June 23rd, 2009 BOD Meeting Minutes

Minutes for 6/23/2009 BOD Meeting
Location – MUNSU Council Chambers
Call to Order: 6:10pm

1.    Identification of visitors by chair – Dr. Penney Blackwood and Tara Pierce of Memorial University Capital Campaign and Susanne Gulliver of Pride Week

2.    Check-in/Attendance:
Isabel Costa (Biology BOD Rep), Catherine Jalbert (President), Nate Wilke (VP Finance), Jess Huber (English BOD Rep), Tracy Hache (Anthropology BOD Rep), Emma Brand (VP Internal), Sara Best (Environmental Sciences BOD Rep), Susanne Gulliver (Pride Chair/Visitor), Kim Gill (Women’s Resource Centre BOD Rep), Rebecca Dean (Chemistry BOD Rep), G. Phani Suresh Reddy (Feildhall Coordinator), Robert Cove (Engineering Graduate Student Society BOD Rep), Allison Bryan (Sociology BOD Rep), Darek Moreau (Board of Regents Rep), Erin Stevens (VP Communications and Research), Lisa Daly (Minute-taker), Dr. Penney Blackwood (Memorial University Capital Campaign/Visitor), Tara Pierce (Memorial University Capital Campaign/Visitor)

3.    Move to accept June Agenda
Nate Wilke, 2nd Tracy Hashe
Any changes?
Nate – move 9a to 3.5
Tracy – move 10a to 3.75
Jess – add 10b volunteer opportunities at Pride Week
Motion carried

