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Officer Reports for Sept. 5th 2014
GSA Treasurer’s Report
In an attempt to promote fiscal transparency, facilitate future budgeting, and to establish
best practices in terms of the Graduate Student Association’s (GSAs) fiscal solvency, this report
is written to inform the Assembly of the logic based approach used to create this year’s budget.
In addition to educating the assembly on how projected revenue is estimated, this report will also
attempt to provide justification for expected costs. Importantly, it should be noted that the
projected revenue has been under estimated, with costs over estimated to ensure that worst case,
the GSA remains solvent and at least pays for the services guaranteed to all fee-paying graduate
students.
Projected Revenue
Currently the GSA’s only source of revenue is the mandated student fee of $22 per
semester. As a result, projected revenue can be estimated for the fiscal year by multiplying the
number of enrolled graduate students by the fee. However, initial regression analyses indicated
that using previous enrollment data did not provide an accurate enough model to ensure fiscal
stability. This is because data was only available for the past 8 years, and because there are
numerous variables (i.e., students opting out of the fee, or prematurely leaving their programs)
which increased the variability. Additionally, the increase of the mandated GSA fee for part time
students has resulted in an extra $20,000 in yearly revenue.
Generally speaking, to estimate revenue, previous administrations have used numbers
provided by University Auxiliary Services (UAS) which seem to base our revenue on number of
students who will likely be attending SUNY. This is also somewhat inaccurate. As a result, to
estimate revenue for the 2014-2015 fiscal year, enrollment records from 2006 to 2014 were
examined (see Figure 1).
Based on enrollment data over the past 8 years, several considerations in making the
budget are warranted. First, enrollment of graduate students is slowly declining. This indicates
that an appropriate budget, at least for the time being, should under estimate the enrolled
projections given to us by UAS. Second, as per Table 1, there is a higher rate of enrollment for
the fall, relative to the spring. This means that at the very least, a budget should reflect that
income will be larger in the fall, than the spring. This is not to say the GSA must use that extra
revenue in the fall semester, but rather that when considering what we can and cannot fund, we
may need to be cognizant of saving fall generated revenue, to pay spring operating costs.
On average, between the fall and spring terms, we have roughly 4,300 fee paying
members per semester (usually 4,400 students in the fall, and 4,200 in the spring). To ensure that
revenue is conservatively estimated, we subtracted 200 from this average total (generally
speaking, $100 students end up not paying the fee based on the enrollment projections we are
given), meaning that we’re estimating 4,100 fee paying students enrolled in the fall and spring
semesters. This creates a projected revenue of $180,400. Now that we have a conservative
number for estimated revenue, money will be allocated to ensure that all base operating costs can
be covered.
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Base Award Table
Services
Room Reservations
RGSO Awards
Grant Awards
Contingency Budget (at 5% of projected revenue)
GSA Welcome / End Year Events
Operations
Contractual Goods and Services
Liability and Theft Insurance
Printer Contract / Lease
Software Purchase / Renewal (Office / Antivirus)
Non-Contractual Costs
Paper
Office Supplies
Phone and Fax
Water
Officer Stipends
Stipend - President
Stipend - Vice President
Stipend - Treasurer
Stipend - MCAA Chair
Stipend - Programming Chair
Stipend - Grants Chair
Stipend - Lead Senator
Stipend - Senators
Administrative Support
Office Managers
ITS Consultant
Professional Development
NAGPS
Strategic Plan Funding - President
Strategic Plan Funding - MCAA Chair
Strategic Plan Funding - Programming
Strategic Plan Funding - Vice President
Strategic Plan Funding - Treasurer
BASE
AWARDS
180,020.00
2,000.00
35,000.00
35,000.00
9,020.00
4,000.00
SUBTOTALS
85,020.00
80,000.00
23,500.00
2,000.00
20,000.00
500.00
11,000.00
6,000.00
3,000.00
500.00
1,500.00
23,000.00
4,500.00
3,500.00
3,500.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
1,000.00
1,500.00
23,500.00
23,000.00
500.00
15,000.00
0.00
4,500.00
4,500.00
6,000.00
0.00
0.00
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Base Award Justification
As noted in the Base Award Table, the majority of funding is directed at covering GSA
services and operations. Most amounts are similar to the same budget that was approved last
year. Because projected revenue has increased, we were able to expand services by providing
printing to more students. In an effort to promote fiscal transparency, we also decomposed lines.
