~~~Congratulations Class of 2007~~~

Congratulations! Tomorrow morning at 9am some of you will be walking in the ceremony to graduate with your Masters or PhD degree. I will be there as part of the platform party. So be sure to wave or give me wink if you read this! :D It's been a good year. I hope it's been a good year for you too.

We're in our Final Stretch!

So, I was in the GSO office and someone said, "I want the end of the semester to happen without the next two weeks!" I couldn't agree more. As of today I have one lab, one paper, two finals, and one project to complete. Somehow it all gets done and there is hope!

If you've looked at the GSO calendar this Friday is packed beyond belief! Betty Shadrick from the Graduate Studies office is having a Spring Bling with free food and a time to relax in the Terrace Lounge from 3pm - 5pm, the Art RGSO is having an exhibit at the Fuze Box on Central from 5pm - 9pm and the GSO GALA Annual Awards Evening will take place at the Patroon Room, free for all graduate students, from 6:45pm - 8:45pm! I recommend, if you're distracted tomorrow anyway to go to the Terrace Lounge at 3pm, grab a bit and take off at 4:30pm to hit the Art GSO exhibit downtown till 6:00pm and head back to the Uptown Campus Center at 6:45pm to catch the GALA in the Patroon Room and then chill and schmooze with fellow graduate students, faculty and staff afterwards. Just remember 25 years from now you won't remember what your finals were on, but you will remember the experiences you had in graduate school and the GALA promises to be one of them.

~VOTE!~ VOTE!~ VOTE!~ VOTE!~ VOTE!

This year has been a tremendous year for the GSO. We've focused on building the graduate student community and stressed the need for our community to take ownership of our organization. Many graduate students have responded to the call and with that we've seen so many more possibilities as to how we can better serve the entire graduate student population. We've updated our website, rearranged the GSO Office, purchased new equipment, printer, computers, monitors, conducted a graduate student survey, held GSO Socials which are fantastic events in our local downtown, raised awareness of the graduate student housing situation to Administration with the result from University Life Council to address the recreation of Off-Campus Housing Services, along with a long list of events, services, RGSO co-sponsorships, and the list goes on and on... We're working with graduate students on the East Campus to plan for services there and we've been open to partnering with graduate students on the Downtown Campus to do the same! Now the year is coming to a close we need you to participation in the GSO Elections.

Time to VOTE! From May 1st to May 3rd, the GSO elections are taking place!
On the ballot we need to vote:

1. For new GSO Officers
2. On updating GSO Constitution
2. On increasing the Graduate Student fee by $7

To read the bios on the candidates click here.
To read about the changes in the constitution click here.
To read about reasons why we should increase the graduate student fee click here

As a graduate student at University at Albany it is your right to voice your opinion through this democratic process. Please vote!

To Vote go to MyUAlbany and logon. There will a link on the right side of the page for Graduate Student Elections!

Need some encouragement?

Okay, this is so cool...

if you need some encouragement because school work is bogging you down, not getting along with your boyfriend, girlfriend, or you just need a little pick me up

click on this link and follow the directions:

Encouragement

okay, back to studying...

Administrative Assistant Day - April 25th

We have three graduate student Office Managers who work at GSO Office in the Campus Center and I have to say that we've all been very fortunate to have them at our service. Who else could we count on when there is a jam in the copier? Who else could we count on when there is a jam in the printer? Who else could we ask about picking up our tickets to see the Mama Mia or tickets to go to NYC for $10? What would we do if we ran out of coffee, tea or water? What would we do if we ran out of staples? Who else would change our reams of paper???

And so many times these Office Managers keep us company and listen to our problems, like "I've had a rough week in class", "my professor seems so unreasonable", "I have to write a 100 page paper and it's due tomorrow", "there's a jam in the copier", "there's a jam in the copier", "why doesn't the printer work"?

Oh the silent steady sacrafices they make! :D

What I appreciate most about Elisabeth, Xinxin, and Gregory is their commitment to all of us and their dedication to the organization in building up the graduate student community. Happy Administrative Assistant Day! Thank you for all your hard work.

ARRrrrrrrggg.... Fountain Day 2007

UAlbany Fountain Day 2007 lives up to all the hype it turns out to be. I will never look at the podium the same way again with all the festivities and all the people dancing the chicken noodle, playing carnival games, tossing the beach ball up in the air! Even Dean Pryse joined in as a volunteer staff for the day!

Around 2:30pm they opened up the main fountain area and a flood of students took off their shoes and socks and dipped into the fountain. Then a few minutes to 3pm there was a count down where they blasted the large fountain to commence this season! We couldn't have planned for better weather. It was perfect in almost everyway. So hot that many people wore shorts, bikinis, t-shirts. Student Life transformed the podium into a carnival-like atmosphere with laser tag, bop-em jousting, hot dogs, fried dough.

What a great way to spend a beautiful Sunday as a university community! OH! and I love the pirate ducky! ARRrrrrrrggg....

Since the weather was so beautiful, afterwards I went to see the sunset in East Greenbush with a view just looking over Empire Plaza and University at Albany Campus. *sigh* Life is good...

Virginia Tech, our prayers are with you...

It's hard to know what to say or think when something so tragic happens in our country. The violence, the senseless shooting, the young promising students whose lives were lost at Virginia Tech today, the countless others who were wounded.

