GSA General Assembly Meeting Minutes
Meeting Date: January 23, 2008
Meeting Time: 7:05 - 8:05 p.m., HGS 119 A&B
Vice-Chair Andy Bellemer presiding
I. Welcome Back & Additions to the Agenda!
- Housing feedback - Gwen Bradford
- Informal poll as to whether or not grad students willing to pay to attend the Spring Fling - Bryan Woods
II. Departmental Meetings
- EEB department met on December 5
- Approximately half of the department was in attendance, but mostly new students.
- Smaller department, most students seemed happy with the program.
- Some students confused GSA with GESO
- The DGS also attended the meeting.
- Discussed the new
- Students would like more graduate school events to occur on Science Hill as opposed to HGS.
- Students mentioned that they would like new graduate housing to include studio-style flats and also that they would like to be allowed to keep pets.
- New elevator is needed in HGS
- Ask Lisa about lack of events in other parts of campus
- Having some events at the
III. Housing Committee (Gwen Bradford)
- Met with George Longyear, who is very receptive to feedback.
- He would like a better sense of what students want.
- If you have any suggestions for how to improve graduate student housing, please send an e-mail to Gwen Bradford
- Gwen might also prepare and send a survey.
- We would like George to come to a meeting, but we are booked for the year, and not many people on GSA have input.
- Gwen may send out questions regarding housing to the mailing list.
IV. Spring Fling (Bryan Woods)
- YCC has asked GPSS for a budget increase for grad students attending the annual Spring Fling.
- GPSS hopes to be included on the planning committee for this event in the future.
- Grad students would be willing to pay $5 a person to attend.
- We should try to get graduate students involved in the planning for events like this and the Yale-Harvard tailgate.
V. Transit Update (Jennifer Baka and Dennis Mishler)
- Met with Ed Bebyn - manager of Parking and Transit.
- Currently working on both micro- and macro-development.
- Signs along the shuttle routes are in-press.
- One sign is already up, others will be up in ~1 month.
- Transit is also working on information displays so students can see where shuttles are coming at the Commons and the
- Plan to install plexi-glass in shuttles to display schedules/routes.
- Problems with routes - storms back up the
- Forward complaints about transit to Ed Bebyn (most complaints currently go to Dennis).
- Check that Ed Bebyn’s e-mail address is prominently displayed on the transit website and that people know they can e-mail him with complaints.
- Holly Parker is working on getting more bike racks around campus.
- Transit is also has an outside consultant working on how to improve the current shuttle system and how to expand to the new West Campus.
- It would be good if students could get access to CT transit so that the lines could reach into Hamden/Westville.
- Would these bus routes be safe at night and go where students need to go?
- Make Yale IDs CT bus passes?
- Most CT bus routes go to the green - could have a Yale shuttle meet the CT shuttles at the green to transport people to where they ultimately need to go.
- Zip cars are part of the transit system and more cars are being added.
- Signs will be at pick-up points on shuttle route by the end of the semester.
- Perhaps not every stop should be a biker let-off stop for shuttles with bike racks (to save time).
- Express shuttles on the blue line - 3 or 4 stop points.
- Yale transit it also getting some new buses.
- The call-back system is also being handled a new contractor and should be improving.
VI. TF Assignment Update (Elisabeth Wurtmann)
- Elisabeth is looking into how departments assign students to teaching assignments.
- She has sent out a survey to all of the reps.
VII. ESL Update (Liz Williams)
- The English Language Institute has created new courses. These are currently on-line, and the graduate school will subsidize them if there is not enough enrollment.
- Liz has already sent an e-mail about this to the GSA reps list.
- A director of ESL@Yale will be appointed, and Yale is planning on bringing in a consultant to evaluate it.
- Put this info on the GSA website.
- Eli knows some people who would be interested in this topic - GSA could form an advisory committee (including not just GSA reps).
VIII. Health Plan Update (Liz Williams)
- Medical Advisory Committee met.
- Yale Health On-Line (YHOL) - members can message doctors and set-up appointments on-line. This is actually easier for the
- YHOL will be upgraded this year to include a prescription list, etc…
- The ground-breaking for the new health plan facility (near the campus police station) is planned for March. The design of the new building is set, and they hope that the advisory committee will keep the construction on track.
- The hope is that more space will lead to better performance and a shorter waiting list for appointments.
- The Health Plan would like to meet with GSA/GPSS reps outside of this committee to discuss the issue of increased birth control costs on February 13th.
- Liz will check to see if Nick Goodbody can contact the YDN regarding this issue.
- Information about how other schools fund their birth control programs would be useful.
- Hannah Chapin has been drafting a letter to send to preferred states representatives.
- Benefits Office meeting with Dean?
- Liz has been working on a possible prescription plus payment option.
- Prescription refill mail service is expanding.
- Optical insurance coverage.
- Eli Kim - we can form a committee to help Liz on this front
Motion to Adjourn - 2nd
