Meeting GPSSA

Date: Oct 21, 2024

Time of meeting: 3:05

Chair: Kevin D

Minutes: Mahyar Mohaghegh

KD:

Update on committees (socials)

Palestine Solidarity Committee has lapsed, the department has not renewed it. Various members feel that it is not necessary to do so, other committees already exist to do Palestine solidarity instead.  Therefore this has caused a bit of contention, what we will do is a bit of debate to discuss what is to be done about this.  

What we plan on doing:

Pushing for those recommendations that we have been pushing ourselves.

We now go to approve the agenda. 

M: Certain orgs being designated as terrorist organizations.

KD:

We can add that as new business.

VOTE on the agenda. 

I declare the agenda carried.

Any comments about the last meeting?

Seeing none, all those who approve the last meeting’s minutes please raise your hand.

8 in favour 

0  Opposed

0 abstain.

Minutes are approved 

Reiterate: looking for volunteers for the social committee, and the pal solidarity committee, discussed earlier. 

The pal sol issue has been one we have been dealing with since September.

Sheema: 

Is divestment off the table? Is the GSSA planning to do anything with that?

KD: as YUGSA chair we passed BDS across departments.  

I can’t remember if the faculty passed that. I have been discussing things with them to see how we could push.  Trying to figure out what to fight for the recommendations of Palestine solidarity.

There is also a report about the racism of the department of how they are handling this process. 

So at the moment, no one is pushing for divestment outside YUGSA’s resolution. 

Sheema: 

So the department is not even discussing bds thanks Kevin. 

KD: Yes, it is something we are keeping an eye on that. 

Moving to department issues

Department issues

6. Department Issues

KD:  some TA ships have been cut.

Kenya: the hardship fund has 2000, heather knows that … and that is disturbing. We have less capacity for dealing with this, and heather should see this as an opportunity for working together. 

Nat: have there been talks with the Tas, through the Union? Odd to have part time contracts taking on Tas, they should be held by students. (Note:—grieve )

We don’t have the same interests as the part-time professors. It would be better to have our own union as a TA union separate from the contract faculty. 

Sar: Do we have an idea of how many students didn’t get a TA ship?  And this is funny for heather to send them to the hardship fund. And see if they are deprived of their source of their income. It is very expensive for them to survive. And 

A: It is unfortunate that this is happening and I have discussed this with cupe and there is nothing we can really do.  On our end, it’s terrible because it means that you are stuck with 700 bucks a month.  We can talk to Margo about this, this seems like something York is going to do with us for a while.

KD: Hardship fund is extended to help as many people as possible, explain what is happening on our end.

Nat: There is a majority of Tas it was made clear that part of our tuition goes to the Union as dues, unless the part time professors pay a part time dues, that would make sense.  I think if money is an issue, then we have to measure what money we are getting from part time professors. Maybe if we separate as a union from the contract we might be stronger. 

KD: These are debates that should be had in the union. If you think the union should function better, you have to join them to fix the union. 

Clay:  our dues come out of our paychecks not our tuition, it would be a percent of that.  Regardless of the percentage, even if 45 % are paid by unit 2s it would be a drastic hit. 

That being said, there is a clear divergence between unit 1 and 2.  I don’t know if the best idea is to separate from each other. Specially given the fact that we are broke as fuck. 

1. Cuts to Taships CDships

Kenya: we can’t make any deliberations on cupe here, 

BIRT: that the gpssa meet with pols department leadership to discuss the issue of lack of TAships for  POLS students and ensuring financial need.

Motion passes 

KD:

2. Supervisors

Kenya: We need to work through the admissions for the PhD program to deal with this issue

Clay: I was discouraged from getting a supervisor from even getting into the program. It seems like there was a culture shift. 

Andrea: Kenya brought this up to them at a prior meeting. We need to bring this to Heather to get a proper solution.  

Kenya: the department seems to be backing up on what they need to do as a department for a phd program.  I don’t wanna muddle issues, anyone can help you write a thesis not paying rent.  

Sheema: I wanted to as an int student, it might make it a very stringent requirement to force a supervisor on people coming into the program.

KD:  I can bring this up with heather to deal with this issue.

Sarah:  This is not just in our department.

Kd: 4000 percent.  We have a lot of professors, they are not like the people that others are fighting to work with. 

7. Election to Comparative Field Rep position

KD: We need to elect this position, can you (Keefer) tell us why we should appoint you to this position?

K: [explains]

BIRT that we appoint Keefer Denney-Turner to the comparative field rep position.

Motion passes.

8. Updates from Committees and Representatives

a. Equity and Accessibility Committee

Andrea: We are doing our wellness pantry, training new members to make it last beyond this year. 

2 new initiatives.  A speakers series (activism to academia). We are also doing an equity report.

KD: Any question ?

b. Socials Committee

sarah: we are looking at movie nights

3. Department/Council Reps

Council rep:  No update

Grad rep: Kenya: talk of reviving 5000 level courses to allow MA and PHD to get undergrad courses. 

Ogs sshrc process has been terrible and make sure that we get more support for that process for students.

KD: Questions.

Clay: so they write NA, or ….

Kenya: There were two things that needed to be sent separately, the ScHRC was longer 

Ryan: (slowly became audible through the muffle)….

d. CUPE 3903

Clay: not too much in the way of updates, I can provide updates from the next sc meeting. 

Our gmm is on the 29^th 1 pm (most likely hybrid)

Field rep updates:

Kenya:

We want to check on how those who are applying to both OGS SCHRC are safe to do so, and they get the support that they need, unlike last year which was a disaster. 

Talita:

Gender rep
The important issue we have to deal with is the canceling of gender and politics courses. We made the explicit point that this is itself not a coincidence that we think this is itself not a coincidence. 

The low enrollment is not a coincidence either given this. 

KAD:

Canadian Rep
Canadians have got caught with lower enrollment. 

Recruitment committee:

No updates

MA recruitment:

No updates

PhD recruitment co:

No update

YUGSA council:

KD: We are still trying to make YUGSA more democratic in the bylaw reform committee (or something else cause I didn’t hear it and am too shy to ask).

Any questions.

9. Other Business

10. Announcements

KD: getting us back in hybrid.

It would be nice to have meetings in person. 

We are discovering new things about the bylaws.

Our website will host our minutes and our social activities and events.

Please go there to learn more, to get our contacts as well. 

11. Adjournment

Motion to adjourn

Motion passed.