Katie Cardenas Director of Graduate Studies

To: Re: ASI Board of Directors Transitional Board Report Spring 2013 Contact Information 916.278.6784 asigraddirector@csus.edu www.facebook.com/ASIGrad ASI represents a great opportunity for any students that participate. For students are large, ASI provides many resources including the Childrens Center, Peak Adventures, the Aquatic Center, the Office of Governmental Affairs and much more. For the next Director of Graduate Studies, this position will expand your knowledge of university and state education policies, allow you to network with students and faculty outside of your program, and constantly offer you the opportunity to improve your speaking, writing, and organizational skills. The Graduate Director represents hundreds of students from more than forty graduate programs across every college at Sacramento State. Thus, this position is both a challenge and a learning experience with many rewards. This report will include summaries of progress and/or recommendations related to my committees, legislation, events and student outreach activities. I will conclude by discussing advancement of our strategic priorities, challenges within this position, and recommendations for the next Graduate Director. COMMITTEE REPORTS: Graduate Studies Policies Committee: This committee worked on five main policies this year: the credit hour policy, the course repeat policy, the leave of absence policy, the program discontinuation policy, and the graduation with distinction policy. As of the last report I am aware of, all of the policies are awaiting discussion by the Faculty Senate, except the graduation with distinction policy that the Senate passed by consent at a recent meeting. The graduation with distinction policy will give high performing graduate students the opportunity to be recognized at graduation for their success and will be implemented next fall. It is highly likely that the committee will review or edit some of the other policies next year, thus I recommend the next Graduate Director familiarize themselves with the minutes for this committee from this year and the updated policies as necessary. Information for this committee is available at http://www.csus.edu/acse/standing-committee/GSPC.html. Graduate Council: The Graduate Councils main purpose is to review student petitions, but we also discuss other graduate student issues as necessary. On this Council, the Graduate Director is extremely important because they bring the student viewpoint to discussions about individual student petitions. The Dean of Graduate Studies or graduate studies staff will provide you more information about petitions if you need it. However, if you want to see what some of the applications will require you can visit http://www.csus.edu/gradstudies/CurrentStudents/forms.html.
6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6011 (916) 278-6784 (916) 278-6278 Fax www.asi.csus.edu

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Katie Cardenas Director of Graduate Studies

Diversity Awards Committee: The Diversity Awards Committee meets infrequently to review applications and award four Graduate Diversity Awards: the Probationary Faculty Development Grant, the Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive/Forgivable Loan Program, the California Pre-Doctoral Program, and the Graduate Equity Fellowship. This office also transports students to the Northern California Forum for Diversity in Graduate Education. If you know students who would be interested in attending graduate school, I recommend they visit this website immediately because seats fill up quickly: http://www.csus.edu/graddiv/Graduate%20Diversity%20Forums/NorthernCaliforniaForum.html. To find out more about the financial, academic, and professional opportunities offered by this office check out their website: http://www.csus.edu/graddiv/index.html. Dean of Graduate Studies Search Committee: This committee is making progress towards hiring a new Dean by graduation. It has been a fantastic learning experience for me. Student Relations Committee: The Student Relations Committee had a key role on the board this year because we developed and executed the Foreign Language Requirement Survey and helped work at the Farmers Market. In relation to future surveys, I recommend the committee spend more time developing questions and test surveys before administering them. There were some very basic problems with the foreign language survey that could have been fixed if we had received feedback prior to distribution. I also hope that the committee will continue to support the efforts of the Farmers Market because it expands ASI visibility and provides a valuable service to students. LEGISLATION: 2012/13-10-25/ Cardenas, Hurtado Resolution in Support of the Graduate Association of Students in Public Policy and Administrations Non-Partisan Voter Information Forum. The ASI Board of Directors passed this legislation during the October 10th board meeting. You can watch that meeting here: http://vimeo.com/51219673. A copy of the legislation can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/110738177 and a video from the event can be seen here: http://vimeo.com/52686344. 2012/13-3-78/Cardenas, BrownStrategic Fund Allocation for Graduate Student Etiquette Dinner. The ASI Board of Directors passed this legislation at the March 13th board meeting, which can be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/61820517. Im glad to report that there was a lot of interest and all of the seats were filled. The legislation can be found here: http://www.scribd.com/doc/133450852/ASI-Graduate-Student. I recommend that the next Graduate Director pursue this opportunity in the future because it benefited many graduate students from diverse programs.