For example, last year most expenses were just labeled as “office expenses”. For this year we
created separate lines of funding so that the Assembly can see the types of office expenses we
use. We also attempted to divide the cost of printing and paper use, so that the Assembly may
have a better idea of how much it costs to print, and how much paper is used, so that future
administrations will have a better idea of how much money is needed to increase the total
number of prints allowed, or how much money can be saved by reducing prints.
Additionally, we also attempted to separate the costs of things such as paper and printing,
so that future e-board members can better estimate how much increasing or decreasing printing
would cost. The current estimated costs of printing and paper allow us to anticipate increased
demand given the down town printer and an influx of student traffic as a result of proactive out
reach.
Note that all costs are estimated to be maximums (i.e., whether or not we could pay if
every single graduate student used all GSA services). Previous fiscal data suggests that this is not
likely to occur, and that some of these lines of funding will likely have leftover money which
will be recycled into next year’s surplus.
Based on our under estimate of revenue ($180,400), and our overestimate of costs
($180,020), the GSA will remain solvent (with $380 left over) if ALL students use ALL
available services over the year. As per Figure 2, we are spending 47% on services, 45% on
operations, and 8% on professional development and advocacy
However, in addition to the estimate revenue, we have carried over a large surplus from
the previous fiscal year, in the amount of $92,849. Traditionally, the GSA retains a surplus of
roughly $40,000. This last surplus was so high thanks to the fiscal conservative practices
employed by my predecessor, Jess Aubrin, who worked hard to ensure that the GSA remained
solvent.
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Surplus Award Table
Services
Room Reservations
RGSO Awards
Grant Awards
Contingency Budget (at 5% of projected revenue)
GSA Welcome / End Year Events
Operations
Contractual Goods and Services
Liability and Theft Insurance
Printer Contract / Lease
Software Purchase / Renewal (Office / Antivirus)
Non-Contractual Costs
Paper
Office Supplies
Phone and Fax
Water
Officer Stipends
Stipend - President
Stipend - Vice President
Stipend - Treasurer
Stipend - MCAA Chair
Stipend - Programming Chair
Stipend - Grants Chair
Stipend - Lead Senator
Stipend - Senators
Administrative Support
Office Managers
ITS Consultant
Professional Development
NAGPS
Strategic Plan Funding - President
Strategic Plan Funding - MCAA Chair
Strategic Plan Funding - Programming
Strategic Plan Funding - Vice President
Strategic Plan Funding - Treasurer
SURPLUS
AWARDS
41,000.00
0.00
5,000.00
10,000.00
0.00
0.00
SUBTOTALS
15,000.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
26,000.00
7,000.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
10,000.00
1,500.00
1,500.00
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Surplus Award Justification
We propose to assign $41,000 of last year’s $92,849 surplus toward supplemental costs.
Like other money, the surplus funds would be fully documented and reported to the Assembly.
As previously noted, the GSA generally generates a surplus of $40,000. By allocating $41,000
toward the proposed lines (see the surplus award table above), we will still have a remaining
surplus of $52,229.
First, the need for grants is apparent. Numerous graduate students apply for grants, and
often, the overall cost of grants exceeds our awards. As a result, we suggesting supplementing
this year’s grant budget with an extra $10,000.
