The UNLV Graduate & Professional Student Association
University of Nevada, Las Vegas
NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING
GPSA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING 44-06
MINUTES
THURSDAY, AUGUST 22nd, 2024
9:00 AM
HYBRID PUBLIC MEETING:
IN PERSON: GRADUATE COMMONS CONFERNCE ROOM
LIED LIBRARY 2ND FLOOR
VIRTUAL: https://unlv.zoom.us/my/gpsa.meeting.room
PASSCODE: GPSAUNLV
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT THE AGENDA AND PUBLIC MEETING NOTE:
PERTAINING TO VIRTUAL MEETINGS:
This meeting will be held via teleconference only pursuant to Section 1 of the Declaration of Emergency Directive 006 (“Directive 006”) issued by the State of Nevada Executive Department. If a physical location is required for the meeting, participants may be able to access the livestream by visiting the Graduate Commons at the Lied Library 2nd floor.
Public Comment may be submitted via email to gpsapresident@unlv.edu.
Messages received by 9:00 AM on the Monday prior to the meeting may be entered into the record during the meeting. Any other public comment form submissions and/or voicemails received prior to the adjournment of the meeting will be transcribed and included in the permanent record.
Members of the public wishing to listen to the meeting may do so via: https://unlv.zoom.us/my/gpsa.meeting.room
CONTINUED:
Below is an agenda of all items scheduled to be presented and considered at the meeting. Notification is hereby provided that items on the agenda may be taken out of the order and presented, two or more agenda items may be combined for consideration, and an agenda item may be removed from the agenda or discussion relating to an item on the agenda may be delayed at any time.
Some agenda items are noted as having accompanying reference material. Copies of the reference materials that are distributed at the meeting may be requested by emailing the Executive Board at gpsa@unlv.edu.
This meeting’s agenda has been posted in accordance with NRS 241.020. Copies of the agenda and reference material will be made available as follows: 1. Digitally at the UNLV.edu/GPSA/Agendas and the Nevada Public Notice Website, 2. Physically located on the First Floor of the Lied Library at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV, 3. Physically located in the Carol C. Harter Classroom Building Complex (CHB) at 4505 S. Maryland Parkway, Las Vegas, NV.
Reasonable efforts will be made to assist and accommodate persons with a disability attending the meeting. Please email the GPSA Manager at gpsa@unlv.edu in advance so that arrangements may be made.
PUBLIC COMMENT:
Public comment will be taken during this agenda item. No action may be taken on a matter raised under this item until the matter is included on an agenda as an item on which action may be taken. Comments will be limited to three minutes per person. Persons making comment will be asked to begin by stating their name for the record and to spell their last name. The Board Chair may elect to allow additional public comment on a specific agenda item when that agenda item is being considered. In accordance with Attorney General Opinion No. 00-047, as restated in the Attorney General’s Open Meeting Law Manual, the Chair may prohibit comment if the content of that comment is a topic that is not relevant to, or within the authority of, the Body, or if the content is willfully disruptive of the meeting by being irrelevant, repetitious, slanderous, offensive, inflammatory, irrational or amounting to personal attacks or interfering with the rights of other speakers.
EXECUTIVE BOARD
|
PRESIDENT |
VICE PRESIDENT |
TREASURER |
SECRETARY |
|
☑Teresa Marie |
☑Aliciah Carr |
☑Devin Lopez |
◻ David King - EXCUSED |
PRESIDENT’S CABINET (EX-OFFICIO, NON-VOTING)
|
Engagement & Outreach Director |
Chief of Staff |
Director of Operations |
Director of Communications & Marketing |
|
◻ VACANT |
◻VACANT |
◻ VACANT |
◻ VACANT |
Members of the Public Present
☑Virginia Smercina – GPSA Business Manager
☑Bill Robinson – GPSA Faculty Advisor
CALL TO ORDER
ROLL CALL
Called to order at 9:06 am
- PUBLIC COMMENT INFORMATION ONLY
(See foregoing notation regarding public comment)
- APPROVAL OF MINUTES FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
Minutes from the 44-05 meeting are being completed, no action at this time.
- REPORTS & RECOMMENDATIONS INFORMATION ONLY
3a) GPSA Executive Board & Committees
-
- President
President Marie will report to the GPSA Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate student body.
President Marie reported that the graduate student orientation was successful.
-
- Vice President
Vice President Carr will report to the GPSA Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate student body.
No reports.
-
- Treasurer
Treasurer Lopez will report to the GPSA Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate Student body.
Treasurer Lopez shared the budget for FY25 that was drafted with Chair Peña.
-
- Secretary
Secretary King will report to the GPSA Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate Student body.
Secretary King was absent.
3b) GPSA Business Manager & Advisor
Business Manager Smercina will report to the GPSA Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate student body.
No reports.
3c) GPSA Faculty Advisor
Faculty Advisor Bill Robinson will report to the Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate student body.
Faculty Advisor Robinson reported to attend the BoR meeting on Friday.
