Proceedings from the 2007-02-07 GSC Meeting
Agenda
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GSC Agenda: February 7th, 2007: 6:00-8:00 - FOOD @ 5:45!
Graduate Community Center - Nairobi Room
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Quorum for this meeting is eight voting members.
1. 5:45 FOOD (thanks Matt!)
2. 6:00 Welcome with Introductions
3. 6:05 Announcements (Paul)
i. Minutes from 01/31: Alex should be added to attendence, Ferdenando had a couple of clarifications. (1) The email sent out should have been from Alex Ene not the GSC, (2) I wrote his last name wrong (it is gomez) and (3) The amount needed for the SGF is 1 million.
4. 6:10 Funding (Adam)
5. 6:20 Website (Matt)
6. 6:35 New Graduate Student Orientation Proposal (Jenny)
7. 6:45 Checklist (Jenny)
8. 6:55 New Business
Attendance
Jenny Allen*
Adam Beberg*
Matt Andrews*
Austin Brown
Linus Liang
Zhuo Huang*
Mark (Sweatshop Issue)
Ben Joseloff
Raghow Goel
George Bloom*
Rebecca Kaplan*
Cullen Buie*
Matt Turk
Steve Healey
Yana Hoy*
Sis Kopp
Dirk Englund*
Stephen Lee
Fen Zhao
Linda Tran
Chi Cao Minh (AAESA)
Donna Winston* (Proxy for Jeff)
Polina Segalova
Alexandru Ene
Kristina Keating*
Minutes
Announcements
Jenny – Minutes from the 1/31/07 meeting
Kristina – Minutes changes
o Fernandos name was misspelled
o Donna had a correction (cause vs. cost of death)
Jenny – Any objections?
Alex – Feels that Fernando was disrespectful towards him.
o first, upset by offensive e-mail
o second, Fernando tried to disparage and disrespect Alex
during the meeting. Alex feels that Fernando basically attacked him
during the GSC meeting, as a followup to an e-mail that Fernando had
sent out prior to the GSC meeting
Paul – But, do you want to change the minutes?
Minutes passes: 8-0-1
Jenny: That passes the minutes
Jenny: We now have flyers for the formal. Please pick them up and pass
them out before you leave.
Funding
Adam: We have 5 groups today
1. Asian American Graduate Student Association
1. Welcome Dinner
2. Speakers series, including effect of Katrina on Asian
Americans in Louisiana
3. End of Year BBQ
4. Pacific Island Heritage Month is May
5. Adam: Most of the budget is honoraria for the speaker
6. Amount: $3600 passes by consensus
2. Biversity - -No show
3. European Association at Stanford
1. Founded last year (new last year)
2. Small events
3. Seeking approval for 3/9 event at I-Center
4. $400 approved
4. Hindu Students Council
1. Feb. 23
2. Talk on mathematics and sutras
3. Biggest events/festivals (considered onset of spring) –
play with colors and water
4. Amount: (100 for speaker, 380 for food, 250 for spring
event, 50 for marketing)
5. Total: $780 passes by consensus
5. SIAMHosting a series of 5 seminars on history of numerical
algebra at Stanford, as well as 75th birthday of Professor Golumb
1. Funding for food at the event ($525) – approved by consensus
6. Stanford Law and Technology Association
1. Symposium on Law and Technology
2. Organized with Stanford law and policy journal
3. Topics: CFR, ethics reform, lobbying
1. Brad Smith and Instapundit editor
2. Funding: $2800 (asking GSC for $700)
3. Approved by consensus
Website: Matt Turk
Paul: Matt started in October with some ideas on the new website.
We've reached a point where we're going to switch over from the old to
the new website
Matt: Met with Paul and George in October. Been trying to move to a
more user-centric website. No new surprises for retreat attendees.
Explaining how to post events, documents, articles.
Please refer to handout Matt created on new website
Jenny: Matt, thank you so much for all of this. It has been so huge.
Paul: Definitely read the website manual. There are a lot of funny jokes in it.