3.5    Capital Campaign Presentation
•    Currently in its quiet stage.  Planning is done by talking to private donors and not to the public.  They will begin asking for public donations once 50-60% of the goal is met.
•    History of the university
o    Began as a two year university
o    Founded in 1925 as Memorial College with 55 students enrolled.  A healthy proportion of those students were female.
o    Joseph Smallwood wanted a distinguished university for its size.
o    In 1949, the same year as confederation, it gained university status and renamed Memorial University College.  College was later dropped from the name.
o    The university was started with a grant from the Carnegie Corporation.
o    In 1960 the university moved from Parade Street to its current location and has grown since then.
o    There are now five locations: Sir Wilfred Grenfell College, Marine Institute and MUN are all degree granting institutions, and Harlow in the UK and Labrador Institute in Goose Bay as well as distance students.
o    Harlow
Transformational experience, getting to experience a new culture.  Located near Stansted Airport which allows for easy travel.  Great cultural experience.
•    Today
o    Memorial University contributes just under one million dollars to the province
o    The university has a mandate of accessibility, with low requirements to enter the university, but then students have to maintain university standards once accepted.  The university has a goal to create a knowledgeable population base in the province.
•    Five Pillars to 2012
o    Students
o    Research, creative activity, scholarship
o    Needs of the Province
o    Conditions for success
o    Institutional responsibilities
Goals started
•    What do we need to get there?
o    Strong infusion of resources
•    Priorities for the campaign
o    Will pursue other campaigns which will be working in the background of this one.  The campaigns that are picked to be presented are those that are the most urgent.
Student financial support
Academic excellence
Physical infrastructure
o    Looking at the university on a global scale
o    The university has the physical and human capital, but needs the financial capital.  Receive $294.9 million from the government for infrastructure and looking for $50 million from the private sector.
•    Goals
o    Student financial support
Competitive.  Looking for the best and the brightest, awarding excellent, and needs based.
Scholarships, bursaries and fellowships totalling $25 M
•    $50 M feasible from private donation
o    Academic excellence
Fellowships (post-doctoral/clinical/professional) totalling $20M
•    Usually endowed chairs are selected, meaning that the $20 M would give 6 people positions, and generally are tenured positions.  These fellowships would be less expensive and can fund 30 positions.  This would support teaching and new research and would double the number of post-doctoral positions at the university.
Strategic research clusters  $5M
•    This would bring in different experts and would fund academics.
o    Total $50 M
•    Support for Graduate Students
o    2007/2008 over $230,000 in scholarships was given.  This funds only 3% of graduate students which is poor in comparison to other universities in Canada
o    This project projects the growth from 2200 to 3900 scholarships given by 2010, many of them to graduate students.
•    Infrastructure approved by government
o    The plan is still three to five years out and donation specifications may change
o    What has been approved
Residences (St. John’s and Sir Wilfred Grenfell College) $68.8M
Sir Wilfred Grenfell College academic building $27M
Faculty of medicine expansion $15M
•    This is the construction of a genetics research facility within other expansions in the faculty of medicine
Total $111M
•    What has not been approved and is infrastructure for government consideration
o    Centre for research in environment and oceans $79.4M
o    Library expansions (St. John’s and Sir Wilfred Grenfell College) $16.6M
o    Health Sciences Centre $12.6M
Inter-professional health care college, not to the medical school.
Government white paper has increased funding for education
o    Business building
Needs to house more students and new graduate programs
•    Additional projects which are priority with private sector funds
o    Business/Engineering “Link”  $7.5M
This is the only university where the two departments are so physically close.  A link would give a physical space for an entrepreneurial link between the two faculties with space for board rooms, etc.
o    Music School expansion  $5M
Long term expansions are in place.  There is a need for practice space and other things.
•    How to get there:
o    Best practices in fundamentals
Giving begins at home
•    Credibility is given to the case when internal donations are made.  This shows internal support for the project.
o    Memorial “family” leadership
Pacesetting gifts determine success
•    Looking for gifts of $1M +.  Just getting small donations takes too long to achieve goals.
Peer-to-peer/face-to-face solicitation
•    This gives an individualized approach
Public launch at 60% of the goal
•    Need to reach 30M first, which may mean a year to a year and a half before going public.
•    The Family Campaign
o    Start with the most senior levels
Board of Regents
Senior Executive Committee (SEC)
Deans and Directors
Faculty/staff
Students
Extended family
•    Retirees
•    Separately incorporated entities (SIE)
o    Botanical Gardens
o    C-Core
o    Etc.
o    The message that needs to be put towards the public is a high participation.  The closer to 100% participation rate is better for private donations.  To date they have received $594,000 from 123 donors and have 33 volunteers.  So far the participation rate is 98%.  The Human Resources department has a 100% participation rate, and endowed a memorial scholarship.
o    Every dime to go to what it was designated to.  No administrative fees will be taken out, and you can designate your gift.
•    Ultimate goal
o    Create a global centre of integrity, generate prosperity and define the future of our university and province.  If the university does not do well the provincial and world stage will suffer.
•    The world is at a turning point.  The new economy demands innovations, especially in the field of oil and gas.
End of presentation

