Magali Billen. Marco Casari, Ioannis Chasiotis, Catherine Cornu, Bob Gingrich, Anil Hirani, Ying Huang, Fok-Yan Leung, Piet Moeleker, Steven Pracko, Cindy Quezada, Sandeep Sane, Claude Seywert, Georgios Zamanakos

Directors absent:

Alex Backer, James Harrington, Chantal Morgan, Adam Rasheed

Guests:

Parandeh Kia, Shanti Rao (Prufrock), Mike Rubel

Chair Piet Moeleker presiding

1. Introduction of Guests and New Directors

Piet welcomes the guests

2. Additions to the Agenda

None

The minutes are unanimously approved.

1. Prufrock Luau

Shanti presents the planned Luau and gives us a planned budget (total of $1000). The Luau is scheduled for August 7 and will be free for everyone who shows up. Based on last years turnout they expect that about 200 persons will attend. They would like the GSC to contribute $500 towards the funding of the Luau, the rest of the money coming mostly from Prufrock House members.

The board unanimously approves the funding request in its entirety ($500) but requests that the event will be well advertised.

1. Announcements
• Ph.D. career day: Adam, George and Magali will represent the GSC on the organizational committee.
• T.A. awards: this years recipients were Jim Kempf (TA for Ch125a) for TA , Prof Kuppermann (Ch) for mentoring and teaching (Ch125a) and Prof Wiggins (CDS) for teaching (AM114abc).
• We have a new assistant director of counseling: Susan Conner.
• A new drug & alcohol advisor will be nominated; unfortunately there were no GSC volunteers to serve on the selection committee but Piet knows both applicants and has made it known that the GSC would be happy with either one of them.
• Piet handed out a list with contact information for all directors and friends.
• The following persons have GSC copy cards – contact them if you need one: Piet (chair), Claude (secretary), Bob (GUSH), Ioannis (Gradiators), Steve (treasurer).
2. New Parking Structure

The construction progress and scheduling can be monitored on a website put up by the CHCC; it is linked from the GSC homepage. So far there have been only 3 comments by graduate students. However the GSC has only input on minor issues. Parandeh is going to talk to Bill Irwin to see whether it is possible that we get more input in the early stages of new building design.

3. Catalina Housing Update
• CHCC (together with the grad office) organized the end of year BBQ in tournament Park on June 4^th. According to Linda about 300 people attended (but the GSC directors that were there doubt that).
• On July 10^th a group of 53 is going to watch the Women’s World Cup Final at the Rose Bowl. CHCC is still looking into transportation to get there.
• The Catalina Apartments are full for the first quarter of next year. Unless Linda gets a consistent amount of cancellations there will be no ‘triple’ apartments; students who chose that option will get their second choice.
• 25 returning graduate students who applied late are on the waiting list. There will be no lottery and all the new incoming students will get housing.
• 16 incoming grads have already arrived. They got the new ‘Student Survival Guide’ especially made for them so they can find their way around Caltech and Pasadena and get settled in.
4. Graduate Studies Committee Update

Dean Albee requested our handwritten comments on the faculty-student paragraphs each option is putting into the catalogue. He will check whether it is still possible to get changes done or whether we need to wait until next year. Piet will also write down our comments/suggestions in a neat form and give it to the GSC2 so they can pick the issue up again next school year.

5. Paintball

Since Alex couldn’t be there he sent an email with the details for the event out to the GSC BoD. There was some discussion but the board went straight for a vote on the amount of funding as the nature of the event and whether the GSC wants to be associated with it or not had been discussed quite extensively last time. The original request was for $350 ($10 a person for 35 persons), results of the vote: 5 in favor, 6 against and 2 abstentions. The board then proposed to scale the amount down to the normal quickfunding limit of $250. This amended funding was approved (8 in favor, 3 against and 2 abstentions) under the condition that the game does not take place on a field named after real battlegrounds (Vietnam, Bosnia,…)

1. Gradiators

The preparation is going on. As last year we will have small tents as the larger ones are too expensive. The T-Shirts will be printed on July 1^st and teams can sign up after July 5^th. There will be a captains meeting on 7/25. The board will probably test some games on the weekend of the retreat.

2. NSO

Cindy met with Parandeh to work out a schedule and to find ‘good’ events. The organizational committee (volunteers still welcome!!!) will start meeting next week (July 7 at noon). NSO will be the week of september 20.

3. Ice Cream Social

On July 16 we will repeat this event. Piet, Sandeep, Ying and Claude volunteered to help organize it.

4. GSC Retreat

Piet has reserved the Capra Ranch for July 23/24/25. Somebody needs to be there Friday night to pick up the key and we need to leave by Sunday noon. Capra Ranch is about 100 miles south of Pasadena, just East of Camp Pendelton. Everyone is encouraged to stay the whole weekend but if that’s not possible come down for Saturday! The exact timetable still needs to be worked out but we will have our main brainstorming on Saturday afternoon, followed by a party Saturday night. Hopefully the grad office will pay for this retreat, otherwise the GSC will put up the money.

5. Catalina Housing Committee for next year

The GSC board wants to know how the selection for next years CHCC works. The CHCC hasn’t thought too hard about it yet but they will discuss it and let us know how they would like to proceed.

6. Club Funding

The deadline for next year is September 1^st. The guidelines will be in the next newsletter and on our website. The committee consists of the following people: Sandeep (Chair), George, Steve, Magali, Ying, Claude.