6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6011 (916) 278-6784 (916) 278-6278 Fax www.asi.csus.edu

Katie Cardenas Director of Graduate Studies

2012/13-4-80/Espitia, Cardenas Request for Strategic Plan Funding for College of Education Exploratorium. The ASI Board of Directors passed this legislation during the April 17th board meeting, which can be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/64317658. The event was a success. For more information you can contact the Director of Education, Berenice Espitia at asiedudirector@csus.edu. 2012/13-5-99/Carpio, Cardenas, GabrielAllocation of Strategic Funding for ASI Water Bottles. The ASI Board of Directors passed this legislation during the May 8th board meeting, which can be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/65821660. Moving forward board members will be working with marketing to determine which water bottles to purchase and how to unfold the associated event. 2012/13-5-100/Gabriel, Carpio, CardenasAllocation of Strategic Funding for CollegeBased Scholarships. The ASI Board of Directors passed this legislation during the May 8th board meeting, which can be viewed here: http://vimeo.com/65821660. 2013-2014 Directors, including the Director of Graduate Studies will need to work with President Gabriel to market and review the college based scholarship applications.

Recommendations: There are support documents available on the G Drive to help new directors learn to write legislation, however I found that your best resource is Executive Director Worley. I recommend working with her throughout the legislative process to gain feedback and guidance. Moreover, a suggestion for next years board to consider is posting the legislation online for student review. Currently the legislative database is difficult to access even for directors. It would be helpful for all students if draft legislation was posted shortly after working board meetings and if approved legislation was available via the website after formal board meetings. This would increase accountability and transparency of ASI to the students. EVENTS ORGANIZED: Non-Partisan Voter Information Forum: To organize this event I collaborated with Sacramento State Public Affairs, the Masters of Public Policy and Administration Program, the Graduate Association of Students in Public Policy and Administration, and the Office of Governmental Affairs. If the board decides to move forward with a similar event during the election next year, I can be contacted and provide more information. I know that MPPA and GASPPA would probably be interested in supporting this event in the future if it is appropriate. For this process I served as the facilitator; I connected individuals and organizations, drafted the legislation, helped contact alumni and review student presentations, booked the room, ordered the food, assisted marketing, drafted the program, and convinced Jason to videotape the event. I was thankful for the support I received from individuals and programs. I hope that in the future more informational programs, featuring Sacramento State students, faculty, and alumni, can take place because they are valuable to all those that participate.
6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6011 (916) 278-6784 (916) 278-6278 Fax www.asi.csus.edu