Question and Answer
•    Tracy – When will the university invest in the arts?  Or in the humanities?  There is a plan to expand the music building, but for the university to solicit money there should be more invested in the arts and humanities.
•    Answer (note, all answers come from either Dr. Penney Blackwood or Tara Pierce) – That entire $50M is for scholarships, fellowships, post-docs, etc, for every department.  Post-docs as research chairs do tend to be science based.  All research clusters are interdisciplinary, for instance when they examine the social impact.  Research needs a diverse background to generate unique ideas.  Every dollar will impact the arts and every department.  It is not the same situation for infrastructure.  We are aware that there are space needs in every department, but right now they are not a priority.
•    Tracy – But the business people are the ones who caused the current economic mess, and they are still getting for funding.  SSRC has even been taken from arts to fund business students.
•    Answer - This plan is coming from the Board of Reagents.  Talk to your Board of Regents rep to bring it up.  The approach is donor centered and does not pigeonhole people into a set donation.  There is a back pocket list of priorities from the deans that can be talked about.
•    Tracy – I appreciate your honesty and directness.  I do have a second question.  The private sector, what is the private sector?
•    Answer – Alumni, friends of the university, corporations, focus on the individual.  Much more balanced.  There is a fundraising curve.  Corporation donations are flattening out whereas individual donations are growing.
•    Jess – What about university autonomy?  How do you address concerns that we will be held to government of the individual because they gave money?
•    Answer – This is already a problem with the selection of a president and government involvement.  But this is not affecting the willingness for individuals or corporations to donate and support the university.  We do not believe we will be indebted.  Autonomy has come up, and the university does what it can to protect its integrity.  The present issue is an isolated issue.  It is not an issue because it has been addressed and we can move on.  As well, having a board chair is making it easier.
•    Catherine – I think the new buildings are great, but is there anything for existing buildings, like renovations?
•    Answer – We have had deferred maintenance conversations with government, like how to refurnish the science building and new kinds of research space.  Not only do we need to fix space, but we need to add to it.  For instance, in the science building we cannot move everyone out to refurbish it.  There is ongoing research that cannot be interrupted.  And the money for residence is for new buildings and to refurbish the existing ones.  All new buildings will have more gathering space for students.  The university wants to add more.  There is a certain list of priorities.  Finance is doing an assessment for what the campus needs are and determining those needs.  They are then addressed with the funds available. It is on the agenda, but not on the PowerPoint.  What can also happen is that a donor will specify needs or rooms, for example the traders lab in the business building, to donate.  This can come from the back pocket lists put forward by the senior executive.  The back pocket lists look at the needs of the university and the real space needs without regards to the money needed.  There were talks with government about expanding the campus.  Government offered $100M which was not enough.  Government wants to know what the needs are. The new president is going to put it all together to get an idea of the full picture.
•    Erin – Couple of points.  You are looking to increase support for graduate students.  This will give us more money and with get more graduate students.  Where will you put them?  Will some of the space in the undergraduate residences be used for graduates?
•    Chair – Some of the beds will be fore grads, some will be for international grads.
•    Answer – Agreed.
•    Emma – You might have addressed this point.  Are you asking for the GSU to front the money for a scholarship for graduate students?
•    Answer – How you donate is up to you.  This is something that we can have conversations about later.
•    Emma – So we could put up the money for a GSU yearly scholarship?
•    Answer – If the student union supports the campaign and can get student support you might endow a fund which will be kept in perpetuity.  It will be a legacy for this union.
•    Tracy – Will the list of corporate donors be released?
•    Answer – Corporate donation can be anonymous.  Gifts do have to be approved by the board.  No money is taken in without approval, if is part of the university’s gift acceptance policy.  The purpose for the money must be approved.
•    Erin – Is there a minimum amount?
•    Answer - $22,500 will endow a scholarship in perpetuity.  This number may go higher due to the economy.  Spending is now at 4%.  It was at 5%, and under the old spending of 5% this number would produce a $1000 scholarship.
•    Erin – What is it being invested in?
•    Answer – It goes to a pooled investment fund run by ScotiaBank and Macleod.  The investment statement is available and you can see who it is invested in.  Not stocks, but bonds.  We are in the top percentile of universities in Canada and did not loose much.  At worst we went down 13%.

