Initiatives and Accomplishments

GSA's Recent Accomplishments and Current Initiatives

  1. Recent accomplishments:

    1. Health
      1. Guaranteed medical insurance coverage during a leave of absence.
      2. Created maternity leave policy which guarantees medical insurance coverage.
      3. Full medical insurance coverage for dependents.
      4. Created a new dental and vision discount plan [pdf].
    2. Graduate Teaching
      1. Created a policy to strictly limit section size to 20 students.
      2. Worked with the Deans to create the FEAST for Teaching program.
      3. Created online course evaluations for graduate level courses.
      4. Created section registration through ITS.
    3. Graduate Academics
      1. Conducted and presented results of a grading proposal survey to the Graduate School Faculty, informing their vote to keep the H/HP/P grading system.
      2. Created a department review system that shows every department's time-to-degree and career placement data.
      3. Worked with academic departments to conduct internal reviews as part of the Deans' 2-4 Initiative.
    4. Funding and Fees
      1. Created Conference Travel Fund ($30,000/yr) to support graduate student research trips.
      2. Secured three years of summer funding for Humanities & Social Science students
      3. Eliminated Continuing Registration and Summer Gym fees.
      4. Prompted ITS to renegotiate lower prices on computers and software for students
    5. Student Life
      1. Worked with President Levin and representatives of Homeland Security to improve United States visa policies for international students.
      2. Worked with Transit office to created Orange Line Bus Route.
      3. Extended McDougal hours during Spring Break for upcoming dissertation deadlines.
      4. Secured benefits (gym, buses) for long-term, heterosexual partners.
      5. Worked with Housing office to conduct year-end survey of residents' living experiences.
      6. Worked with Transit office to implement new GPS bus tracking system.
      7. Worked with YCC and GPSS to create Yale Airport Shuttle Service (YASS)

2004-2005 Initiatives

  • The continued success and popularity of the GSA Conference Travel fund
  • The implementation of the Co-Health dental and vision plan as a substitute for the unpopular Bolinger plan
  • Continued improvements to the Yale transit system (Central Science Loop, nighttime shuttle changes)
  • Lobbying of Congress for the reduction of federal income tax on graduate students
  • The elimination of the Continuing Registration Fee ($512/year) for students in years 5 and 6
  • Increases in the base stipend by $1000 and subsequent increase in TA levels by 6.7%
  • The complete elimination of the summer gym fee for all graduate and professional students!
  • 3rd year of summer funding for the humanities and social sciences
  • Online course evaluations for graduate courses
  • Parental leave policy
  • Lobbied sucessfully for SEVIS fee coverage
  • Revised student grievance porcedures for students

2003-2004 Initiatives

  1. Student mentoring in the biological sciences
  2. Discussions panels hold by faculty on controversial topics - open to all
  3. Activation of individual Graduate Student cards for access to College Gates
  4. Fixed bugs in Student Portal
  5. Revision of description of John Perry Miller and Enders Grants
  6. Tax Information Workshops For Filing Your 2003 Tax Returns
  7. Clarification of Graduate School Policy and Procedures about teaching outside years covered in admission letter
  8. Improvement of the feedback system with which it is controlled that no TA is assigned no more than 20 students per section

Detailed Explanation

  1. Mentoring in the BBS
    In response to student feedback and DGS input, the GSA has launched peer mentoring programs in a couple departments. These pilot programs will be assessed at the end of the year to see if more formal or comprehensive mentoring programs should be implemented throughout the grad school.
  2. Momentum Panels
    The momentum panels are a new series of panel discussions on controversial topics that strive to bring together students and faculty from different disciplines. At the moment these are the planned forums:
    • Ethics and utility of the genetic manipulation of organisms
    • Implications of space exploration
    • Origins of racism, discrimination, and prejudice
    • Importance and place of art and architecture in society and cultures
  3. Activation of Graduate student cards for access to college gates to undergrad dining hall (with introduction to master)
    Student meal plans may be redeemed at any of the dining halls on campus, including all 12 of the undergraduate residential colleges, but graduate students don't have gate access to these colleges, and so can't use the dining halls. An agreement has been made with 6 college masters in which a personal introduction by a graduate student to them will be sufficient for access to be granted to the college for meal purposes. Click here for more information.
  4. Fixed bugs in Student Portal http://portal.yale.edu
    Dining hall announcement were unsubscribable and were cluttering screen; bugs in unsubscribing from student-created channels.
  5. Revision of description of John Perry Miller and Enders
    As described in 2003-2004 Initiatives, the GSA obtained to have requirements for JPM changed. Unfortunately the guide has been printed with the old description. Moreover the Graduate School agreed to provide explicit guidelines about what is considered non fundable, and the GSA is advocating in favor of less stringent limitations
  6. To help you answer your questions about filing your 2003 tax returns, plan to attend the tax information workshops to be held on March 25th and 29th

We are currently discussing many more topics with Dean Salovey; for a list of previously discussed topics visit the GSA Minutes.

