To our graduate and professional student colleagues, here are this week's announcements and updates: 

Happy Birthday Month to our CMCI Senator, Laine Zizka. 

Laine is a Communication Ph.D. student in the organization communication emphasis. Her primary research interests are crisis communication, the act and process of organization, how communities weather crises through communication, and the connection between identity and narrative. When not serving as Chair of the Awards and Grants Committee, she can be found jamming out to musicals, mainlining podcasts, or walking with her dog, Zelda.

Announcements: 

• We want to welcome our two new Law Senators, Mathew Yaeger, and Nick Floyd. Thank you for taking the time to make a difference in the graduate student community. 
  • ​Senator Floyd is a Colorado native from Erie and 1st year Juris Doctor candidate at the University of Colorado Law School. He enjoys skiing on the mountain slopes and biking the trails that Colorado has to offer. 
  • Senator Yaeger is a 1st year Juris Doctor candidate at the University of Colorado Law School. Their academic focus is on juvenile and family law, with a specific interest in the legal aid field. Mathew is from Greenwood Village, CO, and they enjoy photography and have three photos published in National Geographic.
• COO O’Rouke will not have an AVC meeting this November. In the last Associate Vice Chancellor meeting, Dr. Sonia Deluca, Senior Vice Chancellor for DEI, presented the Shared Equity Leadership framework. This comprehensive framework acknowledges essential components of Leadership by guiding governance through equity, critical consciousness, and personal journey strategies. Students or faculty can find more vital resources on their . (This website is a 365 SharePoint). 
• The Equity and Advocacy Committee is working on a summer stipend resolution for International graduate students who experience financial hardship due to lack of funding and visa work restrictions. If any international graduate students have information to share, we urge the public to come and comment, as our data is limited for this resolution.

Updates:

1. Second reading of for FY24 (Senator Carias).
   1. The assembly voted in favor of the Bill unanimously. 

2. First Reading of (Prasanth Prahladan)

   1. Discussion around the first reading centered on specific language related to mandating or recommending CU implement the “be it resolved” sections of the bill. 

   2. Further discussion of subsequent resolutions in the future related to this topic depends on how CU responds. 

Ongoing Meetings: These are always open to the public to join and comment on items at their convenience. If a public or organization member would like something added to one of the committees or the legislative assembly for review/support, please give an advance notice to Jason at chiefofstaff.gpsg@Colorado.edu.

starting Thursday, 10/25/23 at 1:30 pm

- Tuesdays at 12 p.m

- Tuesdays at 4:15 pm

- Wednesdays at 5 p.m

- Wednesdays at 6:30 p.m

Equity and Advocacy Committee: this will change this week; an update will be released before the meeting.  

Outreach Team: TBD

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To our graduate and professional student colleagues, here are this week's announcements and updates: 

Announcements: 

Congratulations to our new GPSG Executives! 

President of Engagement: Saydie Sago

Saydie is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in Integrative Physiology with the College of Arts and Sciences; she looks forward to advocating and supporting minoritized student population groups, specifically- Native and Indigenous students. As a current graduate leader for the Native Graduate Student group and a past committee member for the Center of Native American and Indigenous Studies, Saydie continues to evolve the graduate student experience through shared governance, organizing student cultural events such as workshops, conferences, concerts, and art nights. 

President of Administration: Pritha Agarwal

Pritha is a 3rd year Ph.D. student in Advertising, Public Relations, and Media Design with the College of Media and Communication Information. Pritha has a history with GPSG, as she had an opportunity to shadow our previous President of Outreach, Mckenzie Dice. Pritha comes with experience from Washington State University, where she served as the President of the Indian Student Association, overseeing a vibrant community of more than 500 members. She plans to foster a collaborative dialogue with campus leaders and other shared governance groups to create an inclusive environment where every student's voice is heard and valued. 

Please join us this Wednesday, October 18th, 2023, during our Legislative Assembly meeting for the Introduction and Assembly Ratification of our two new executives, Saydie & Pritha.