3.75 Pride Week
•    Susanne Gulliver – Pride Week is looking for the same support that they received from the GSU last year.  This year for Pride week on Tuesday, June 21, 2009 there will be the Big Gay Bonfire.  We hope to have the busses leave from Bitters, and if we can, leave food from the food drive at Bitters.  The price to go to Middle Cove is one non-perishable food item.  On Thursday, June 23 there will be trivia at Bitters, and last year Bitters provided snacks and a bar tab, and we would love to have pridetinis back again.
•    Emma – We cannot give a bar tab due to policy.
•    Catherine – We can give a Bitters gift certificate.
•    Tracy – When is the parade?
•    Susanne – Sunday
•    Tracy – What time?
•    Susanne – 1:30 is the parade and we will also be having drag races.  As well, we are selling pride scarves (models scarf) for $15.
•    Tracy – Last year you did trivia and had munchies.  What would you like us to donate?
•    Emma – Do we run trivia?
•    Susanne – We have an open mic host, Ryan Marshall from MUNSU who will run trivia.
•    Emma – Do you need help advertising?
•    Susanne – Yes.  It will be awesome.  Last year me and Matt Fuches sand Tenatious Dee.
•    Allison – Are you looking for support or organizing?
•    Susanne – A little of both.
•    Allison – Last year where did the money come from?
•    Tracy – A $250 donation of food.
•    Chair – In kind support outside of food like the use of facilities.
•    Allison - If you are looking for extra funding you can apply for that.
•    Emma - $50 for office supplies.
•    Catherine – Becky Windsor contacted Kat and Doug to book open mic and trivia.  Doug said that it’s fine.  Finger food has been donated in the past.
•    Chair – Leave it to Susanne and Emma to organise.  The GSU has supported and have helped to see Pride Week grow.  It is important for the GSU to support the LBGT and queer community.
•    Susanne – Thanks for having me.

4.    Resignation of Outgoing Directors and Introduction of New Directors
•    No resignations

5.    Apologies for absences: Grant Strong (Computer Science BOD Rep), Sebastien Despres (VP Academic), Ben Stole (Folklore BOD Rep), Zhuliang Ten (Biochemistry BOD Rep)

6.    Ratification of  May 26, 2009 minutes
•    Emma, Isabel second
•    No changes
•    All in favour – none opposed

7.    A.  Work Summaries
•    President – As stands
•    VP Academic – As stands
•    VP Finance – As stands
•    VP Communications and Research – As stands
•    VP Internal – As stands
o    Isabel – Where are the plans for summer events?
o    Emma – I’m unaware of summer events.  That’s something we’ll discuss at the next meeting.  We do have plans for a west coast trip and we have the schedule for GradFest.  Right now from August 28th to September 1st there will be a trip to Gros Morn and L’Anse aux Medeaux.  And we’ll be doing trivia.  The GradFest schedule looks similar but is a bit different.

B. Reports from BOD Members
•    Darek – I have to resign from the Board of Regents.
•    Erin – What is the time frame?
•    Darek – I’ll be booted off in August.  We will need a bi-election.  I thought I had longer.  I apologise for not brining it to attention earlier.
•    Suresh – Feild Hall is having problems.  We are creating a mailing list for these problems.  We are going to get the beds soon and the 3rd floor wants a tv.
•    Isabel – Suresh are you Residence Coordinator or Field House Rep?
•    Suresh – Field Hall Rep
•    Isabel – You can approach Facilities Management.
•    Tracy – Asbestos.  Workers have been removing it and have assured us that it is safe but they are not doing it like I’ve ever seen in Calgary.  Are there professional companies that can do it?
•    Chair – Power Vac.
•    Tracy – There are concerns for safety.  Do we have the power to look into it?
•    Darek – The university has gone safety crazy.  The university does have a plan to remove all of the asbestos, but they do not have the money.
•    Nate – We can get someone on the board for Health and Safety.  There was talk of Jay Shaw being on that, but he is now TAUMUN.  We want another GSU member.
•    Erin – What is the name of the committee?
•    Nate – Contact Jay.
•    Chair – Occupational Health and Safety.
•    Catherine – Contact Seb.  He has the lists of people who wanted to be on committees.  You should email him.

C.    Reports from Standing and Ad-hoc Committees
•    Nate – The finance committee met twice.  We caught up on special projects.  The second meeting went well.  Dental and Health also had two meetings that went well.
•    Erin – The Constitution committee received bounce backs on their emails.
•    Catherine – ERC [Employment Relationship Committee] reviewed the GradSwep and residence positions.  There were interviews and there are sic new members who have never been involved in the GSU.  There will be established contacts in the future.

