COGS - Council of Graduate Students

Minutes
October 13th, 2005
President’s Room, Coffman Memorial Union

Minutes submitted by Isaac Kamola (Vice President for Communications).

Food served at 5pm, meeting began at 5:15.

Welcomes (Sara Kempner)

Student Conflict Resolution Center and the Office for Conflict Resolution
Student Conflict Resolution Center
We provide a fee supported service for those with problems or complaints. We offer an ombudsmen services for this who need help in issues regarding academic progress, financial aid, housing, billing, etc. We also provide an advocate fro those with grievances they wish to file. This is a neutral office which does not advocate for either party. Roughly one-third of our case load is graduate and professional students (about 200 out of 700 cases last year). Many of these cases concerned advisor issues and bureaucratic snafus. For example, one department was given a financial aid guarantee for one semester while the students assumed it was for an entire year. We were able to come in a mediate the situation.

Office for Conflict Resolution (Carolyn Chalmers)
We deal mostly with workplace disputes through working together to brainstorm and find ways to solve problems. For graduate students we mostly address issues concerning TA appointments. We are located on the West Bank, in Heller Hall 662. We share the space with the International Student Services Office making it very anonymous.

It should be kept in mind that the line between these two offices is very blurry and we often refer people back and forth. Also, our services can be offered totally anonymously--you do not even need to give us your name and department if you do not want to.

Strategic Positioning: Taskforce of Graduate Education (Ed Schiappa)
I am the chair of the Strategic Positioning Taskforce on Graduate Education. It is important to remember that we are not the Administration. We don't dress like people from Morril Hall. And there are COGS and GAPSA reps. on this taskforce. We are primarily committed to bettering graduate education.

We are now in the data-gathering stage. For example, we have found that the minimum cost of attending graduate school is $12,087 while the salary for a standard 50% position is only $11,895; the average UofM TA salary for 2004-2005 was $12,366, the most common (mode) salary was $10,803. Furthermore, the average TA salary for the top US public research universities is $14,055 compared with $12,366 at the UofM. The average RA salary for the top public research universities is $14,893.50 compared to the UofM average of $13,549. The UofM average RA salary is almost $1,000 less than the lowest university surveyed above (Wisconsin) and $1,344.50 below the overall average. Based on these results, our top recommendation will be better compensation.

Who can you contribute meaningfully to the process?

Help us think these issues through. There will be an open "Town Hall" meetings being scheduled.
Pass on your specific recommendations. You can help us write our final report with specific recommendations and supporting prose. We will be using all feedback as well as mining the COGS open letters. For example, you can send us an argument as to why TAs should never be paid less than the cost of living and we might take piece of text and insert it into the final document.
Pass on data the helps us make compelling arguments.

Q: When is the preliminary report due?
A: December 10th. This draft copy will be put on the web. There will be 30 days or more for public comment. We will take these comments seriously with the final product due sometime in January.

Q: While we support increasingly salaries, the Administration seems to be adverse because of a lack of funding. Are you going to show where this money is coming from?
A: Right now the 10% in base pay is basically an "unfunded mandate" to the departments and we don't want this trend to continue. However, we will not get too detailed into the implementation. However, the data we collect and the arguments we make will help in arguing for more support from the legislators.

Q: What, if any, are you taking from the "Financing Higher Education Taskforce" proposals?
A: One thing I liked about that document was the stuff on the fringe rate. I think its important for us to put more money into salaries and not fringe while not limiting healthcare or increasingly co-pays. Also, departments should pay all fees. The Taskforce also proposed putting $5 million into block grants and fellowships for graduate education and this has already been carried out.

Q: Are you looking at those graduate students without funding? For example, there are 40 people in my department and only 5 have funding.
A: This is something we have to look at more. Especially since of the 10,000 graduate students only 4,500 have funding.

Q: Is the taskforce looking at those programs which are going to be closed or merged? For example, my program is planning on being folded into another program and many of us are worried.
A: We are not looking into that. There are, however, other taskforces that are looking into this question.

