Graduate Student Association

GSA is maintaining a webpage dedicated to providing you with the latest events, resources, and ways to get involved in our fight against the state budget cuts.

Go to http://www.unr.edu/gsa/budget.html to learn more.

Be informed – be involved – make a difference

Thank you,
Matt Smith
GSA President

Knowledge Center Workshops, February 7-11 “Knowledge Center a la Carte” is a series of free workshops for graduate students and faculty that focus on research, instruction, technology, and presentation skills. Workshop topics include Photoshop, Video Production, Endnote Web, Literature Reviews, Graduate Research, PubMed, Poster Design, ArcGIS, Excel, Mendeley, Ebooks, Prezi, Survey Tools, and more.

For complete workshop information, go to http://knowledgecenter.unr.edu/news/special_events/kcalacarte_s11.aspx

Hi All,

It’s been a busy and productive semester for GSA. Here’s a quick summary of what we’ve been working on:

• Increased travel grant funding by 55% ($125,000 in travel monies are available this academic year)
• Increased research grant funding by 70% ($42,500 is available for research grants, awarded in April 2011)
• Increased funding for financial crisis, medical hardship, and child care scholarships by 66% each ($15,000 is available in each fund this academic year)
• Advocated for employment and appeal rights for graduate research and teaching assistants (this effort is ongoing)
• Co-hosted the Assembly Education Forum to engage state political candidates on issues affecting graduate students
• Assessed student feedback, and allocated surplus / rollover funds for improvements to the GSA Office and available club resources
• Obtained on-campus storage facilities to increase access to our Household Items Program
• Created the GSA Service Committee, and took part in national Make a Difference Day by planting trees, leading a campus-wide clothing drive, and assembling survival kits for a homeless shelter
• GSA was recognized as New Member of the Year for 2010 by the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students (NAGPS)
• Revived GSA Tailgates, and continued our successful Graduate Student Breakfast program (every Wednesday from 830-1030 am in the Grad Student Lounge)
• Supported the Nevada Education Protection Pledge, in partnership with ASUN and student governments at other NSHE institutions

Our final GSA Council meeting of the semester is on Tuesday, November 30th at 7pm in the Rita Laden Senate Chambers, and our Wine and Cheese social is on Thursday, December 2nd at 7pm in the Ballroom of the Union (free for graduate students, $5 for guests – please bring your UNR and government-issued ID cards).

Join our Facebook fan page (search: Graduate Student Association) and check out all of our programs and services on our website at www.unr.edu/gsa. Please contact me at pgsa@unr.edu to let me know how GSA can help you, or how we can improve.

Regards,

Matt Smith, GSA President

From Sep 27 – Oct 1, the Knowledge Center will be hosting Knowledge Center a la Carte, a series of free workshops that focus on research, instruction, technology, and presentation skills. These workshops are specifically designed for faculty and graduate students. The workshops include:
• Graduate Student Research Toolbox
• Writing for Success and Being Rewarded with Publication
• Designing Effective Poster Presentations
• Designing an E-Portfolio with Lectora
• Mendeley: A Free Reference Management Tool
• EndNote Web: A Free Tool for Managing Your Research
• Video Production 101
• Finding Demographic Data
• and more!

For complete workshop information, go to http://knowledgecenter.unr.edu/news/special_events/kcalacarte_f10.aspx

Questions or comments? Direct them to Ann Medaille at amedaille@unr.edu /682-5600 or Amy Shannon at ashannon@unr.edu /682-6624

Hi All,

The new academic year is about to begin, and your Graduate Student Association has been working through the summer to serve you. Here’s how we’re starting the semester:

• New Graduate Student Orientation is tomorrow, August 19th, from 1-5 pm in the Joe Crowley Student Union (JCSU) Ballrooms
• Our FREE Welcome Social is also tomorrow, August 19th, from 5-7 pm in the Great Room, JCSU 402. Beer, wine, soft drinks, and appetizers will be served.
• The first meeting of the GSA Council for the semester is Tuesday, August 24th, at 7pm in the Rita Laden Senate Chambers (3rd floor of the Union).  **We currently have 2 open seats: one in Liberal Arts and one in Education. Come to the first meeting if you’re interested in joining the Council!**
• Our popular Grad Student Breakfasts have returned! Beginning on Wednesday, August 25th, from 8:30-10:30 am in the Grad Student Lounge (3rd floor of the Union), we host our FREE weekly breakfasts with coffee (no decaf), fruit, bagels, and baked goods.