Katie Cardenas Director of Graduate Studies

ASI Alumni Forum: To organize this event I worked with the Hornets Policy and Politics Alumni Association, Executive Director Worley, Rita Tyk, Arts and Letters Director Erica Brown, and Education Director Berenice Espitia. We began organizing in January for the event in April. The idea behind this event was that it would give students, potential board members, and those leaving the board the opportunity to hear about how ASI helped alumni personally, academically, and professionally. Alumni also discussed the importance of civic engagement. Furthermore, it allowed ASI to celebrate Alumni Month. It was held after the Presidents Candidate Forum and moderated by Rita Tyk and myself. We had three alumni participate, Eric Guerra, Olgalilia Ramirez, and Vance Jarrard. This event required no funding, however in the future to increase turnout, I recommend the board fund support for marketing. Next year I will likely be on the Hornets Policy and Politics Alumni Board, so if the ASI board decides to move forward with this event I am available to provide resources (like the questions we used, promotional materials, and program), to answer questions, and offer support. I recommend that the board pursue this event because it was very valuable for students and was well received. Moreover, it was effective to collaborate with the Hornets Policy and Politics Alumni because many ASI alumni participate in their association and they were very supportive. A video of the event can be found here: http://vimeo.com/64345105. Events I participated in (with photos) on the following page. GRADUATE STUDENT OUTREACH: This is the largest internal challenge of being Graduate Director because graduate students are often not interested in participating on campus. Many of them are working and attending school and are therefore too busy to participate. However, even if students are not interested in participating in ASI programs, they can still benefit from professional and financial opportunities like the scholarships and grants offered through ASI and the university. I have a few recommendations for outreach methods and materials. Clubs: While it can be difficult to find clubs specifically for graduate students, many clubs like the Anthropology club have a mix of undergrads and graduate students. Facebook: I have created a following on Facebook of graduate students. I recommend the next Director continue to use this outreach tool to promote ASI activities, events, and university financial and professional opportunities. Visit and like the page at www.facebook.com/ASIGrad Classroom Presentations: If possible, an effective way to reach graduate students, and convince them to like your Facebook page, is through classroom presentations. You are required to do three a semester for ASI, but doing more can help you increase visibility of your position. Dean: In the fall semester, the Dean allowed me to use her resources to send out a one-page newsletter to graduate students. The Dean can offer you other methods for reaching students. Materials: Graduate students are mostly interested in financial and professional opportunities like Student Academic Development Grants, grants offered through Diversity Awards, ASI Scholarships, and career development opportunities (Career Fair, Etiquette Dinner). It is also important to provide information about upcoming deadlines and form submissions for the Office of Graduate Studies. Examples of items I promoted are on my Facebook page history.
6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6011 (916) 278-6784 (916) 278-6278 Fax www.asi.csus.edu

Katie Cardenas Director of Graduate Studies

6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6011 (916) 278-6784 (916) 278-6278 Fax www.asi.csus.edu

Katie Cardenas Director of Graduate Studies

6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6011 (916) 278-6784 (916) 278-6278 Fax www.asi.csus.edu

Katie Cardenas Director of Graduate Studies

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES: 2.1 Strengthen ASI presence and credibility through student outreach Activate and utilize the Student Relations Committee More information about the accomplishments of the Student Relations Committee can be seen under the committee section above.

2.1 Strengthen ASI presence and credibility through student outreach Incorporate ASI Alumni into events and the I AM ASI campaign The ASI Alumni Forum helped the board accomplish this strategic priority. More information can be found under the events organized section above.

2.2 Utilize technology and social media to connect with students Update the ASI Website I established the Graduate Director Facebook page and utilized it to keep graduate students updated on scholarship/career information, events, and news. I also shared information from other ASI pages including the other Directors pages, the ASI Facebook page, and the OGA Facebook page. The ASI website has been updated and it looks great!

2.3 Support Office of Governmental Affairs outreach and advocacy efforts on local, state and federal levels Throughout the fall semester, I worked extensively with OGA. I helped with voter registration and voter information tabling, I coordinated the Non-Partisan Voter Information Forum that they participated in, and I trained for and worked as a Precinct Officer at Sacramento States Polling Place for the General Election. During the spring semester, I did not have as much time to be involved, however I was happy to attend Assembly Member Dickensons Student Advisory Committee meeting. I recommend board members participate in this opportunity in the future.

4.1 Support student transitions into careers Increase collaboration with the Career Center to improve professional development for graduate students In the fall semester, I met with Dean Newsome and we discussed expanding professional development opportunities for graduate students and created a dialogue with the Career Center. During the spring semester, I wrote legislation to sponsor a table of nine graduate students to attend the Career Center Etiquette Dinner, which was one of the Deans recommendations. There was a great response from students (the seats filled up in 48 hours) and it allowed ASI to sponsor a diverse group of graduate students from many colleges. I recommend that the next director pursue this professional development opportunity next year as well as others.

