[Chass-gsaos] Last Friday's Meeting Recap

[Perla Fabelo]

Hi Everyone, Zoom did a recap of our meeting last week and here's the
information.

Quick recap
The meeting focused on discussing challenges with a new graduate admissions
software system (GSMS), particularly regarding financial offer template
issues that have caused data errors and reliability problems. Multiple
participants, including Sarah (PSYC) and Alesha (HiST), reported that
templates were not saving correctly, showing incorrect data points, and
lacking proper identification markers, making it difficult to track which
template was applied to specific applicants. Covadonga and Perla shared
that they were working with Graduate Admissions to address these issues,
while Daryle committed to raising these concerns with the CIO at their next
meeting. The group also discussed recruitment funding of $400 per admitted
student and clarified that international students must enter the U.S. on
appropriate visas for campus visits.
Next steps

   - Perla: Messaged Mariella and Hannah to join the meeting.
   - Daryle: Will raise template/IT system issues and their impact to the
   CIO at the next meeting and ensure Perla and Covadonga provide relevant
   talking points.
   - Perla: Will reach out to Elisa Gutierrez (Admissions) to request more
   transparency and updates regarding the status and testing of financial
   templates, including notifications when templates are ready for use/testing.
   - All departments: Notify Perla of upcoming recruitment events or
   welcome events for inclusion in the college calendar.
   - All departments: Post TA opened positions (for programs without grad
   students) through the Graduate Student Job Opportunity Portal as required.
   - Perla: Send Alesha Jaennette the link to the Google Sheet with
   required data points to list their admission offers. Alesha to list offers
   in the spreadsheet for the college approver to cross-check before approving
   and forwarding files to Graduate Admissions.
   - Sarah: Will fill in the waitlist information in the shared Google
   Sheet after the February 20th recruitment visit/interview day.
   - Perla: Contact Elisa Gutierrez to request updates and information on
   template status and testing for all GSAOs, and to seek reassurance that
   templates will work by the time offers are submitted.
   - All participants: Contact Perla and Covadonga directly with any
   specific or urgent questions regarding their cases for escalation or
   solution-finding.
   - Perla: Distribute follow-up information from Daryle and Covadonga to
   the group as needed.

SummaryGraduate Admissions Challenges Discussion
The meeting began with casual conversation about the cold weather, with
Daryle expressing relief that the group was not on the East Coast or
Midwest. Daryle then introduced the purpose of the meeting, which was to
discuss graduate admissions and address challenges faced by the Graduate
Student Affairs Officers (GSAOs). He encouraged the group to share their
experiences and insights on managing admissions processes, navigating
technology changes, and addressing the demands of graduate students,
chairs, and faculty. Daryle emphasized his willingness to listen and learn
from the group's experiences, as he is not on the ground with them.
Template System Management Challenges
Sarah Turnbull (Psychology) reported issues with the new template system,
including difficulties in identifying which template was used and problems
with template saving and population. She highlighted that the system lacks
features such as deleting or organizing templates by program, making it
cumbersome to manage. Despite efforts to address these issues, the system
remains challenging to use, with ongoing efforts to improve it.
Graduate Admissions Software Implementation Issues
The team discussed issues with new software templates for graduate
admissions, with Alesha Jaennette expressing concerns about the lack of
testing and errors in the rollout, noting it was one of the least prepared
implementations she had seen at UCR. Perla mentioned the CHASS TEAMS Group
Chat that the Graduate Division created for the purpose for CHASS GSAOs to
address issues with their templates and encourage them to use it. Covadonga
(CHASS College Approver) explained they would be checking the financial
offers for critical errors, such as incorrect residency classifications,
while trusting Gradvision's checks on their side. Daryle committed to
raising these concerns with the CIO at his next meeting, acknowledging he
couldn't solve the immediate problems but could help address the underlying
technology issues.
Hispanic Studies Program Template Updates
Griselda Rodriguez shared that she has created templates for one program in
Hispanic Studies but has not fully tested them yet. She suggested that the
Graduate Division provide transparency to Perla about the program offers
being worked on and any tech issues with the templates.
Fellowship Selection and Documentation Process
Alesha Jaennette (HIST) asked about the process for fellowship nominees,
inquiring whether the college office would trust departments to choose or
if justification was needed. Daryle discussed the fellowship selection
process, noting that departments had reasonable methods but one department
failed to proceed with a backup candidate after their top choice declined,
resulting in unspent funds. Covadonga and Perla clarified that a Google
Sheet containing required student data points in making offers had been
shared with the GSAOs, with column notes explaining information needs, and
instructions for nominating alternative fellowship candidates when offers
are declined. Sarah Turnbull (PSYC) explained that her department's
fellowship offers would be made after a February recruitment event, and she
needed clarification on how to document waitlisted candidates and the
timeline for potential offers.
Recruitment Visit Planning and Allowances
Sarah discussed the upcoming recruitment visit scheduled for February
19-21, where interviews and activities will take place on February 20th.
She explained that by Monday, they should know which students will receive
offers, with the visit serving to allow students to see the campus and meet
faculty and labs. Covadonga reminded departments to inform Perla about
their recruitment events and mentioned that the recruitment allowance
remains $400 per admitted student, not per invited student.
Recruitment Funds and Template Issues
The meeting focused on discussing the distribution of recruitment funds and
addressing issues with templates in a new system. Daryle explained that
departments can allocate funds flexibly for recruitment activities, but
emphasized the importance of proper visa documentation for international
students entering the U.S. The group discussed problems with templates,
including unexpected zeros and difficulties in making corrections. Perla
agreed to contact Elisa Gutierrez (Grad Admissions) for more transparency
on template issues. Covadonga and Perla were tasked with distributing
meeting information to the group.
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