Q: It seems like you have your work cut out for you in addition to having a very short time frame. Can this be done is such a short amount of time? And, are you getting time off and compensation in order to do this?
A: Yes and no. We do not have enough time to do the ideal amount of data collection. For example, we can't generate a reliable figure for the cost of living. However, we can show what data we have and what data the University should collect. However, none of us on the committees are getting one second of release time. Some are on sabbatical and got called back in to work on this project. One could always invest more time and its undoubtedly true that we could do a better job if we had more time.

Q: Some data the University doesn't collect because its not convenient. Shouldn't the University be collecting this data routinely?
A: Yes. The fact that the Administration had to wait for COGS to do a study on cost of living issues is embarrassing.

Q: Is there any movement on getting teaching specialists (TSs) to replace TAs as proposed in the "Financing Higher Education Taskforce" proposal?
A: As far as I know, there is no University or college policy on the use of TSs. Sometimes this happens as a result of budget squeezes. Trying to do a judicious mix of TAs and adjuncts is important. In my college (CLA), for example, we try to get as many TAs as possible but funding is always the ultimate constraint.

--Please contact me (Ed Schiappa) if you have any recommendations, ideas, etc.

Resolution (Kris Houlton)
This resolution calls for the adoption of a corporate code of conducts for corporate contributors. Right now the University is signed onto the Workers Right Consortium which means that the U will not license its apparel to sweatshops. However, right now there is no such code of conduct for the University's corporate contributors. I recognize that the University Senate is the one who ultimately has to take this issue up but this resolution would tell the Senate that COGS supports the spirit of this project.

Q: Why is this important? Are there any examples?
Right now there are no violations because there are no standards. Furthermore, we do not know who our partners are because these are not made public. But same common names might be Coke or TCF. In both these cases the corporations give the University large sums of money in order to get special access to the University. This would not apply to privately funded fellowships, grants, or other sources of funding for research.

Q: How do you envision this being enforced?
A: We don't want to turn the University into investigators. Instead, create a mechanism for remediation such as a termination clause. This can be built into the contract.

Q: Are there no codes of conduct in the present contracts?
A: We don't know because these contracts are not disclosed. Right now it is not mandatory that a cod of conduct be inserted and I would be extremely surprised if the University used them.

Q: Why is this an issue that COGS should take up? How does it address graduate students?
A: I agree that this is an issue to be taken up by the Senate. But graduate students can endorse the spirit. It is also a chance for us to say how we think the University should be governed.

Vote was taken to extend debate: 21 yes--17 no.

There was a general conversation about this resolution as a symbolic commitment and the value of that. Others argued that they wanted something more concrete and proposed not voting until we see the Senate version. Others argued that these two option were mutually exclusive. COGS could vote for the resolution that vote of reject or accept a Senate version.

The resolution passed: 30 yes--3 no--3 abstentions

Elections for Senate Alternates
Margaret J Cody (Curriculum and Instruction), Kristen M Nichols (Curriculum and Instruction), Danie Kronemann (Microbiology), and were elected to be Senate alternates.

P&R Council meetings
All councils are full. There will be a grad student wide meeting this Tuesday which celebrates be Graduate School's centennial. Click here for meeting times and locations.

GAPSA meeting
There was further consultation with the administration over Strategic Positioning. Emily Cox (MSA) and Karen Burr (GAPSA) will sit on a committee which will create of pool of people who can give feedback on the process. The resolution we voted on tonight was tabled. Fees committee nominations are due on Monday.

Senate (Kris Houlton)
Nothing really happened in student senate. At the University Senate we voted on standardizing the pass/fail (P/F) standards. This came out of an instance in which a student got a B- in a P/F class and the teacher failed them. It is now standardized that a pass is a C- or above.

Housing (Andy Warta)
The CD that goes out to accepted students will have a video component in which students will talk about the neighborhoods in which they live. Contact me if you are interested and we can set up a time with the videographer.

UDS
UDS is making lots of changes including more locations and looking into using all cage free eggs and increasing the amount of local farm products.

Library Research Project (John Troyer)
We are currently doing a library use survey. We need everyone to take this because it will help us know how the library should use its resources. If you want more information contact me.