Tomorrow night, Tuesday April 17th, at 5pm Provost and Officer in Charge, Susan Herbst, has called together the UAlbany community to hold a candlelight vigil at the small fountain in front of the Campus Center. If you can make it please come.

In Herbst's e-mail she wrote, "It is important for all of us to come together to remember those who needlessly lost their lives in this heartbreaking incident and to offer consolation and support to one another. In times such as these, our gathering will provide an opportunity to share our individual strengths for the collective comfort of our campus community.

The effects of such a catastrophe are so very far reaching that each of us will be forever changed by this unthinkable act. Please join me and others in the University at Albany community to express our heartfelt condolences and deepest sympathies to the families and friends of the many who lost their lives."

I mourn their loss, grieve with their families and empathize with the students affected by this incident.

*** Fountain Day *** April 22 ****

When I was considering my Master's Program at UAlbany I called the Director of Graduate Studies in my department and he started with his wonderful British accent in laughter, "We just had the largest pillow fight recorded in Guinness book of world records yesterday on Fountain Day! It was great, there were about 3,648 students smacking each other with pillows when we turned on the fountain. " I knew then that I wanted to experience this event.

Now "Fountain Day" is a long standing tradition at UAlbany. It is the day where the whole university celebrates the large fountain in the middle of the podium being turned on for the rest of the Spring, Summer and part of the Fall season. It was something that Student Association started in 1979 for Human Awarness Program (HAP) which was a school sponsored event designed to break down the barriers that separated students and faculty. It still cherished by the University today!

Last year I had a conference scheduled at the same time so I was very disappointed that I couldn't make it. This year I don't! So April 22nd, I'm going to be at Fountain Day! There will be FREE FOOD, contests to win prizes, and Free Rubber Duckies! For more information on Fountain Day 2007 please click here.

Week End Review: Free Food and the East Campus

If you were hungry this week you should have check the GSO / RGSO Calendar.

Here's a recap of the Free Food sightings...

Monday: Student Yoga Society Cooking Class - Vegetarian Sushi

Tuesday: Free Breakfast Bar in the Lecture Center Area

Wednesday: MCAA World Game Night - Fried Chicken, Mac n' Cheese, Cold Asian Noodles, Eggrolls :9

Thursday Night: Turkish Movie - Pizza and Soda

Friday: : East Campus, Cultural Heritage Night - International Cuisine by candlelight...

Speaking of the East Campus, I had a great time with the graduate students in the School of Public Health program at their Cultural Heritage Night tonight. They have a wonderful community there and a very strong RGSO group. I even had the opportunity to meet their Dean, Mary Applegate, at the event.

The UAlbany East Campus is in Rensselaer right across the river by the train station. There are about 400 graduate students in that program. I sat at the table with about 5 grad students and had a really good conversation with them about how the GSO could better serve graduate students on the East Campus. The School of Public Health RGSO representatives and I are in process of including plans for services there. We will have this plan in the GSO Comprehensive Plan which is a document the GSO Steering Committee and I are drawing up to address the direction we would like to see for our organization. I was especially pleased to see the community the East Campus has and that they are eager to be more connected with the larger graduate student community. Next Friday's Assembly meeting will be on the East Campus! That will be the meeting where candidates for elected positions will give their speech as to why they want to serve in the GSO. Also!!!! The Student Yoga Society has graciously agreed to cook us an Indian vegetarian meal. Please come! Meet the candidates, ask them really hard questions, meet other grad students and join us for some great food.

GSO GALA, Annual Awards Evening

Mark your Calendars!!!

GSO GALA, Annual Awards Evening ~May 4th, 2007 ~ 6:45pm ~ Patroon Room~

For the past two years the GSO has had an Awards Night where we celebrate the accomplishments of the year and honor the faculty, staff, students and RGSO groups who have affected our lives with their achievements and services.

This year we plan to expand the event! We will celebrate the end of the year with our Annual GSO Awards, recognize the top Research and Travel Grant Recipients for the Fall and Spring Semester where they will each be giving a short 5 minute presentation on their work and welcome in the incoming GSO Administration (E-Board and elected representatives)!

There will be a full three course dinner buffet with dessert!!! This event is free to all graduate students so come celebrate with us!!!!!! Sign up will be available at the GSO Office!!!!

Graduate On and Off-Campus Housing Issue

In the beginning of this academic year I got an e-mail from a graduate student looking for legal services through the GSO over a tenant-landlord issue. I replied, "I'm sorry we don't offer those services but I will look into that option for future services that could be offered." I checked out other universities and colleges in the SUNY System and noticed that some structure for legal services were available to graduate students. Then I got another e-mail from a different graduate student requesting legal services again. I asked around to see who serviced graduate students with legal issues, but found that those services didn't exist for graduate student. This time I brought it before the E-Board and mentioned that it should be something to let the next E-Board consider since our fiscal budget was already set for the year. Then I got another e-mail, and another... All of them had to deal with tentant-landlord issues.

Spring semester, I was in the GSO office speaking with an international graduate student at the end of January, beginning of February and once again another individual was having a tenant-landlord issue and was seeking legal services. I thought to myself, well, sure GSO will definitely consider having legal services (legal clinic to advise, not represent), but the fundamental issue in each of these cases had to do with housing!

Though a good number of graduate student do not have difficulty finding off-campus housing I was concerned especially for the International Students. They have a limited time to find housing when they arrive since their visas only allow them to come a number of weeks before the academic year starts. Many of them don't have cars which makes it even more difficult to go to different neighborhoods to see if the area is right for them. Some of them pick the first thing they find and then find they aren't happy there but have already signed a lease. Their issues with OCH is amplified as they're not only getting used to a new University, but also a new country, new language.

