CUNY Graduate Center
Doctoral Students’ Council
Steering Committee Minutes

August 26, 2005

Chairperson: Stephanie Domenici
Minutes: David Golland
Meeting called to order at 6:19 p.m.
Present were Steering Committee members Celia Braxton, Ericka
Calton, Stephanie Domenici, David Golland, Lee Hachadoorian, Tina Lee,
Charles Lieberman (non-voting ex-officio), Adriana Tomasino, Brenda
Vollman, and Chong Wojtkowski. Quorum established to conduct
business.

I. Approval of Agenda.
Amendments: New item III c: Keys (Tina); item IV d: Celia
added to presenters. Motion to approve the agenda as amended.
Moved by D. Golland; seconded by T. Lee.
Motion Passed Unanimously.

II. Approval of Old Minutes. Motion to approve the minutes of the
transitional Steering Committee meeting of May 20, 2005
(without amendments).
Moved by D. Golland; seconded by T. Lee.
Motion Passed Unanimously.

III. Old Business.
a. Budget Items (Tina). T. Lee made a presentation on the
budget, which included the following items:
i. Movie tickets. Wholesale prices are changing. We’ll
buy no more until they’re needed. We’ll charge $6.00,
which is as much as we can charge legally; the
plenary authorized $6.50.
ii. Advocate advertisements and movie ticket sales
don’t count as income for the purposes of dedicated
expenditures.
August DSC Steering Committee Minutes Page 2
iii. Conferences, Publications, and Professional
Development (budget line 57) will require a new
bylaw to determine disbursement guidelines. Cultural
Affairs (line 55) will serve as a model. L.
Hachadoorian and T. Lee volunteered to handle this.
iv. Medical Test Subsidies. Motion to reduce DSC
subsidization of laboratory costs for tests taken at
the Wellness Center for uninsured students to 70%.
Moved by L. Hachadoorian; seconded by T. Lee.
D. Golland recused.
Motion passed unanimously.
v. NYPL copying. We’ll try to obtain another contract.
If that falls through, we will get Vice President
Schoengood involved and/or consider purchasing
copy cards for resale.
vi. Telephone billing. We haven’t been billed for our
telephone usage in several years. There is extra
money in the budget to cover the possibility that we
will be back-billed.
vii. Travel and research funds. The administration needs
advance notice on increases if they are to be
expected to match increased funds. As a result,
we’re not increasing that line now, but will probably
do so next year. The money we had allocated for
that increase will now be used to pay our share of
theWellness Center operating budget for the fall
semester.
viii. Motion to recommend the passage of the budget to
the plenary.
Moved by D. Golland; seconded by C. Lieberman.
Motion passed unanimously.
August DSC Steering Committee Minutes Page 3
b. Items that didn’t get paid for in 04-05 (Stef). Motion to
retroactively pay the following items:
i. Overtime for Steering Committee members who
worked the 2005 election at $200 each (P. McBreen,
S. Domenici, T.Lee);
ii. Up to $100 for food and transportation for campus
visits (S. Domenici, P. McBreen);
iii. Up to $50 for Presidential Search Committee car
service usage (S. Domenici);
iv. Up to $83 for Vistaprint (S. Domenici); and
v. The equivalent of one month’s co-chair stipend for
May overtime related to business management not
involving the Co-Chair for Business (T. Lee).
Moved by D. Golland; seconded by C. Lieberman.
T. Lee recused.
L. Hachadoorian abstained.
Motion passed (7-0-1).
c. Keys (Tina). T. Lee made a brief presentation. The new locks
and keys for the Steering Committee offices are still not
done. Steering Committee office keys were distributed to E.
Calton, L. Hachadoorian, C. Lieberman, A. Tomasino, B.
Vollman, and C. Wojtkowski. They had been signed out under
T. Lee and MUST be returned after the new locks are
installed.