We hope you had a great summer, and we look forward to seeing and hearing from you soon.

For more on ALL of our programs and services, visit us at www.unr.edu/gsa

-Matt Smith, GSA President

If you are working on a research poster, the Knowledge Center has some great resources for students to use including templates and links to posters from doc students at other schools. Please share with anyone you think will be interested!

Here is a link to the Libraries’ help page on making professional posters:

http://knowledgecenter.unr.edu/help/manage/toolkit/posters.aspx

Room(s) for rent

Available 4/1/2010

Contact Name:  Jody Conn

Phone Number: 775-830-5639

Address: New Northwest Reno, 89523

Rental Information: within 3 miles of UNR

Bedrooms:  4 bedrooms

Baths: 3 baths

Rent: $600 – $700 (negotiable)

Deposit: $300

Utilities Included: Trash, water

Maximum Occupancy: 2

Gender Preference:  No Preference

Child Preference: No children

Smoking preference: No smoking

Amenities Included:

Internet | Garage | Laundry in unit | Private Bath | Air Conditioning

Other Notes:  Responsible renter(s) wanted to share immaculate 2500 sf home with one other person. 1 or 2 bedrooms, walk-in closet, large private bath, parking in 3-car garage, storage space, use of common areas, full-size washer and dryer, large landscaped backyard, BBQ. Call for photos and address. Off of McCarran near McQueen, minutes from UNR. Great neighborhood. Can be furnished or unfurnished.

Graduate Students:

As you may or may not know, during the ASUN Elections in March 2010 undergraduate students were asked whether they would support a $25 Fee to support Academic Support Initiatives, as well as a $5 fee to support enhanced campus fine arts. These initiatives were brought forth as part of the ASUN’s Joint Vision 2017. The Academic Support Initiatives Fee will create a consolidated “Academic Success Center” which would provide tutoring, math and writing support to students at no additional cost. The Performing Arts fee would attract more recognized artists, support campus art galleries and theatrical performances (lights, sets, costumes). Both fees have passed and are being taken to the next Board of Regents meeting for approval.

ASUN has proposed to the GSA Council that graduate students consider a $5 fee to support Academic Support Initiatives (primarily focused on professional level writing, including coaching and support on theses and dissertations), as well as a $5 fee to contribute to enhanced campus fine arts. This fee would be assessed each semester for any graduate student enrolled in 1 or more credits, for a total contribution of $10 per semester. Should the GSA Council and graduate student body vote in favor of these fees for graduate students, they would also be considered at the next Board of Regents meeting with the undergraduate fee.

The GSA Council has reviewed the available information regarding these fees proposed by ASUN, and will give graduate students an opportunity to vote during the GSA elections. Two questions appear on the GSA elections regarding each fee individually, elections are open via web campus March 29-April 7. For more information on elections, visit www.unr.edu/gsa.

Currently, the Vice President of Student Services, Provost and various Deans are involved in the planning of the academic support center, should the fee pass. The School of the Arts has also discussed opportunities for the potential for additional funding.  

A video regarding ASUN’s Joint Vision 2017 http://vimeo.com/7588838 

Please send other questions to gsa@unr.edu.

GSA always welcomes input. Please contact any GSA Executive or Representative with your feedback, questions or concerns. Contact information is available on the gsa webpage.

Thank you,

-GSA Executive Council

Graduate Students are encouraged to attend a special meeting of the GSA Council Tuesday, March 9th at 7pm in the JCSU Ballroom C. The GSA Council will discuss the Curricular Review Proposal and the impact to graduate education here at the University of Nevada with the University leadership: President Milton Glick, Provost Marc Johnson and Vice President of Research and Dean of the Graduate School, Dr. Marsha Read.