I started investigating this. For On-Campus Housing currently there are over 50 spots available for graduate students in Empire Commons. This coming academic year 2007-2008 only 48 spots will be made available to graduate student. By the 2008 - 2009 academic year on-campus housing will be completely phased out for graduate students. Graduate Students looking to live on campus will not have that option to do so. Whether or not they are planning to build graduate student housing for the future I'm not sure, I hope so, but at the moment nothing I know of is planned.

The reason for this is because there is inadequate housing available on campus. In fact because of this delema, as of this year sophomores are not required to live on campus anymore either. It wouldn't be as big of an issue, but UAlbany doesn't have an Off-Campus Housing Office. There is a virtual "Off-campus housing" listing by a third party linked to the ResLife webpage, but as far as an actual Off-Campus Housing Director and Off-Campus Housing office that was phased out over 6 years ago. Where the other 3 SUNY University Centers, Binghamton, Buffalo, and Stony Brook have Off-Campus Housing Services Albany doesn't. Graduate students are the most affected by not having these services!

So, what is being done about it? I had meeting with University Life Council last Thursday with Off-Campus Affairs and Safety, International Student Services, ResLife, along with the rest of the faculty and staff on the committee and discussed this issue. After presenting them with a service comparison between the 4 SUNY University Center's the problem on our campus and the solution was clear. We need Off-Campus Housing Service for all UAlbany students and a legal clinic for graduate students.

And I found out that information on tenant rights and moving guides are available through the Off-Campus Affairs and Safety office as Tom Gephart had presented at the meeting, but since their office is called "Affairs and Safety" most people would not think to ask them since they're looking for the word "Housing" instead of "Affairs and Safety". ULC will be working toward centralizing the information on the Off-Campus Housing website and it is on the table to discuss a position for an Off-Campus Housing Director.

The meeting left on a very positive note that we can do something about this issue and we must. The number of incoming students have increased these past few years and the projections is for the trend to continue. Building new housing facilities will take at least a few years. Renovating housing on campus will also take a few years. It only make sense for the University to provide Off-Campus Housing Services.

For many students a service like this will help smooth the transition of living off campus and allow us to concentrate more on our academics rather than struggle with tenant-landlord issues.

What can $7 do for you? - Reasons to vote to increase the Graduate Student Activity Fee.

When you think about your last meal out at a restaurant, the last time you went to a coffee shop for a fancy beverage and biscotti, or the last time you went to see a movie, more than likely you spent close to or over $7.

This coming GSO Election we will put on the ballot to increase the Graduate Student Activity Fee by $7. At the moment our student activity fee is $20. This will raise it to $27.

Why specifically would we want to do this? Well, there are a number of reason why we feel this increase would benefit the services we provide to you and the graduate student community. The following are some of the main reasons:

1. RGSO Funding
2. Grant Funding
3. Legal Services
4. Director of Operations (Office Manager)
5. Services for the Downtown and East Campus
6. Programming and additional Buses for Trips to NYC and Boston
7. Lowest Graduate Student Fee of the four major Universities in NYS

1. RGSO Funding - This past Fall Semester, RGSO groups had requested over $47,000 in funding for activities and events they wanted to have with their group. Many of these groups are graduate student groups with professional and departmental focuses. We allocated $26,000 in the GSO budget since we used the projections from the last academic year. RGSO groups were able to request funds from the MCAA and Programming chairs, but we would like to increase RGSO funding to benefit the departmental, cultural and activities groups to support events, professional development and the building of their student organization as well. Part of the $7 would be used to increase the over all budget for RGSO funding.

2. Grant Funding - This has been a tremendous service for graduate students presenting at conference or conducting research. We give up to $650 for travel and research grants per individual three times a year. The total allocation is $30,000 this year for this service, which was an increase from $27,000 last year. We would like to increase the funding for this as well since it is so well used and as UAlbany is one of the four University Research Center in New York State we would like to support students research. (There is never roll over funds from this budget allocation!)

3. Legal Services - We are looking into sending out an RFP to lawyers in the area to provide legal services for graduate students on campus. The undergraduates fund their own legal clinic, but these services are not extended to graduate students since undergraduates pay $125 for their student activity fee and we only pay $20. With $7 increase we can start a legal clinic for students in need seeking that service.

4. Director of Operations (Office Manager) - We are in the process of hiring a Director of Operations for the GSO. This person will be a part-time non-graduate student staff who would be able to bridge year to year between GSO Administration and help bring a greater sense of continuity and stability for our organization. One chief complaint I gotten in the beginning of this administration's year is that Office Managers (who are graduate students) graduate or find other positions and we lose their institutional knowledge in the GSO office. Gaps are created that complicate the daily transactions of the services we provide to graduate students. We would like to better service graduate students by hiring a more permanent person for the organization who would be in charge of operations. In order to do this we need to be competitive in our benefit's and salary offering. All this said, we still plan to have two graduate student Office Manager positions available but having one permanent non-graduate student staff would help the organzation greatly. (By the way, this year we were very fortunate to find a very dedicated group of office managers who enjoy serving our community. They have been amazingly wonderful and have made this a very smooth year for our organization. I encourage all graduate students to express your appreciation this month on Adminstrative Assistant's Day on Wednesday, April 25th)

5. Services for the Downtown and East Campus - The GSO Comprehensive Plan will include a section to provide services for the East and Downtown campus. If any RGSO group would like to collaborate with the GSO in hosting a satellite GSO Office at either campus we can make funding available to provide printer or copier services there as well. An increase of the graduate student fee would insure the ability for start up and maintenance of these sites and services.

