I. Call to Order


II. Additions to the Agenda

• Health Care Meetings - Julie Button
• Transit Committee - Ed Bebyn to come to Transit Meeting - Sara Heitkamp
• Bike Share Program - Sara Heitkamp
• Dental, Housing, Spring Fling Update - Bryan Woods (tentative data - please ask me (Laura) if you would like more information)
• BASS Library Meeting - Stephen Gosden

III. Committee Reports
Health Care Meetings - Julie Button

• Health Plan Member Advisory Committee met - includes grad students, undergrads, faculty, retirees, Local 34 & 35 members
• Director of the health plan gave an update on how the budget cuts affect them
• Cuts should not impact quality of care - just consolidating unfilled positions and trying to cut back on costs of supplies like paper
• Prescription Task Force met
• Birth control price increases last year precipitated the hiring of a consultant to compare Yale coverage to peer institutions
• Lucy Lucker - Health Services Center Business Manager/Director - can come talk to us
• Health care committee is also meeting with Dr. Lorraine Siggins - Chief Psychiatrist at Yale - to discuss wait-times for mental health appointments

Transit Committee Meetings - Sara Heitkamp

• Electronic bike share turned down by Provost office
• GPSS - not willing to fund 4 bikes at HGS
• Could GSA potentially front the money - are we willing to & do we have discretionary funds - ask Deans?
• The undergrads already set their $5K aside for this project - they will go ahead
• Bryan Woods had meeting: Lloyd Suttle (Deputy Provost) not convinced that this small pilot program will faithfully represent a larger-scale program
• If GSA wants to fund this as a service to HGS residents, or for people to come to HGS to use bikes, might be OK - but can't necessarily look at it as a model for a larger-scale system
• If the bikes can be stored at more than one location - could be worth funding?
• Bike share program is in-line with GSA's traditional mission
• Science Hill location or Med School location - security stationed there
• Space not an issue - Access is - someone needs to be there full-time to give out keys - transit committee can look into this more
• Sarah Egan: A student in Sociology department knows someone who started a bike share in Australia - he will be visiting this summer
• Does not have to be a bike share program for commuting - could be used as rental bikes for taking recreational rides
• Liability rules - professional maintenance & good quality bikes necessary
• Would hire a student to check & shuttle bikes
• Would need to be on a larger scale to use as a pilot - but could work out some of the kinks with this small model
• Can we keep bikes at Forestry or the Med School?
• Vote tonight to do bike share - with decision contingent on finances and locations
• In Favor: 11; Opposed: 8; Abstentions: 2
• Surveys on who would use it? Could be useful to people who have just arrived here
• Motion to reconsider the vote - Second
• Motion to refer to the Transit committee - Second
• The "delta-bike" might make a difference as to whether this is a success (4 vs. 10 bikes)
• Do we put a system in place where bikes are reserved ahead of time because there are so few - will there be people (at HGS or elsewhere) willing to answer phones to take reservations or to inform potential riders whether or not bikes are available?
• Send comments/questions to Sara Heitkamp - Transit is meeting in HGS 119 a week from today. Will send summary from their meeting before the next general meeting

IV. Departmental Meeting Reports
Sociology - Sarah Egan

• Students are generally happy with the library resources
• Sociology students have their own office space
• Who's responsibility are the computers in the Sociology Stat Lab Annex? The library's or the department/state lab staff? Library is in charge of the space, stat lab is in charge of the computers
• Are we working with New Haven transit to get a Yale student bus discount?
• The transit committee spoke with Holly Parker - the demand for this service is pretty low, and thus it is not a priority
• At some universities a student ID can be used as a bus pass
• This would be an expensive measure for the number of people who would actually use it
• Can Yale subsidize the bus ticket's themselves? Have them reimburse city bus tickets - this makes it a more tractable problem - they would know how many people were using the system
• Bike racks on shuttles do not fit all bikes
• East-West shuttle problems & wait-times, Blue route
• If your constituents have specific transit-related issues, please direct them to the link on the transit website - Ed and Holly read these complaints and suggestions

V. General Plan for the Remainder of the Semester
What's Left?
Concerns/Hopes/Suggestions?

• Send Bobbi an e-mail if there are unresolved issues that are priorities
• Next general meeting - Deans Harper-Mangels and Barnaby will come to talk to us about their roles are mediators between us and the administration
• General meeting after that - Ed Bebyn from transit will visit
• Elections are coming up
• Our last meeting is the first week in May - will elect main officers for next year
• This way, have out-going members vote on officers - then head to GPSCY
• The Steering committee will have meetings with President Levin and the Yale Corporation - tell us if there are any issues you would like us to mention
• Next Wednesday - Town Hall Meeting - Sloan and Eli will advertise - free drinks at GPSCY ballroom 8:00-10:00 p.m. - Let us know what GSA can do for you

VI. Break into committees (if time)


VII. Motion to Adjourn - Second