Nov. 20, 2024

 

The UNLV Graduate & Professional Student Association

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

NOTICE OF PUBLIC MEETING

GPSA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING 44-11

Monday, November 25, 2024

9:00 AM

HYBRID PUBLIC MEETING:

IN PERSON: GRADUATE COMMONS CONFERENCE 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

PRESIDENT’S CABINET (EX-OFFICIO, NON-VOTING)

Engagement & Outreach Director

Chief of Staff

Director of Communications & Marketing

◻ Ariadna Gutierrez

◻VACANT

◻ Delight Ejiaka

Members of the Public Present

Virginia Smercina – GPSA Business Manager

Bill Robinson, Ph.D. – GPSA Faculty Advisor

John Colombo, Ph.D. – GPSA Faculty Advisor

Valarie Burke, Ph.D. – Graduate College Representative

CALL TO ORDER

ROLL CALL

  1. PUBLIC COMMENT                                                                                                 INFORMATION ONLY

(See foregoing notation regarding public comment)

  1. APPROVAL OF MINUTES                                                                                   FOR POSSIBLE ACTION

Minutes from the 44-0 meeting are being completed, no action at this time.

  1. REPORTS & RECOMMENDATIONS                                                                   INFORMATION ONLY

3a) GPSA Executive Board & Committees

    1. President

President Marie will report to the GPSA Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate student body.

  • Board of Regents 12/4 & 12/5 @UNLV Ballrooms 7am-5pm
    1. 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.

    1. Treasurer

Treasurer Lopez will report to the GPSA Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate Student body.

    1. Secretary

Secretary King will report to the GPSA Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate Student body.

3b) GPSA Business Manager & Advisor


Business Manager Virginia Smercina will report to the GPSA Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate student body.

  • Out of town 12/3-12/7
  • Volunteers for Graduation Tuesday December 17, 2024
  • Grad commons space being renovated over winter break need help clearing out the space after graduation (December 18th)

3c) GPSA Faculty Advisors

      

  1. Faculty Advisor Bill Robinson will report to the Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate student body.
  2. Faculty Advisor John Colombo will report to the Executive Board concerning UNLV related issues or events important to the UNLV graduate student body.

3d) GPSA President’s Cabinet

  1. Engagement & Outreach Director
  • Update on how the Wind Orchestra Event went.
  1. Director of Communications & Marketing

  1. 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.

  1. 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) Workshop Collaboration with The Grad Academy (TGA)                           FOR POSSIBLE ACTION

TGA Director, Alissa Gardner, requests time to meet with the Executive Board to discuss TGA's upcoming workshops and see which ones GPSA would like to collaborate on for Spring 2025. TGA has also offered volunteer support for any upcoming GPSA events this spring (add events to this sign-up sheet).

5b) Commencement Discussion                                                                              FOR POSSIBLE ACTION

President Marie requests time for discussion and possible vote on an action plan to get feedback on graduation process from students.

5c) Fee Increase Discussion                                                                                     FOR POSSIBLE ACTION

President Marie requests time for discussion and possible vote on an action plan for a GPSA fee increase.

5d) GPSA Hosting NSA Mixer 12/3/2024                                                                INFORMATION ONLY

President Marie requests time to discuss the 12/3/2024 mixer with NSA.

5e) GPSA Open House 1/21/2024                                                                               INFORMATION ONLY

President Marie requests time to discuss the graduate commons open house, spring elections, networking ideas, and spring swag order.

5f) G.R.A.D Events at the Dining Commons - Modify Spring Dates                     INFORMATION ONLY

GPSA Manager, Virginia Smercina, requests time to discuss modifying the monthly commitment at the Dining Commons for Grad Rebel Appreciation Day where graduate students receive a discounted rate. Tabling for this event in the fall has proven challenging to find volunteers on a monthly basis. Proposing two Dining Commons events in the spring:

  • Wednesday, January 29, 2025 (second week of spring semester) and
  • Wednesday, April 9, 2025 (during National Graduate-Professional Student Appreciation Week, Apr 7-11, 2025)

5g) Discussion of NSHE Procedures & Guidelines Manual Revisions for             FOR POSSIBLE ACTION

Student Government Officers Financial Support

GPSA Manager Virginia Smercina requests time to discuss proposed revisions to the NSHE Procedures & Guidelines Manual, which mandate that compensation for student government officers (e.g., stipends) be issued exclusively as scholarships, eliminating employment-based compensation. The revisions stem from BOR Chair Carvalho’s response to public comments highlighting disparities in student government leader compensation across institutions, particularly undocumented students unable to receive traditional employment pay.

5h) Call for New Business Items                                                                                INFORMATION ONLY

Items for consideration at future meetings may be suggested. Discussion is limited to description and clarification of the subject matter of the item, including the reasons for the request; emergency items  added at the discretion of the President (GPSA Bylaws Article IV, Sec.3).

  1. PUBLIC COMMENT                                                                                                   INFORMATION ONLY

(See foregoing notation regarding public comment)

  1. ANNOUNCEMENTS                                                                                                  INFORMATION ONLY
  • NSA mixer 12/3, we are ordering Panda Express and sharing swag bags
  • Snack bags during study week
  • Graduate Winter Commencement is December 17th
  • Open House event January 21st
  1. ADJOURNMENT                                                                                                   FOR POSSIBLE ACTION