6. Programming and additional Buses for Trips to NYC and Boston - This year our Programming has been so popular that we have exhausted the budget for the rest of the fiscal year. With an increase in the Graduate Student Activity fee we could add a few more buses to NYC and Boston, gotten tickets to see Jerry Seinfeld at the Palace Theatre, a few more GSO Socials at Noche, Skyline, Pearl Lounge, etc...!

Also, we would like to increase the budget for the Graduate Student Orientation Picnic. It was a very well attended event where incoming and returning graduate students are invited. We budgeted $4000 for the event. Even though Amirah ordered a substantial amount of food there still wasn't enough food for everyone. Ofcourse there was well over 400 graduate students who attended the 2006 GSO Picnic. This year we project that even more students will attend!

7. Lowest Graduate Student Fee of the four major Universities in NYS - For years now our GSO has done more with less. I did a fee comparison between the four major University center in New York State and where our fee per semester is only $20, Buffalo has the highest fee per semester at $49, Binghamton is $40, Stony Brook is $22 and will increase their fee to $27 this coming year. Outside of legal services we offer more services than the other Graduate Student Organizations. We are the only GSO that offers copier and printing services. Our office is opened longer than any of the other GSO offices (45 hours per week). Plus we provide many of the services they offer as well!

I hope this has helped explain why we hope to increase the Graduate Student Activity Fee. If we all agree and vote on this we will be able to expand and improve services for our community for less than a ticket to see a movie. During the GSO Elections, please vote to increase the fee! Thank you.

Meet Minerva - GSO Office Resident

Minerva - Roman goddess of crafts and wisdom* is swimming in the GSO Office next to the phone and fax machine!

Yes, we got a betta fish and named her Minerva. Daughter of Jupiter and Metis, she was considered to be the virgin goddess of warriors, poetry, medicine, wisdom, commerce, crafts, and inventor of music.* No other fish can compare to her warrior like movements, spreading the expanse of her long beautiful blue fins which drape in majestic poetry and flow gracefully as she dances around in her fish bowl.

Minerva was not born in the usual way, but rather Jupiter had a horrible headache and Vulcan opened up his head and out came Minerva dressed in armor and holding a shield.* We had to convince her to come back to the office with us from the pet store by promising a world of studious intellects, quiet reflective evenings, and a lifetime supply of betta treats. We knew right away there was something special about her. Come and visit and ask her what the answer to life is!? She knows all.

*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minerva

What Spring Break?

If you're like me and most graduate student I've spoken to, Spring Break is a blessing, not because you get to go to cool places and spend time away from school work, but because there's finally a week to catch up on assignments, reading and research.

*sigh* alas, the quote in Ecclesiastes 12:12 is so true, "Of making many books there is no end, and much study wearies the body."

The good news is that the GSO office will be open all week! Monday - Friday 10am - 6pm!

And there is a spread of Spring Holiday candy all over the office inspired by the artist Felix Gonzalez Torres! Jelly beans, chocolate, and stale Peeps. :9





We had such a great time at the GSO Social on Thursday night! Thanks to the GSO Programming Chair, Miciah Yehudah we had another fantastic event at Noche Lounge near Downtown Albany.

What I love about the event is that UAlbany graduate students from all different disciplines and departments have the opportunity to get together in an informal setting and mingle! It's so fascinating to watch the graduate student dynamics. Walking through the lounge one can listen to the conversations everyone is having, from academics to politics, from American Idol and Lost! Food was provided at Noche on us too! (Your GSO Funds at Work! :D And I must add the food was excellent last night.)

There will be one more GSO Social at Noche Lounge on the very last day after finals this semester. I'm looking forward to it!

GSO Elections are coming! Find out details here...

Do you want to take over this blog? You too can be the next President of the GSO!

The GSO has 4 elected positions on the Executive Board, 1 position for Lead Senator, 1 position for the Graduate Representative on University Council, and 1 position for SUNY Assembly Graduate Representative.

The positions on the Executive Board are the following: The President, Vice President, Treasurer, and MCAA Chair.

The position of the Programming Chair and the Grant Chair are selected by the President but if you're interested you should start thinking about it.

So what are the functions of these positions?

President: acts as the Chief Executive Officer of the GSO and is its chief spokesperson and representative. If you would like more details about this position please feel free to contact me.

Vice President: Chairs the RGSO Funding Committee is the main liaison for RGSO groups. If you would like more details about this position please contact the current Vice President, Don Boyce (donboyce@gmail.com)

Treasurer: Is responsible for the financial health of the GSO, works with the President and the Assembly on the GSO budget and performs the accounting for the Graduate Student Organization. If you would like more details about this position please contact the current Treasurer, Linlin Feng (linlinfeng_ualbany@yahoo.com)

MCAA Chair: (Multi-Cultural Affirmative Action Chair) we are the only campus of the four university system to have a position solely dedicated to addressing the issue of diversity on this campus. The MCAA Chair is responsible for educating sensitivity and diversity issues in the graduate student community. If you would like more details about this position please contact the current MCAA Chair, Amirah Cousins (amirahcousins@gmail.com).

