Council of Graduate Students
First Winter Quarter Meeting
January 8, 1999
University Hall, Room 014
Present: Officers: Kathleen Carberry (presiding), Elizabeth Loentz, Tracy Paul. Voting Delegates: Norman Arancon, Homero Cantu, Candace Cherrington, Jill Coleman, Kelly Costner, Jeremiah Groom, Courtney Hopper, Alana Kumbier, Ryan Landi, Karen Maresh, Lauren McClanahan, Jeffrey Mielke, Lisa Perry, Brian Rivera, Elizabeth Rothermich, Kristina Secnik, Carla Taylor, Sangeetha Venkatraman, Bryan Wilkerson. Non-Voting Delegates, Committee Representatives, Senators, CRGS Representatives and Guests: Anita Chatterjee, Renee DeLoss, Mitch Finke, Erich Guy, Judith Hoza, Scott King, Cheng-Ta Li, Ron Meyers, Dean James M. Siddens, CGS Advisor, Rebecca Selleck and Kim Simon.
The meeting was called to order at 3:35 p.m. January 8, 1999, with President Carberry presiding.
I. Guest Speakers
A. Judy Hoza, Office of Transportation and Parking, "Update on Campus Bus System."
Ms. Hoza distributed brochures detailing current CABS routes and COTA routes available on or near campus. She also made available detailed "bookmark" schedules of all CABS routes. She noted that there have been few complaints about CABS despite delays caused by inclement weather. She then distributed a summary of the "On the Bus Survey" results and ridership statistics.
Ron Meyers asked Ms. Hoza how schedule information was currently publicized. She answered that the "bookmark" schedules are available on the bus. President Carberry offered to include schedules in our next mailing. Scott King queried whether the schedules were available on the web. Ms. Hoza answered that they were. Ron Meyers inquired about CABS' budget. Ms. Hoza explained that CABS is subsidized by parking fees, and that it is a no fare, no i.d. required service. The improvements instituted in Autumn Quarter, which doubled CABS service, cost $ 1.5 million, whereas a new garage would cost $10 million. Transportation and Parking believes that $1.5 million make a greater and more immediate impact when spent for CABS than for parking. She noted that, while it is impossible to judge the precise impact CABS has on parking availability, CABS service appears to have compensated for the reduction of parking in Central Campus lots. The next survey, which will be conducted this month (there will be a mass e-mail with a link to the web survey) will ask respondents how CABS has impacted their parking habits. Anecdotal evidence suggests that many use the core circulator to travel to meetings, etc. throughout campus rather than driving, as they had done previously. She noted further that the autumn survey prompted 5600 responses.
Scott King inquired about the utilization of West Campus Parking. Ms. Hoza replied that while figures are not available, West Campus lots appear much fuller than in recent years.
President Carberry thanked Ms. Hoza for Transportation and Parking's consistent cooperation with CGS and their interest in the needs of graduate students. Ms. Hoza invited individuals to address further questions and comments to her at hoza.4@osu.edu
B. Mitch Finke, Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA), "COTA Bus Referendum January 26-27, 1999."
President Carberry introduced Mr. Finke, noting that a COTA referendum will be held late this month to determine whether the OSU/COTA partnership ($9 per quarter per student fee for unlimited use of COTA services and improved campus area service) will continue.
Mr. Finke showed a promotional/educational video on COTA services available to students. He then distributed a packet of information on the COTA referendum campaign (including volunteer information, "COTA/OSU Partnership Facts", "Everything you wanted to know About COTA"). He summarized the information detailed in the packet and invited graduate students to participate in the campaign. He further made sweatshirts available to those interested in volunteering.
President Carberry added that Scott King has been serving on the COTA Advisory Committee.
