CUNY Graduate Center
Doctoral Students’ Council
Steering Committee Minutes – DRAFT

October 5, 2007

Attendees: Greg Donovan, Rob Faunce, Adele Kudish, Anton Masterovoy, Nancy
Medina, Denise Torres, Danielle Wu
Absent: Alissa Ackerman, Brenda Vollman

Chair: Denise Torres (DT)
Minutes: Anton Masterovoy (AM)

Meeting commenced at 6:12pm

I. Approval of Agenda

Rob Faunce (RF) makes addition of the topic of Master Plan under part IV. New
Business, section (a).

Motion to approve agenda: RF, 2nd by Greg Donovan (GD), approved by unanimous
consent

II. Approval of Old Minutes

RF will make change to the erroneous title of the August 31, 2007 minutes (From
Steering Committee Agenda to Steering Committee Minutes).

Brenda Vollman (BV) made changes to the erroneously written numbers in old minutes

Motion to approve: RF, GD seconds. Approved by unanimous consent.

III. Old Business
a. Eligibility of Reps:
RF indicates that we have 67 confirmed reps, including one from Liberal Studies who
just got approved. One of the reps is too early in the program to be confirmed, but was
invited to join the DSC as a non-voting member and will have full certification next year.
Five people were told by Student Affairs that they were not certified. There is no process
of appeal and the lack of certification seems to be based in misunderstandings of
incompletes on the Reps’ records.

Danielle Wu (DW) says that as one of the people who were not certified she was called
by Ellise Perram of Student Affairs to point out her ineligibility to serve due to an
incomplete. This has since been resolved but the problem of a lack of clarity in the
certification process and a lack of a grace period to resolve the issue remains.

Present members suggest that we need to ask for this situation to be corrected, and the
certification rules, as they were just implemented, clarified.

RF says that we need to establish a position that students who appealed their lack of
certification will keep their positions and rights within the DSC. We will contact Student
Affairs in two weeks.

DT points out that as more people will be elected this winter we need a clear policy.

b. Nurse Practitioner Update

DT reports that substantial progress on the issue has been made. By next week some
indication might come from Student Affairs on when the Health Center will be fully
operational.

The Chair (DT) says that at 6:25pm the Committee went into the Executive Session to
discuss the Nurse Practitioner situation.
Executive session ended at 6:33pm

c. Approval of gifts to outgoing Executive Committee members.

RF makes motion to table the issue, GD seconds, approved by unanimous consent

IV. New Business

a. Master Plan

RF reports that the Master Plan was not discussed in May. It makes barely any mention
of graduate life. RF suggests that the DSC needs to make a general response to the Plan.
At the Plenary student reps will be asked to tell their constituents to read and submit
bullet point comments on the Master Plan. Responses to be sent to RF.

RF asks if there are any questions. Adele Kudish (AK) suggests that RF in an
introduction to the Master Plan proposal needs to make clear what the Plan is and what
the students are being asked to do.

All present discuss the Master Plan and possible response.

DT (Chair) moves to (b)

b. Eligibility of Reps

BV will be leaving the Executive Committee for personal reasons by November 1st. DT
will take over as the runner-up for the position. BV may move as an at large Steering
Committee member. However, these decisions must be decided at the Plenary meeting,
where an election for the position will have to be called. To facilitate the transition, BV
will help train DT.

RF moves to untable III (c) Approval of Gifts to outgoing Executive Committee
Members, GD seconds the motion

Nancy Medina (NM) leaves at 6:50pm

RF motions for the approval of gifts for Dave Golland, Chung Wojtkowsky, Ericka
Calton, Brenda Vollman for the total price of $329.95. GD seconds the motion, approved
by unanimous consent.

c. Fall Party

RF has a list of tasks for Committee members to sign up for. DT asks if there is anything
to discuss on this issue. BV will inform the Committee on the exact amount budgeted for
the party. GD asks and DT explains the need to get security clearance, especially for
those staying late and cleaning up after the event. Cleaning and decorating duties are
discussed. DT points out that the Facilities would set up the chairs for the Plenary and the
party. GD asks about the source of music (DJ). RF replies that we will use pre-loaded
Ipods for the purpose.

d. Approve bereavement donations

RF motions to approve a $100 donation to NM’s charity of choice in honor of her late
father and a donation to the American cancer Society in honor of RF’s mother. AK
seconds the motion, approved by unanimous consent.

e. Discussion of possible speaker for the 11/16 Plenary

We were asked to have someone from the Earth/Environmental Sciences speak to
introduce the program, which Committee members agree to. Also a representative of the
Day Care center will come to speak to the Plenary as well.

The Chair (DT) moves on to the next item.

V. Student Affairs Report (GD)

a. Outreach Strategies

GD reports that he had created a TextMob account and a Facebook account for easier
communication within the DSC. Committee members are urged to sign up for both so
they can be tested. Both accounts are for communication, outreach purposes and would
not be used often.

b. Elections Process

GD reports that as the current system of voting in GC is not very efficient he has a list of
all the e-voting systems that other CUNY colleges use. He will contact them all, but at
the moment sees votenet.com as the better choice. The issue will be raised with Student
Affairs.

c. Chartered Organizations

GD reports that he has received petitions for either new organizations or renewals of
those already existing. He will create a general web page to clarify the process.

VI. Communications Report (RF)

a. Media Board Report

RF reports that we have let go our Webmaster. GD created a website that will allow us to
update it easily. The new site is hosted by Research Computing.

b. Website update

GD reports that he has made the site. It has new initiatives on it, it explains, in brief, the
goals of our committees. The Steering Committee members need to proofread the DSC
initiatives on the website.

c. Meetings with Administrators report

RF reports on the meetings and communication with school Administration. The Steering
Committee is informed that most of our technology requests have been fulfilled.

AK leaves at 7:33pm

VII. Business Report

BV is absent.

a. Wellness Center

Report made earlier (see III (b)

VIII. USS Report (Alissa)

Alissa is absent.

IX. Committee reports

DW asks how would she and the Outreach committee start the campus visits. DT and BV
will discuss the budgeting issues for this committee. GD suggests that by involving
students at other CUNY campuses in the planning of the Outreach committee visit a
better turnout will be achieved. DT suggests that a coffee hour is a good format for these
events.

DT reports on the Health Issues committee. The Wellness center wants the committee to
help with its projects. There will be tabling events to inform the student body about these
projects and the committee itself. Potential events for the commemoration of AIDS Day
are discussed. Screening of the film Sicko is discussed, with the necessity of getting a
properly licensed copy.

AM reports on the emails sent by his Library Committee to its members and their
concerns. These include computer technology, the quality and quantity of the library
collections, printer output control, the possibility of getting recycled paper, and the
transparency of the sources and uses of the library budget.

The Steering Committee members discuss the need to make the Constitution and the
Bylaws Committee active.

X. Announcements

None

XI. Adjournment

Motion to approve GD, DW seconds, approved by unanimous consent.

Chair (DT) adjourns the meeting at 7:50pm

Submitted by Anton Masterovoy at-large member of the Steering Committee on October
12, 2007