Graduate Student Council Minutes

March 19, 1997

6:05pm Call to order.

Secretary's report: We disussed the possiblility of makng "Gradlines" a feature of the GSAS council website. We might consider posting the minutes there and perhaps other information about upcoming events, as well.

Treasurer's report: GSCAS has $6,010.13.

Publishing Forum: We voted to fund the Publishing Forum for up to $1200.00.

Funding requests: We approved a further grant of $600 to the graduate conference in English to help pay for Michael Valdez Moses's travel expenses.

We heard a request for funds from the graduate students in Art and Architecture who are putting together a journal on the history of Central European architecture. We decided to delay granting the request until we find out whether the probable imminent demise of the Center for Eastern European Studies will affect the project.

President's Report: The Board of Visitors needs to know that UVa needs a central mechanism to bring speakers to grounds.

Although the Women's Center and individual departments do their part, there should really be a university lecture series of some kind. Contact Kristine Lalonde (History) if you support this; she has the ear of the B of V.

Health Committee Report: Julie Theoret (Math) reported that the Health Committee plans to expand the Student Health Center so that mental health services can be located in the same place as the other student health services. We discussed whether or not this is a good thing; someone suggested that the Psych people won't be as willing to volunteer their services if the counseling services move off their turf.

Julie also reported that the QualChoice plan has more enrollees than the TriGon plan did; also, QualChoice has terrific support for pregnancies. ("Get pregnant on QualChoice," was the way she put it. "They pay for everything.")

Contact Julie if you have any knowledge about graduate students getting university-funded health insurance at a public institution.

The meeting adjourned at 6:48.