Lead Senator: Coordinates Graduate Senatorial Seats and represents graduate student at the University Senate and the various committees that deal with University Community concerns. If you would like more details about this position please contact the current Lead Senator, Kevin Lahey (lahey_77@yahoo.com)

University Council Graduate Representative: Represents Graduate Students on the University Council which is responsible for the care, management and government of the school. If you would like more details about this position please contact the current graduate representative, Glenn Pichardo (glennpichardo@hotmail.com)

SUNY Assembly Graduate Representative: Represents our campus on the SUNY-wide Student Assembly. If you would like more details about this position please contact the current SUNY Assembly representative, Kevin Lahey (lahey_77@yahoo.com)

Please send your nominations to our Assembly Speaker, Micah Ben Ruben at gso@albany.edu . You may nominate yourself if you plan on running for a position.

Also, during this election we will need to vote on (1) the new constitution. Currently we are operating under the governing GSO constitution from 2000. Revisions were made in 2005 but were not voted on. (2) we need your vote to increase the current graduate student fee up $7 from last year. (I will be writing a bit more on this issue at a later time.)

Campaigning starts now and as soon as nominations are in.
Voting will take place from April 30th to May 2nd on MyUAlbany Portal!

(Please be advised these dates were revised from April 21st - April 27th as of Monday, April 9th due to logistical issues. Thanks for your understanding)

A Detour to St. Ann's

I was warming up my car on my way to university when this woman came up to my window and asked me for a favor. She had been walking down the street when she approached me. She asked, "Could you give me ride to St. Ann's? I'm pregnant and I have to go to St. Ann to visit my sister."

Typically, I'm pretty cautious when strangers approach me, but how often is it that you have a fellow Albanian ask you for help? I introduced myself and shook her hand when she got in the car. She introduced herself as Shamar and told me that she was 19 years old. Originally she came from Charleston South Carolina and her 36 year old boyfriend had her car. Since she was pregnant she spent most of her time sleeping. She was on her way to visit her sister at the St. Ann's Institute and was concerned about her because her sister was on drugs and had gotten in some trouble. She mentioned that she used to live there herself when she was younger and that she used to do drugs and was always getting into arguments. After being at St. Ann's she never wanted to go back to that life.

I dropped her off and sent my regards to her and her sister, but found myself in a contemplative state about our larger community here at Albany.

It's not very often that my daily path crosses someone like Shamar. Here at university our concerns are on learning and focusing on our future. I was having a conversation with our lead senator Kevin Lahey the other day about how we live in a broken world. I was saying to him that even the best systems that we as mankind have built needs maintanence, needs to be updated. A good friend of mine who volunteers at the Capital City Rescue Mission onced said to me, "The problem in Albany is not that people are not donating enough money or goods to the poor in this area. The problem is that they don't know any of them, they don't take the time to know them." I have to agree with him. I may never see Shamar again but she is a good reminder of who else is in my community, my local sphere.

Sunday Morning Rambles

Ahhhhh... Spring is here. I hope you've been enjoying the glorious weather! I've decided to write a haiku in honor of the occasion:

Sunshine on Friday,
rain drops late in the evening,
Snow banks slowly melt.

I know, deep. :D

I was playing racquetball on Friday after an open house event at my department. No one else was there, just me hitting the racquetball against the walls. In this meditative state I thought back to how I got involved with the GSO. I first heard about GSO when I went to the Graduate Student orientation in 2005. Liz Redkey, the president at the time did a great job of informing everyone at orientation of the services offered through the organization. I was pretty impressed with the type of services the GSO offered. What peaked my interest were the trips to NYC, Boston, tickets to see broadway shows and being able to make 100 copies or prints at the office.

In the beginning of the 2005 academic year I visited the GSO Office, I got a departmental copier code (the system changed last year to individual codes), and picked up free tickets for piano recitals at the PAC. From time to time I would stop by the office and serendipitously find that there was a free food event happening, like the one for Latin American Heritage Month or Black History Month.

By Spring, I became the RGSO representative for my graduate student group. I signed up for the GSO listserv and around April they had tickets to see Bill Cosby at the Palace Theatre in downtown Albany.

Josalyn, Amirah and Sophia were the office managers then and were always very kind to me. Sophia, also the 05-06 GSO Assembly Speaker always refered to everyone as "my beautiful people". She was this strong beautiful person in the Africana Studies Department. Josalyn, I think was in the sciences and we'd have great conversations about academics and social issues. Amirah, I always found was a lot of fun, always excited about something.

I didn't really go to the GSO office often. I might have gone a few times in the semester and I've only had a few conversations with the people from the organization, but I felt very welcomed at the GSO. It was just nice to have a space in the Campus Center that belonged to graduate students where one could meet people from all different disciplines. In one of my conversations with Sophia, she said, "we're like family" [all 5,027 of us].

Anyway, about two weeks ago a graduate of our programs sent me an e-mail on a comic strip about graduate student life called PhD Comics. After reading a couple of them I asked our webmaster to include the RSS feed on our webpage. It's pretty relate-able and very amusing. On our front page if you scroll down it'll be on the bottom right.

