The January 15th meeting opened with representatives from Penn State University Libraries. Brianna and Ana spoke on the importance of graduate students registering for Orcid IDs, which serve as a way to uniquely identify individuals and build records of research activity. These IDs can be linked with Penn State to accurately identify graduate students and their research activity.
In Executive Reports, President Claire Kelling emphasized the importance of finding a proxy when members are not able to attend meetings. Business cannot be conducted if quorum is not met, so it is crucial for delegates to find replacements when they are unable to attend assembly. She also gauged interest from members to see who would be interested in having representation within the borough council. Finally, Ms. Kelling gave a recap of the Town Hall event, which proved to be quite successful which resulted in some helpful feedback. Treasurer Alex Zhao urged the assembly to request funding for any events they might want to put on, or speak with the programming committee to plan any possible upcoming events for GPSA members.
In New Business, Alyssa Bienvenu from the Eberly College of Science was confirmed by unanimous consent. Alyssa in interested in the Advocacy and Diversity committee and is eager to get started in her role! Resolution 69-10, regarding the minimum number of votes needed to be elected into GPSA, was passed.
In reports, Speaker of the Assembly Terry Torres Cruz, brought up the possibility of holding a graduate student panel focused on topics such as diversity and resources for international students. The committees gave updates on their respective upcoming events, including group fitness classes, speaker events, and more. The liaisons spoke on issues affecting graduate students including student insurance and CATA ride fare costs.