Minutes of the 16 September 2005 meeting of the Graduate Welfare Committee:

The Student reps briefed the faculty on their last meeting (see minutes from 7 Sep.), on issues including Peer Mentoring, phpBB, Grilling sessions, etc. We had major discussions about the following topics:

• TA Appointment Shortage: There were 129 TA spots available, and 156 applications. The college funds about 100, while the remaining are from stretching the departmental budget, and there is a limit to how much it can be stretched. In the end, after some exta RA spots and some out-of-department TAs, 7 students were left without funding. 4 of these were selected due to poor performance reviews, and 3 were taken randomly from the groups with the most number of TAs. We discussed why there was a shortage and what can be done about this in the future. Basically, the root causes are large class size (current 4th years were largest incoming size ever), and the reduction of the federal science budget. Some suggestions to alleviate this in the future include:
  • "Early decision" TA application - if Carol knew who definitely wasn't going to get an RA, she'd have an easier time figuring out TA numbers earlier.
  • Pressure on faculty - The Graduate Committee could establish limits as to how many students a faculty member may have on TA funds rather than RA. Or, ask them to make their RA appointmnts earlier (difficult due to funding calendar).
  • The GRB requested that the department give timely notice if a student is in danger of losing funding for the term so he/she can make alternate plans.
  Dr. Morrison will take these suggestions to the Chairman.
• Website: Since the funding situation is so tight, there is no chance of getting a part-time web designer this term. The faculty suggested that the department try to get additional outreach funds or look into the UTopia program as a funding source.
• Student Faculty Interaciton: As the Lounge project is stalled, the idea was raised of having a teatime before or after the Wednesday colloquium, as a means of fostering a more collegial atmosphere. This will be brought to the Chairman's attention as well.

Specific comments and concerns should be sent to the GradReps.