Graduate Council Meeting Minutes

Wednesday, April 7, 2004

207 McDonough at 12 noon

In attendance: Dave McShaffrey (Chair), Sue DeWine, Laura Little, Cathy Brown, Sharon Douglass, Gloria Stewart, Dan Huck, Janet Becker, Corina Gerczak, Carolyn Backus, Mark Sibicky, Tina Ullman, Jim O’Donnell; visitor: Dottie Erb.

Meeting minutes from March 31, 2004, were approved.

Items:

Fees for part time graduate students: McShaffrey reported on his meeting with Vice President for Administration and Finance Dan Bryant in re charging part time graduate students activity fees: activity fees pay for the rec center, health services, CUB, and various programs; fees will help fund graduate student travel grants; fees for next academic year would be rolled into graduate tuition rates which causes a 9-12% tuition increase. Members discussed the issue at length and concluded that part time graduate students should be given the option whether or not to pay the activity fee. Those paying it will be eligible to use the services listed above and to apply for travel grant money; those that don’t pay it, will be ineligible. Since the president’s tuition letter has already been sent to graduate students, a correction letter will need to be sent explaining the fee removal/tuition reduction.

Travel grant applications: Council received 15 applications from M.S.P.A.S. students for costs related to attending their national conference in Las Vegas and applications from 2 M.A.P. students are expected to arrive this week. The motion to allot $4800 to the M.S.P.A.S. applicants (to be divided equally among

them) and $200 to the M.A.P. applicants passed unanimously.

Council memo of support for graduate programs: McShaffrey proposed changing the memo to only address additional support needed for Brown’s office. McShaffrey conveyed Council’s concerns in re additional faculty to Provost Sue DeWine in an email earlier in the week. McShaffrey will edit the letter and send a new version to members prior to our next meeting.

Policies & practices: McShaffrey stated a final draft of Council’s Policies & Practices is necessary to incorporate the constitutional changes passed this year. This includes the voting rotation of program directors, the graduate student representative selection process, and the method of review of travel grant applications. This matter will be finalized at the next meeting.

Next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, April 14, 2004, 12 noon, 207 McDonough. Meeting adjourned at 12:53 pm.