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9.0 October 13, 2017 Dear GSA Council Colleagues, As many of you will remember, my team and I began the development of the 2017-2018 Board Strategic Work Plan (SWP) in May and we presented the finalized plan to GSA Council in July. The complete SWP is available for your review on the GSA website at http://www.gsa.ualberta.ca/SWP.aspx. Below is an update concerning the GSA’s progress in pursuing the strategic goals outlined in the SWP. Updates will also be provided to GSA Council in January and, before the end of our term of office, in April. I welcome the chance to discuss these updates with you on October 23 and also encourage you to ask questions about the status of the SWP goals at any time throughout the year. Highlights from our progress include: • One of our main team goals was to advocate for the University to launch a review of the current state of graduate student funding on campus. After submitting a proposal to the Provost and the Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research (FGSR) concerning this, I have been continuing conversations with both parties about this key issue. We believe that such a review would constitute the first step in investigating the feasibility of the creation of minimum funding packages for graduate students, something of great importance because, for many graduate students, a lack of funding is a barrier to their academic success. • Key goals from the Vice-President Labour’s portfolio included negotiating for increased compensation for graduate student assistants in the Collective Agreement and ensuring the GSA’s compliance with Bill 7. In July and August, the GSA hosted two Bill 7 Town Halls to discuss changes to labour legislation with attendees. The GSA Labour Relations Committee also met over the summer to start developing the GSA’s initial Opening Position for bargaining with the University’s Board of Governors (all current graduate student assistants will be asked to vote on the elements that will be included in the Opening Position before it is submitted). Sasha also hosted a Pre-Bargaining Town Hall on September 26, 2017 and eight graduate students attended; the GSA Negotiating Committee will discuss the feedback and suggestions received during this Town Hall as they develop the GSA’s Opening Position. • The GSA VP Student Services has continued working to support the Campus Food Bank in its mission to ensure the delivery of food for students in need, and their families. The Campus Food Bank Executive Director and Board Chair attended the GSA Board in September to provide updates on usage and their audited financial statements. In general, they continue to see an increase in usage. The GSA also collected donations for the Campus Food Bank at our fall engagement event on October 12. • Our SWP outlines that we will “provide events throughout the academic year to support social engagement and reduce stress amongst graduate students.” Starting in September, the DEOs continue to host a series of Coffee Breaks. These are informal events to get students out of their labs and offices to interact with other graduate students from across campus. The next Coffee Break is on October 27. Additionally, the GSA hosted its fall engagement event on October 12. This was a great opportunity to engage with graduate students and to provide them with a break from their studies in an informal and fun setting. • Nursing students completing their practicum at Michener Park approached the Vice-President External and the Vice- President Student Services over the summer to communicate that residents continue to struggle with lengthy commute

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Page 1: GSA Council 23 October 2017 Item 9 - Letter to GSA Council

9.0

October13,2017

DearGSACouncilColleagues,

Asmanyofyouwillremember,myteamandIbeganthedevelopmentofthe2017-2018BoardStrategicWorkPlan(SWP)inMayandwepresentedthefinalizedplantoGSACouncilinJuly.ThecompleteSWPisavailableforyourreviewontheGSAwebsiteathttp://www.gsa.ualberta.ca/SWP.aspx.

BelowisanupdateconcerningtheGSA’sprogressinpursuingthestrategicgoalsoutlinedintheSWP.UpdateswillalsobeprovidedtoGSACouncilinJanuaryand,beforetheendofourtermofoffice,inApril.IwelcomethechancetodiscusstheseupdateswithyouonOctober23andalsoencourageyoutoaskquestionsaboutthestatusoftheSWPgoalsatanytimethroughouttheyear.

Highlightsfromourprogressinclude:

• OneofourmainteamgoalswastoadvocatefortheUniversitytolaunchareviewofthecurrentstateofgraduatestudentfundingoncampus.AftersubmittingaproposaltotheProvostandtheDeanoftheFacultyofGraduateStudiesandResearch(FGSR)concerningthis,Ihavebeencontinuingconversationswithbothpartiesaboutthiskeyissue.Webelievethatsuchareviewwouldconstitutethefirststepininvestigatingthefeasibilityofthecreationofminimumfundingpackagesforgraduatestudents,somethingofgreatimportancebecause,formanygraduatestudents,alackoffundingisabarriertotheiracademicsuccess.

• KeygoalsfromtheVice-PresidentLabour’sportfolioincludednegotiatingforincreasedcompensationforgraduatestudent

assistantsintheCollectiveAgreementandensuringtheGSA’scompliancewithBill7.InJulyandAugust,theGSAhostedtwoBill7TownHallstodiscusschangestolabourlegislationwithattendees.TheGSALabourRelationsCommitteealsometoverthesummertostartdevelopingtheGSA’sinitialOpeningPositionforbargainingwiththeUniversity’sBoardofGovernors(allcurrentgraduatestudentassistantswillbeaskedtovoteontheelementsthatwillbeincludedintheOpeningPositionbeforeitissubmitted).SashaalsohostedaPre-BargainingTownHallonSeptember26,2017andeightgraduatestudentsattended;theGSANegotiatingCommitteewilldiscussthefeedbackandsuggestionsreceivedduringthisTownHallastheydeveloptheGSA’sOpeningPosition.

