockman inquired about the deficit in the office supply budget line. Treasurer Paul explained that these expenses occurred as CGS had moved offices during this past year. Some of the expenses included changing the address on all office stationery, and equipping the new office. Delegate Hicar asked about the source of CGS' self-generated funds amounting to $2000.00. President Carberry informed Council that this money comes from the student fee statements where the student has the option to check off a $1 donation to student government.

III. Committee Reports

  1. Executive Committee

    2. President Carberry reported that the Executive Committee had met on July 1. Items discussed included the Orientation and Organization & Elections matters and these will be discussed at today's meeting.

  2. Organization & Elections Committee

    3. Vice President Cherrington announced that she needs more committee members for the Research and Graduate Council, a very active committee. She stated that it provides valuable learning experiences to graduate students. Former CGS Secretary Elizabeth Loentz agreed and encouraged students to participate, representing CGS interests on this university-wide forum.

  3. Orientation Committee

    4. Vice President Cherrington invited Council and guests to volunteer at the Welcome Party on Sept. 24. She expressed interest in getting as many new members involved as possible. Additionally, through this effort, she would like to see at least a 10% increase in delegate representation.

  4. Professional Development Fund Committee

    5. Interim chair Brian Rivera reported that as of the beginning of the meeting, 65 applications have been received for Summer Quarter 99. He stated that this provides a healthy indicator that this program is progressing nicely. The service of two faculty advisors has been secured, Dean James Siddens and Dr. Christine Stanley. Two more at-large faculty representatives are still needed and interim chair Rivera asked for suggestions to be e-mailed to him.

IV. Old Business

There was no old business.

V. New Business

Vice President Cherrington explained the election procedures to Council. Briggs Cormier, nominee for Treasurer, introduced himself and presented his reasons for seeking the position. There were no questions. He was elected to the position of Treasurer.

Vice President Cherrington then announced that Ron Meyers had nominated himself for the position of president. This was done through email as he was unable to be present at the meeting. Hearing no other nominations, Delegate Hicar motioned (Motion 99-3-22) to close nominations for the position of President, motion seconded by Delegate Cantu. Motion passed unamimously. She announced that this election would take place at the first regular meeting of the summer on July 23.

VI. Delegate Issues and Concerns

Delegate Cantu raised a concern over the logistical details in the nomination and election of CGS officers. He felt that the summer quarter is not a suitable time for nominations and elections as a number of possible candidates are not on campus during this time. He suggested that nominations for officers be held earlier than Summer Quarter, preferably close to the beginning of Spring Quarter. Delegate Cantu motioned (Motion 99-3-23) to change the timing of elections since he felt Summer Quarter was not effective, motion seconded by Delegate Brockman.

President Carberry informed Council that the CGS bylaws already call for officer elections to be held during the Spring Quarter. Due to the lack of candidates for president and treasurer at the regular Spring election meeting, Council had voted at that time to postpone elections until summer due to the unusual circumstances. Therefore, the current procedures are in accordance with the CGS constitution and bylaws which allow for changes in established procedure via Council vote. COTA committee member Scott King commented that CGS cannot hold up elections for a full quarter hoping to get additional nominations. Delegate Cantu explained that his concerns were only related to the procedural issues and not the nominees themselves. He also suggested that different venues be used for casting ballots, such as e-mail. Delegate Brockman suggested that this issue be revisited during the second meeting of the Summer Quarter. Upon hearing this suggestion, Delegate Hicar motioned (Motion 99-3-24) to table the previous motion (99-3-23) made by Delegate Cantu. Motion was seconded by Delegate Rothermich. Motion passed.

Delegate England queried as to why there was not enough interest in participating in CGS activities, as this is an important platform for graduate students. President Carberry explained that the positions of the President and Vice President are Graduate Assistantship positions. Most full time graduate students are already on teaching or research assistantships in their departments which are considered as a part of their professional development. Therefore, some students are reluctant to take an administrative GA position. Based on her own experience, President Carberry did not share this view and stated that her time with CGS had been a great learning experience and professional development opportunity. She proceeded to discuss the Secretary and Treasurer positions. These are volunteer positions which have eligibility requirements. Some students feel their departmental commitments do not allow for the extra time to be spent on matters other than those which are academic. PDF Interim Chair Brian Rivera shared his own example where he is on a scholarship which does not let him run for an officer position. Delegate Cantu suggested that an e-mail survey be conducted for exploring the lack on interest in CGS officer positions.

Responding to another concern of Delegate England about the effectiveness of CGS, President Carberry proceeded outline some of the accomplishments of CGS during the past year, emphasizing that it is open to all graduate students in the university. The following are some of the issues that have been addressed in the past two years and are ongoing:

Delegate Cantu mentioned an article in the Lantern where President Carberry was quoted as being against unionizing student employees. President Carberry stated that this was a misrepresentation. She has been actively involved in discussions about graduate student unionization not only at The Ohio State University but at a national level as well. PDF Chair Brian Rivera informed Council that President Carberry has recently been elected to serve the National Association of Graduate and Professional Student (NAGPS) as their vice president.

Another matter of concern to students was the news item which suggested that there has been a decrease of two million dollars for student stipends. President Carberry informed Council that this information was not accurately portrayed and there has not been any policy change in either stipend amounts or the number of funded positions available, according to several sources including Provost Ray, Vice President Shkurti and Dean Huntington. These individuals have shared with her that the reduced amount is due to a decline in the number of graduate student enrollment and that stipends have actually increased by four percent for the next year.

VII. Announcements

Vice President Cherrington announced that the election for the position of president will be conducted during the next meeting on July 23, 1999. She also invited applications for the various committee positions.

VIII. Adjournment

Delegate England motioned (Motion 99-3-24) to adjourn the CGS meeting. Delegate Cantu seconded. Motion approved and meeting adjourned at 4:45 PM

Submitted by Sabiha S. Daudi

Secretary

July 20, 1999
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