Assembly Minutes – November 1st
Sustainability Presentation
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Garden on campus.
Why? Learning, promoting biodiversity, provides a healthy food option
and educational experience.
Will need people to help run it.
Will be a heritage garden.
Minutes from October Assembly Meeting
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Approved
Edits: Clarification of statement about E-board members to give more
thorough context and information about what the note is meant to
represent.
Officer Reports
President’s Report
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Presidents Forum (worksheet and letter sent out on listserv, November
4th, time constraint issues of only having an hour, 5 issues to be brought
forward by undergraduates and graduates, formation of President’s
Forum committee combined of undergraduates and graduates,
CONTINUED UNDER ‘PRESIDENTS FORUM’)
Installation of printer at East Campus (only 1 computer currently set up –
there are steps being taken to rectify the situation with the second
computer which is currently lacking internet access)
Downtown Office set up (internet hiccup with price of installation and
getting installation at downtown campus is delaying its opening,
however, printer and computers have been ordered and delivered)
NAGPS update
UUP Visit/Wages and Benefits Committee (state campaign for better pay
for adjuncts)
Governance Council (ad hoc committee to address ‘Start Up New York’ –
see hand out for full explanation of what ‘Start Up New York’ is)
Gary: UAS relationship clarification // Caitlin: Explanation about GSA’s
‘non-agency’ relationship with UAlbany , need for clarification from the
Financial Committee, issue of SA being incorporated while we are not
because of the price of the fee to become so, Financial Regulations about
how we are able to handle or not handle our money (working on
‘demystifying’ our financial relationships with UAlbany).
Vice President’s Report
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RGSO Reimbursement (issues with people not adhering to the
requirements to get properly reimbursed)
1)
Must fulfill requirements to maintain recognized status
(committee participation, financial compliance, financial
training, MCAA Event Particiation)
2)
2 ways to get reimbursed
3)
Honorarium Reimbursement (needs clarification – needs 9-W
form or their social security number – try and assure when
doing this that UAS)
4)
We are a tax exempt entity – the GSA does not refund tax, all
RGSO’s should be keeping up with tax exempt statuses,
paperwork is available in the GSA Office.
5)
RGSO reports: inform Nic in participation of requirements
(events, committees etc.), suggestion of making something
more formal for perhaps inclusion in the by-laws
6)
Forms Location: suggestion of RGSO training of tax exempt
forms etc. (informal poll taken), suggestion to not put it
online due to possibility of anonymous use and abuse,
suggestion of secured online site for sensitive documents,
suggestion of vendor list where Tax Exempt is already filed
and approved.
7)
Clarification of MCAA participation: you must attend an event –
it does not have to be a specifically MCAA event, it can be an
RGSO-MCAA event as long as there is that label there. A
Community Service event could also count towards this
requirement. This is per semester.
Treasurer’s Report
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Budgets handed out at beginning of meeting.
RGSO Contact for Online Training: those who have not contacted Jessica
yet need to as soon as possible to participate in the mandatory training in
November. 2 Mandatory Meetings November 19th (Tuesday) from 6:307:30pm and November 21st (Thursday) from 6:30-7:30pm BOTH will be
in the Levitt Room at the Downtown Campus. Multiple people from each
organization can attend. The mandatory meeting is to attend either or, or
both meetings. It is not mandatory to attend both.
Budget Passed by Unanimous Consent
Grants’ Report
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Deadline was October 1st – 45 grant applications (35 professional 10
research), budget is $14,000, Grant Evaluations almost complete – letters
projected to go out in the next few weeks.
Spring applications will be due at the end of January.
Looking to move from an e-mail application system towards a fully online
system. Meeting about this process will be Thursday November 7th, 2013.
Programming Report
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President’s Forum on November 4th, 2013 – breakdown of agenda, plans
to swipe cards so people can be included in a feedback process and
promote interest in President’s Forum Committee.
Committee formed.
