Wednesday 07 March 2001
Noon to approximately  1:15 p.m.
Crawford, Room #14
  *PIZZA AND SODA SERVED*
  *ALL GRADUATE STUDENTS ARE WELCOME*


Agenda:
1.  Greetings from the new Post Doc Association
2.  Committee Reports
    -Activities (Dinner/Dance planning) [John]
    -Food Service Contract Renewal [John]
    -VFund Adhoc Fundraising Committee [Raja]
    -Security [Cari Corrigan]
    -International Buddies Program [Noom]
3.  Changes at the top of the Graduate Studies Office
    (Motion #2001.01)

=====================

Motion #2001.01

Title:    Sense of the Senate on the Graduate Dean job
          description (to be reported to the Provost and
          President)

Sponsor:  John C. Martin

Whereas:  In the past the Dean of Graduate Studies
          was a part-time position split with the
          provost office.  And the Dean delegated a
          good deal of authority to the full-time
          assistant dean who represented the
          graduate school on most University
          committees, over saw day-to-day operations
          of the Graduate School, and exercised the
          graduate dean's authority as ombudsman for
          graduate students.

& Whereas:     The Assistant Dean position is to be
               eliminated.

& Whereas:     It is common for faculty interests to run
               counter to graduate student interests and
               in many crucial situations graduate
               students rely on the Dean and Assistant
               Dean to mediate the differences between
               faculty and graduate students and protect
               graduate student interests over faculty.

& Whereas:     It is crucial that graduate students can
               trust the administration of the graduate
               school to act on their behalf as ombudsman
               and policy advocate because this trust
               does not extend to the faculty.

& Whereas:     Decentralizing the graduate school
               administration into each of the cost
               centers could lead to even more inequity
               in the way graduate students in different
               programs are treated across campus. 
               Decentralization also makes it difficult
               for the Graduate Student Senate to keep up
               with and effect policy changes by
               effectively increasing the number of
               fronts to fight on.

Let it be resolved that the sense of the Senate is as
follows:
       -   It is unacceptable to the Senate that a part-
          time dean who is also an active faculty member
          in a program with graduate students act in the
          roll of ombudsman for graduate students.
       -   It is unacceptable to the Senate that any of
          the current ombudsman or policy setting
          functions of the Graduate Studies office be
          removed from that office and placed into the
          individual cost centers.
       -   The Senate is concerned that the administration
          of the Graduate School cannot be condensed from
          one part-time dean and one full-time assistant
          dean into one part-time dean without adversely
          effecting the quality of service offered by the
          Graduate Studies office.
       -   The Senate is concerned that condensing the
          administration of the Graduate School signals a
          diminished emphasis on graduate education by
          CWRU.
       -   The Senate suggests if it is not possible to
          make the Dean of Graduate Studies a full-time
          position, that another full-time university
          administrator be given the role of ombudsman
          for graduate students.
       -   The Senate recommends that all effort be made
          to relieve the part-time dean of any
          responsibility as an active faculty member in
          order to avoid a conflict of interest and
          appearance of bias in favor the faculty.