Inside the Current Issue

Funding, Flash Drives and Condoms

Here are this month's notes from the Doctoral Students Council.

STUDENT HEALTH

DSC Health Services Committee Coffee Hour. The DSC held it's semi-annual coffee hour on Thursday, November 21, from 1:30-4:30 p.m. in room 5414. This semester's theme was the Wellness Center, and members of the DSC's Health Services Committee were on hand to discuss the results of the recent referendum, the Wellness Center Services, and the new online DSC Wellness Center survey, available at http://www.oldphdstudent.com/ survey. Please take a moment to fill out the survey so that the committee can better understand students' needs regarding this valuable resource for which we will all soon be paying $12 more per semester. The next DSC coffee "hour" will be held in late February.

Student Activity Fee Increase. The Student Activity Fee increase for the purpose of funding Student Health Services at the Wellness Center was approved by the Board of Trustees Standing Committee on Student Affairs, for consideration at the November 28, 2005 meeting of the full Board, which will take place at 4:30 p.m. at the Vertical Campus of Baruch College.

Costs of Lab Tests. Due to a new deal worked out with Mount Sinai through the Wellness Center's Nurse Clancy, the cost of most lab fees has plummeted for GC students. Please stop by the Wellness Center to take advantage of this valuable new deal. And remember, ALL GC students are seen FOR FREE by Nurse Clancy and the Wellness Center staff, regardless of whether or not they have health insurance.

Free Condoms. The Wellness Center will be working with a member of the DSC-chartered organization QUNY to distribute free condoms anonymously to all members of the GC community. More information will be available soon.

Flu Shots. The 2005-06 Flu shots will be available to GC students soon. According to Vice President Schoengood, there was a delay for all CUNY flu shots, but as soon as they arrive, the Wellness Center will publicize them through the DSC. Look for an e-mail from your DSC rep!

THE FUNDING CAP

For the past few years, GC students who hold full-time jobs within the CUNY system, or who receive outside funding for dissertation research, have been subject to a $20,000 per-year cap on CUNY-awarded dissertation funds. (This did not include the WAC fellowship or the GTF.) This cap was initially instituted to ensure that--for those with full-time CUNY jobs--there was no "double-dipping" into the state's coffers, and--for those receiving external dissertation funding--CUNY dissertation funds were distributed more equitably. Acting Associate Provost Julia Wrigley has proposed eliminating the cap for the second group, those who receive both external and internal dissertation funds, firstly because the cap only dealt with a few students each year, and secondly because the existence of the cap seemed likely to discourage students from applying for multiple outside grants, and such grants--regardless of their monetary value--tend to be important resumé-builders. The DSC discussed the issue at its October and November plenary meetings in an attempt to make a statement to Provost Wrigley regarding the feeling of the student body. In a non-binding straw poll, a majority felt that the funding cap should be repealed entirely, both for students with internal and external funding as well as for students with full-time jobs within CUNY. Significant minorities voted a) to apply a cap only to internal funding (that is, limit internal CUNY funds for dissertation research in order to spread such funding to as many students as possible) and b) to raise the cap, perhaps as high as $50,000 per year.

CONFERENCES, PUBLICATIONS, AND PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The DSC has created a new budget line for student conferences, publication, and professional development, and formed a committee for the purpose of distributing funds. The new fund/grant will function in a similar fashion to the Cultural Affairs Grant, but likely will be broader to include the sciences. Workshops about Grant Writing, Job Searching, etc. may be offered to all GC students, organizations, etc. Funds will be determined by the committee, with the total not exceeding $600.00 for any one event. For more information, contact DSC Business Co-Chair Tina Lee at (212) 817-7892.

FLASH DRIVES

The first batch of student flash drives has been distributed to the program APOs. Because of a technical glitch, there are currently enough flash drives for only 25% of the student body, but an additional 25% are on the way, which will be distributed equitably among the programs. Students who wish to exchange their 256k program-allocated drives for one from the limited supply of high-capacity drives can do so at the Office of the Vice President for Information Technology, room 8111. The Tech Fee Committee is considering making the flash drives an annual thing for incoming students.

ROOM RESERVATIONS REMINDER

The DSC can arrange for students with groups to use one of a variety of rooms in the Gilleece Student Center on the fifth floor. But please remember, if you wish to use one of our rooms (5414, 5409, or 5489) you MUST request it through the DSC, either by e-mail at dsc.steering.committee@gmail.com or in person during our office hours in room 5495. Our office hours are posted online at http://dsc.gc.cuny.edu, but these are subject to change due to illness, administrative events, and meetings, so please call first: (212) 817-7883. Room reservations are subject to availability and occupancy rules.

SPRING DATES

Plenary Meetings. The DSC plenary dates for the spring, 2006 semester are February 10, March 24, April 28, and May 12. All meetings are held in room 5414 and start at 6:00 p.m. (5:30 for food). All meetings are subject to the New York State Open Meetings Law and Freedom of Information Act, as recently clarified by the Federal Appeals decision in Perez v. CUNY. This means that all guests are welcome, by law. Of course, all guests were welcome at DSC meetings in the past, but that was by custom and tradition. Non-DSC members are reminded not to vote and to sign in under "guests."

Spring Party. The DSC Rockin' Spring Party will be held on the evening of March 31 in rooms GC 5414 and 5409. More information to follow.

CONTACT THE DSC:

http://dsc.gc.cuny.edu
dsc.steering.committee@gmail.com
(212) 817-7883.
Room 5495