GRADUATE STUDENT GOVERNMENT SENATE MEETING – SEPTEMBER 29, 2021
September 29, 2021
3:00 pm – 5:00 pm
AGENDA
- Roll Call, Call to Order & Approval of Minutes from 9.15.2021 Senate Meeting
- Chair Address – President Shakir Khalid
- Executive Board Addresses
- Guest Speaker – Bob Jose, Senior Advisor for Diversity and Inclusion; Dean of Cultural and Spiritual Life
- New Lines of Business
- Executive Board Changes
- Understanding of SABO and Funding Requests
- Student Group Information Session
- Open Discussion
- Question & Answer Session
- Adjournment
ITEMS DISCUSSED & SUMMARY
Executive Vice President Shakir Khalid opened the meeting and welcomed everyone to the second meeting for the Fall semester. The meeting was facilitated for senators both on-ground and virtually through Zoom. After the chair address, the e-board members began to share their upcoming priorities for the Fall semester and discuss their recent projects. In this meeting, the big leadership change with the sudden resignation of President Jared was shared with the Senate body and the implications and next steps were shared with members of the senate. Additionally, the executive board and team shared more information about the Student Activities Business Office, the Student Activity Fee, Funding Requests and Processes, and more information for Student Groups.
1.Executive Board Addresses
President: Jared Beaulieu, GSGPresident@northeastern.edu
Executive Vice President: Shakir Khalid, GSGEVP@northeastern.edu
Vice President of Student Affairs: Rhea Sharma (Student Affairs Committee), GSGStudentAffairs@northeastern.edu
Vice President of Financial Affairs: Chinmayi Shaligram (Financial Affairs Committee), GSGFinance@northeastern.edu
Vice President of Academic Affairs: Kulbir Singh (Academic Affairs Committee), GSGAcademicAffairs@northeastern.edu
Vice President of Programs & Operations: Arundhati Jha (Programs & Operations Committee), GSGPrograms@northeastern.edu
Vice President of Marketing & Outreach: Devina Raithatha (Marketing & Outreach Committee), GSGMarketingOutreach@northeastern.edu
Vice President of External Affairs: Phalesha Rawal (External Affairs Committee), GSGExternal@northeastern.edu
Vice President of Technology: Keerthi Bhavani Gosika (Technology Committee), GSGTechnology@northeastern.edu
The link to connect with the current GSG Executive Team is the following: https://www.northeastern.edu/gsg/executive-board/
GSG email: gsg@northeastern.edu
2. Executive Board Changes
President Jared Beaulieu tendered his resignation to the executive board, but based on parliamentary procedures, he is required to resign in Senate. EVP Shakir Khalid discussed the value and contributions made by Jared to the GSG team, both as a Senator and as President between May – August. He shared that while Jared has requested privacy regarding the resignation, the announcement was required prior to the upcoming GSG Annual Welcome Brunch hosted in the Fall semester. The implications of this resignation have impacted the whole executive board team, but more specifically and directly have impacted the VP of Financial Affairs in their role.
As per Article 5 of the GSG constitution, the EVP, Shakir Khalid immediately assumes the role of President and has committed to serving GSG for the remainder of the team until the May 2022 annual elections. Vice President of Marketing & Outreach, Devina Raithatha will be officially stepping in to the role of EVP, as she has been supporting the team during this transition in the last few weeks.
3.Resolution of Governance
VP of Marketing & Outreach, Devina Raithatha, shared the on-going discussions for Senator Responsibilities and Membership, outlining the existing challenges with the constitution. Link to Document:
4.New Student Group Recognition
Vice President of Student Affairs discussed the various components of the Student Group Recognition Process. The five steps are captured below:
Student Group 1: Sharpe – Graduate FinTech Initiative
Mission: Enable every graduate student in the Northeastern University community to learn more about FinTech, explore career opportunities, and develop specific technical skillsets.
Presenter – VP of Operations, Khalid Khan presented a short video and discussed the key achievements, membership structure and impact on the campus community.
Outcome – Sharpe is officially recognized as a Graduate Student Organization by GSG.
Student Group 1: NUGSERA
Mission: The mission of The Northeastern Graduate Student Education Research Association (NGSERA) is to facilitate and promote the transition from graduate student to practitioner, educator and/or researcher by providing opportunities within Northeastern, AERA, and associated regional organizations for growth, development, and advancement.
Presenter & Presentation: The presentation was facilitated by Dr. Antonio B. Boyd (Immediate Past President and Founding member), Dayshel Reid (current President), and Dr. Mike Urmeneta (Treasurer) and the presenters shared more information about the leadership committee and members, the mission and goals, an introduction to the American Education Research Association (Northeastern Campus Chapter), Deans & Faculty support and advising, and next steps.
Outcome: NGSERA is officially recognized as a Graduate Student Organization by GSG.
5.Student Activities Business Office (SABO) & Funding Requests
The Student Activities Business Office (SABO) is the financial center for all student groups officially recognized by the Center for Student Involvement. They provide an array of financial services to help student groups better manage their accounts. All Graduate and PhD Students pay a Student Activity Fee. Put your student activities fee to work! Part of your student activities fee goes directly to a fund controlled and dispersed by GSG. Its purpose is to provide funding for both graduate student groups as well as individual students traveling to conferences, competitions, and other academic activities.
Individual Funding: Attending a conference? Need to pursue a certificate?
Graduate students currently in good standing are eligible for up to $350 per academic year for reimbursement of conference expenses. Only individual funding requests have hard deadlines for application submission. Please also keep a note of the important deadlines for Individual Funding applications.
Student Group Funding: Sponsoring an event?
Graduate student groups recognized by the Campus Activities and Program Office and GSG are eligible for funding to support events that enhance the graduate student experience. Funds are transferred to the student group’s SABO account after GSG approval. Applications must be submitted at least 6 weeks in advance. For events requiring contracts, ticketing, or other components that require lengthy planning timelines, please submit your funding application at least 2-3 months prior to your event. Groups can receive up to $5,000 each academic year.
6.Anelie Pierre, Program Manager and Advisor for GSG
President Shakir Khalid invited the GSG advisor and Program Manager Anelie, to share a few words. Anelie works very closely with Student Organizations in her role as the Associate Director of Programs & Operations in the Center for Student Involvement. Anelie mentioned the importance of recognizing student groups on campus and the pivotal role GSG plays in student group recognition. Anelie wanted to share senators and students attending Student Group recognition should ask questions regarding their impact on the community given the limited resources and how the members of the senate are given the right information to make effective decisions that impact the whole graduate and PhD student communities on campus.
GSG Social Media:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/northeasterngsg/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NortheasternGSG/
Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/graduate-student-government-northeastern-university
Twitter: https://twitter.com/NortheasternGSG
ADJOURNMENT
The Senate meeting was adjourned at 5:00pm by President Shakir Khalid