	Home About COGS Current Issues Meetings Publications Getting Involved Representatives The Endowment Resources and FAQs Contact COGS		Minutes October 13th, 2005 President’s Room, Coffman Memorial Union Minutes submitted by Isaac Kamola (Vice President for Communications). Food served at 5pm, meeting began at 5:15. Welcomes (Sara Kempner) Student Conflict Resolution Center and the Office for Conflict Resolution Student Conflict Resolution Center We provide a fee supported service for those with problems or complaints. We offer an ombudsmen services for this who need help in issues regarding academic progress, financial aid, housing, billing, etc. We also provide an advocate fro those with grievances they wish to file. This is a neutral office which does not advocate for either party. Roughly one-third of our case load is graduate and professional students (about 200 out of 700 cases last year). Many of these cases concerned advisor issues and bureaucratic snafus. For example, one department was given a financial aid guarantee for one semester while the students assumed it was for an entire year. We were able to come in a mediate the situation. Office for Conflict Resolution (Carolyn Chalmers) We deal mostly with workplace disputes through working together to brainstorm and find ways to solve problems. For graduate students we mostly address issues concerning TA appointments. We are located on the West Bank, in Heller Hall 662. We share the space with the International Student Services Office making it very anonymous. It should be kept in mind that the line between these two offices is very blurry and we often refer people back and forth. Also, our services can be offered totally anonymously--you do not even need to give us your name and department if you do not want to. Strategic Positioning: Taskforce of Graduate Education (Ed Schiappa) I am the chair of the Strategic Positioning Taskforce on Graduate Education. It is important to remember that we are not the Administration. We don't dress like people from Morril Hall. And there are COGS and GAPSA reps. on this taskforce. We are primarily committed to bettering graduate education. We are now in the data-gathering stage. For example, we have found that the minimum cost of attending graduate school is $12,087 while the salary for a standard 50% position is only $11,895; the average UofM TA salary for 2004-2005 was $12,366, the most common (mode) salary was $10,803. Furthermore, the average TA salary for the top US public research universities is $14,055 compared with $12,366 at the UofM. The average RA salary for the top public research universities is $14,893.50 compared to the UofM average of $13,549. The UofM average RA salary is almost $1,000 less than the lowest university surveyed above (Wisconsin) and $1,344.50 below the overall average. Based on these results, our top recommendation will be better compensation. Who can you contribute meaningfully to the process? Help us think these issues through. There will be an open "Town Hall" meetings being scheduled. Pass on your specific recommendations. You can help us write our final report with specific recommendations and supporting prose. We will be using all feedback as well as mining the COGS open letters. For example, you can send us an argument as to why TAs should never be paid less than the cost of living and we might take piece of text and insert it into the final document. Pass on data the helps us make compelling arguments. Q: When is the preliminary report due? A: December 10th. This draft copy will be put on the web. There will be 30 days or more for public comment. We will take these comments seriously with the final product due sometime in January. Q: While we support increasingly salaries, the Administration seems to be adverse because of a lack of funding. Are you going to show where this money is coming from? A: Right now the 10% in base pay is basically an "unfunded mandate" to the departments and we don't want this trend to continue. However, we will not get too detailed into the implementation. However, the data we collect and the arguments we make will help in arguing for more support from the legislators. Q: What, if any, are you taking from the "Financing Higher Education Taskforce" proposals? A: One thing I liked about that document was the stuff on the fringe rate. I think its important for us to put more money into salaries and not fringe while not limiting healthcare or increasingly co-pays. Also, departments should pay all fees. The Taskforce also proposed putting $5 million into block grants and fellowships for graduate education and this has already been carried out. Q: Are you looking at those graduate students without funding? For example, there are 40 people in my department and only 5 have funding. A: This is something we have to look at more. Especially since of the 10,000 graduate students only 4,500 have funding. Q: Is the taskforce looking at those programs which are going to be closed or merged? For example, my program is planning on being folded into another program and many of us are worried. A: We are not looking into that. There are, however, other taskforces that are looking into this question. Q: It seems like you have your work cut out for you in addition