In addition to grants, the GSA provides money to recognized graduate student
organizations (RGSOs). An analysis of RGSO allocations suggests that the money currently
directed at RGSOs is adequate. For example, although just about every RGSO applies for the full
amount we are able to award, many RGSOs do not end up spending all of the money awarded. In
the spring of 2014, RGSOs spent, on average, 70 cents for every 1 dollar they were given.
However, as outreach from the strategic plans is carried out, there is a chance student interest in
forming RGSOs could surge. As a result, we are asking for $5,000 to be directed to the RGSO
line for additional funding if needed.
The bulk of the allocated surplus ($19,000) is currently awarded to strategic plans.
Although these plans vary, additional funding may be needed to carry them out. For example, the
Treasurer is requesting $1,500 for their strategic plan. Roughly $1,100 would go toward
iClickers for Assembly meetings, with $400 going toward internal research costs (i.e., survey
costs for the Needs Assessment). Each officer can address how their money will be used, and
will report any use of funding to the Treasurer, who will then in turn rely aggregated information
to the Assembly.
The other portion of the surplus ($7,000) within professional development is directed
toward NAGPS. This money will be used to send Assembly representatives to important NAGPS
functions located in Washington D.C., as well as Missouri. The executive board suggests to the
Assembly that investing in the relationship with NAGPS will be a worthy endeavor. This
organization is in a unique position to provide data, training, support, and networking geared
toward strengthening the Graduate Student Association.
As per Figure 3, our allocated surplus is directed toward services (37%), as well as
professional development and advocacy (63%). No surplus has been allocated to operations
(0%), as all operation costs are currently covered by our base revenue.
Total awards and amount paid to date (as of 7/26/2014, the most recent ledger provided
by UAS), can be viewed in the proceeding table.
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Cumulative Budget (Base / Surplus / Total) With Expenses
Services
Room Reservations
RGSO Awards
Grant Awards
Contingency Budget (at 5% of projected revenue)
GSA Welcome / End Year Events
Operations
Liability and Theft Insurance
Printer Contract / Lease
Software Purchase / Renewal (Office / Antivirus)
Paper
Office Supplies
Phone and Fax
Water
Stipend - President
Stipend - Vice President
Stipend - Treasurer
Stipend - MCAA Chair
Stipend - Programming Chair
Stipend - Grants Chair
Stipend - Lead Senator
Stipend - Senators
BASE
AWARDS
180,020.00
2,000.00
35,000.00
35,000.00
9,020.00
4,000.00
SURPLUS
AWARDS
41,000.00
0.00
5,000.00
10,000.00
0.00
0.00
Contractual Goods and Services
2,000.00
20,000.00
500.00
Non- Contractual Costs
6,000.00
3,000.00
500.00
1,500.00
Officer Stipends
4,500.00
3,500.00
3,500.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
1,000.00
1,500.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
TOTAL
AWARDED
221,020.00
2,000.00
40,000.00
45,000.00
9,020.00
4,000.00
2,000.00
25,000.00
500.00
6,000.00
3,000.00
500.00
1,500.00
4,500.00
3,500.00
3,500.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
1,000.00
1,500.00
PAID
2604.71
0.00
500.00
65.30
0.00
0.00
0.00
782.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
SUBTOTALS
100,020.00
565.30
80,000.00
22,500.00
782.00
11,000.00
0.00
23,000.00
0.00
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Office Managers
ITS Consultant
Professional Development
NAGPS
Strategic Plan Funding - President
Strategic Plan Funding - MCAA Chair
Strategic Plan Funding - Programming
Strategic Plan Funding - Vice President
Strategic Plan Funding - Treasurer
Administrative Support
23,000.00
500.00
0.00
4,500.00
4,500.00
6,000.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
7,000.00
3,000.00
3,000.00
10,000.00
1,500.00
1,500.00
23,000.00
500.00
7,000.00
6,000.00
6,000.00
14,000.00
1,500.00
1,500.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
0.00
23,500
0.00
41,000.00
0.00
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Concluding Remarks
The base award ($180,020) with surplus ($41,000) puts us at an estimated award of
$221,020 for the fall 2014 academic year. As noted in Figure 4, we are allocating $100,020
(45%) toward GSA services, $80,000 (36%) toward operations, and $41,000 (19%) toward
professional development and advocacy.