6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6011 (916) 278-6784 (916) 278-6278 Fax www.asi.csus.edu

Katie Cardenas Director of Graduate Studies

CHALLENGES: Throughout my experience as Graduate Director, I have identified two main challenges related to this position detailed below. Bringing Recognition to Graduate Studies and Graduate Students- The CSU system and Sacramento State are mainly undergraduate institutions, meaning that the majority of the ASI board are undergraduate students. The main challenge, at all levels of the system, is bringing recognition to and advocating for graduate studies and graduate students. In many ways, we are the forgotten stepchild of the CSU. For example, the Faculty Senate spent most of its time this academic year reviewing undergraduate GE requirements, while legislation from the Graduate Studies Policies Committee that was submitted in the fall, still had not been reviewed in first reading at the end of the spring semester. Similarly, in ASI, policies, surveys, and programs are often directed towards undergraduate issues, because the institution is mainly undergraduate students. In many ways, this is understandable. However, my concern for the ASI Graduate Director is allocating ASI resources, which graduate students pay for, in a way that benefits them. While other undergraduate directors do not necessarily feel this pressure because their students are more likely to use Safe Rides, Peak Adventures, etc; the Graduate Director needs to realize that graduate students spend significantly less time on campus. Therefore, it takes more time and effort to represent them effectively on the board and financially through the distribution of appropriate dollars. Promoting and organizing programs, events, and financial opportunities that graduate students are more likely to utilize or benefit from is the best way to direct your efforts. In addition, because Sacramento State is mainly an undergraduate institution, part of your job will be reaching out to undergraduate students to promote graduate programs. I recommend you familiarize yourself with the McNair Scholars Program and plan to attend Graduate Information Day in the fall. It is important to increase visibility of graduate programs at Sacramento State in an effort to raise admission numbers and competitiveness of our programs.

Graduate Student Outreach- This challenge is addressed in the Graduate Student Outreach section. I see it as the largest internal challenge for the ASI Graduate Director because your job is to represent all graduate students at Sacramento State. However, I know that it is difficult to meet people outside of your program. The recommendations I provided are likely your best chance at meeting more students so you can better understand their needs and concerns.

6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6011 (916) 278-6784 (916) 278-6278 Fax www.asi.csus.edu

Katie Cardenas Director of Graduate Studies

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR NEXT YEAR: Work Hard, Start Early, Stay Involved- It will take time for you to understand graduate programs and your responsibilities in ASI. Therefore, it is crucial that you dive into the organization, talk to the ex-officio (adult) board members, and ask questions constantly. Participate in Graduate Studies Committees- The three committees detailed above (Graduate Studies Policies Committee, Graduate Council, and Diversity Awards) will allow you to connect to the Dean, graduate faculty leaders, and staff that will guide you and help you effectively represent graduate students. It is crucial to be an active member of these committees because you are the student voice. Continue Using Facebook as an Outreach Tool- The Facebook page is slowly gaining traction with students and once you add your group of friends and colleagues it will continue to grow. I recommend utilizing the Facebook page frequently to promote ASI and university opportunities for graduate students as previously discussed. Moreover, information from the past year will give you an idea of what events, scholarships, grants, programs, and opportunities to be aware of for students next year. I have learned a lot about administering social media sites because I wrote my thesis on it, so please let me know if you need help learning how to navigate organization pages or using tools like post scheduling. Moreover, I recommend you include a Facebook link on your official e-mail correspondence when you revise your signature. Put Everything Online-Jason Cortright and Reuben Greenwald need to be your best friends! Jasons office is in the ASI business office on the third floor and you can find Reuben on the second floor in ASI marketing. Since so many students, especially graduate students are not on campus for all events, I highly recommend having Jason videotape all of your events and having Reuben distribute these videos online. They are not only the nicest guys; they are two of your best resources. Reform Legislation Distribution-I provided this recommendation in the legislation section above. This reform does not necessarily need to be taken on by the Graduate Director, but I see it as crucial to increasing the transparency and accountability of the ASI board to the students at large. Organize ASI Alumni Forum- Again this recommendation does not necessarily need to be taken on by the Graduate Director, but I suggest that before Christmas break a group of interested students begin to organize the event, partner with marketing, and reach out to alumni. I will be involved with the Hornets Policy and Politics Alumni Association and therefore will able to assist students in organizing this event as needed.

Please contact me if you have questions at ktac1991@hotmail.com or 530-251-6517. I am always available to help in any way I can!!
6000 J Street Sacramento, CA 95819-6011 (916) 278-6784 (916) 278-6278 Fax www.asi.csus.edu