Let us know any considerations you may have about these items and let us know if there are student issues you think the GSA could address to improve graduate student research, study and life at Yale. Please contact the GSA at gsa@yale.edu and/or come and join us at our meetings: they are open to all!

2002-2003 Initiatives

Dear fellow students,
We write to inform you of the following changes in policies that will benefit graduate students. The Graduate Student Assembly promoted or contributed to these changes together with the administration of the Graduate School.

  1. Health coverage during leave of absence
  2. More John Perry Miller and Enders awards next year
  3. Change in prospectus requirement for John Perry Miller
  4. Management PhD may now apply to John Perry Miller and Enders
  5. Weeks paid to students outside their teaching years when the appointment is cancelled
  6. Paying the "Continued Registration Fee" into monthly installments
  7. Extended eligibility for the automatic payroll deduction
  8. Deferral of Teaching Years (for students with external funding)
  9. New piano room in HGS
  10. New Yale bus route
  11. Feedback on meeting with Payne Whitney Gym
  12. Recent meeting with members of the Yale Corporation, Yale's highest governing body
  13. Posting on Off-campus Listing Service now FREE for Graduate Students
  14. Increased Campus Security

Let us know any considerations you may have about these items and let us know if there are student issues you think the GSA could address to improve graduate student research, study and life at Yale. Come and join us at our meetings: they are open to all!

Yours,
GSA

Please find in the following more details about some of the aforementioned topics:

  1. Now students who take leave of absence for medical reasons are covered by Yale's health insurance up to the end of the semester in which they take the leave. The Graduate School pays the cost. Medical reasons due to pregnancy are also covered this way. The GSA monitor closely what happens in 2003-2004 in order to see if a further extension of the coverage needs to be lobbied for. More info here: www.yale.edu/gsa/actions/heath_plan_leave_absence.htm
  2. The number of John Perry Miller and Enders awards will be increased noticeably. About 10% (keeping the average dollar award unchanged, i.e. increasing the total amount the Graduate School distributes to students by 10% too) provided that there suitable requests. The GSA intends to continue to lobby in order for the number of the awards to increase at least 10% a year every year until every student in the GSAS is entitled to summer funding in their 3rd and 4th year
  3. A final agreement has been reached about the eligibility for the John Perry Miller Fund. Applicants will be able to submit their applications according to the usual deadline even if their prospectus is not approved. The application will be considered with no disadvantage. If the application is successful the student must have the prospectus approved by June 1 or the award will be cancelled. John Perry Miller Fund: Changes to requirements: www.yale.edu/graduateschool/financial/Fellowship_Guide_2_002-03.pdf.
    • In response to questions form students, the GSA obtained the following. The Fellowship Guide reads,"students must have completed all requirements for the degree except the dissertation." The GSA made sure that a "third year student who expects to have his/her prospectus approved by the end of the spring term (but not by the February application deadline) may apply for both the John Perry Miller and the Enders Fund. Any award would then be made contingent on the student having satisfied the prospectus requirement by the end of the term or some other specified date."
    • Moreover, the Fellowship Guide reads, "List of other external sources of support applied for. Please include copies of rejection letters if available." The GSA made sure that "students who would like to apply for John Perry Miller funding and who think there are no other external sources of funding for which they are eligible may write a paragraph explaining their specific circumstances and detailing their search efforts. Dean Cordova and her office then try to find any alternative external sources and, if none is found, students' application are eligible for JPM funding consideration. Most of these students would want to meet with the Office of Dean Cordova beforehand."
  4. Students in management PhD (i.e. Students who belong to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, not students of the School of Management) may now apply to the John Perry Miller and Enders funds on equal footing as any other graduate student.
  5. All students outside their teaching years whose appointment is terminated because of enrollment-drop will receive an email to confirm the number of weeks for which they are paid. Students in the humanities and social sciences in year 6 or beyond read here: www.yale.edu/gsa/actions/outside_teaching_years_pay.htm
  6. As an alternative to the current policy of one up-front CRF payment, the CRF can be automatically deducted from your paycheck on a monthly basis (www.yale.edu/gsa/actions/crf.htm) If you would like to make this change, it can be done at the SFAS located at 246 Church St.
  7. Now (almost) all graduate students are eligible for the automatic payroll deduction, if they so choose, to pay for room, dining hall service... Now the only students who are still ineligible are those who took a student loan specifically to cover these expenses. Students who have other source of funding are now eligible
  8. Deferral of Teaching Years. The Policy will be added to the Programs and Policy booklet. Graduate programs in the Humanities and Social Sciences set out "teaching years" in each student's letter of admission (usually years three and four of graduate study). A student may request to defer a teaching year or semester into the fifth year of study for compelling academic reasons. Such reasons include, but are not limited to, the receipt of an external fellowship or a need to do research in absentia.
    • A student who wishes to defer a teaching year must make arrangements to do so no later than the beginning of the fourth year of study. At the time the deferral is requested, the student and DGS should agree on the teaching appointment the student will hold in the fifth year. The appointment will be at the level normally expected in a regular teaching year, that is, one TF3.5 or TF4 per semester, depending on the department.
    • The deferral must be approved by the DGS and the Associate Dean. If the deferral is approved, the student's fifth year teaching appointment will be given the same consideration normally given to appointments in the "teaching years." That is, the student will have priority in assignment over students who have completed their "teaching years" and the student will receive a supplemental University fellowship to bring the amount of the teaching fellowship to the level of the standard departmental stipend.
  9. A new piano room is available for graduate students who desire to practice as a hobby. Thanks to a student from the Department of Music who brought this issue to our attention. Remember that YOU may also bring your own issues to the GSA. Details on how to book the room can be found here: www.yale.edu/gsa/actions/piano.htm
  10. A new minibus rout has been created, and starts in the fall! It covers Orange Street, part of Linden and arrives down to HGS and the central campus. Thanks to all those of you who emailed us lending strength to our request. Detailed rout will be available as soon as possible.
  11. Unfortunately, the meeting with those responsible for the Payne Whitney Gym has not gone as well as we would have hoped. In particular, at the moment, the GSA has been told that there won't be any reimbursement for the fact that the locker availability has been taken away early last year. The GSA is looking into how to better register its protest on this issue. Moreover, unfortunately, the GSA has been told that due to budgetary consideration opening hours won't be increased either. What the GSA has obtained is that if a student leaves for part a semester or year for research then it is enough that his or her departmental registrar sends an email to larry.matthews@yale.edu to obtain a refund for the time in which the membership cannot be used.
  12. The GSA met with both the Yale Corporation and with President Levin. We advocated for what are students' top priorities, e.g. closing the funding gap between years of guaranteed funding and expected length of PhD either by lengthening Yale's financial commitment or by taking steps toward shortening the length of these programs. Increase summer funding for 3rd and 4th years. Office space. Read a report of the meeting at www.yale.edu/assembly/yale_corp2003.htm
  13. Students now may post summer sublets and shares for free on the Yale Off-campus listing service on the web (previously students had to pay the same fee that landlords and others pay now, a $30 fee for 45 days). Students wishing to list their summer sublet should see www.yale.edu/offcampuslisting for information and forms.
  14. Increased perimeter security for the entire HGS dorm. Now all HGS wings are secured by security access systems (card readers/key access). Lighting now has been improved in parking lots 16 and 18.