Importantly, as previously noted, costs have been over estimated to anticipate increased
student demands. This means that, although we are budgeting for expenses totally $221,020,
total expenses are likely to be lower. Additionally, projected revenue based on enrollment has
been under estimated, should enrollment significantly drop for the spring semester. As a result,
we can say with a great degree of certainty that next year's surplus will be at least $52,229, or
$12,229 more than what the GSA usually carries over as a surplus.
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Figure 1. Graduate Enrollment Records (fall, 2006 – spring 2014)
Graduate Student Enrollment (2006 - 2014)
6000
5000
4000
3000
2000
1000
0
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Figure 2. Pie chart of allocation of base GSA revenue
GSA BASE ALLOCATION
SERVICES
8%
47%
OPERATIONS
45%
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AND
ADVOCACY
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Figure 3. Pie chart of allocation of surplus GSA revenue
GSA SURPLUS ALLOCATION
SERVICES
37%
OPERATIONS
63%
0%
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AND
ADVOCACY
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Figure 4. Pie chart of allocation of total GSA revenue
GSA TOTAL ALLOCATION
SERVICES
19%
45%
36%
OPERATIONS
PROFESSIONAL
DEVELOPMENT AND
ADVOCACY
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GSA Summer Budget Addendum
The final report given by my predecessor covered expenses through May 1st, 2014. The
following table outlines expenses incurred over the summer. The vast majority of these expenses
were from RGSOs who had yet to hand in their final expense requests for their end of the year
events (7,958.38), and individuals seeking travel and research grants through the summer
(6,252.04). All expenses are in line with the tentative summer budget approved by the assembly
at the final meeting of the 2014 academic year.
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Vice President’s Report – Kat Slye
I still need RGSO Committee volunteers. This committee is a necessity in order to allocate money for the fall semester and the later the committee
is created the later RGSOs will get their allocations.
A reminder to review the updated RGSO handbook as things have changed. Contact myself or Caitlin if you have questions.
RGSO Training will be towards the end of September. We will let you know dates, and times as soon as possible. I plan to hold one downtown and
one or two sessions in the uptown office.
Please remember that RGSO Presidents and/or Treasurers are required to attend RGSO training.
Grants Report – Kim Berg
The Fall Grants Application window will be closing September 1. While there are just a handful of applications currently, as has been typical in
past semesters, I suspect several more students will be applying in the next week. In addition, remaining summer awardees are finishing and
submitting their reimbursement packets.
The Fall 2014 application process has remained the same as the updated procedure, introduced during Fall 2013 and moved to MyInvolvement in
Spring 2014. However, I will be developing a survey for the Graduate Student Body in the coming months, in an effort to further reform the
grants applications and procedures in order to best serve the UAlbany grad students. Therefore, I will keep the Assembly updated as this
progresses and ask that, when the time comes, you notify your constituents and ask for their participation in the survey. As one of the most widely
used programs sponsored by the GSA, more feedback will enable us to continually update and offer a more productive and valuable program.
Therefore, participation in the survey is critical to provide necessary feedback for the ultimate betterment of the grants program.
In addition, the Grants Chair and Treasurer will be looking into new allocation models that will complement feedback from the Graduate Student
Body, in order that grant funds are most appropriately awarded and distributed. We also aim to create a more competitive program, offering larger
awards for particularly strong applications. More about these new models will be discussed at future assembly meetings throughout the academic
year.
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Programming Chair Report – Hanna Pageau
- A Orientation for all graduate students was held, the numbers for Wednesday were very good and Thurday/Friday's numbers are
pending and will be wholly reported on during the Assembly meeting.
