Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior Program

EGG – EEB Grad Group

Meeting:  August 31, 2020

Attendees: Miranda Wade, Meaghan Clark, Emily Conway, Isabela Borges, Elise Zipkin, Allison Young, Acacia Ackles, Sara Hugentobler, Maggie Sawyer, Barbara Bloemers, Bruce Martin, Julie Jarvey,

• Updates from Elise (new EEB Director)–What’s up with EEB!
  • Elise will be reaching out as graduate student feedback is needed
  • New initiatives in EEB that will impact graduate students:
    • (1) Communications strategy—
      • Website update is coming this fall
      • There will be more opportunity for publicity for student research
    • (2) DEI initiatives—
      • EEB is putting together a committee to complement work already being done at the department level
      • Funding is available, potentially for fellowships for grad students to work on DEI issues.
    • (3) Graduate student fellowships —
      • EEB fellowship funding is now 70K/year, up from 45K!
      • Full summer funding is a goal:
        • Plan is to revise existing summer support program:
          • Students would apply for 1/2, 3/4 or full summer funding, with the remainder matched from advisors.
          • The goal is to cover all EEB grad students fully
        • This revised program would potentially provide funding to fewer students, but those students would be fully funded for the summer
        • Committee to be formed in January, so grad students should think about the right way to go about this!
      • Don Hall Endowed Fund—This fund hasn’t been used in the past, there is the potential to use it for named awards for graduate students (research awards, fellowship awards)
      • Grad students should discuss what the best way to distribute summer funding is!
    • Opportunities for serving on new EEB committees––look for email later in the Fall
    • EEB swag! e.g. Stickers, glasses, mugs, mouse pads, etc.
      • Sell at cost/low cost
      • What other swag stuff would graduate students be excited to have?
    • Social events
      • How do we engage new students? Remote students?
      • Idea to start a mentorship program
        • match new students with more advanced grad student mentor
        • We could use Plant Bio program as model. Emily and Isabela can reach out to Plant Bio people involved in forming the program for more details.
      • Should we have an EEB orientation? Would be on EGG to organize if we want to do it
      • Safety @ events:
        • Need to follow East Lansing rules on # of people at gatherings
        • How many people will attend welcome back picnic?
        • Hold multiple events at multiple parks
      • Cheesy welcome video!? Maybe have social media chairs take it on?
  • Plan to meet again with Elise after townhall/end of September, possibly open to all students, not just EGG board

Finalize meeting day/time - will monthly meetings on the last Monday at 1:00 pm work?

• • Look out for whenisgood poll to establish monthly meeting time
• Miranda needs to get info (student ID, address, etc.) from someone willing to sign on the University EGG account 
  • Make note to update EGG bank account to replace Connie’s name with Miranda’s
• No updates from any Committees
• Officer Photo(s)?
  • Badly photoshop all of us into one picture?
  • Send pictures to Miranda
• Google Drive Access?
  • We all should have access now
  • https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B7B-OJsS7TXiYjhtNzhfcG9CenM?usp=sharing
  • Miranda will start to organize drive
• Revisions to EGG’s page on EEB website
  • What does EGG want from new website? Do we want a separate website, or to continue being a page on EEB website? Who would be responsible for updating? If we have changes, we should share them with Elise for the website update.
• Update EGG events and projects doc(?)
  • https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1N-ZSUFD5oBqcXrGvBx31ID9PQK-6n9SddjAl-BrsH7Y/edit#gid=0  
• EEB and the modified education experience (aka how to facilitate camaraderie in today’s world)
  • Small mentor(ish) groups? 
  • Ideas:
    • Virtual options
    • Virtual happy hour ala bio on tap featuring EEB student
    • Use breakout rooms
    • Virtual game night
    • EGG Slack––Miranda will send invite to officers to test out
  • Use first colloquium as “Welcome to EEB” event
    • • Have introductions and then use breakout rooms, use colloquium introduction as ice breaker,
      • Meaghan will ask Elise to share her “intro to EEB slides” from IBIO orientation, and invite her to all colloquium (send dates)
        • Include participating departments and numbers of people
    • Meaghan will send description/zoom info to Barbara asap
• EEB Reminders
  • Sept 19 Welcome Picnic; Patriarche Park (starts at 12:30)
  • Sign up for colloquium!