8.    GSU Events and Activities
•    Emma – You mean I have to do this every time?  There were events.  There was trivia, a Purity syrup screech-in, youtube karaoke, the IC BBQ.  Questions?

Erin calls a five minute recess, Tracy second, motion passed.

9.    New Business
B.  Budget
•    Nate – I am speaking on behalf of the finance committee and will present the facilities management budget next meeting.  It will be a line by line reading with a discussion at the end.
*Note – Questions were asked during the presentation, the following are these points and questions.
•    Tracy – What kind of campaigns?
•    Catherine – We have a list.  One of them is the survey campaign with questions relating to what graduate students this is important.
•    Nate – We may use survey monkey.  It is an effort to try to address the needs of money groups.  We have budgeted but not spent the money.
•    Tracy – We have two computers there [in the GSU offices] now?
•    Nate – We have two that are working but they have a poor server.  There is one that is not working; maybe we can smash it as a fundraiser or something.  We have two computers that have been updated and maybe fixed.
•    Erin – Donations may be outside of fundraising.
CFS Conference
•    Tracy – Spending this money means nothing if we don’t follow through with campaigns.
•    Catherine- Surveys.  We need to find out what the students find important.
•    Tracy – The country is looking towards us to follow through on these campaigns.
•    Catherine – We need to find out what’s important on campus.
•    Tracy – What happens to the excess budget?  Does it get rolled over to the next year?
•    Nate – Excess budget goes to paying overdraft.
Student Grants
•    Isabel – How is it used?
•    Nate – That’s in the constitution.
•    Chair – The one time thing is a restriction.  Maybe it could be adopted like MUNSU where it is divided over the semesters.  May be a way to get more people involved.  Can get people involved through email lists, website, listserve, plans from the BOD, be in a department and be involved in the department.  Challenge the directors to challenge the students.  The problems are communication, the listserve doesn’t work.
Facilities transfer
•    Tracy – What kind of expenditures?
•    Nate – Food, etc., will be distributed when completed.  Beds are outside of the academic budget, as are chairs, carpet and tables.  We are working with housing for off-campus housing.  To get more housing we need to work with off-campus housing.
Executive pay
•    Nate - I want to look into how to give the executive a raise for the future.  It’s not something we can give to this group, but we can see how it’s possible to give maybe the next group a raise.  We also need to streamline applications for BOD applications and give incentives for BOD members and to general members.
Graduate Student Development Fund (GSDF)
•    Nate – There is a need to address multiple needs and address weaknesses.  We hesitate to cut conference travel amounts, but there can be an increase based on interest.  In the future we will need to increase fees.
•    Jess – We do not need to change the constitution if the fees are raised?
•    Nate – We are weighing the options.  If people are willing to increase the fees then that makes the decision.  The Finance committee feels limited by the budget.  They want to increase the budget by more.  As interest increases we can pull off a revenue increase.  This exec might be organized enough to increase the fees.
•    Tracy – Fees have not increased in a long time and it is time to act on it.
•    Nate – Agreed.  But we don’t want to do it in the summer.
•    Jess – It’s sneaky to do it in the summer.
•    Nate – The survey suggests that now it is time.
•    Suresh – The total number of people who answered the survey is 4% and you’re making plans based on that.  How possible is it to get 100%?
•    Nate – Statistically it is a representative number.  It is the same number used by national surveys.  I feel the numbers will be the same even with a bigger turnout.  I do think it is enough and it is encouraging.
•    Suresh – We should try to get more because it is very important.
•    Nate – We will do a more detailed survey in the fall.  It is hard to find people in the summer.
•    Suresh – We need to get the BOD representators into this.
•    Nate – Early involvement of the board will be helpful.  We plan to offer incentives to encourage people.
•    Emma – There is the iPod campaign.  5 for 5 surveys.  It will be mentioned at GradFest at the registration at Field House with booths to get the maximum exposure.
•    Suresh – It’s the first time for the survey.  Depending on the GSU listserve.  We have to get those things sorted out.
•    Nate – Encourage more board members.
•    Jess – You are preaching to the choir.  Is there a list?
•    Nate – Yes.
•    Suresh – I have not received and email with the list.
Debt
•    Allison – Debt.  Nate said that we would look better with debt.
•    Nate – No debt makes it harder to get funding.  We have an excellent reputation with the university; better than many of the other student organisations.  And it is interest-free debt.
•    Allison – Why do we need debt to get money that we don’t need?  The survey said that the least important area is donations, but we can’t ignore it though.
•    Nate – It’s is just my personal philosophy.  With a choice between paying debt or getting beds for Feild Hall, I’d choose beds.
End of presentation

