Meeting Notes - 01 October 2012
Ed Barnaby
New here, learning alongside the graduate school. Increased focus and role for the graduate school. More central management of budgets and programs. Increase university investment in graduate programs. More funding, more types of funding. Currently working on streamlining/reducing bureaucracy. Will work with Zelikow and Trella on projects (including Maternity Leave Policy). Has been meeting with various DGSs to understand what various programs are doing. Ed has background in English literature. He came from Yale where he worked with 3 other deans on graduate students, but he directly oversaw arts and humanities. Leaning now about the science programs, in general and at UVa.
Currently working on:
- overhaul of gradaute student website. streamlining and adding more relevant information. Hope to have the finished by January. Feedback by the end of the month would be great.
- maternity leave policy
- working with the library on electronic dissertation submission for arts and sciences. Discussing indexing issues with the library. Hoping to have policy in place the end of the current Semester.
- working with folks on how electronic dissertation submission can change the form of dissertations (e.g., multimedia, form of dissertation, file types of archive)
Questions:
Q1: What about issues publishing books if the dissertation is available online? A1: UMI allows embargos of material. This tends to happen more for patentable ideas or protection of sources (e.g., politics). Historically publishers haven't been worried about this, but perhaps the immediacy of data on the internet is what's prompting new concerns. The UVa electronic system has embargos as an option. Planning to add education to graduate students about how publishing online changes this and copyright.
A2: Plagiarism is also an issue, maybe there is a way to make the text not copyable from pdf files.Is this worth looking into?
Q3: Will you be required to submit an electronic version? A3: Yes.
Q4: What happened to the dissertation year fellowship? We'll be talking to you about that later. A4: The money was definitely given to departments. What exactly happened after that is up to the departments.
Q5: Internal fellowships are fine, but we're not getting trained in applying for funding if these go away. A5: Grant writing training was brought up with Phil Trella, and it is spotty here.
Committee Updates
Initiatives - Crystal
Meeting with Trella on the Maternity Leave Policy. He's already met with Deans about a similar policy.
Initiatives is preparing to send a survey out to departments via the reps. Has already gotten information from the DGSs.
Professional Development - Madison & Elle
Met a week ago, to make plans for Grad Days. Are having trouble finding people in other grad/professional schools to help with planning, if you know people send them to Madison or Elle.
Research Committee - Evan & Kaycie
Huskey will be March 27th.
Social Committee - Trish
Upcoming Events
Homecoming Tailgate: 13 October, Garden IX, time TBA.
- need to borrow coolers for tailgate
- cornhole or ladderhole sets
GSASC/Batten happy Hour: 6pm 18 October
02 November: Halloween Party.
Wine and Cheese: trying for 11 October
Draught Revisions
Trying to bring that back and involve other schools. Rotating schedule to pair up two different schools at a bar.
Purchase cups to give out with a specific color. Other schools would have a different color.
Publicizing Events
GSASC Connections
Publicize via the reps.
Logos
Trish will email them around.
Budget - Mike
Funding request page updated.
See Mike if you need a nametag or the one you have is correct.
Guidelines for funding from the By-Laws
Funding requests
Requests must be approved by the Council and the University.
Tailgate for Homecomings Game
$708 request to go along with athletics funding of $400.
motion to fund, seconded. passes unanimously.
Happy Hour: With Batten
$400 request, budget council recmmends funding at $200 b/c batten only contributing $75.
Motion to fund at $200, seconded. passes unanimously.
Halloween Party
$1600 request. Motion to fund, seconded, passes unanimously.
VA Policy Review Trivia Night
$210 requested, recommendation to not fund because there was insufficient information.
Motion to follow committee's recommendation (not fund), seconded, passes unanimously.
Student Council Budget
Approving budget would mean that items obviously in line with this amount would not require a budget vote.
Q: So if this passes, would Huskey just get the money? A: Yes, but it's subject to University approval.
Q: What is discretionary spending? A: Items which don't fit into the other categories would possibly use funds from this.
If you have comments, send them to the committee via finances.
Student Council - Adam Lees
Need a second StudCo rep. Possibly a third.
Grad Affairs committee is finally going. They're working on similar things to Grad Council.
Student Council is the administrative body for students at UVa.
They are exploring options to add a voting student member to the Board of Visitors. Are still in the study phase.
Moran Fisher - Peer Dissertation Writing Groups
Putting together a workshop to organize peer dissertation writing groups which would then meet weekly. if you have questions, contact her.
15 October is the first workshop from 5-7pm at the OpenGrounds space.
- Divided up into related discplines and then have a 3 minute thesis presentation then divide people into groups.
- Funding is available, so there will be food.
Will send out information via the GSASC list.
Vince Kan - Optical Society of America
Professional society for people who work with optics. Planning to hold bi-weekly colloquiua. Planning subsidized industry tours. Planning outreach with local schools.
Recruiting party later in the month, 1-2 weeks from now. A Thurs or Friday of one of those weeks, will provide food.
Comments and Concerns
Committees meet Mondays in here, come join.
Next meeting is 05 November.