IV. New Business
a. Goals and overview (Stef). S Domenici made a brief
presentation on Steering Committee member goals, parties,
business cards, and the new research grant. The deadline
for submitting grant proposals to academic programs is
10/24/05. More information will be available on the website
after Brian Schwartz writes it up. S. Domenici also talked
about outside grants and noted that the GC caps
dissertation funds at $20,000 per year. E. Calton
volunteered to work to improve that. S. Domenici talked
about the GTF, mid-level tuition remission, and recent
changes in the WAC Fellowship policy and suggested that we
August DSC Steering Committee Minutes Page 4
push for upper-level Level II students (post classes/pre
orals) to be eligible for WAC Fellowships.
b. DSC Committees (Stef). S. Domenici pointed out that there
is currently only one other standing committee in the DSC
(Health Issues) and suggested that Steering Committee
members form committees to help them address their goals.
c. GC wide bodies (Stef, Dave).
i. The College Association. D. Golland discussed this
group, which includes two DSC reps other than the
co-chairs (to be approved by the plenary). The
committee decided to seek volunteers from the
plenary.
ii. The Auxiliary Enterprise Corporation Board of
Directors. D. Golland discussed this board, which
includes two students (not necessarily DSC reps)
other than the co-chairs (to be approved by the
plenary). The committee agreed that former co-
chairs should fill those slots as a general principal
and nominated Carrie Fischer for one slot this year.
C. Lieberman volunteered to fill the other slot.
iii. Graduate Council. S. Domenici discussed vacancies on
the Curriculum and Degree Committee and the
Student Services Committee. The committee
decided to seek volunteers from the plenary.
d. Referendum and Appt. of new Health committee Chair (Dave,
Tina, Celia).
i. T. Lee outlined the current timeline and deadlines
for the petition and referendum. Thirty more
petitions will be needed within the next two weeks.
October 7 will be the probable postal deadline for
the referendum.
ii. C. Braxton and E. Calton agreed to co-chair the
Health Issues Committee.
August DSC Steering Committee Minutes Page 5
e. Miguel Malo Action Committee (Dave). D. Golland gave a
brief presentation on the case. C. Wojtkowki volunteered to
speak on behalf of the DSC at the September 6 event at
Hunter College. Motion to extend the DSC’s endorsement
(until the plenary meeting) of the position that CUNY drop
all charges against Miguel Malo.
Moved by D. Golland; seconded by T. Lee.
Motion passed 8-0-1.
f. Fall Party (Dave). S. Domenici discussed the need for
committee members to handle planning for the DSC party,
scheduled for September 23, 2005. A. Tomasino
volunteered to handle flyers and publicity. L. Hachadoorian
volunteered to handle alcoholic beverages. S. Domenici
volunteered to handle food and non-alcoholic beverages. C.
Lieberman and B. Vollman volunteered to handle
entertainment. C. Wojtkowski volunteered to handle
decorations. D. Golland volunteered to serve as the overall
point person.
g. The Steering Committee!, positions, meeting and party tasks,
office hours (Celia).
i. C. Braxton gave a brief presentation on Steering
Committee member duties and took office hours
requests.
ii. C. Braxton volunteered to serve as Office
Coordinator. C. Wojtkowski volunteered to serve as
Coordinator for International Students. L.
Hachadoorian volunteered to serve as Coordinator
for Off-Campus Students. B. Vollman volunteered to
serve as Coordinator for Students with Disabilities.
A. Tomasino agreed to find a coordinator position
that would suit her abilities and interests.
iii. S. Domenici announced the schedule of fall semester
DSC plenary and Steering Committee meetings, and
took fall meeting duty requests.

V. Other New Business. There was no other new business
presented.

August DSC Steering Committee Minutes Page 6
VI. Announcements. D. Golland announced that USS Chairperson
Lauren Fasano was unlikely to seek re-election; undergraduates
Dwight Dunkley (College of Staten Island) and Carlos Sierra
(Lehman College) seemed likely candidates. He announced that
he and S. Domenici had agreed that starting this November,
future USS Chairpersons will be invited to speak at the
November DSC plenary meetings, rather than in September.
Lauren Fasano has not confirmed her attendance at this
September’s plenary meeting; GC Ombuds Officer Rolf
Meyersohn has.

The meeting was adjourned at 8:57 p.m.

Respectfully submitted,
David Golland.