We are interested in hearing the institutional perspective on the proposed cuts as well as would like the opportunity to share ideas and feedback on the curricular review process and proposal.

There will be opportunity for the public to ask questions, and make comments to the council or the guests.

We hope you will take the opportunity to attend, listen and ask questions. For more information: gsa@unr.edu or call 784-1093

Graduate Students and Community,

I would like to share with you the letter sent out to the campus by President Milt Glick. The proposal for academic program closures will effect many graduate students. Please contact GSA with questions concerning how all of this will play out. There are still many unanswered questions but I think it is extremely important that we all keep ourselves informed, and continue to ask questions. Below you will find links to the proposal, press release and policy on this issue.

Best,

Jillian D. Murdock

GSA President

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Dear Colleagues,

Today the University of Nevada, Reno is announcing that in the wake of a state-mandated 6.9 percent budget reduction, several colleges and departments have been notified that they will be considered for possible closure, reorganization or reduction. An Academic Planning Process, which was shared with Faculty Senate in January and announced at a University town hall meeting on Feb. 9, will be initiated immediately and will provide for a period of further review and input.

We have been asked to sustain an $11 million budget cut in order to meet the 6.9 percent reduction that was arrived at over the weekend during the special session of the Nevada State Legislature. We have already taken a 15.5 percent, or $33 million, budget cut. The new cut brings the total annual reduction to our campus to $44 million.

The notifications that have been made today set into action a very specific timeline for the coming days and weeks. I encourage all of you to go to the links below to find out how this process will proceed. The timeline calls for decisions, which are subject to approval by the Nevada Board of Regents, to be made by June 30, 2010. Changes would go into effect on June 30, 2011.  After careful consideration, the Provost’s Office has made its proposals for review. Provost Marc Johnson has spent today notifying the colleges and departments, and providing an explanation and justification for the proposed changes, which is known as “Academic Planning Process/Curricular Review” and is prescribed in the Nevada System of Higher Education code. Curricular review includes the number of degrees granted, enrollment in the major, student full-time-equivalent production, scholarship productivity, external scholarship grant award and expenditure performance, relation to fulfillment of other programs, centrality to mission and national and international uniqueness. Reductions to areas not subject to the Academic Planning Process will also be necessary to meet our required budget cuts.

A University news release details the specific notifications that were made today. Notable among the notifications is the proposed closure of the College of Agriculture, Biotechnology and Natural Resources and a proposed restructuring of the College of Education into a single unit without department boundaries. A link to the news release is provided below.

For our students, it is important to note that even if a degree program is proposed to be discontinued, the timeline will allow them to complete the program , or a different, appropriately related degree. Out of an abundance of caution, we will provide those students that might be impacted with academic advising to complete their program. We continue to stand by the commitment that acceptance to our University means that we will do everything in our power to ensure student retention and success.

I should also mention that although I am disappointed to drastically cut our budget yet again, our legislative leaders, given the complexity and severity of a more than $800 million shortfall, did their best to minimize the damage to K-12 and higher education. We look forward to working with the state’s leaders to build a stronger, brighter future for our state – a future predicated on a strong system of higher education that no longer languishes at or near the bottom nationwide of the number of 19-year-olds who are enrolled in college.

Throughout the past two years of budget reductions, virtually every aspect of our campus has felt the state’s fiscal crisis. During this time of extreme challenge, all of you have served our institution and our students exceptionally well. I am so grateful for all of your efforts. Our bottom line remains clear: We must continue to ensure student success and protect the core of our University.

Sincerely,
Milt Glick

To view the Curricular Review Proposal:  http://www.unr.edu/provost/StrategicPlan/curricular-review-proposal-03012010.pdf

To view the Academic Planning Process: To http://www.unr.edu/provost/StrategicPlan/academic-planning-process-03012010.pdf

To view the News Release: http://www.unr.edu/president/budget/media_announce_curricular_review_030110.pdf