Okay, enjoy the rest of the weekend! Oh don't forget, this week is the Spring Forum! Campus Conversation on Academic Integrity and Plagiarism: Would an "Honor Code" make a Difference? March 27, 2007, 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Campus Center Ballroom. Very relevant and important discussion we're considering as part of our University community. And one other thing: Campus Reading Project! We've given away a ton of Elizabeth Kolbert books, Field Notes from a Catastrophe. I hope you were able to pick up a copy at the GSO office. It was a very contemplative read and in light of the conversations on Global Warming it'll be a important discussion for the University to engage in. Check out the GSO calendar for the events that'll take place this Thursday, March 29th. I hope you'll join in!

***Albany Restaurant Week*** April 9 - 14

Okay, I admit it, I'm a foodie. What does that mean? It means that I enjoy really good food and the whole dining experience. Foodies are experiemental in their choices of cuisine and tend to scope out new tastes, new flavors and then contemplate the occasion. Usually foodies enjoy the social aspect of the experience and often dine in groups. Foodies aren't just drawn to the food though, the atmosphere of a restaurant and the ambience is also important.

When I lived in NYC, one of my favorite seasonal events was Restaurant Week! It happened twice a year where fine restaurants would offer a three course sampling of their typical menu. The price of the pre-fixe changed annually to coincide with the year, so in 2002 the Restaurant Week deal costed $20.02, drink not included. Delmanico Steakhouse, Vine, Roy's New York, are just some of the well known establishments that participated in this event.

I was thrilled last year when I found out that Albany has it's own bi-annual Restaurant Week! For $16.09 you can enjoy a three-course meal which includes an appetizer, main course and dessert! (psst...1609 is when Albany was founded) I went last year and had a wonderful time with friends from my program! All the restaurants are just downtown! (A great way to support local businesses.)

This season the event starts on the 9th of April and runs through the 14th. That's in two weeks right after spring break. Some of the restaurants that are listed include: Jack's Oyster House, La Serre, Mansion Hill Inn. I believe reservations are necessary so if you're interested in this I recommend calling early. This is great way to try new restaurants without having to break the "graduate student " bank. For a complete list click on the link of participating restaurants.

The Only Asian on North Pearl Street

Happy belated St. Patrick's Day! Hope everyone had a good snowy weekend. If you were around on Friday afternoon there was a full St. Patrick's Day meal at the GSO office with corn beef and cabbage, fried fish, shepard's pie, steamed potatoes and baby carrots! :9 We even had cupcakes for dessert! Despite the snow it was a very successful MCAA event where at one point there were well over 25 people in the GSO office socializing around the couches and our conference table. There were also many people who past through to grab a bite! Amirah, I'm looking forward to the next MCAA event!

Saturday evening I took the bus downtown to meet up with a friend of mine to see Jerry Seinfield at the Palace Theatre. It was a good thing I took the bus because it was crowded downtown! I was surprised that North Pearl Street was packed! There were so many people of Irish descent enjoying the festivities of the evening. They were on the streets spilling out of the restaurant's and lounges! I had never seen so many people downtown before! Many of them not only wore green clothing but also had green hats, green beaded necklaces...


As I walked through the street this guy was staring at me and screamed at the top of his lungs "HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY" toward me and then turned to his friend and muttered, "Chinese person" under his breath. I looked around and suddenly noticed that I was the only Asian on North Pearl Street! I had crashed their block party! :D

It was such an interesting cultural experience.

The St. Patrick's Day parade was cancelled yesterday in Albany due to the weather, but will take place next Saturday.

P.S. After 7 years and three kids, Jerry's back! His performance last night, doesn't skip a beat and takes off right from the height of his success! I laughed so hard my cheeks were in pain walking out of the theatre. Welcome back!

Spring Forum: Campus Conversations about Plagiarism and Academic Integrity: Would an Honor Code Make a Difference?

Last semester members of the GSO Judicial Board and I met with our dean, Marjorie Pryse, the undergraduate dean, Sue Faerman, and representatives from the three governances on campus, Student Association (undergraduate), University Senate (faculty and staff), to dialogue on the topic of Academic Integrity. These meetings came about as an extension from the Task Force on Academic Integrity which started last year 2005-2006 in response to a review of the 2004-2005 Student Opinion Survey.

When we discussed this topic we came to the conclusion that this needed to be a campus-wide effort. We also discussed what academic institutions around the country are doing in addressing this issue. Many of them adopt an Honor Code.

The University at Albany, Community Rights and Responsibility document is our code of standards and expectations which applies to all students. It's different from an Honor Code. It outlines "how to proceed should such an instance occur", where an Honor Code affect the entire compus community, students, faculty and administrators and is a proactive declaration of what a community wants in terms of education, integrity and what it means to be an active engaging University community.

As part of the annual Spring Forum, on Tuesday, March 27th, the campus community will be meeting together to discuss this topic: "Campus Conversations about Plagiarism and Academic Integrity: Would an Honor Code Make a Difference?" The format of this discussion will be represented by panelist reflecting the variety of communities on campus (undergraduates, graduates, faculty, and administrators).

For more information: http://www.albany.edu/senate/

I hope that you will join me in this discussion with the entire campus community.

Research Conversations and Research Funding Opportunities!

I got an e-mail this morning from Today@UAlbany and thought that I'd share this information with you. This online publication, from the University at Albany Division for Research, list research grant and funding opportunities available for graduate students and faculty from just about every discipline. It's worth looking into!

