AGSA Minutes - October 17, 2000

In Attendance:
Dan Mazeau, Bill McFarlane, Tom Brunton, Monique Fortunato, Michael Roets, Jennifer Randall, Marcus Watson, Sue Maguire, Tammy Butner, Lisa Gioia-Acres

Business:

1. ALLOCATION OF FUNDS FOR HALLOWEEN PARTY
   This year's Halloween party will be held at Monique Fortunato's house. It is on October 28, 2000 and a costume is required, as Monique will have her attack dogs on guard at the door. At the meeting it was proposed and seconded that the following allocations be made.
   ---50$ for snacks
   ---50$ for BOOZE
   All faculty will be invited but NO UNDERGRADUATES.
2. COLLOQUIA AND STUDENT SYMPOSIUM
   It has been proposed that the graduate students organize some discussion groups and speakers. Several proposals were made.
   --- practice sessions for students presenting at the SAA meeting and the upcoming AAA meeting
   --- discussion group on the Tierney book
   --- funding opportunities and grant writing seminar or workshop (Just an extra note: The National Science Foundation is offering 900 grants this year for first and second year graduate students. see www.nsf.gov/pubs/2000/nsf00128/nsf00128.htm)
3. COMPUTER LAB
   Here is the status of the computer lab:
   We have three functioning ports HOWEVER at this time we have three computers:
   
   1. : is connected to internet and functional
   2. : hooked to the internet and non-functional
   3. : no internet
   -Being the good anthropologists that we are some of our leaders have scavenged and collected quite a bit of equipment including: five functioning computers, scanner, digitizer, laser and bubble jet printer.
   -Progress is trying to be made in getting everything set up. In fact the man who is being paid by your technology fee came in for a whole FIVE minutes to try and fix one of the computers. HMMMMMMM
   -Bill asked if we should spend more money on the computer equipment and it was voted that we just use the money for maintenance purposes.
   -Tom volunteered the services and knowledge of Alex Miller and Scott Branting has already said that he would be willing to help set things up and maintain the lab.
   -REMEMBER: The computers are there for the graduate students but keep your printing to reasonable amounts.
4. CONFERENCE FUNDING POLICY
   --- For the past four years it has been the policy of the AGSA to deny funding to graduate students for conferences.
   --- GSA will provide students with 150$ to each student, but you must demonstrate that you have gone to your own department first and have been denied.
   
5. MINUTES FROM FACULTY MEETING
   --- These minutes are posted in the grad lounge, but here are some of the highlighted topics from that meeting.
   * Dr. Pollock will continue to be the acting chair of the department as Dr. Tedlock has been promoted to assistant dean.
   * The department will be getting a new faculty member: an Asianist from the Asian Studies program. There are still open lines in the Archeology and Physical Anthropology subdisciplines.
   *The department is under fire for budgetary reasons and so they are going to emphasize the Master's program and only fund the PhD students.
   
6. OTHER BUSINESS
   --- Sue said that money is available from GSA for symposium and speaker funding
   --- Dr. Ezra was in Portugal and France and met some people who are interested in coming in for a symposium.
   --- The meeting was adjourned.
   

Repectfully submitted,


Jennifer Randall,
Secretary

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