- The next event is a joint effort for a speaker with Sustainability.
- The next wholly GSA event will be a mixer for RGSO e-boards and representatives to help everyone get to know each other, foster
networking and bonding opportunities, and allow everyone a chance to meet the e-board.
MCAA Report – Amani Edwards
Nothing Reported
President’s Report – Caitlin Janiszewski
Resignations: Unfortunately, we received the resignation of the elected MCAA chair in the first week of June. As some of you know I have
become far too accustomed to resignations so I have had to be prepared at all times to find replacements for just about any position. Once I was
informed of Brittany’s resignation, I reached out to Amani Edwards who accepted and has worked as our acting MCAA chair since. We also lost
our Lead Senator this summer. Ryan Gregoire did great work, helping me review applications for Senators and Senate Council reps, and making a
critical contribution to our strategic plan. Regrettably, Ryan’s employment situation made it impossible for him to attend Senate meetings. Ryan
recommended and I agreed that Klil Neori was the best choice for an acting Lead Senator. Klil has done a fantastic job picking up right where
Ryan left off. His great work is reflected in his report.
Office: We spent most of the summer dealing with installation of new circuits and then internet. It was a very frustrating process but we were
able to open the offices on time. We have two new offices in Campus Center 307 & 308, which we will remain in for the foreseeable future due
to the Campus Center expansion project. We are working on improving the aesthetics of the offices to make it a welcoming place.
We also hired and trained new staff. We received 130 applicants and hired 4 office managers, one of which is also our IT consultant.
Bylaws: The GSA E-Board worked very hard to complete and send a new proposed set of bylaws to the bylaws committee by July 1st. We feel
that the new bylaws incorporate the spirit of what the bylaws committee originally proposed, but we hope that our contributions worked to
reduce redundancies, simplify, and clarify important elements.
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Strategic Plans: Following the bylaws, the GSA E-Board worked on a strategic plan which includes an advocacy vision statement, prepared by the
President, a professional development vision statement prepared by the Vice President, and an approval message from the MCAA Chair. In
addition to these vision statements there is a list of goals which accompany this vision. The much longer appendix includes the officer agendas
which support the strategic plan. These agendas lay out the steps we will take to achieve these goals and work towards our vision.
SUNY SA: The SUNY Student Assembly has already taken proactive steps to get input from the UAlbany community. They held a town hall
meeting at the beginning of August during which they fielded questions and engaged us about some of the goals we are proposing on our
strategic plan. Particularly the Equity and Inclusion chair is supporting us on our Ban the Box Campaign which is outlined in the strategic plan. I
have been in regular communication with our SUNY SA caucus rep Ana Lubitz. She has informed me that the fall conference for SUNY SA is
scheduled for October 17th-19th at RIT Inn / Convention Center. If anyone has any questions or concerns which should be brought to the
attention of our state-wide governance body please bring it to my attention and I will forward it to our caucus rep or the appropriate SUNY SA
director.
NAGPS: Over the summer I was appointed to the position of Employment Concerns Chair for the National Association of Graduate-Professional
Students. Our former Lead Senator, Ryan Gregoire has replaced me as the Northeast Regional Chair of Employment Concerns. In my time so far
with this group it is clear that they do two things extremely well; leadership development (best practices sharing), and legislative advocacy. I
believe very strongly that we should invest in our relationship with this argument. This year I am proposing that we use our surplus to send
students to the Legislative Action Days and the National and Regional Conferences. In the future I would like the GSA to consider using surplus
money to host a regional or national conference, or their summer leadership summit. The logistics of building this relationship begins with
participation. I believe that this professional network can be of great service to UAlbany graduate students for years to come in terms of
advocacy, professional development, and service. They are an empowering external support, but we must invest in that relationship to benefit
from them.