http://www.albany.edu/research/VPRDocs/currentaccent.pdf

Also, the Division for Research is holding events on the three campuses called "Conversations with Research Administration" which will discuss the research needs on campus as well as support that Research Administration can offer. For a schedule of these meetings click on: http://www.albany.edu/research/ConversationsWithResAdmin.htm

Graduate Student Survey and my "Free Food" Radar

Good news! The survey we're conducting for Dan Smith our graduate student representative on the Presidential Search Committee is underway and so far we've gotten around 456 responses. This is great way to voice your opinion about your experience here at University at Albany and help us in representing you in choosing our new Unversity President.

Thank you if you've already filled out the survey. For those of you who haven't done so yet, we've sent out a reminder today for students to fill out the survey, one to the entire graduate student listserv and another to the GSO Listserv. If you got it twice then I apologize for the cross over e-mail, but sure appreciate your help. If you haven't gotten it at all but want to fill out the survey please let me know and I'll send you the link. (gso@albany.edu)

Also, last month on February 13th, the GSO took a traffic count of how many graduate students come into the GSO Office in a day. Our finding is that well over 125 graduate students came in! We were open from 10am-8pm that day, that's about 10 hours. Basically around 12.5 people enter the office at some point per hour.

It's a really nice to know that you can meet graduate students from so many different disciplines at the GSO office or through one of the many events we sponsor!

OH! one last thing... I mean two... two last things. If you happen to be at the Campus Center tomorrow around noonish there'll be a Food Show right at the bottom of the stairs from the GSO Office. Last year I went and sampled the variety of different foods from the different vendors. :9 And don't forget! This Friday there will be free food at the office for St. Patrick's Day!!!! Cornbeef and cabbage, etc... to find out exactly what's on the menu write the MCAA chair.

Late Night Racquetball and Other Stuff

I can't believe it's already mid-March! Just think 8-9 more weeks till the end of the semester before finals. Are you ready? By the way, good luck to everyone who is studying for their mid-terms or have taken them already.

Daylight savings threw me off this morning, but the good thing is that Monday I don't have class till 11:15am. Still, I love Spring, especially since the days get longer and we're finally beginning to see the snow melt from Valentine's Day. Being from down state snow lasting for almost a whole month without melting is truly an interesting phenomenon. To me, the 16 inches that we got here in the Capital Region is a lot of snow, but not as much as Oneonta! I know this sounds crazy, but just once in my life I'd to experience what Oneonta experienced this winter with 12 feet of snow. Ofcourse the situation was very serious considering Oneonta and several other cities in this upstate area were declared disaster areas, but I wonder what it would be like to open my front door and see a wall of snow! I wonder what it would be like to go to the second floor of the building and walk out the window with snow shoes on. :D

Over the break late last month I took advantage of the snow and went cross-country skiing. I'm terrible at having long boards of wood strapped to my feet and made to coordinate movement with them going downhill, but it sure can be fun going through trails on premade tracks in the snow! There are a bunch of little places to go xc skiing just 30 - 45 minutes out from Albany and even if the snow is melting here, typically snow sticks around for a while in other locations near by.

Anyway, one of my favorite things to do on campus is going to the SEFCU Arena and playing racquetball late at night. For those of you who may never have experienced racquetball it's a lot of fun! The racquet is shorter and more narrow than a tennis racquet and the ball is typically this blue bouncy ball. The court consists of four walls, a tall ceiling, with an observatory and a entrance that looks like mini-door. This game is extremely intense. It moves very fast and the ball can be harder to follow than a pinball machine!

I was reading an article on CNN about a study a neurologist from Columbia University just released findings of about how excercise boost brain power. According to the study they had "systematically examined the different regions of the hippocampus and identified which region is most affected by exercise" and compared their findings between areas of growth in brain of mice who excercised with a MRI scan of the human who excercised. The findings from this study suggests that people grow new brain cells when they exercise!

http://www.cnn.com/2007/HEALTH/diet.fitness/03/12/exercise.memory.reut/index.html

So... racquetball isn't just a great way to excercise but it may actually be helping me recharge my brain as well!

If you're interested in using the fitness facilities on campus you don't have go late at night like I do. The Physical Education Building and the SEFCU Arena are open from 7:30am - midnight during week days. They have a swimming pool, a bubble where you can play indoor tennis, intramural basketball, indoor running track, and a fitness center with equipment to tone your muscles or work out the cardiovascular side of your body, (like the treadmill, stationary bike, rowing machine). For more information check out their webpage:

http://www.albany.edu/recreation/recmain.html

Woo-Hoo!!!! Go Danes! Congratulations to UAlbany's Men's Basketball!!!!

It's around 2:25am on Sunday... (Daylight savings this weekend!) And I'm so excited because UAlbany Men's Basketball team won against Vermont!!!!

In a close game between Vermont and Albany, the Danes triumphed!!!! 60 - 59!!!! Vermont rarely loses on their home turf and Albany had never won there. The Great Danes pushed ahead and defended our America East title for the second year in a row!!!!

We're headed for the NCAA Tournament. :D

Tonight, Sunday March 11th at the Campus Center Commons the campus community is invited to watched Selection Sunday together and find out who we'll be facing in the first round of the tournament.

My congratulations to our Men's Basketball team!

Thanks Coach Brown! I am so proud all of you!

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=270690261

SUNY - Board of Trustees Public Hearing

I received an e-mail last week from Alyssa Amoyette the President of SUNY Student Assembly about the SUNY - Board of Trustees Public Hearing which will take place on Tuesday, March 20th. I wanted to extend this announcement to any graduate student who is interested in testifying before the Board on any issues relevant to the SUNY system. These hearings are held twice a year and this meeting is open to all concerned individuals. If you're interested in speaking before the Board of Trustees the deadline to regisiter is Thursday, March 15th.

