2009 03 25 Minutes

University Student Senate Minutes
March 25, 2009
Submitted by Yoni Sunshine
Convened at 8:13pm in Parsons room 1204

Q & A with Vice President for Student Services Linda Reimer
Future of Student Services after Roger Ward leaves
A search committee was considered but Linda prefers to promote from within.
Tracy Robin will take greater responsibility in Student Health Services
Tom McDonald will assume the Assistant VP of Campus and Student Rights and Office of Student Activities, Cultural Support, and Career Development
Tom will also become the point person for students who claim sexual harassment
International Student Services will report directly to Linda
An advisor to the USS has yet to be picked
Advisor helps students navigate the system, bring issues forward, set up elections, assist with logistics and funding

Questions from Students to Linda Reimer:
John Cogliano: Question about student career development services
Prior to 2000 there was no university wide student services offices causing institutional disconnect
In the summer of 2000, all of the staff went under university jurisdiction
Career services office effectiveness varied by school
NSSR, Parsons and Milano remained independent
Other schools were placed under a university wide office
The offices may work together at times, especially regarding technology, but they still are generally disparate
Career Services should perhaps be under Academic Control rather than Student Services

Sarah Cunningham: Services are too basic and inferior to Columbia and NYU; General Studies needs a permanent Career Services Advisor
Linda: The end game and politics are less important than the overall effectiveness, “I’m willing to spearhead a group to improve university services”
Ben: Interaction took place over many weeks and offered limited guidance and no direct placements. All testing and information provided can be found online.
John: What channels are there for comments and feedback concerning service quality that are well known to students?
Linda: I like to consider myself “customer service,” individuals should go back to the department or comment directly to me.
John: Students unaware that they may contact Linda, and are generally unaware of how to provide feedback
Heather: Does Linda really want to assume responsibility for all student communication, online form on the website may work
Linda: We have to be able to manage it
Ben:  Linda seems open, but are all upper administrators. Personal experience with Robert Lutonsky suggest otherwise.
Linda: I get parents communicating with me
Peter: We can create a form
Linda: Top issues are housing and financial aid
Dan: It’s not transparent who takes care of what, no updated university organizational chart presented in an accessible webpage
Linda: Concerning student services, we provide a lot of info to new students, an effort must be made to refresh continuing students
Tim: My biggest fear is that complaints may disappear into the ether causing further apathy, we need to do better monitoring and assessment to hold individuals accountable
Peter: We should put up the organizational chart with links to assist Linda and publicize information
Ben: Refresh students in the middle of the semester

Other Questions To Linda Reimer
Sarah: Issues with Stuy Town. Stuy Town illegally deregulated 3000 apartments, are NSU students part of the plaintiff claim?
Linda: I have no idea. A new dorm will provide 647 beds, we cannot have vacancies, so we should figure out how many Stuy Town apartments to keep.
Sarah: I’m unable to talk to the lawyer, who can only talk to school reps
Heather: Stuy Town was a great opportunity for a non-New Yorker, but there was no consideration given to program type, and no recourse to address complaints
Linda: Housing in NYC is challenging and very expensive, when not subsidizing housing. The year-long contract is financial, and mid-year options would result in higher rates. When you cannot put a block of students together you cannot create community or easily address issues.
Sarah: The housing department should be more transparent about costs.. Is housing subsidizing other parts of the university? I’ve received ambiguous answers to questions about alleged price gouging.  “Budgets for Stuy Town written on napkins somewhere.”
Ben: University may be liable if the landlords are unavailable to tenants.
Peter: No viable options for older graduate students, and no single rooms are available. When people have a problem with student services, there should be a very prominent place to resolve issues. The USS doesn’t have power only a website. There should be a system and power created.
Linda: Housing outside of Manhattan is harder to manage and provide services. 1685 beds total now 640: Stuy Park, 416: William St, 246:Loeb Hall, 200: 20th St.,  Union and Grove are gone, Stuy Town and Marleton are possible
9:12 TA/TF Salaries
John: We’re very happy about progress , but we’re still below the University of Southern Mississippi. $25/hour with the assumption of 150 hours of work, 25% raise after 13 years of stagnation. Issue with “Despite the economy.”
Tim: I should have taken a more active position, and “despite the economy” should not have been included. TA issue will continue to be addressed. Students expected to be part of the process.
John: We seek continued raises for TAs and a schedule of increases.
Elizabeth: USS have been asked to form a committee.
Peter: We’ve been asked to make 14 committees.
Tim:  10 hours a week and 150 hours a semester was decided to provide positions for international students. They say you work 10 hours a week, but it can be up to 40.
Peter: It’s impossible to evaluate the difference in the amount of time needed to TA a course.
Heather: Should there be categories of TAs?
Tim: Decision makers have agreed to meet with students and representatives, but the meeting has not been set yet. Eileen Doyle did most of the research about TA pay.
John: Robert Kostrzewa should also be part of the process.
Peter: Shannon Mattern in Media Studies should also participate.
Sarah: 350 individuals in International Affairs, but no opportunities for TA or TF positions. People do not know where to go. Research Assistants has not been addressed, why?
Tim: I don’t know.
John: NSSR departmental RA’s only receive $4000/year.
Peter: Undergrads TAs not necessarily sent to related departments. We should create an initiative to identify graduate student expertise.
John: What are the plans for the schedule of increase? Is it tied to inflation or living standards? Is there a standard perspective of the role of TAs. Is it a part time job, subsistence wages, or training for future work.
Dan: Undergrads recognize the quality of TA work when the expectations of the TA are beyond their pay grade.
Sarah: At the assembly, a Ph.D . student claimed there was very limited ability to gain relevant teaching experience.
John: The Adjunct Union took away opportunities for graduate students, forcing the creation of the Teaching Fellowship, which pays at a lower rate than adjuncts.
Peter: Teaching Fellows wages are returned to the university.
Elizabeth: There was conflict between TAs and adjuncts.
Sarah: What is the rational to not allow qualified masters students to TA undergrad programs not of the same major.
Tim: Further study and consideration by academics and administrators is needed and will happen. This is one of many issues that I’m trying to get my head around.
Dave Chuckla: Bob Kerrey will often take half measures than take credit without incorporating student consultations.
Peter: We expect you to take a stand and demand that Kerrey consult the students.
Tim: There seems to be an institutional cultural issue that limits student participation. There seems to be a general lack of responsiveness or accountability throughout student services. We need to get ahead of the issues to avoid crisis management. After listening to the conversation with Linda, there need to be more administrative participation. I would like to be here more often.

CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS ON TERM LIMITS AND FILLING VACANCIES
President Peter Ian Cummings presented two constitutional amendments. The number of votes to pass them will be 11, which is 75% of currently qualified nonsuspended members.
Amendment 1 passes unanimously with 11 votes ay 0 nay
Amendment 2 passes unanimously with 11 votes ay 0 nay
THE AMENDMENTS ARE LISTED AT THE BOTTOM OF THESE MINUTES.