Minutes from meeting of
August 22nd 2005

Call order 6:00pm

Funding Requests

Funding Presentations

* According to Gavin, no one has really asked us for money so far. I want to know what kind of world we are living in when nobody comes begging us for money. Not the kind of world I want to be living in.
* If we don't spend this money in an interesting way then we lose it. Therefore, let us seek out the interesting. What do we know about interesting? We are getting our PhD's. We are the most boring people on earth.

PhD Comics Speaker

* This guy will be doing a book tour and will pass through our quaint little college town sometime in November.
* His comic strip has an eerie way of being funny and heartbreaking at the same time. By realizing how funny your life is, you realize how sad your life is too.
* In order to bring him here, we would have to pay a $1,500 honorarium plus travel expenses. We could have the event in the bookstore mezzanine and UPC might sponsor it with us.

Social Committee Activities

* Jena and the Social Committee have all sorts of fun things planned to help us forget our sorrows and woes.
* First, there will be a back to school BBQ on Tuesday Aug 23 in the amphitheater. Unfortunately, this will end up being cancelled due to weather. No. I am not clairvoyant. I'm just typing these minutes up after this event was to happen because I am a slacker.
* Second, there will be a happy hour once a month at the Satellite Ballroom which, contrary to popular belief, is in no way affiliated with the Astronomy Department or the Aerospace Engineering Department.
* As far as funding goes, the committee would like $650 for the BBQ (which, again won't happen) and $300 for food for the happy hour.

Funding Debate

* Not much of a debate here as we unanimously approved the $1500 honorarium plus travel expenses for the comic guy and the $650 and $300 for the social events.

Officer and Ex Officio Representative Reports

President's Report

* Gavin told us that the University Programs Council holds a Grad Student Social every year and will do so again this year. Every year, huh? Am I really that cut off from the outside world over in the Econ department that I haven't heard of this before?
* This event is set for Sept 14 from 7 until 9 pm. It will be in the Newcomb Ballroom and will have free food and drink plus a jazz pianist. I'm sorry but pianist has to be one of the worst words in the English language. Can we just do away with it and call them piano players or keyboardists? How about tickler of ivories? Wait, that might be bad too. Let's just move on.

Vice President's report

* Doug reported that there will be a Graduate Student Resource Fair on August 23 in the Newcomb Ballroom from 12 until 3. We could use some help sitting at the booth. Anyone, anyone.
* Doug looked into getting more housing available for grad students but apparently grad students use on-Grounds housing so infrequently that there isn't even a wait list for them. One big housing problem for grad students is not being able to live on Grounds during the summer.
* The more grad students complain about housing as well as other things around Grounds, the more will get done. We are just too amenable and don't like to ruffle any feathers.
* Doug is still fighting an uphill battle to get us a place to call our own somewhere on Grounds. A suggestion was made to just nail a box to a tree and call it good. I think that would be a bad idea. We don't want to go ticking the squirrels off now, do we?

Second Vice President's Report

* Minutes from our most recent clambake were distributed.
* Amazingly, they passed. I can't believe these sorry excuses for minutes pass with such ease every month. I am embarrassed at how low our standards are as a Grad Council. Does anyone even read these things? Hey, if you are reading this, prove it. Clap your hands right now.

StudCo Report

* There will be some good speakers at StudCo this year. Everyone from President Casteen to Thomas Jefferson (just seeing if anyone is paying attention).
* Gavin is making it his personal quest to swing some deals with the Athletics Department to get grad students in to games even if they are just paying research fees. I have to say, I think this is one of the best things that we have ever discussed as a Grad Council.

Honor Report

* Maria plugged a Wine (not to be confused with Whine) and Cheese get together that Honor is putting on on August 23.
* The first meeting of the school year will be next week.

UJC

* The University Judicial Committee has started recruiting people.
* Gavin seems to think what they do is really important. I'm sorry, that sounded sarcastic. I'm sure what they do really is important. I just have fun giving Gavin a hard time,

Old Business

* Heather gave us a quick run down on the summer intramural teams. There were 4 soccer teams, 2 hoops teams and 3 softball teams full of fit, athletic, high-flying graduate students.
* Rumor has it that many Arts & Sciences grad students turned down millions of dollars from the NBA, MLB, and MLS to come to UVA to learn how to touch lives, change the world, and toil in obscurity publishing esoteric academic journal articles.
* This was such a success that we would like to do it again for Fall semester. A motion was made to fund $500 for Fall IM teams. This motion passed with flying colors (unanimously).

Meeting ended at 7:30pm

Minutes from meeting of August 22nd 2005