• TheGSAVPStudentServiceshascontinuedworkingtosupporttheCampusFoodBankinitsmissiontoensurethedelivery

offoodforstudentsinneed,andtheirfamilies.TheCampusFoodBankExecutiveDirectorandBoardChairattendedtheGSABoardinSeptembertoprovideupdatesonusageandtheirauditedfinancialstatements.Ingeneral,theycontinuetoseeanincreaseinusage.TheGSAalsocollecteddonationsfortheCampusFoodBankatourfallengagementeventonOctober12.

• OurSWPoutlinesthatwewill“provideeventsthroughouttheacademicyeartosupportsocialengagementandreduce

stressamongstgraduatestudents.”StartinginSeptember,theDEOscontinuetohostaseriesofCoffeeBreaks.Theseareinformaleventstogetstudentsoutoftheirlabsandofficestointeractwithothergraduatestudentsfromacrosscampus.ThenextCoffeeBreakisonOctober27.Additionally,theGSAhosteditsfallengagementeventonOctober12.Thiswasagreatopportunitytoengagewithgraduatestudentsandtoprovidethemwithabreakfromtheirstudiesinaninformalandfunsetting.

• NursingstudentscompletingtheirpracticumatMichenerParkapproachedtheVice-PresidentExternalandtheVice-

PresidentStudentServicesoverthesummertocommunicatethatresidentscontinuetostrugglewithlengthycommute

http://www.gsa.ualberta.ca/SWP.aspx
Page 2: GSA Council 23 October 2017 Item 9 - Letter to GSA Council

9.1

timestocampusthroughpublictransit.TheGSAiscontinuingconversationswiththeseNursingstudentstodevelopasurveytolearnaboutthetransitusageofgraduatestudentslivinginMichenerPark.Movingforward,MasoudandRoylewillbeabletoutilizethedatacollectedinconversationswithUniversityadministrationtoadvocatefortheestablishmentofashuttlebetweenMichenerParkandtheUniversity.

• TheSWPoutlinesthatwewillsupportworkshopsandservicesthatassistgraduatestudentswithacademicprogressand

professionaldevelopmentopportunities.BeginninginSeptember,theGSAstartedsponsoringmini20-minutewritingsessionsofferedbytheStudentSuccessCentretoassistgraduatestudentswiththewritingprocess.Thisnewresourceisopentoallgraduatestudents.Firouz,astheGSAVPAcademic,hasalsobeenworkingwiththeFGSRandgraduatestudentstogatherfeedbackonavailableprograms,includingtheGraduateStudentInternshipProgram(GSIP)andthementorshipprogram.Aspartofthiswork,hehasinvitedprogramcoordinatorsfromtheFGSRtotheOctoberGSACounciltogathermorefeedbackfromstudentsabouttheseprofessionaldevelopmentopportunities.

• WehadincludedinourSWPthatwewoulddiscuss,withtheFGSR,thepossibilityofrevisingFGSRpoliciesconcerning

course-relatedexaminations,includingtheabilitytoretakeexaminationsandamendtranscriptsaccordingly.Afterresearchingexampoliciesatotheruniversities,wedeterminedthatthisapproachislikelynotfeasible,aswehavenotbeenabletofindanotheruniversitythatallowsgraduatestudentstore-takeexams.Firouzwillcontinuetoexamineotherwaystoincreaseflexibilityandimprovecommunicationswithrespecttocourse-relatedexaminationsandassignmentsintheinterestsofpromotingenhancedmentalwellnessandcareeroutcomesforgraduatestudents.FirouzhasalsobeenworkingcloselywiththeFGSRtoimprovecommunicationsregardinginternationalgraduatestudentinvolvementintheGraduateStudentInternshipProgram.

• Ab-GPAC(theprovincialadvocacygroupofwhichweareamember)issuedanopenletterreaffirmingitsstanceon

advocatingfortheinclusionofinternationalstudenttuitionfeesintheprovince’sTuitionFeesRegulation.Theopenlettercanbeviewedhere.WeanticipatethattheGovernmentofAlberta,followingonitsrecentreview,willsoonbeannouncingitsdecisionsregardingpost-secondarytuitionandfunding.

• SashacontinuestoparticipateinmeetingstodiscusstheexpansionofmentalwellnessresourcesattheUofAandtheHomelessStudentCampusProjectTeamtoreviewcurrentservicesthatareavailabletohomelessstudentsandcreatingawarenessaboutthisissueinordertobrainstormpotentialshort-termandmedium-termsolutions.OnSeptember20,SashaalsohostedaGSAboothattheACCESSOpenMindslaunchevent.ACCESSisanationalresearchandevaluationnetworkthatmarksamajorCanadianinnovationinyouthmentalhealthservicedesign,delivery,evaluation,andresearch.

Sincerely,

BabakSoltannia,2017-2018GSAPresident

https://sites.google.com/view/ab-gpac/news

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