From owner-info@gso.bu.edu Fri Apr 17 15:16:38 1998 Received: from gso.bu.edu (GSO.BU.EDU [128.197.60.71]) by cs.bu.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5/(BU-S-01/27/97-fc1)) with ESMTP id PAA04131 for ; Fri, 17 Apr 1998 15:16:37 -0400 (EDT) Received: (from majordom@localhost) by gso.bu.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5/(BU-S-02/10/97-v1.0)) id PAA26429 for info-list; Fri, 17 Apr 1998 15:16:29 -0400 (EDT) Received: from cs.bu.edu (root@CS.BU.EDU [128.197.13.2]) by gso.bu.edu (8.8.5/8.8.5/(BU-S-02/10/97-v1.0)) with ESMTP id PAA26422 for ; Fri, 17 Apr 1998 15:16:26 -0400 (EDT) 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 PAA04104 for ; Fri, 17 Apr 1998 15:16:24 -0400 (EDT) From: Robert Pitts Received: by cs16.bu.edu (8.8.5/Spike-2.1) id PAA11300; Fri, 17 Apr 1998 15:16:17 -0400 (EDT) Date: Fri, 17 Apr 1998 15:16:17 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <199804171916.PAA11300@cs16.bu.edu> To: info@gso.bu.edu Subject: GSO - summary of Thu, Apr 16, 98 meeting Sender: owner-info@gso.bu.edu Precedence: bulk Status: RO Here is a summary of what we did at yesterday's Graduate Student Organization meeting. Our next meeting will be on Thu, Apr 30 at 6pm. --Rob Summary ======= 1. Survey We looked through the survey and made some last edits. Filling it out takes no more than 15 minutes. As mentioned, we will be asking representatives from each dept. (i.e., people on this mailing list) to help distribute the survey to your dept's grads (both Masters and PhD), promote it (i.e., try to convince students to spend a few minutes and fill it out), and collect them. One of us will contact someone from each dept. shortly. We'd like the survey to be distributed to grads no later than April 27th, which is the beginning of the last week of classes. Fran Altvater has done a great job of working on the survey and integrating everyone's comments/suggestions. 2. Social events Brad Noren has been looking into the free movie night that Student Advantage (SA) offered to sponsor (along with Cablevision). Brad has sent the cost information (e.g., for renting the Nickelodeon) to his SA contact and is awaiting a response. Brad is hoping to hear back soon, if not, the social group may have to postpone the movie night until the fall. Again, there will be one more Pub Night for the semester. 3. Meetings with Deans/Orientation Gary Garber and Mike Hayes are stilling trying to get a followup meeting with Assoc. Dean Whittaker (and Dean Berkey) for next week. Interestingly, Andrea White, the Graduate Programs Director (who works under Assoc. Dean Whittaker) sent some information to the math dept. about a "New Graduate Student Reception" this fall. Gareth Roberts forwarded this information to us. Since one of the things Gary and Mike mentioned in their meeting with the dean was a "Grad Student Orientation," it is likely that their suggestion helped prompt this "reception." Nonetheless, this reception has not yet been mentioned to us by the dean, so Gary and Mike want to make sure the GSO has a hand in it. To that end, they have sent some ideas for the reception to Whittaker (via e-mail) and hopefully will get a chance to promote them at a meeting with the dean. Here are their ideas: - Make it broader than just a reception, more of an "orientation," with more than one event (such as those below). - Include some continuing students in events (so that new students can interact with us old BU pros). - For a reception: general welcome, some speakers from administration, a few motivational professors from different depts. Also, maybe a few veteran grad student speakers addressing the issues of isolation and encouraging students to interact outside their departments. - Mention Pub Nights and other GSO events planned for the semester. - Evening B-B-Q (invite all GRS students and faculty too) followed by softball and volleyball games. - Break new students into reasonably-sized groups (containing students from different departments) with a veteran grad student leader. Play some get-to-know-you games. - Have a followup grad student event one week after orientation, so that students would have another easy opportunity to get together with those in their group or with other grads. As for handouts to be given to new grads at an orientation, their ideas are: - Map of Campus - MBTA Map, and local bus schedules - List of local Realtors - Details about ISSO for International Students - Tax Information for both federal and state taxes - Athletic Information - Library Information - Information on life in Boston I'm sure Gary or Mike would like to hear any other ideas you have.