Updates: 

Happening this Assembly meeting Wednesday, October 18th, 2023  https://app.zoom.us/wc/5531069073/

The Rules and Finance Committee (RFC)  will have the second reading of their GPSG fee increase proposal. The last GPSG fee increase was in 2021, which would go into effect July 2024. We invite you to listen and comment. 

Senator Carias will host a second reading of 2023 AB 02: A Bill to Improve GPSG stipends. This bill proposed increases to the current GPSG leadership. 

There will be the first reading of a suggested Assembly Resolution 2023 AR 01: Resolution to add Caste Protection to the Protected Groups in CU's Anti-Discrimination and Harassment Policy authored by Prasanth Prahladan CSGSA Vice-Chair for Antiracism and Inclusion. 

The Award and Grant Committee (AGC) will introduce amendments to the Excellence Award Bylaws. 

Ongoing meetings: 

- Tuesdays @ 12 pm

- Tuesdays @ 4:15 pm

- Wednesdays @ 5 pm

- Wednesdays @ 6:30 pm

Equity and Advocacy Committee- Thursdays @ 10 am; please email chiefofstaff.gpsg@colorado.edu for the Zoom link if interested in attending. 

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To our graduate and professional colleagues,

Please see below for a weekly update from the Graduate and Professional Student Government, which you should also be receiving from your department representative or college senator.

Upcoming events and opportunities:

• GPSG meetings
  •  - Wednesdays 5pm
  •  - biweekly Thursdays 4pm
  •  - Tuesdays 3:30pm
  •  - Thursdays 10:30am
  •  - Mondays at 10am
• Applications for Graduate Excellence Awards are open, due Thursday, March 17. Apply to be recognized for your contributions to teaching and the scholarship community on campus!
• Arts & Sciences: The search for a new college dean is entering the public phase where finalist candidates will be visiting campus. How would grad students like to interact with potential candidates to provide feedback? So far in this search there has been only ONE grad student representative so we would like to have a high number of students provide feedback at this stage! Please email Barra Peak if you have ideas or want to be involved!
• .
• !

Week in Review:

• Our President of Engagement, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Senator for the School of Education met with CU System President Todd Saliman to talk about DEI work on campus this week.
• The Executive team met with the Grad School and discussed strategies for communicating important information (see new monthly email format) and started collaboration on ensuring equitable workload for students on appointment.
• Please let us know if there are particular issues you’d like us to prioritize!
• Our Director of Legislative Affairs attended Lobbying Day at the Colorado capitol.

If any questions arise, you can reach out to your representative or contact us at gpsg@colorado.edu.

We hope you stay safe and have a great week,

Emily Jensen, Barra Peak, and Mckenzie Dice

GPSG Executive Team

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GPSG's Director of Legislative Affairs visited the Colorado capitol on February 17 along with other student government leaders from across the state.

• The morning included a meeting with Attorney General (AG) Weiser
  • AG's current focus is on increased awareness and response resources for fentanyl overdoses, especially on college campuses. Additional focus on harder punishments for distribution of fentanyl.
  • Prohibiting Transcript And Diploma Withholding: There is a bill currently in consideration that prohibits institutions from withholding transcripts and degrees for outstanding balances.
• Strategy Sessions
  • One strategy meeting on Behavioral Health, Well-Being, & Basic Needs Security.
  • Another meeting on Diversity, Inclusion, & Closing Equity Gaps in Higher-Ed.
  • In DEI meeting, discussed colleges needing to be more responsive to their students needs in order to remove barriers to success. Also discussed creating cultures of accountability and empowerment as student leaders on campus. Discussed the need for student representation within admin and policy decisions.
• In the afternoon, met with members of Department of Higher Ed
  • Discussed challenges in trying to achieve both equitable access and equitable outcomes for marginalized students.

If you have any thoughts on what we should advocate for at the state level, please email legislative.gpsg@colorado.edu

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