to having a very short time frame. Can this be done is such a short amount of time? And, are you getting time off and compensation in order to do this? A: Yes and no. We do not have enough time to do the ideal amount of data collection. For example, we can't generate a reliable figure for the cost of living. However, we can show what data we have and what data the University should collect. However, none of us on the committees are getting one second of release time. Some are on sabbatical and got called back in to work on this project. One could always invest more time and its undoubtedly true that we could do a better job if we had more time. Q: Some data the University doesn't collect because its not convenient. Shouldn't the University be collecting this data routinely? A: Yes. The fact that the Administration had to wait for COGS to do a study on cost of living issues is embarrassing. Q: Is there any movement on getting teaching specialists (TSs) to replace TAs as proposed in the "Financing Higher Education Taskforce" proposal? A: As far as I know, there is no University or college policy on the use of TSs. Sometimes this happens as a result of budget squeezes. Trying to do a judicious mix of TAs and adjuncts is important. In my college (CLA), for example, we try to get as many TAs as possible but funding is always the ultimate constraint. --Please contact me (Ed Schiappa) if you have any recommendations, ideas, etc. Resolution (Kris Houlton) This resolution calls for the adoption of a corporate code of conducts for corporate contributors. Right now the University is signed onto the Workers Right Consortium which means that the U will not license its apparel to sweatshops. However, right now there is no such code of conduct for the University's corporate contributors. I recognize that the University Senate is the one who ultimately has to take this issue up but this resolution would tell the Senate that COGS supports the spirit of this project. Q: Why is this important? Are there any examples? Right now there are no violations because there are no standards. Furthermore, we do not know who our partners are because these are not made public. But same common names might be Coke or TCF. In both these cases the corporations give the University large sums of money in order to get special access to the University. This would not apply to privately funded fellowships, grants, or other sources of funding for research. Q: How do you envision this being enforced? A: We don't want to turn the University into investigators. Instead, create a mechanism for remediation such as a termination clause. This can be built into the contract. Q: Are there no codes of conduct in the present contracts? A: We don't know because these contracts are not disclosed. Right now it is not mandatory that a cod of conduct be inserted and I would be extremely surprised if the University used them. Q: Why is this an issue that COGS should take up? How does it address graduate students? A: I agree that this is an issue to be taken up by the Senate. But graduate students can endorse the spirit. It is also a chance for us to say how we think the University should be governed. Vote was taken to extend debate: 21 yes--17 no. There was a general conversation about this resolution as a symbolic commitment and the value of that. Others argued that they wanted something more concrete and proposed not voting until we see the Senate version. Others argued that these two option were mutually exclusive. COGS could vote for the resolution that vote of reject or accept a Senate version. The resolution passed: 30 yes--3 no--3 abstentions Elections for Senate Alternates Margaret J Cody (Curriculum and Instruction), Kristen M Nichols (Curriculum and Instruction), Danie Kronemann (Microbiology), and were elected to be Senate alternates. P&R Council meetings All councils are full. There will be a grad student wide meeting this Tuesday which celebrates be Graduate School's centennial. Click here for meeting times and locations. GAPSA meeting There was further consultation with the administration over Strategic Positioning. Emily Cox (MSA) and Karen Burr (GAPSA) will sit on a committee which will create of pool of people who can give feedback on the process. The resolution we voted on tonight was tabled. Fees committee nominations are due on Monday. Senate (Kris Houlton) Nothing really happened in student senate. At the University Senate we voted on standardizing the pass/fail (P/F) standards. This came out of an instance in which a student got a B- in a P/F class and the teacher failed them. It is now standardized that a pass is a C- or above. Housing (Andy Warta) The CD that goes out to accepted students will have a video component in which students will talk about the neighborhoods in which they live. Contact me if you are interested and we can set up a time with the videographer. UDS UDS is making lots of changes including more locations and looking into using all cage free eggs and increasing the amount of local farm products. Library Research Project (John Troyer) We are currently doing a library use survey. We need everyone to take this because it will help us know how the library should use its resources. If you want more information contact me.