2001-2002 Initiatives

  1. Dental Insurance bargained at a favorable student rate by the Graduate School for all graduate students who elect to enroll.
  2. Discussed with Dean of the Graduate School and Yale Corporation
  3. Town meeting organized and held 02/27/02
  4. Economics students are now health covered during the math course in August prior to semester start
  5. Fee for off-campus housing entry for students was reduced from $50 to $20
  6. Organization of a party for incoming students during the orientation phase
  7. Revision of the GSA Charter
  8. Major input to the process and organization of the "Evaluation of Graduate Student Teaching" organized by the Colleges
  9. Suggestions for the Commencement Convocation Speaker for this year
  10. Supported African American Studies Research Proposal and suggested sources of possible funding
  11. Mentoring Award
  12. Revision of the Programs & Policies of the Yale Graduate School playing a major/central role. Especially regarding teaching fellow positions, registration section
  13. Meeting with the Yale Corporation
    • How to improve Yale University (funding safety, physical infrastructure, social mixing of different disciplines)
    • Summer funding
    • Dental coverage
    • Career Service for Graduate Students
  14. Initiation of a GSA speaker of Excellence series, later more
  15. Revision of the Statement of Neutrality - but has not changed
  16. Talk with Paul Genecin, director of Yale Health Plan:
    • Clearer opt out procedure for Supplemental Health Plan
    • Dental care
    • Mental Health
  17. Computer Issues: Increased Pantheon space for students with space intensive research work
  18. Gathered information about Summer funding and opportunities
  19. Transcripts: Advisor is added, Courses taught included and visual presentation enhanced
  20. Attended "Ivy Graduate Student Leaders Conference" at Cornell
  21. Input for Mini-MBA, offered by Career Services
  22. Trying to establish an annual meeting with the president and the Yale corporation
  23. Input for "Writing Tutors", a service offered by the McDougal Center
  24. Update of the GSA website
  25. Raised gym issues, e.g. damaged machines which do not get repaired for weeks
  26. Raised Library issues, e.g. dead Ethernet connections in Sterling Library
  27. Watched financial issues:
    • Stipends
    • Summer funding
    • Teaching Fellow levels
    • Financial practices
  28. Abatement for apartments (lead contamination in one of the apartment complexes at the start of the year)