EGSS Meeting Minutes – 20 March 2015

English Graduate Students’ Society

March 20, 2015

Meeting opened at 4:35 by Lindsey Seatter.

Previous minutes February 25, 2015 signed.

1. Correspondence: none
2. Executive update
   1. News from M.A. Representative: Lawrence Evalyn
      • Department meeting: strengthen the importance of AWR to prove how critical it is to the university and its retention of students in general (making English key to the university’s success). Discussion of process for faculty salary raises. Publication/dissemination of PhD dissertations – necessary to obtain an embargo to protect information from public knowledge. Information session for the Honours had a wonderful turn out.
      • Rescheduling of English seminar to accommodate French course
   2. News from Ph.D. Representative: Caroline Winter
      • Approach Dr. Kuchar about the offering of French 300 (not online). Could there be an online option for the course (this would greatly increase course enrollment)? Latch onto an online-only class offered online from another university or onto a university in the city. Ask Dr. Kuchar for a list of appropriate courses to meet the language requirement
3. Officer Reports
   1. Academic and Professional Chair: Emily Hector (not present)
      • Cancelling workshop to complete department biographies because the website will no longer include pages for grad students. Possibly rework the seminar to cater to Twitter and LinkedIn profiles – also include CVs? Might be better to schedule this for September so the new students are included
   2. Conferences and Colloquia Chair: Becky Rogers
      • Conference on April 8 (between end of classes and English 147 exam/marking). Posters go up on Monday with abstract deadline of April 4. Don’t worry about conference being refereed – too much work, having a regular CV line is enough. Hosting the colloquium in Grad House boardroom (free of charge, large enough)
   3. Social Chair: Alyssa Currie (not present)
      • Oh My Goat! event went well, despite the rain. Plan a sequel for April?
4. Treasurer: Nadia Timperio
   • Colleen and Gary not comfortable signing for an off-campus bank account. Colleen suggested having a special account within the English department that is separate and rolls over year-to-year. This seems like the best option. Patricia is going to check in with other departments to see how these accounts are organized – Nadia will check in with her on Monday. Clarify how the account would work exactly – can we deposit funds? Can we write cheques?
   • Apply to the department annually for funding?
5. New business
6. Business from the floor
   • Graduate student fundraiser: low turn out but successful auction (raised about $2000?); possibility more notice and a point-person to work with the organizing faculty to help make the event the bigger success; the graduate students should take a bigger role in this event (MC, talent show, showcasing the items, baking competition/bake sale etc.) – we should be involved in raising the funds!
7. Next meeting
   1. Meeting scheduled for April 17
   2. Proposed business:
      • Elections
      • Oh My Goat!

 

Meeting closed at 5:50 by Lindsey.