From rip@cs.bu.edu Fri Nov 21 16:37:50 1997
Received: from cs16.bu.edu (rip@CS16.BU.EDU [128.197.10.115])
	by cs.bu.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5/(BU-S-01/27/97-fc1)) with ESMTP id QAA15003;
	Fri, 21 Nov 1997 16:37:40 -0500 (EST)
From: Robert Pitts <rip@cs.bu.edu>
Received: by cs16.bu.edu (8.8.5/Spike-2.1)
	id QAA20065; Fri, 21 Nov 1997 16:37:27 -0500 (EST)
Date: Fri, 21 Nov 1997 16:37:27 -0500 (EST)
Message-Id: <199711212137.QAA20065@cs16.bu.edu>
To: aasa@bu.edu, alistair@bio.bu.edu, amgomez@bu.edu, atrochio@bu.edu,
        btnoren@bio.bu.edu, byrnea@bu-ast.bu.edu, cchamber@bu.edu,
        celatka@chem.bu.edu, crampton@bio.bu.edu, crichard@bio.bu.edu,
        desrosie@chem.bu.edu, dkmciver@bu.edu, elioff@chem.bu.edu,
        ganne@bu.edu, garethr@math.bu.edu, ggarber@buphy.bu.edu,
        herbert@bu.edu, imlac@bu.edu, ingalls@ninkasi.bu.edu, jric@bu.edu,
        jwillis@bu.edu, kim1@bu.edu, kpetersn@bu.edu, krlynch@bu.edu,
        landy@bu.edu, marcusp@bu.edu, mghayes@math.bu.edu, mhmann4@bu.edu,
        mparks@bu.edu, mramage@crsa.bu.edu, mslobodk@bu.edu, mwalker@bu.edu,
        rbresler@bu.edu, rcabana@bu.edu, rip@cs.bu.edu, rolvera@bu.edu,
        salzmann@bu.edu, scarella@bu.edu, stephr@math.bu.edu, susanlee@bu.edu,
        tdwalker@bu.edu, th@math.bu.edu, thomsons@bu.edu, wenner@bu.edu,
        yfederow@truckee.bu.edu
Subject: Grad Assoc - summary of Thu, Nov 20, 97 meeting
Status: RO

Here is a summary of what we did at yesterday's meeting.  Our next
general meeting is scheduled for Thu, Dec 4 at 7pm.

We are very interested in people distributing these e-mails to
interested grad students in your depts.

- Recapped our meeting with the dean (for which a written summary has
  already been distributed by e-mail).  Electronic copies of the dean's
  meeting summary or the written statement we left with the dean are
  available on request.

- Cassandra Celatka (Chem) highlighted some points from an article in
  Boston Magazine entitled "RIPPED OFF! Inside the Higher Ed Racket."
  This article is the companion to the Channel 4 news report we looked
  at a few meetings ago that describes the high salaries and spending
  at BU.  The magazine article discusses BU and other schools.  I will
  provide some extra copies at our next meeting (and probably will mail
  some of the most important facts from the article in a future e-mail).

- Discussed our plans for a social gathering involving all depts.
  before the end of the semester.  Mike Hayes (Math) and Jen Wenner
  (Earth Sciences) are looking into the possibilities for having a
  gathering on campus (maybe at the pub) and will report back to
  everyone in the near future.

- Discussed the need for more people to become actively involved in the
  group.  We need more people to volunteer for different tasks.  For
  example, we still have received very little information about TF pay
  for comparable depts. at other universities.

- We will continue to look into our legal status as student workers
  (recall that the dean still does not view TFs as workers).  There
  have been court rulings in Mass. and other states concerning student
  workers.  There are also grad. organizations who have had successes
  in negotiating with their schools.  Also, we want to look to other
  school's grad organizations for ideas and experience in general.

  To this end, Gary Garber (Physics) will look into the Yale grad
  student organization, contacting people there.  They have been
  involved in ongoing work (including a strike in the past) trying to
  improve the grad student situation at Yale.  Gary will present
  information about the Yale group at the next meeting.

- Finally, here are a few other areas that we think we should address
  in the future:

  - student healthcare.
  - some standards across depts. for TF training, TF/RA workload, etc.
  - graduate student grievance process.

  along with those issues we addressed to the dean, such as
  cost-of-living increase, uniform TF pay between depts, etc.

--Rob