Minutes from meeting of
September 12th 2005

Funding Requests

Speaker Presentation

* Deandra Little from the Teaching Resource Center came to speak to us tonight.
* Located in Hotel D 24 East Range, the TRC was started in 1990 to help graduate instructors.
* The TRC is starting a program called "Tomorrow's Professor Today". Sounds like a good program. At the rate my dissertation is going, my grad school experience could be called "Yesterday's Grad Student Today Tomorrow and For the Rest of His Life."

Funding Presentations

Mt. Graham update and Presentation-Native American Students Union

* Anthony Guy Lopez requested funding for a forum to discuss the University's role in a new observatory in Arizona that may be compromising sacred Native American ground.
* Apparently, this issue was brought before this Council three years ago when the University was deciding whether or not to contribute to the observatory. While some Council members have been in this group for quite a while (we won't mention who they are or how long they have been working on their dissertations) but none could recall any specific funding or resolution motions which had passed.
* At that point, we looked up on old minutes from meetings from three years ago to see what had actually occurred.
* What a grand day in the life of a Second Vice-President. A use has been found for the minutes. You know, it is moments like this when my hard work pays off. I didn't write those minutes three years ago but some Second Vice-President did and because he or she had done their job, we were able to find out what we needed. When the system works, it is a beautiful thing. Excuse me, I think there is something in my eye.
* Oh, by the way, we discovered that nothing had been voted on three years ago. A motion was made to fund $1500 in travel costs conditional on the forum being fair and balanced and also conditional on the event taking place. The motion passed unanimously.


GSASC Intra-Mural Sports

* A motion was made to fund in full ($500) another semester of the fast-paced, high-flying action that is graduate student intra-mural sports. The motion passed unanimously with Gavin abstaining.


Social Committee - First Thursday Food

* A motion was made to fund the purchase of food for a second "Happy Hour" at the Satellite Ballroom in full ($275.50).
* The motion passed unanimously with the exception of Gavin's abstention (this time he was out of the room and "conveniently" missed the vote.


Social Committee - Halloween DJ

* A motion was made to fund in full ($450) the hiring of a DJ for the annual Starr Hill Halloween Party. Gavin again abstained (this is becoming a habit), but other than that the motion passed unanimously.

Treasurer's Report

* Andre says we have roughly $22,000 to play with. Mooaaah hah hah hah hah (said in an evil, sinister way with hand gestures and everything).
* Andre is also in the process of recruiting members for the oh so glamorous Budget Committee. Any takers?

Officer and Ex Officio Representative Reports

President's Report

* Gavin has been working on getting grad students in the research phase cheaper (hopefully free) tickets to go to football games. These games are a sort of coming together of the UVA community and we just want to be part of the community. We just want to be loved, is that so wrong.
* Gavin is trying to fill some spots on external university committees and boards such as the Health Insurance Committee and the Sexual Assault Leadership Board. Keep in mind, much like President Bush, Gavin isn't above cronyism in these appointments. So get in line, Cronies.
* Things seem to be going smoothly in bringing the PhD Comics guy (Jorge Charm). He has lowered his travel expenses and honorarium.
* Gavin would like us to all look into what graduate students have to pay at other universities and what they get for it and then we can compare in with what happens here. I would be willing to bet there are some differences there but I'm not going to tip my hand yet on which way those universities go.
* As there have been many instances of racial intolerance around the university community, there will be a push for adding some sort of hate crimes initiative into Honor and UJC. You know, all joking aside, racial intolerance has no place at an institution of supposed higher education. Let's start the inclusion and do away with the exclusion, People. What do you say?

Vice President's report

* Doug wants to get a list of clubs and/or organizations up on the Grad Council website so that grad students can know all the opportunities for involvement that are out there.
* The fight goes on to get a space for Grad Council. Doug got a nice yet insulting email the other day saying that we should try to go through undergraduate studco to get this space. Ironic, isn't it.



Second Vice President's Report

* Minutes from our most recent rendezvous were distributed.
* After a long and heated debate about louzy spelling, atrocious grammer, and over all poor quality of the minutes, they were passed unanimously.



GLU Report

* Maria, super economist, reported that there was a back to school picnic sponsored by the Labor Union last week.
* The GLU is currently taking suggestions for issues. What a coincidence, I am currently taking suggestions for dissertation topics. Anyone? Anyone?


StudCo Report

* Josh told us that there will be an ad hoc committee organized to look into the current string on intolerant acts.




Honor Report

* Maria reported that the faculty advisory committee will have 2 grad students on it. Maria has been really pushing within Honor for more grad student involvement since we bring most of the cases. The Grad Council needs more Marias (and Joshes and Gavins and Andres and Heathers and Dougs and Allisons and Jenas for that matter). Though the bad thing about having so many good Council members is that it makes us slackers look bad. Thanks, guys,
* Honor is also trying to make rules for appeal easier to understand. Great, how about sending that same concept on the the IRS?





UJC

* As mentioned above, UJC will try to incorporate some kind of hate crimes thing into what they do.
* Gavin was successful in bringing Andre over to UJC as another graduate member.

New Business & Departmental Concerns

Creation of standing committees for Budget, Social, and Teaching and Research

* Here is a quick update on future Social committee events: Satellite Ballroom Oct 13, Halloween Party at Starr Hill, Habitat for Humanity build, Soup Kitchen volunteer work, and tailgating party for football game.
* Jena said that having Council members send out emails to their departments announcing events has been the best advertising strategy.


Investigation of Tuition and Fees

* As mentioned above, Gavin wants to know how bad we have it compared to other grad students. I hate to break it to you, but I think we have it pretty bad. In other words, each of us will take another university and look on their website to see how much grad students there pay in research fees and how much they get for them.

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