Sweatshop talk
Definition: 1 or 2 violations of labor law
In 2000, a report on the Business and Social Responsibility and _____ Fund
Harvard and the UCs have become a part of the Workers' Rights Consortium
Stanford currently part of the Fair Labor Association (monitoring
agency for the factories that make Stanford apparel)
o FLA does not include a living wage
o No monitoring system
o Structure gives the corporations a lot of power
o Examples of where FLA has failed to do its job
What are we proposing to help to ameliorate the issue (that Stanford
clothes are sweatshop free)
o Workers Rights Consortium (100+ schools part of the
consortium . .. big names including Harvard, Duke, MIT, UCs)
o Include a code of conduct that include a living wage
o Board: 6 universities, 6 NGOs, executive director
o We like the WRC because it's
+ Better monitoring
+ Non-profit
+ It makes sense
+ FLA = brainchild of corporations, not non-profits
+ Designated Suppliers Program
# Consolidate manufacturing of collegiate
apparel and very difficult to try to monitor it
# Factories need to be certified as sweat free
+ Globalization is a thing that's happening
+ We believe that our university's business practices
should reflect our problems
+ This resolution is part of our campaign
Discussion
Cullen: Have you met with the administration at all and what has been
their response?
Answer: A few weeks ago, we publicly launched a campaign and gave
Pres. Hennessy's office knowledge of our proposal. Planning to present
next Friday.
Dirk: I have a question about the cost. It's 1% of licensing fee. What
portion of the cost of the clothing item is the licensing fee?
Answer: The 1% is capped at $50,000 so that it doesn't affect larger schools.
Dirk: So how much will it increase the cost [of a t-shirt]?
Answer: Not really sure.
Dirk: Do you want to consolidate the factories? Have other schools
signed up to that program?
Answer: The Designated Suppliers Program was started about 3 years
ago. If you phase it in over a few years.
Rebecca: Are the labor laws U.S. or non-U.S. labor laws?
Answer: Overall standards developed by university, WRC, and factories.
Adam: What about Stanford dealing with the sub-contracting of illegal
immigrants.
Undergrad Senate Rep: There's a committee and SLAC is working on this,
as well as the student wage.
Paul: How does this affect the Stanford store, for which the ASSU is
responsible. We have a couple of options, we could vote on it tonight
or push it off until next week with more information.
Paul: Next item is the new grad student orientation
Jenny: A committee made up of George, Adam, Helena, etc. who are very
interested/involved, as well as the dean of the grad student life
office. Spoken to heads at Rains, EV, etc. Now want to speak to the
GSC about it. Want $$$ from the Vice Provost for Grad Education to
implement it in the fall. See attachment re: Jenny's ideas.
Cullen: As someone who lives off campus, I don't know if I'd want to
come back to campus at night.
Jenny: Do you have any suggestions? Maybe we could have daytime sessions?
Maria: None of the first year students from Maria's department will be
able to attend this. We always have a retreat where the entire
department goes someone. Also, BIOMASS has a huge camping trip this
weekend (referring to orientation weekend). She recommends to move it
up earlier.
Donna: For shopping express, is it for San Antonio or for Ikea?
Adam: It would make sense to do the international food shuttle too
since the San Antonio area is sold out.
Donna: We may want to start the shuttle one week earlier.
Alex: It would also be great to have various grad student groups available
Undergrad Rep: Do you have an activities fair? And are these in line
with undergrad student orientation?
Jenny: Yes, GOALIE. And we've been working with others for
help/coordination with undergrad orientation. Also thinking of
creating a wiki.
Cullen: There will be football games, and the Athletics Dept. is
worried about football game attendance. Maybe do a pre-game thing at
the Pub and then walk over to the game. Maybe a discount on tickets or
something?
Jenny: Other ideas? This is very helpful. If you think of anything
else, please let us know by Feb. 20 at the latest.
Paul: It's time to go over the checklist. Grad Winter Formal (many
positive accolades on the flyer/postcard)
Provost House Easter Egg Roll
Feb. 7, 2008 Lunar New Year's Party Coordinator
Paul: So is there any new business?
Cullen: Stanford Alumni Association board meeting. Keenly concerned
with grad students. They're trying to figure out ways to connect to
grad students.
Maria: They are psyched about grad students, but they're not as into
funding, necessarily. They are very excited about getting alums
involved in events.
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