Wednesday, October 6, 1999
6:00 p.m., Graduate Student Lounge, Dudley House
Welcome and Introductions
Departments Represented: Astronomy; Biophysics;
Celtic Languages and Literatures; Chemical Physics;
Chemistry and Chemical Biology; Comparative Literature; Division of
Engineering and Applied Sciences; English and American Literature and
Language; Forestry; Germanic Languages and Literatures; Government; Health
Policy; History; History of American Civilization; History of Art and
Architecture; History of Science; Inner Asian and Altaic Studies;
Linguistics; Mathematics; Middle Eastern Studies; Music; Near Eastern
Languages and Civilizations; Organismic and Evolutionary Biology;
Organizational Behavior Committee; Philosophy; Physics; Political Economy
and Government; Psychology; Public Policy; Regional Studies: East Asia;
Romance Languages and Literatures; Sanskrit and Indian Studies; Sociology;
Statistics; Study of Religion
Announcements
Adam Fagen volunteered to represent the GSC at the NAGPS National
Conference to be held in Columbus, Ohio, at the expense of the GSC. A
general invitation was extended for additional participants, though none
available themselves.
The meeting to be held in December will be at Longwood
Campus.
Three requests were made for student funding: Taiwan Study Club (less than $500), Canadian Club ($650), and the
Industrial Relations in Latin American conference ($735). All were
carried without dissent.
In addition, the budget was discussed in detail. Importantly, (A)
Harvard accounting requests that a surplus of two years operating expenses
($35,000 to $40,000) be kept in reserve; (B) Pub Night expenditures be
reduced and the funds diverted to the Mentoring
Awards (which had been funded under "discretionary and
miscalleneous"); (C) "miscellaneous and discretionary" will be eliminated
as an item. The budget was carried without dissent.
A proposal was made to set up a gransts administration position for
pay, to organize application to outside sources fpr grants funding. The
Treasurer's duties could not be made to include grants administration
responsibility (of an expanded program).
At-Large Representatives: Robert Krikorian (Humanities), Mike Westover
(Natural Sciences), and Sharrona Pearl (Social Sciences)
Parliamentarian: David Kaminsky
Information Coordinator: Adam Fagen
Committee Reports
Graduate Student Health
Advisory Committee: (1) GSC is taking part in a NAGPS insurance
survey; (2) all employees of UHS must now attend a sensitivity workshop;
and (3) a program called Health Hints in a Hurry has been establish
graduate students to UHS.
FAS Library Committee:
(1) progress will be slow on Hollis 2 as no contract has yet been signed;
and (2) new carrels will be placed on Widener second floor, carrels
elsewhere will be replaced later.
The possibility of making Information Coordinator a paid position
will be looked into.
Alicia Walker's proposal that DMS representatives be paid to attend
meetings was not acted upon by the Council.
But Alicia Walker's minutes were quite excellent and are appended
here for your reference:
Free Laser Printing at Dudley House: There is free laser
printing available to all dues-paying GSAS students on the top floor of
Dudley House. You must show your id to use this service. If you plan to
print out more than 20-30 pp, please bring your own paper. There are both
MAC and IBM compatible computers.
Grad Student Dudley House Computer Room Use: There is a
computer room available to grad students which offers email access and
some old word processing programs. There is an access code needed to enter
the room and your can register to get the code in the Housing Office in
the basement of Dudley House from 9-5pm, M-F.
Student Families Brunch: There will be a free brunch for GSAS
students who are parents and their children on Saturday, November 13 from
11am to 1pm in the Dudley house Common Room. Families without children are
welcome as well. There will be entertainment (magician/clown) and food.
Also, GSC needs volunteers to staff the event, so if you are interested in
hanging-out with kids for an afternoon, let me know.
GSC Conference Grant Deadline: GSC conference grants provide up
to $500 support for grad students to attend an academic conference in
their field of study. The grants are competitive but many HAA students
have received them in the past. The next round is due October 18, Monday,
at 5pm. Additional rounds will be due in January and May. You may apply
for a grant either before or shortly after attending a conference.
Applications should be dropped off by the due dare in the GSC office on
the mezzanine floor at Dudley House. If the door is locked and no one is
home, just slip the application under the door or put it in one of the
plastic containers on the door. Applications and guidelines can be
obtained from the GSC office or from the GSC web page (see address at
beginning of this message). If you have ANY questions about these grants,
please don't hesitate to contact me.
Possible Search for Outside Funding for GSC Conference Grants:
The GSC treasurer has suggested that GSC seek outside funding to subsidize
our conference grant budget. He is interested in having volunteers to help
him research possible donating associations/institutions. Let me know if
you are interested in helping with this project.
GSC Halloween Pub Night: Your next opportunity to drink free
beer at Dudley House will be Saturday, October 30 from 9pm until 1am at
the GSC Halloween Pub Night. The event has not yet been planned, but it
usually involves a costume contest and dancing.
NAGPS Conference Reps Needed: GSC needs two more
representatives to attend the National Association of Graduate and
Professional Students conference in Columbus OH from Nov. 18-21. GSC will
pay for your transportation and food/lodging. Let me know if you are
interested in attending.
GSC Excellence in Mentoring Award: The GSC Excellence in
Mentoring Awards will be given out again this year. These awards
recognize professors who have demonstrated an exceptional commitment to
graduate student mentoring/advising. Nominations are made anonymously by
graduate students. There is an application for the nomination available on
the GSC web site. The nominations for the 2000 competition are due Monday
Feb. 7. No professor in art history received an award last year (the first
year the awards were given out), so if there is someone in our department
who you think is worthy of honor, please nominate them!!
Widener Renovation Progress: There is a mock-up of the new
21st-century Widener carrel on floor 2W for anyone interested in giving it
a test drive. Renovations are proceeding reasonably. Be warned that if you
have a carrel in Widener, when they remodel your section they will put
your carrel books on a temporary holding shelf to which you will still
have free access. To find out when your section of Widener will be under
wraps, talk to the circulation desk. If you have any questions or concerns
regarding these renovations, please get in touch with me.