Survey Monkey poll will be sent out about the RGSO’s suggestions and
opinions about what they would like to see from Programming for the
Spring semester.
“Finals and Food”: food etc. in office during finals, possible bake-off
competition (logistics will be discussed at a later point). Suggestion of
donation of food – issues however, land with liability so the EGSO’s drive
was mentioned as an alternative for people to donate while keeping the
bake-off as a fun contest to give graduate students some finals snacks.
Gary’s Report
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University Council Committee: Issues in terms of how the university
contracts work with donations (names on stadiums etc.), not a lot that
pertained to graduate students.
Senator’s Report
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Faculty Senate: new committee (Campus Advisory Committee) was
formed that looks at CNSE transition from the UAlbany side of things –
committee of 18, President’s Forum discussed, charter amendment
CAFECOR () – looking at disbanding because they can not actually do
what they are chartered to do – the faculty was quite upset about this and
wanted it retasked (65% in favour, failed due to no 2/3rds rule)
“Start Up New York”: discussion of how to form committees and groups in
regards to this issue.
UUP Presentation
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Contingent Labor
Bret Benjamin – President of the Albany chapter
Contingent Faculty: 44% (ish) of Albany are contingent (meaning nontenure track), most of these are adjuncts teaching 1-2 courses, 50 or less
of these people are full-time lecturers working on year to year contracts.
Jump from 25% to over 40% in only 30 years.
This includes Graduate Students who have moved pass assistantships to
equivalent positions as an adjunct lecturer.
The wages received are well below poverty level.
Pushing for an increase in pay per course of up to $5,000. (Suggested
pushing it up to as much as $7,000 by other orgs outside of UUP.)
Need for a minimum salary – adjunct labor is the only labor in the state
system that does not have a ‘minimum’.
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Contact: bret.benjamin@gmail.com
Concerns about the increase of price in regards to having to cut the ability
to have adjuncts because of the cost. 9 days furloughed from UUP
employees which they would like to see go right towards instruction and
teaching budgets.
Wages and Benefits Resolution (moved from end due to being on topic)
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1 edit: addition of the word ‘contract’ at the end of the last sentence of the
resolution itself.
Clarification of a vague notation about where and when to implicate this
per department.
Arguments for and against using either $5,000 or $7,090 (concerns of loss
of adjuncts, tuition raises on the greater SUNY state wide front, showing
solidarity, Caitlin will be showing the resolution and presenting it to the
SUNY Student Assembly).
Vote taken about change – vote not passed, number to remain $5,000.
Important Note: MLA number is from the Humanities – its implications in
other departments is not known.
UUP Edit Suggestions: “one year at most” changed due to being
inaccurate, change MLA number language referring to “market baseline”
to “rather than the UAlbany typical salary” to also be more accurate and
‘tighter’ in jargon (accepted unanimously by assembly).
Resolution passed.
Old Business
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Graduate Associations
1) 2 other organizations suggested beyond NAGPS
2) All are about the same price
3) NAGPS is the only one that is focused solely on graduate student
governance and advocacy.
4) Motion from the President: $500 from President’s budget for one
year membership. (Motion accepted by assembly.)
RGSO Funding and Applications
1) Working with the constitution committee to update things.
New Business
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Interdisciplinary Teaching Programs (Melissa Murata) LPRSP
1) Reaching out to underprivileged Middle and High School kids
2) November 14th – it will be around 6pm (Location: GSA Office)
3) New Program: a local prison to be added to mission
4) Gain teaching experience.
5) Must be a graduate student – do not have to be in a specific phase
(PhD phase or ABD not required).
6) Contact: mmurata-gomez@albany.edu
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President’s Forum Committee
MCAA Report
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Decolonizing Language program happened this week.
Joel is proposing his stepping down due to time constraints, but he
wishes to stay on the committee. He will be stepping down officially on
December 4th and finishing the events that are already in the works. This
will be voted on at the December 4th assembly meeting.