JP Reps Meeting Minutes
Dec 10th, 2021 @ 3:00pm
Attendance: LL, MJ, MD, CD, DM, LF, PN, SW, CW (all reps except SB (field) and admins in attendance)
- Previous action items (10 min)
- New slack – looks great, thanks Lukas!
- Everybody’s happy, no additions, no questions
- Department $200 funding use process – looks great, thanks Shawn!
- CW: allocated space in the money spreadsheet, please tell me as well
- PN: doesn’t know whether she has access to it
- ToDo SW: will ensure access is given
- SidPac – back in business!
- MD: access cards still don’t work; hard to get access after hours
- ToDo PN: confirms w/ responsibles at MIT to check why more than 48h are necessary
- ToDo DM: checks with building manager about heating system in the apartment
- MD: access cards still don’t work; hard to get access after hours
- COVID restrictions summary, inc. website updates email template
- Tim Tickets requirement for ALL indoor events
- Has everybody checked the document CD put together? Here’s the Link
- CD: Not a lot of people commented on my summary.
- CD: Should we make tim tickets for each event, or should the event holders do it?
- PN: The tim tickets system is actually relatively simple.
- CD: Whether you are an MIT student or not you must check into an event using TimTickets.
- CD: I will make a test event and report back.
- SW: We should test the TimTicket system. If it’s straightforward a tutorial is all that’s needed, if not the reps can do it.
- LL: Its better if they know how to do it in case we forget.
- MJ: we should install a check in the other direction, too; i.e., they can forget, too
- MD: I can do a regular email one week out from the event to make sure the timtickets is setup.
- CD: We can designate a rep as someone the event hosts should always make a co-host so we can make sure its made correctly.
- CD: I created a little paragraph so we can send it to them letting them know what the rules are, and that we can help them.
- PN: I just want to make sure that we link the MIT website, so we aren’t guaranteeing things are up to date and people can’t say “oh that wasnt on your website”
- CD: Definitely. We’re helping, not guaranteeing.
- Tim Tickets requirement for ALL indoor events
- Student center snacks
- SW: I have updates! Top choices: tea, hot chocolate, dried fruit, string cheese. I can run to costco and get this stuff, and then we can do runs when things run out. Whats the shelflife of string cheese?
- CW: A LOOOOONNGGG time.
- PN: Is there room in the fridge to store this stuff?
- SW: Yes. Its pretty empty.
- CD: Someone in the surveys made a comment about nut allergies. We should think about that as we buy snacks.
- SW: Yes. We should label things.
- CD: We should put a sign up saying “communal food”
- LL: Internet says string cheese is good for 8 months.
- CW: Who puts food in there?
- MD: Theres tea beneath the cabinets, not much else.
- MJ: Its mostly leftovers from events.
- SW: Who have we designated as responsible for cleaning the student center.
- LF: I just want to make sure we are cleaning up correctly. That place has a history of rats. Sweeping up crumbs, wiping things down, cleaning the drain, etc. And it’s not just reps, the community should be cleaning up too.
- CD: Someone signed up at our first meeting.
- LL: It can be something we share and rotate through.
- MD: I’m there all the time, it could be something I potentially take on.
- LL: You don’t have to.
- MD: We’ll see how it goes.
- SW: $200 to start. How’s that for snacks? I’ll submit a formal funding request. [all others agree]
- Czars update
- LL: I now have feedback from every czar.
- LL: I will send an update to ask for new volunteers for the safety czar, international committee. Its in WHOI headlines but not everyone reads that.
- CW: Does the volunteer for the international need to be international?
- LL: I don’t think it’s required.
- Virtual JP open house (tent. March 7-9) planning (15 min)
- LF: We’re pretty firm about the dates, but we’re collaborating with other institutions to make sure there is no overlap. We are pretty firm about it being virtual, but there might be limited in person stuff. The previous reps did a great job organizing socials. There was a lot of different events: trivia, gather.town, amongus, roleplaying, etc. There is total freedom for the reps to plan the socials. We will probably need to meet outside of the monthly meetings.
- LF: I will share the password for the open house website with y’all.
- Advisor/advisee relationships discussion at open house
- CD: CW suggested having an open-house event about advisor-advisee relationships. Perhaps this is a way to help students think about internviewing their advisors:
- SW: I think this is a good idea. Even a document could be really helpful.
- CD: Was there one-on-one meetings with students and advisors last year?
- LF: We try to make them happen.
- CD: We should encourage students to reach out if they dont get one on ones. Otherwise we should try to make sure this happens.
- SW + LL: Signed up for open house at our transition meeting.
- List of interview questions for potential advisors
- CW: I think this would be helpful. I was given a sheet of questions when I was interviewing and it was very helpful.
- CW: I will start a document in the drive with the list of questions I have.
- LL: I think it would be good to ask the entire student body.
- LL: CW if you start it, SW and I can send it out to the student body later.
- Lack of BioOce integration in EAPS (10 min)
- Excluded from PAOC
- CW: Theres an inequity in EAPS. PAOC is the program PO and MCG students are in. They get access to a lot of extra stuff, including the houghton fund. I don’t think it is fair/equitable that BioOce are not included in any of the four divisions of EAPS. Perhaps this is something we can help with as REPs.
- SW: There is a similar situation for GnG. Their in the geology part, but ocean and climate is what some of us do. I talked to Raf, but he said he can’t do this, but the department is thinking about how PAOC is defined.
- LF: I will pass this concern on to meg.
- MD: Lexi brought this up.
- MJ: She got into PAOC.
- LL: I can reach out to ESAC and get the story.
- MD: I can also bring it up. I’m one of the czars there.
- LL: I’m happy to let you do it.
- MD: I’m not sure when the meeting will be. Let’s keep in touch LL.
- SW: I think Ed Boyle is the reason all the CO students are in PAOC.
- CD: I’ll put it on the agenda to follow up on this discussion.
- Excluded from PAOC
- WHOI housing pet policy (10 min)
- CD: I added this because I was speaking with a student who was having trouble staying down here because of the housing pet policy. I was curious why this is a policy.
- LF: This is not in my domain, but I can bring it up at the next JP meeting. It gets brought up every couple years. Not sure about it. Might be something that needs more layers of approval, like HR. Maybe only therapy pets are allowed.
- CD: Should we try to get student stories about this.
- LF: That’s a good idea.
- CD: I’m sure people with pets will sign their lives away to make sure they can make this happen.
- CD: I will write up something to show student support.
- LF: Should I wait to bring it up until you have this.
- CD: No. If we don’t know
- COVID Cramer Cruise (10min)
- MJ: Send out when to meet about a brainstorming session.
- MJ: My first thought was a picnic table. Not 100% certain.
- MD: I will help brainstorming. I know the engineers in high bay.
- Physical photo board (5 min)
- SW: MJ and I are working on this.
- MJ: We purged a lot of photos.
- CD: Is there a plan to get new photos?
- MJ: SW and I will send out an email to solicit new photos.
- MD: Maybe we should laminate them to protect them.
- JP Reps hand-off open discussion (remainder)
- What could be improved for the next handoff? (While it’s fresh in our minds!) –> not discussed
- Added late by MJ: Update about how students are selected for committees
- CD: I will email LF to check in about this. (LF signed off early)