GSA Reps Minutes 5-20-08

Minutes from the GSA Reps meeting on Tuesday, May 20th, 2008 at 6pm in the Grad Lounge. Also attached is the GSA 2008-2009 Budget, as discussed and approved at this meeting.

GSA Reps Minutes 5-20-08

6pm, May 20, 2008

Grad Lounge

Officers present: Nastassja Lewinski (Int VP), Michael Matson (Ext VP), Abhilash Krishna (Treas), Emily Day (Comm Serv), Nikhil Gheewala (Sect), Alison Harris (Hist), Kristjan Stone (Parl)
Reps present: Jorge Fallas (Chem), Dan Stark (P&A), Emily Burdett (BioE), Sarah Thomas (Stat), Jeff Shafer (Elec), Eileen Meyer (P&A), Nichole Payne (Anth), Morgan Gallagher (ESCI), Michael Liga (CEVE), Bridget Franklin (Math)
Others present: Nan Du (Chem), Sean Walsh (Chem, Valhalla), Noah Bedard (BioE)

Announcements:
Announcement: CBEN
- nanotechnology group on campus. do seminars, research-oriented events. Want more involvement/participation from additional groups
cj2@rice.edu

Announcement: New website - be sure to check it out - PLUS new online submissions!!! - calendar events, announcements, grants
- still building up content - more to come!

Committee Reports:
Lounge Committee
We're doing stuff this summer (painted wall, etc.)
- email Kristjan (kristjan@rice.edu) to get involved
- might get new cable plan, DVR plan, etc.

Service Committee
- will meet Monday at noon (but Emily will be out for a couple of weeks)
- Loan closet activities and dates
- SEEK activities and dates

University committees
Look at committee openings, we want people to represent grad students:

University Committee Openings:
Environmental Health
Information Technology
Parking
University Court
Honor Council
President's Lectures

Club Approval:
Rice Taiwanese Student Association
not present, but Nastassja noted that there is another club with nearly identical name already on campus

Budget:
Budget summary - surplus is going quickly (at $18k now), so we need to cut spending and consider ways to get more money
Social - cut social - planning on getting $6k in corporate sponsors (Selling Out)
- mostly lumped into 'social' budget
Awards bigger to pay for food ($600 for 11 plaques)
more stringent on grants - formal process (can't allocate $10k anymore)
Sports - buy jerseys with rollover from last year
NAGPS - dues and funding to send two students to MN conference - is this worth it?
- Good way to keep in contact with other campuses - support national efforts
Website/YP/Office supply - underused. Also, website and yp won't cost much.
Meetings - funding for food at committee meetings
Summer Historian - $3k for Renee Chandler to research history of GSA/grad studies
Community Service
- $500 for RFB&D
- a couple $k's for community service grants
lumped budget to keep flexibility
Beer Bike - we don't want to break into line items - just have 2250/750 split as a suggestion
Grants - new process - two grant types - we need to present and formally approve them
- will present new process at next reps meeting to pass as bylaws

BUDGET PASSED as submitted: 6 for, 3 against

Meeting Adjourned