II. Officer Reports
A. President
President Carberry referred Council to her written report. She added that she had attended a small group forum concerning the Gateway Project, and distributed to Council a survey on the project. She also distributed information on the Gateway Project and encouraged graduate students to attend the small group forums hosted by Campus Partners. Ron Meyers added that it is important that graduate student input be heard early in the project. He added that the survey distributed by President Carberry had been prepared by USG and noted that undergraduate participation in the forums had been considerably greater than the graduate student presence. Delegate Cantu observed that there is no mention of Campus Partners in the survey, and that this is somewhat misleading.
President Carberry informed Council that OSU had been mentioned in recent articles in USA Today, and that she would include them in the next mailing.
III. Committee Reports
Due to time constraints committee reports were submitted in writing.
IV. Old Business
There was no old business.
V. New Business
There was no new business.
VI. Delegate Issues and Concerns
President Carberry suggested that Council discuss the COTA referendum, and determine our stance on the issue. She explained that we could support the continuation of the COTA/OSU partnership (noting that the G-QUE survey revealed that graduate students were overall satisfied with the COTA/OSU partnership); we could remain neutral, and merely provide students information on the issues; or we could opt not to support the renewal of the contract.
Scott King, CGS representative to the COTA Advisory Board, provided further information on the issue. He noted that while he personally is not anti-COTA, he believes that COTA's information to students has been misleading. He believes that COTA is profiting from the partnership with OSU. The statistics given by Mr. Finke were a projected 1999 budget, and they did not take into account that not all riders on the routes serving the campus area are students. The figures given did not account for the revenues collected from non-student fare-paying riders. He was also dissatisfied with COTA's inability to provide concrete numbers for indirect costs. Mr. King noted further that COTA had not incorporated input from the Advisory Committee, which was excluded from most negotiations, and that COTA seemed especially unconcerned about graduate student interests in particular. This is especially troubling considering that the referendum does not distinguish between undergraduate, graduate, and professional students. Graduate students would not, as a group, have the option to opt in or out of the program.
President Carberry noted that a lower per quarter fee had been suggested. While that was rejected, a compromise will freeze the fee at $9 for 5 years; and the university believes that while COTA may make money early in the program, tables may turn by the end of the five-year period. Ron Meyers added that USG has also felt excluded from the process, and that although they had also wanted a reduction in the $9 fee, they now support the $9 fee.
President Carberry and Scott King agreed that while there have been serious problems in the way negotiations have been handled and in the information distributed by COTA, the COTA/OSU partnership is nonetheless overall advantageous for students. Mark Garrett likewise agreed, and suggested that CGS draft a letter to express the wish that the committee be taken more seriously. President Carberry noted that there have also been problems in the way the committee itself has been run by its student chair. She suggested that we could also support the program with reservation. Elizabeth Loentz proposed that CGS pass a resolution to support the program with the conditions that graduate students will have a voice in further decisions and implementation. Ron Meyers suggested that CGS draft a letter to senior administrators of COTA to express our concerns.
Delegate Cantu stated that he did not think that students who do not personally use COTA services should be required to pay a fee. Scott King suggested that we pass a resolution to encourage students to vote at the referendum but do not endorse either a yes or no vote. Delegate Rivera disagreed, advocating that graduate students not vote at all. Delegate Kristina Secnik agreed with Scott King's suggestion that CGS encourage students to vote as they see fit. A straw poll revealed that no delegates supported endorsing an unconditional yes vote, 7 supported endorsing a yes vote while expressing reservation, 8 believed CGS should remain neutral but encourage students to vote, and 1 delegate supported endorsing a no vote. A formal resolution was deemed unnecessary, as the majority favored a neutral stance.
VII. Announcements
Delegate Rivera distributed information on the Research Forum and encouraged students to publicize the Forum in their areas. He noted that judges are needed.
Next Meeting: Friday, February 5, 1999, 3:30-5 p.m., University Hall 014.
VIII. Adjournment
Motion to adjourn (Motion 99-1-1) made by Delegate Rivera, seconded by Delegate Cherrington. Motion passed unanimously. The meeting was adjourned at 4:55 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Elizabeth Loentz
CGS Secretary
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