MS2019 Student Government Cabinet Meeting

Secretary: Hannah Justice

12:00pm Roll Call

Cheers and Jeers:

1. Cheers:
   • Hannah Justice: Cheers for getting waterbottles in the TBL!
   • Gene Hu’s girlfriend is visiting!
   • Alejandro Rocha: Go Spurs!
   • Shivani Gaitonde: Cheers for the weekend!
2. Jeers:
   • Caroline Flowers: The quiz – WHAT WAS THAT?

Announcements:

1. Esteemed Guest Introduction: Carol Wortham and Dr. Arlene Sachs (Reed Macy)
   • Carol Wortham and Dr. Arlene Sachs are Visiting Today
   • This is a good way for them to get to know what is happening in our class.
   •  Introduction:
     1. Dr. Sachs: Director of Student Academic Support Services
        • Anyone can come to visit our services for academic support or to talk.
        • We are available and love to have students come in.
        • We provide counseling for learning strategies, accommodations, evaluation for deficit disorder, etc.
        • We work with students practicing for STEP and give advice for quizzes and tests.
        • To set up appointments/find us: email Dr. Sachs directly or contact Ms. Ross, our administrative assistant. Our office is at S1.200. Sometimes drop-ins will be able to get an appointment also.
     2. Carol Wortham: Tutoring Program
        • I am always interested in hearing feedback regarding tutoring program.
        • This year is especially challenging with tutors who want to help and offer assistance but they haven’t experienced the course MS1s are taking in its entirety.
        • Some of the second year tutors have not yet seen what MS1s are looking at – for example they don’t take dermatology until April! The tutoring program is reaching out to MS4’s to help with these type of reviews.
        • Saxe and I meet course directors before the course to hear their goals for the course and what the course material will cover. We then know what the MS1 course load is like, who will be teaching, and how much content is brand new that we need to find tutors for.
        • We work closely with the associate deans, especially when it comes to STEP 1 support. This won’t change with the new curriculum.
2. Tuition – Final Recap (Reed Macy)
   • This information is included in the blog post.
     1. Administration wanted a 4% increase. The student body asked for a 2% inflationary increase – really only a tuition increase where we knew the money was directed.
     2. Administration returned with a 3% increase. This is likely final.
3.  6 Year Plan – update (Katherine Pouns)
   • There have been a lot of emails. It wrapped up this weekend.
   • Highlights:
     1. Medical Center Wide Information (all grad programs and post-docs)
        1. Top Priority: Teaching Excellence – get us better teachers
     2. Medical School
        1. Top Priority: National Board Exams
     3. Meetings will be wrapping up in the next week.
4.  Test Committee MSK Announcement – (Christopher Warne)
   • Welch didn’t know they existed so they haven’t been utilized much for this block.
   • Always feel free to challenge questions and contact them for help with this.
   • They review challenge questions before submitting them to the course director.
   • They will try to be proactive in future in contacting course director.
5.  DIA Announcement – (Vanessa Norris)
   • We are starting the Diversity Lunch and Learn Series, with one lunch meeting per month.
   • This is a great opportunity to come and talk about topics that will help in future practice for everyone.
   • We would like a big showing from student government to help support this. The first topic is next week on Uncouncious Bias.
   • Black History Month is coming up. There will be an intense month with speakers and physician panels. They will be great!

Agenda Items:

1. Faculty Roast / Faculty Excellence Reception – (Reed Macy)
   • Event overview and update:
     1. We will be reaching out to people regarding past awards and putting together a survey.
     2. Lunch on the March 9^th for a roast and Lunch on March 10^th for appreciation.
     3. Disseminate the word.
   • Redcap survey will be sent.
2. TBL Room Coffee and Water now allowed – Reed Macy
   • The first message was a bit butchered, so we need your help!
   •  Review of “approved devices”
     1. The big issue is spilling on technology! There are three spill-proof approved mechanisms. Suction spouts and spring mechanisms are generally approved.
     2. Coffee works in a similar device – if they automatically close!
     3. No open tops allowed!
   • Keep it on the floor, not the table if you bring it into the room.
   • Committee is looking into cheap ways to buy approved waterbottles as a class.
   • If there is a big spill, this privilege could be in jeopardy.
   • If you have a question about water bottle – please approach a senator to get help.
3. L2 Room usage and expectations – (Katherine Pouns)
   • This is an ongoing battle! Chris Faulkner only wants them used appropriately so we keep having trials.
   • Access was removed at the beginning of December – we were the only class on campus and there was one instance of an issue.
   • Overall: Use the rooms; don’t trash them! Don’t let them find you in there at 6 am when they are setting up for an OSKE. Don’t leave food out in the room. Don’t move in!
   • They are currently approved from 7am-9pm. Hopefully it will remain that way – this is not supposed to be a trial.
   • Don’t be there when they are cleaning them in the morning.
   • Also don’t leave a mess if someone is going to be coming in for a scheduled time.
4. Electives update – Bethany Werner & Connie Wang
   • Nutrition
     1. There is an elective that was talked about last semester. It depends on the availability of a professor in the school of nutrition. We will pursue this, but she is likely not available in the fall. We will push to see if this can happen this semester.
   • This Semester: Bioethics, Literature and Medicine, February – Medicine, Society, and Culture (Multicultural Week Lunch talks will count), Healthcare Law, Medical Education.
     1. The password is student for all electives to be added.
     2. These show up on the transcript.
   • Shivani Gaitonde: Can we perhaps consider a Fitness Elective? We could cover how to teach patients about fitness.
   • Please approach us with suggestions for an elective and for help in setting one up. Electives require a student start first and then approaching faculty for sponsorship.
5. Other Items
   • Carol Wortham: The Vagina Monologues
     1. She is a part of the production this year along with a lot of students.
     2. The group working on this is working really hard on this project.
     3. They did a read through a few weeks ago and the talent represented in the show is really outstanding!
     4. There is an important message being delivered. It will be shocking, amusing, etc to some people.
     5. Please come and bring a friend and support the production!
     6. Men – come and learn some different things and think about the issues please!
   • Alejandro Rocha – Epic training is due soon for Parkland!
   • Caroline Flowers – reminder to check the calendar for your INDIVIDUAL colleges schedule because it is more individual now!
   • Stephanie Barrata – The tentative date for Med-Prom is April 1^st. It’s a shared golden weekend between the MS1 and MS2 classes. This depends on site availability.
     1. There will be a post-test party next weekend.
   • Gene Hu: They haven’t finalized April schedules yet. The course director is still finalizing it. He and Mikey will keep checking up on that and try to get quiz/test dates out to the class if possible.
     1. Caroline Flowers – senators are planning wellness month in April and could really use quiz and test dates.

• Adjourn

MS2019 Student Government Cabinet Meeting

Secretary: Hannah Justice

3:00pm Roll Call

Cheers and Jeers:

1. Cheers:
   • Reed Macy: Thank you to everyone who helped with the Candlelight Vigil and to those who attended. The speakers were impressed by the turnout.
   • Anisha did a great job with the Spanish-English translation yesterday in the colleges lecture!
   • Organisms and the Host is over!!!
2. Jeers:
   • Katherine Pouns: There aren’t page numbers on the new syllabus.
   • Caroline Flowers: The student center wasn’t very fast communicating about the fitness calendar for January.

Announcements:

1. Class Jackets: Katherine Pouns
   • Remind people to pick them up at the Student Center!
   • They look great!
2. Tuition Survey/Recommendation Recap: Reed Macy
   • There was information regarding this posted in the blog post this week.
   • The administration recommended a 4% increase in tuition. The student body survey countered with a desired 2% inflationary-only increase for the designated tuition.
   • It looks like 1.2% increase for the next two years would cover inflationary-only increases.
   • The other 2.8% was not clearly designated, so it was difficult to support that increase.
   • The presidents are waiting to hear back from administration regarding what the resulting increase will actually be.
3. Sign “Thank You” card for Dr. Harper: Katherine Pouns
   • There are thank-you notes for the candlelight speaker, Dr. Harper, which will be signed by the cabinet. This is easier than passing them around to the class.
   • Harper is the head of the Literature and Medicine conference. The conference is January 19^th at Dallas Presbyterian Hospital. This is free for students, so please attend if interested!
   • The keynote speaker wrote the book: Cutting for Stone.
   • Harper was very impressed by the student performers and attendees at the candlelight vigil.

Agenda Items:

1. Faculty Roast / Faculty Excellence Reception: Reed Macy
   • Currently we are working on: How do we want it to look? Who should be invited? How can we ensure attendance and responses and a good layout?
   • It won’t be successful if it isn’t organized. We need people to step up to help orchestrate it!
   • There will be a survey for faculty jokes and faculty excellence.
   • Currently this is planned for March 9^th or 10^th, the Wednesday and Thursday before Spring Break.
   • Right now, it is planned for 12:00pm after our final lecture of the day to improve class attendance and participation. Ideally this will be held in D1.700.
   • Katherine and Reed will send out a map/layout similar to candlelight vigil.
   • Helpers:
     1. Gene Hu and Shivani Gaitonde: Establish a list of professors by class. We need to review what each professor did and taught for the various classes.
     2. Christopher Warne and Nikki Thrikutam: Set-up crew on the day of the event.
     3. Arjun Aggarwal and Alice Jean: Food crew on the day of the event.
     4. Sherin John and Vanessa Norris: Faculty liasons, mostly on the day of the event. Please remind faculty of the event a few days in advance. Be aware of faculty arrival and help facilitate their comfort.
2. Education IT Rep Update: Matthew Schreiber
   • STEP Update
     1. There is a survey that can be forwarded to the whole class from the MS3 class that just took STEP.
     2. Resources:
        • First Aid 2016 is now available.
        • Firecracker and USMLE Rx Question Bank are the two resources the survey found to most improve people’s scores.
     3. Preparations:
        • People who went through First Aid four times performed the best; however, those who went through it more than that did worst.
        • The highest scoring people completed the entire question bank at least once.
        • Most people did about four practice tests.
        • The average money spent on STEP preparation was between 600 and 1000 dollars.
        • The highest scoring people started studying over Spring Break – about 4 months ahead of time.
     4. OUR CURRICULUM:
        • They will discuss STEP at the next M&M.
        • There will be multiple class schedules that combine clerkships, study periods, scholarly activity, etc… There is a lot of wiggle room for when you take STEP.
        • You may want to get FIRST AID now, but don’t concern yourself overly with preparation until more information comes from the M&M.
        • Some of the survey information may not be applicable to our class.
     5. Can Katherine and Reed email Dr. Mihalic and Dr. Wagner about presenting the survey information at the M&M? The contact that emailed the survey to Matthew could also present the survey results.
     6. We could also email out or link the survey in the class blog.
     7. There is a more detailed version of the survey on the Student Affairs Moodle Page that can be accessed currently.
3. TBL Room – Updates and Discussion: Reed Macy
   • Noise in library post TBL tests
     1. We haven’t received any more complaints regarding this.
     2. Christopher Faulkner hadn’t heard any more complaints in the last week of last semester.
     3. Preliminarily, we may have improved. Time will tell.
   • Water/coffee in the TBL
     1. Reed Macy put together a 10 page proposal over the Christmas Break about the water in TBL.
     2. That has been submitted as of this week and hopefully a response will be received shortly.
     3. This will likely look like a few approved kinds of water bottles that are labeled with a decal sticker. We would be able to keep them on the floor in the TBL room.
     4. We can address doing a fundraiser using the water bottles later on although we may face concerns. Can we find a cheaper one as a group purchase?
     5. Fundraisers are difficult in that we can only collect money one day per month.
   • Evan Barrios: Can Chris Faulkner come to a Cabinet Meeting?
     • Note: Next cabinet Dr. Arlene Saz and Carole Wortham will be in attendance.
4. Odds and Ends from Last Semester
   1. Global Health: Tochi Ajiwe
      • We submitted applications for Global Health Mentor Matching. The deadline was 12/30/15. These are being processed.
      • Spring Break Trips: The office is looking at applications for stipends.
      • There was a meeting before last semester ended about changing the way Global Health appears to new applicants. UT Southwestern hasn’t been known for Global Health, so they are working on a better brochure and website. They are also working to improve the database regarding past trips and research projects.
   2. Convergence: Alice Jean and Sherin John
      • Dates: March 2 or 3 and March 23 or 24
      • This will be during Colleges time but not the day that is your college.
      • Planning has been continuing, there will be more updates in February.
   3. Electives: Bethany Werner and Connie Wang
      • They attended a meeting with Dr. Wagner and the Elective Enrichment Committee.
      • We need to recruit MS1s to lead electives that they may not have led before. There are issues, but it may be the only way with the new preclinical curriculum to handle things.
      • We largely face this problem because electives are only offered in the fall or spring semester. They are thinking about working towards offering classes during both semesters to avoid the problems. This requires more leadership, however.
      • Overall note, leadership for electives and student organizations is changing with the new preclinical curriculum, and recruitment needs to begin in August with the new class!
   4. Senators: Wellness Extravaganza 2016 – Evan Barrios
      • We are looking into two foundational changes to wellness week:
        1. It will now be a wellness month – not necessarily more busy, but to prevent eating up an entire week of school.
           • There will be theme weeks with 1-2 activities per week.
           • The four categories of wellness are mind, body, nutrition, and social.
        2. They are looking at ways to bring in different schools, including the allied health and graduate students.
           • How integrated do we want it to be? Do we want integrated or separate events.
           • The MS1 class is leading this wellness month, so suggestions are welcome to be addressed to the Senators.
           • They are considering directing events to specific subgroups based on events happening each week (i.e. tests for the MS1 class).
        3. The plan is for the Wellness Month to occur in April. Earlier planning will prevent conflicts.
      • Other Items
        1. Caroline Flowers: Reminder that the Colleges Survey was sent out on December 21^st. It is due tomorrow. Senators will be going through that and presenting feedback regarding any need for changes.
        2. Medical School Prom is happening this semester. More information will be forthcoming.
        3. Katherine Pouns and Reed Macy: We would like another Class Bonding Event this semester (like the Thanksgiving Potluck). Suggestions on a theme or a time are welcome!

• Adjourn