GSC Meeting Friday 25 August 2006


  1. Address by Maureen Biggers (Assistant Dean for Diversity and Community)

    1. Thanks the GSC for helping out with international students event (thanks to our international student rep – Anurag)

    2. Requests ideas for events to promote intercultural communication and to being the diverse people making up the CoC together – i.e. if you have an idea, take it to Maureen and make it happen.

    3. Question about what happened in the meetings last year about non-traditional students (students with families, married students)

      1. Response: a lot of issues around international students with spouses and families were discussed but nobody attended a follow up meeting so no further action points were made. Maureen plans to investigate these issues again this year.



  1. Address by Leo Mark (Director of Graduate, Professional & International Programs) - In response to outcry about poor communications from the Grad programs office, Leo responded)

    1. Since the start of summer, the grad program offices lost 1 staff member who resigned and another left on maternity leave, leaving 1 manager and 2 temps. This caused delays as the office was overwhelmed.

    2. Now to address the problem, Becky Wilson has returned to work on half time from home, 1 temp has been employed and Sherida Heath has been employed on half time and a person from OIE might step in to help

    3. After labor day, the Grad programs office should be running smoothly again

    4. New CS Phd coordinator is Ling Liu, New HCC Phd coordinator is Beki Grinter, Leo is in charge of issues that cut across the Phd programs and will be advising the new coordinators as they settle into their new positions

    5. Mike McCraken will be in charge of CS MS, Melody Moore in charge of MS HCI and Mustafah Ahmad will be in charge of MS in Info sec

    6. Question about new students and whether they all have desk space

      1. Response: GRAs should have desks. Working on getting GTA desks. Complicated by move to Klaus.

        1. Action: Leo will find out who doesn’t have a desk by asking the 7001 class

    7. Leo solicits feedback for policy on allocating travel funds - $15 000 is available, $400 has been spent already, needs a policy asap

    8. Leo solicits feedback on College decision to make Phd defenses a bigger affair than in the past, invite external committee members from other institutions to attend, publicise more – might lead to scheduling problems




  1. Address by Thom Maclean (Head of TSO)

    1. Explains TSO has budget constraints, will be hiring 4 new people

    2. Emphasizes role of lab managers or lab “czars” and distributing responsibilities and delegating smaller issues to lab managers (decentralizing approach)

    3. Emphasizes focus on self help and advice

    4. Emphasizes that helpdesk is available too

    5. Question about whether TSO will provide RA’s to students who taken a larger role as lab manager

      1. Response: still thinking about this, will communicate through TSO rep, Dave Roberts

    6. Question: when will Spencer Reynolds be replaced?

      1. Response: ask GVU director, two grad students have RAs to try fill Spencer’s place while a replacement is sought

    7. Klaus building opening is Oct 26 but tentative plan is to move 2 weeks prior to this date

      1. Question: what about disruption to students especially those with conference deadlines

        1. Response: will try minimize disruption, hiring people to help with moving labs and setting up labs

        2. Hope to have everything including network up and running in Klaus one week prior to move and identify good spots for students to camp out during the move where LAWN will be accessible

        3. Hope to have students turn off pcs on night before move and then have them moved into new lab by 10am of following day, ready to go

        4. Sept 11 is review about moving into Klaus building

        5. Ellen Zegura knows about space plan and designated areas

        6. Action: Thom will send out pdfs of space plan

        7. Should be communal spaces and cubicles for students in new building and new students should be accommodated by then

        8. Action: will give people advance warning of move so they can prepare in case things don’t go smoothly

    8. Problem with new students not having accounts

      1. Response: Apologizes, no excuses, TSO is rolling out new system to help process new accounts and this didn’t go smoothly so there was a delay in creating new accounts

      2. Action: will have new student accounts by end of next week

    9. Question: are new students subscribed to all mailing lists like phd?

      1. Response: not TSO responsibility but admin

      2. Action: Leo Mark will check that all new students are subscribed to the relevant mailing lists e.g. phd, coc-ms


  1. CoC Picnic (Thanks to Julie and Shwetak our picnic organizers)

    1. Need more volunteers, not getting enough response from phd list – please recruit more people

    2. Action: Julie will try posting to slush and coercion



  1. Report from GSC members

    1. IIC Faculty meeting rep – Steven Dow reports that IIC discussed the change from divisions to schools


  1. Call for filling open positions

    1. Jay and Julie will help maintain the GSC web pages

    2. Marshini will send Jay meeting minutes to put on webpage but will still take minutes

    3. Action: Marshini will email TSO to put Jay and Julie on “csgsc” group


  1. Conference funding policies

    1. Action: Dave Roberts will organize a smaller focus group meeting to decide on a policy for allocating travel funds next week, people who don’t attend can voice their opinions on the gsc mailing list


  1. Other

    1. Action: Marshini to check who’s subscribed to GSC

    2. Action: Marshini to email Thom about TSO hosting grad tea

    3. Call for new/interested students to see Marshini about GSC positions


  1. End of Meeting