Lead Senator Report – Klil Neori
Dear Assembly representatives,
Ryan Gregoire, the elected Lead Senator, had to resign. With his recommendation, the President appointed me as acting Lead Senator. I will
report what we have achieved so far.
This summer did not feature Senate meetings, but involved a lot of important preparatory work, a significant portion of which had already been
performed by Ryan by the time I took over. Consequently, I was able to come in with a legislative agenda mostly in place. I am happy to report
that the President and I were able to find a Senator to replace me, and then Representatives for all Senate Council seats available to graduate
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students. We have coordinated our strategy with them in a physical meeting just prior to the start of the semester, and have been in close email
contact with Yenisel Gulatee, the Senate Secretary, who has already gotten representatives in touch with their Council chairs, with the goal of
establishing schedules suitable to all participants in each. Council meetings usually start before the first Senate meeting, so this was a critical
time for us, and we are fortunate to have been blessed with eager and qualified candidates.
The enthusiasm and engagement of our Senators and Council Representatives make me very optimistic about our capacity to advance our
legislative agenda in the Senate.
I do see fit to report to the Assembly that, like the President, I will not be able to attend the first Senate meeting on September 30th due to an
overseas conference. I have informed both the President and the previous Lead Senator of this before accepting my original appointment as
acting Senator, and we have gotten the approval of the Senate Chair for this. The first meeting is usually dedicated to orientation and voting on
Council appointments, and since we have already decided on the latter, and since we trust in the judgment of our three Senators to react to
unforeseen circumstances, we feel confident that our absence will not harm GSA interests.
I will be very happy to answer any of your questions both through email and at the Assembly, as well as at the office hours starting the week of
September 1st. If the Assembly will be kind enough to approve me, I will be thrilled to continue to serve the GSA as Lead Senator, taking up the
rest of Ryan’s term.
Sincerely,
Klil H. Neori
GSA Lead Senator (acting), University Senate
PhD Candidate, Physics Dept
University at Albany, SUNY
University Council Representative Report – Bryant Barksdale
The summer break has been slow for the University Council, and there has been no special meetings of the group as has previously happened in
past. There has been email communication though from the President’s Office on certain changes that took place over the summer:
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


The first was a notice on 6/16/14 that Dr. Lee McElroy had decided to step down from his role as Director of Athletics effective 6/30/14.
President Jones asked that stay on as his senior advisor for Intercollegiate Athletics Advancement & Engagement through the remainder of
2014. He has accepted this assignment to aid in the transition of key donor relationships that started on 7/1/14.
The second is that there are preliminary discussions between Albany Law School and the University at Albany to explore the possibility of
building on our shared mission and values to forge a deeper institutional alliance. Currently there are several joint degree programs between
our institutions. These represent a strong foundation for the development of additional programs to meet the needs of our students and
graduates in the years to come. At this stage, the conversations are informal and best described as open-ended.
Lastly there has been changes in senior leadership at the university as Provost Susan Phillips has agreed to take on a temporary role at the
University at Albany as Vice President for Strategic Partnerships, effective 9/2/14. Dr. Phillips will play a key role in navigating and managing
three major institutional initiatives over the coming year which will include efforts to deepen our affiliations with Albany Law School and
Downstate Medical Center, in addition to her ongoing oversight of the CNSE transition. Her extensive knowledge of the university’s
academic landscape and the SUNY system will be invaluable in moving us from exploratory discussions to substantive engagement. R.
Timothy Mulcahy, Ph.D., will join University at Albany as Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. He plans to assume
this role on 9/2/14 and will serve until the new permanent Provost is on board. Dr. Mulcahy served as Vice President for Research at the
University of Minnesota for eight years before retiring as Emeritus Professor of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology and Biophysics.
The first in-person meeting of the University Council will be on Friday, September 26 at 2:00 pm. I should have a lot more to report on after this
first meeting, and if there is anything urgent that develops I will be sure to share it will the assembly.