GESA meeting minutes, Nov. 6 at 5:00 p.m.

Present: Amanda Sigler, President; Ken Price, Vice President; Kelly Chroninger, MA Rep; Chris McVey, MA Rep; Ginny Weckstein, Secretary; Britt Johnson, Treasurer.

Attendance: 16

Faculty Lecture Series

• Lily Sheehan, organizer:
• Factulty lecture series is happening!
• Nov. 30^th: Chip Tucker
• Feb 1^st: Mrilini Chakrovorty
• Feb. 22^nd: Alison Booth
• Spring: Elizabeth Fowler
• Spring: Deborah McDowell

Book fair update

• We made slightly over $900 net profit! So the sale was very successful.
• Our budget is now at $1400-$1500.
• Great work everyone!

GESA Facebook group

• Join it if you're not in it! Lots of fun going on there. And by "fun" I mean "notifications of events you might want to know about and also possibly pictures of grad students having fun."

Danny Russerman from the history department

• The history dept is planning a conference in mid-february – an interdisciplinary conf for historical studies.
• Panels organized according to methodologies and themes (not geographical or temporal)
• Aiming for interdisciplinary discussion
• If you're interested in submitting a paper, do so! And encourage your friends!
• E-mail went out to the dept list recently
• Are we interested in making a contribution towards running the conference?
• GSAS usually encourages departments to petition each other for funds for interdisciplinary events (before GSAS gives funds)!
• Board will talk about this.

First Year Series

• Next meeting is this Fri, the 9^th at 11 am
• The subject is professionalization
• Panelists will be: Susan Fraiman, Clare Kinney, and grad students Megan Haury and Lily Sheehan.

Graduate conference update

• Bill Brown from U Chicago will be our speaker
• Originally scheduled for March 13^th-14^th-15^th, but we're reshuffling just a little to fit around the New Literary History conference that will be here (with lots of famous people.)
• We have a CFP, but we haven't put it out yet, to try to ride on the NLH coattails as much as much as we can.
• Hopefully the speaker will be the Thursday so it won't conflict.

Madison House volunteer opportunity

• GESA is adopting a family for the holiday season through Madison House. We'll get the names and ages of all of the family members and you can sign up to get them gifts, food, or money for gift certificates.
• You'll go to the grad lounge and sign up for the gift you want to give.
• Sign-up sheet will be up in the grad lounge soon.
• You can choose who to shop for and what gift to give!

Plans for GESA holiday party

• Dec 7^th or 8^th (Fri or Sat.)
• Does anybody want to host?
• Do you have a house or apt that can hold about 50 grads for fun?
• We'll provide food, decorations, clean-up, and profuse thanks!
• E-mail Amanda or one of the other board members if you're interested.

Class registration

• The class-size and registration issue task force is in operation! Jillian Graham and Shaun Cullen have met with Susan Fraiman.
• Jillian Graham is looking at setting up a survey in the spring semester
• Did you get into wait-list classes
• What class sizes are there?
• Are audits working?
• Shaun Cullen will be looking at putting together a book of classes in other departments that might be good for other departments.
• Other policy changes to hopefully make the machine run smoother.

Office Hour Sign-Up

• Sign-up sheet has been posted. Sign up in the next few weeks.
• Cheryl Lewis would like you to send current office hours as soon as possible – students are demanding office hours from her, and she doesn't know them! Don't send her your spring ones yet.

Announcements from area reps

• 19^th:
• There will be a meeting at Ken's house next Thurs. at 8 (115 S. Piedmont Apt. B) to socialize, figure out what people would like to do. Includes 19^th c American, Romantic, and Victorian.
• American:
• There was a meeting last week; there will be a meeting on 11/29 in conjunction with the cultural studies group.
• E-mail Shaun Cullen if you have any suggestions for any course suggestions.
• 20^th:
• They're looking for course suggestions or recommendations – so e-mail them if you have an idea! Emily Heilman (esh5d) or Cara Lewis .
• Working on forming a contemporary short story reading group for next semester. If you have ideas, e-mail the area reps.
• Early modern:
• E-mail area reps if you have course suggestions.

GSAS

• GSAS happy hours are moving from Mellow Mushroom to Baja Bean where we'll have the upstairs to ourselves.
• Next one is Nov. 29^th! Drinks will be cheap.
• Sarah Bishop is also organizing a wine-tasting tour
• Email going out soon
• It's first come, first serve – about 35 people can come.
• Probably Nov. 17^th, 1:30-3:30
• Tickets will cost $13.
• Self-defense classes may be coming.
• Graduate school of biological sciences is holding a conference.
• GSAS may help get a tax professional in sometime in the spring semester to help grads sort out their general tax questions.