For more details click on this link SUNY - Board of Trustees Public Hearing

Have a Cough? Cold? Flu?

I've noticed over the break that several people I've interacted with have caught either the cold or the flu. If you fall into that category before you go to CVS to pick up some Nyquil or other decongestant I highly recommend taking advantage of services at the University Health Center. For coughs, congestion, headaches, (anything related to the cold or flu), the University Health Center has a form where you can self diagnose and based on that you can pick up medication without cost through the University Pharmacy upstairs on the second floor of the University Health Center. They offer over the counter medication comparable to IB Profen, Tylenol, Nyquil, Robitussin, as well as prescrition medications as well.

Personally, I like the University Health Center. I've used the Health Center from time to time when I've felt under the weather. The people there are helpful and friendly and it's conveniently located on the Uptown campus.

Also, as part of your University fee "prescriptions may be filled at no cost at the University Health Center [Pharmacy], limited to items in stock with a $200 maximum each fall and spring semester and a $100 maximum for the summer semester". (http://www.albany.edu/health_center/Services/Pharmacy.htm)

The University Health Center can help you fight off the symptoms of the cold and flu, but ofcourse the best way to recover is good rest, lots of liquids and time!

Happy Chinese New Year! - Year of the Boar!

Happy Chinese New Year! If you had a chance to stop by the GSO office on Thursday and Friday last week hopefully you were able to grab a handful of Valentine and Chinese New Year candy! :9 I don't know if the University Administration had done it on purpose but I think its great that this year's Winter Recess coincided with Chinese New Year. (I hope they do this every year!)

I just got back from being downstate and spending time with my parents for this celebration. Chinese New Year is a very important holiday for Chinese people. In fact in China and in many other part of the world this celebration lasts for days. I met up with a graduate student working on logistics operations over the weekend and she was telling me that the companies she's in contact with in Asia all said not to contact them this week because of the holiday.

Since this is the "Year of the Golden Pig" Chinatown in NYC is having pig race! Just image a row of swine running down Bowery Street in traffic! (no, not exactly... I don't think Mayor Bloomberg would've allowed it. Almost sounds like a scene from "Gangs of New York") Actually, the Daily News, a major sponsor of this year’s celebration, will present a day of pig races on Sunday, February 25, on Hester Street between Mott and Elizabeth Streets.

All around Chinatown different lion dance groups parade along the sidewalks and enter Chinese Restaurants. They dance for different patrons as they were eatting their meals and then the patrons feed money into the lion's mouth in appreciation for their entertainment. Very amusing and cultural!

If you missed this past Sunday, February 18th's Celebration at "The Egg" that the Chinese community in Albany along with our very own RGSO group the Chinese Students & Scholar Association put on together, but still want to experience Chinese New Year, the celebration in NYC continues from February 18, 2007 and until March 4, 2007.

Welcome to the New GSO Website!

Hi, I'm Maria Chau, the President of the Graduate Student Organization (2006 - 2007). Thanks for visiting the new GSO website and thanks for reading my blog. I'm pleased to bring this site to you and excited to introduce you to the new features we've incorporated. I hope that you'll find this new format helpful in connecting with the graduate student community at University at Albany.

Classifieds / Message board
For one thing we're adding a Classifieds / Message board which any graduate student who registers at our office for a copier code will be able to use. You'll be able to advertise for roommates, sell books and other items, start a forum to discuss issues and ideas, or anything else you may thing of! (this feature will be available soon!)

GSO /RGSO Calendar
If you're interested in what's going on or what events are happening on campus and around area the GSO Calendar is a great way to find this information. You'll be able to find out when the next trip to Boston or New York City will be, when you can catch the broadway hit "Rent" at Proctors, where a discussion on "Genomic Fossil Record" is taking place, and when and where the local farmer's market will be. We also added a calendar for RGSO groups to announce the events that are happening in different departments and groups which you are all welcomed to participate in, like the Chinese Scholar Student Association and their Chinese New Year Celebration happening at "The Egg" this coming Sunday or where you can learn to cook a vegetarian meal on Mondays with the Student Yoga Society!

GSO Grants, RGSO, MCAA, Office Hours, Forms
Like the previous GSO Website you'll be able find out information about the GSO Grants, RGSO groups (Recognized Graduate Student Organization), GSO Office Hours, etc. And now we've added a convenient "Forms" page where you can download all our forms like the Grant and RGSO forms as well as our governance documents. The forms will also be linked to their respective pages, but we thought this might be easier for quick reference.

Photos, News
We have photos from the graduate student orientation, photos from the Graduate Student Lounge in the Business building, and we'll be adding photos and news from time to time on events.

Weekly Announcements and Convenient Links
Our weekly announcements are featured on our homepage and there's a link to the details as well as an archive of these announcements in case you missed something. We've added convenient links to the home page for MyUAlbany, WebMail, Graduate Studies, and other useful UAlbany sites too!

Updated GSO Directory
If you'd like to contact me or any of the E-Board Members, Senators, Councilmen, Judicial Board Members, Office Managers, etc. we have an updated directory which lists the committees of each Senator, Councilmen, and Graduate Representative!

I hope you enjoy this new site! Feel free to contact us if you have any comments or ideas for the website. I will be updating my blog periodically so I hope you'll visit again!

Maria Chau
President, GSO
2006 - 2007