3d) GPSA President’s Cabinet
- Engagement & Outreach Director
- Director of Operations
- Director of Communications & Marketing
- Chief of Staff
- UNFINISHED BUSINESS FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
Unfinished Business is any motion or action item that was under discussion and was postponed or moved to this meeting at the discretion of the public body as approved by the chair.
- NEW BUSINESS FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
New business is any motion that is new to this meeting. All items will be for action unless otherwise stated.
5a) Annual Goals INFORMATION ONLY
President Marie requests time to discuss with the executive board the annual goals and initiatives of GPSA. These are the things that the executive board and the president's cabinet want to work on carrying out over the next 2024-2025 year.
Moved by Vice President Carr, seconded by Treasurer Lopez.
A motion was made to suspend Robert’s Rules of Order for the next 46 minutes.
Moved by Vice President Carr, seconded by Treasurer Lopez. Passed unanimously.
President Marie and Business Manager Smercina discussed their concerns about campus safety, particularly in the student union, and the need for improved security measures. They proposed setting measurable objectives for the year, such as active assailant training, and agreed to bring up the topic of student safety in the September council meeting. The discontinuation of ride services by UPD and the increasing use of golf carts for campus transportation were also discussed, with President Marie deciding to further investigate these issues. They agreed to conduct pre and post-campus safety surveys to gauge student perceptions of safety and to ask about any changes in safety patrol since the fall.
Business Manager Smercina, President Marie, and Treasurer Lopez discussed the need to update the GPSA Constitution and Bylaws. President Marie had been working on this aiming to make them more reflective of GPSA. Business Manager Smercina and Treasurer Lopez emphasized the importance of finalizing the constitution and bylaws by the end of the term for board approval. The team also discussed the need for clarity between legislative and executive responsibilities, and the creation of a division charter to define the parameters and expectations for divisions.
President Marie and Treasurer Lopez discussed potential annual goals, focusing on ongoing initiatives such as the drive to student housing and the childcare project. President Marie emphasized the need for graduate student advocacy, particularly in light of UNLV's inaccessibility for professional graduate students. Treasurer Lopez agreed to reach out to potential members for their board, including students specializing in constitutions and a representative from the Law School. President Marie also suggested bringing the issue of childcare expansion to the Provost's monthly meetings.
President Marie and Treasurer Lopez discussed the need for gathering data to support a GPSA fee increase, including testimonials and survey data. They also discussed the need for the executive board to have their legislative priorities figured out by 2025. Additionally, they talked about setting expectations for GPSA programs and clarifying the relationship between GPSA and the graduate college to avoid confusion and ensure proper resource allocation.
Treasurer Lopez leaves at 10:13am.
Vice President Carr discussed the need to increase awareness about the competitive nature of the GPSA Sponsorship budget, which she estimated to be around $43,000 per quarter. She suggested that showing the funding rates from previous years might help applicants understand their chances. President Marie also emphasized the importance of student engagement as an annual goal, sharing her positive experiences with student-athletes and their enthusiasm for campus events. She proposed to work on these points in the next Executive Board meeting and to collaborate to celebrate the achievements of graduate students in athletics.
President Marie emphasized the importance of several ongoing initiatives, including graduate student housing and childcare, and the need for more input and involvement from the team. She also highlighted the importance of setting expectations and repeating information at meetings to ensure everyone is on the same page. Additionally, she discussed the need for more support for the sponsorship program and the potential for a fee increase in the future. Lastly, she suggested creating a memorandum with the graduate college to ensure any fundraised money is allocated to GPSA.President Marie suggested that student input should be considered more in decision-making processes and highlighted the negative impact of increasing class sizes on the quality of education. She also brought up the issue of inadequate health coverage for students, which she sees as a serious campus health risk.
President Marie discussed the challenges faced by the graduate program at UNLV, particularly in the hospitality department. She expressed concern about the lack of industry experience among faculty, leading to outdated teaching methods and academic bullying. President Marie also highlighted the issue of academic bullying, particularly in the hospitality department, and the difficulties in addressing this due to mistrust in the university's administration.
President Marie discussed the issue of salary inequity among faculty at the university, particularly highlighting the disparity between fields such as sociology and accounting. She expressed concern over the increasing class sizes and the impact it has on research-active faculty. President Marie suggested that GPSA and Faculty Senate should collaborate to find solutions for class size management. She also mentioned the need to update the outdated working policy, which has not been revised since 2004. President Marie emphasized that the recent fee increase was intended to cover all students, not just COLA, and that it was being covered by financial aid for those who qualify.
President Marie discussed the issue of fee increases and the need for better consultation and policy-making processes. She highlighted the problem of regional policies affecting financials without proper faculty input, leading to the creation of the Academic Policy Committee. President Marie also addressed the confusion around fee waivers, noting that while students with fee waivers don't pay out-of-pocket, there are still other fees not covered by waivers.
- PUBLIC COMMENT INFORMATION ONLY
(See foregoing notation regarding public comment)
No public comment.
- ANNOUNCEMENTS INFORMATION ONLY
No announcements.
- ADJOURNMENT FOR POSSIBLE ACTION
Adjourned at 10:52 am.