UVM Interim Provost and Senior Vice President Patty Prelock and her husband Billy interacting with GSS 2018-2019 President Joey Campbell (left) and 2019-2020 Jessica Bocanegra (right) and GSS Presidents with President Tom Sullivan. (Photo: Joseph Hanko)
GSS places representatives on numerous university-wide governance boards, including the Board of Trustees and Faculty Senate Committees. We also establish committees internally to allow groups of senators to focus their attention and action on specific issues that concern graduate students, such as the Housing Committee, Student Assistanship Support Committee, and many others.
Graduate Student Senate Committees
Finance Committee
Oversees the finances of GSS and processes applications for Graduate College Mini Grants. Comprised of the GSS Treasurer and two senators.
Budget summary (PDF)
Members: Alison Hall (Chair) (alison.hall@uvm.edu), Suraj Bhattarai, and Mitchell Joseph.
Student Affairs Committee
Responsible for documenting and providing guidance for grievances and concerns affecting graduate students that are submitted to the Graduate Student Senate.
Members: Rosie Chapina (Chair) (rosaura.chapina@uvm.edu), Berke Tinaz, and Aaron DeNamur.
Compensation and Benefits Action Committee
Works with administration and graduate students on graduate student compesation and benefits.
Members: Baxter Worthing (Chair) (baxter.worthing@uvm.edu), Alison Hall (eBoard Liason) (alison.hall@uvm.edu), Colin Giles, Daniel Munteanu, Michelle Nikfarjam, Nicholas Gayton, Parisa Suchdev, Sandra Nnadi, and Yasaman Pedari.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Action Committee
Promotes the goals of diversity, equity, and inclusion and ensures that all graduate students feel included in the UVM committee. Organizes events such as speakers, workshops, and social gatherings, all related to diversity, equity and inclusion.
Members: Alicia Finney (Co-Chair) (alicia.finney@uvm.edu), Joe Owuor (Co-Chair) (Joseph.Owuor@uvm.edu), Miki Beach (eBoard Liaison) (Miki.Beach@uvm.edu), Aya Cheaito, Joseph Charles, Khadaga Tharkuri, Leslie McCoy, and Paul Suk-Hyun Yoon.
Sexual Assault Prevention & Education
Members: Justin Salisbury (Chair) (Justin.Salisbury@uvm.edu), Miki Beach (eBoard Liaison) (Miki.Beach@uvm.edu), Caroline Noonan, Ciara Herman-Dunphy, Holly Paige Chaos, Lindy Burch-Durkee, & Lucy George.
Graduate Student Advocacy & Experience Committee
Member: Tate Moeller (Chair) (Tate.Moeller@uvm.edu), Irfan Tahir (eBoard Liaison) (itahir@uvm.edu), Alexia Bove, Atoosa Parsa, David Allemeier, Everett Ware, and Pranav Mathkar .
Graduate Experience & Connection Committee
Members: Emma Rose McCadden (Co-Chair) (Emma.Horowitz-McCadden@uvm.edu) and Vanessa Marascio (Co-Chair) (Vanessa.Marascio@uvm.edu), Rosie Chapina (eBoard Liaison) (Rosaura.Chapina@uvm.edu), Abigail Rec, Daniel Munteanu, Ekraj Dahal, Jennifer Le, and Muhammed Junaid Khan.
Graduate Student Housing Action Committee
To advocate for reliable, affordable, and family-friendly housing that meets the needs of graduate students and aligns with the needs of the greater Burlington community.
Members: Jenan Husain (Co-Chair) (Jenan.Husain@uvm.edu) and Michelle Saunders (Co-Chair) (msaunde3@uvm.edu), Patrick Payne (eBoard Liaison) (patrick.payne@uvm.edu), Basu Bidari, Berke Tinaz, & Kevin Zuniga-Cuellar.
Board of Trustees Committees
Audit Committee
Responsible for monitoring the quality and integrity of the University’s financial statements.
Representative: Aayudh Das
Budget, Finance, & Investment Committee
Oversees the development and review of strategic institutional financial plans and objectives as well as the formation and approval of UVM's budget.
Representatives: Jessica Bocanegra & Avery Rasmussen
Educational Policy & Institutional Resources Committee
Oversees the development and status of programmatic and resource use plans and related plan objectives.
Representative: Kenna Rewcastle
Faculty Senate Committees
Curricular Affairs Committee
Responsible long-range planning of majors, minors, and other academic standards for undergraduate and graduate students.
Representative: Lindsay Worley
Educational & Research Technologies Committee
Responsible for the development and implementation of educational and research technologies and the review of related policies and procedures.
Representative: Scott Vanson
Financial & Physical Planning Committee
Responsible of physical resources for the institution and issues related to the formulation of the University Budget.
Representative: Sandra Nnadi
Research, Scholarship & Creative Arts Committee
Responsible for research, scholarly work, and the creative arts at the University. Serves as a liaison between the Faculty Senate and the administration of support of research and the creative arts and advancing knowledge and communication.
Representative: Nick Adler
Student Affairs Committee
Responsible for issues related to student affairs, effects on the educational process, and academic climate of the University.
Representative: Berke Tinaz
Administrative Committees
Our Common Ground Committee
Recommends members of the UVM community to the President for Our Common Ground Award.
Representatives: Kevin Fischer & Berke Tinaz
Traffic Board of Appeals
Reviews appeals from students, faculty, staff, and visitors who have received parking tickets and/or have been towed for violations of the UVM parking rules and regulations.
Campus Master Plan Advisory Committee
Advises the university administration in developing a Campus Master Plan the that provides a flexible framework that can accommodate changes in attitudes about campus environments, new technologies and revised institutional requirements.
UVM Transportation & Parking Services Advisory Committee (TAPSAC)
Responsible for the management of both the Campus Area Transportation System (CATS) and the University parking programs.
Socially Responsible Investing Advisory Council
Makes recommendations to the Vice President for Finance and Treasurer on sustainability investment at the University of Vermont, including positive investments of operating cash reserves and the Clean Energy Fund.
Representative: Maeve McDermott & Eric Recchia
Student Research Conference Committee
Organizes the annual spring Student Research Conference that showcases graduate and undergraduate research.
Representative: Brandon Ackley
Student Trustee Search Committee
Responsible for selecting a student representative (undergraduate, graduate, or medical) to sit on the Board of Trustees. The selected Student Trustee is a full voting member of the Board.
Representative: Jessica Bocanegra
Executive Committee
Between the meetings of the Board of Trustee, this committee shall have all the powers of the board in management of the property and affairs of the University
Representative: Jessica Bocanegra
IBB Steering Committee
UVM's Incentive-Based Budgeting (IBB) model went live in FY16. The IBB Steering Committee continues to meet to assess the model’s performance and impact. Metrics associated with the model are reviewed annually. The next major review of the model will occur in FY24, with the implementation of IBB Model 3.0 in FY25.
Representative: Jessica Bocanegra
Honorary Degree Advisory Committee
Has the responsibility of selecting the honorary degree recipient for that year’s commencement.
Representative: Jessica Bocanegra