•    Keith – It is now 9:30.  Nate has presented the budget.  You can keep debating to discuss the budget.
•    Catherine – Any input is important.  We need to talk about it.
•    Keith – No conjecture for the future.  You need to move and second to discuss it.  The budget is a guideline for spending priorities.
•    Tracy – I do not feel comfortable debating the budget with so few people present.
•    Keith – We have quorum.  If it is not passed now then it will be two months until the next time to vote, and that would be two months without a budget.
•    Erin – Another concern is that I won’t be there in July.  It is field work season so a number of people won’t be here.
•    Allison – Should we pass this and postpone amendments?
•    Keith – Now is the opportunity to amend the budget until the AGM.

Amendments
•    Erin – I have three questions.  For Audio Visual, is any of that from Alderich?
•    Nate – Alderich is separate altogether.
•    Erin – The travel budget, luncheons and receptions, is that something to increase?
•    Nate – That was an overlap in meetings.  It was a one time thing.
•    Erin – Do we know how many student organizations there are?
•    Nate – No, but that information might be available.
•    Emma – That can also mean an individual.
•    Nate – It is often part of a larger budget.

In-camera
Tracy, Kim second.
Motion passed

Questions and amendments
•    Tracy – This is my last question.  I would really like to see money involved in donations, like community outreach like school breakfast.  It would be good PR and good for the community.
•    Emma – So you don’t think $3000 is enough?
•    Tracy – No I want more.  Like money for the tsunami.  We don’t know what might happen.
•    Emma – We have money allocated to raise money.  There is room in this budget for more.
•    Tracy - There is $5000 allocated for Balckberrys but just $3000 for donations.
•    Nate – Not having donated money personally but I would be more inclined to be involved on a volunteer level.  We fought for $3000.  We look at past histories and there is a chance that $1500 has already been paid.
•    Allison – I think there are systematic ways to have donations for things.  The $3000 is for the food bank.  Left over money could be donated in a systematic way and could be the way it is best addressed.
•    Nate – $1500 is designated.  Maybe it’s unfair to always go to the foodbank.
•    Allison – The extra money at the end of the year.  Part of it could go to debt and part to donations.
•    Nate – As spending occurs we can make that decision.  If all of the money is not spent it may be put to donations.
•    Jess – If something happens we can use fundraisers.  That can make more money.  If something happens we can get our asses out of the chairs and do something.  If something happens we’ll do something.
•    Allison – It is important to use the resources that are available.

Motion:
Whereas the Finance Committee in conjunction with the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) VP Finance has exercised due diligence in creating a Draft 2009-10 Budget;
Whereas the Finance Committee has put forward the Draft Budget forward to the 2009-10 GSU Board of Directors (BOD);
Whereas the Draft Budget has been comprehensively reviewed and debated by the GSU BOD;
Be it resolved that the 2009-10 Final Budget be adapted as presented.
Tracy, Erin second
Motion carried unanimously

•    Keith – Thank you Nate.  That was the most comprehensive and thorough review.

10.    Lantern Festival
•    Jess – We need people to help out at the Lantern Festival that takes place in Victoria Park on July 25.  We need people to help build lanterns or help with security.  We need volunteers for that day.  Talk to me if you want to help.

Move to adjourn
Tracy, Emma second
Meeting adjourned