2006 Kathy Alberti Award Winner DeWayne Green

We the undersigning graduate students would like to nominate Assistant Graduate Dean DeWayne Green for the AGS Distinguished Service Award. DeWayne, a UCI graduate himself, has a long-standing history of service for UCI’s graduate and professional student community.

Most graduate students probably know DeWayne as executive editor of the Grad Quarterly, UCI’s graduate student magazine. However, DeWayne’s service for graduate students goes much beyond his direct job duties in the Office of Graduate Studies, where he oversees the day-to-day operations and strives to set an office culture that minimizes the amount of time graduate students must spend on administrative requirements related to their admission and degree, leaving them more time to dedicate to their academic efforts.

As member of UCI’s Graduate Student Health Insurance Committee, DeWayne helped UCI’s GSHIP program to get through rough times in 2002/2003 when our co-pays skyrocketed and our benefits deteriorated. DeWayne successfully defended necessary cost increases and convinced the campus that health insurance is a crucial tool to recruit and retain graduate students. He was also helpful in working with the medical school to facilitate a complex transition after the committee decided to switch medical providers earlier this decade. Overall, he has served on the GSHIP committee 8 years and has provided continuity and context for a committee that by nature has a significant student turnover each year.

Besides his advocacy for the interests and needs of graduate students on campus-wide committees, DeWayne has also been very active and successful in securing funding for scholarships for graduate students. DeWayne initiated efforts to establish both the Achievement Awards for College Scientist (ARCS) Foundation Scholarship and the Chancellor’s Club Fellowship programs at UCI that supports outstanding graduate students.  He has secured well over $500,000 from these programs over the past few years to provide much needed financial support to UCI’s graduate students.

There is no question that graduate student life at UCI would be very different at UCI without DeWayne Green looking out for our interests. For this reason, we ask AGS to recognize his hard work and dedication by awarding him the AGS Distinguished Service Award.

Andreas Gal (GSHIP Chair, ICS)
Suzanne Kaasa (GSHIP, Social Ecology)
Satish Vutukuru (VP Internal, Engineering)
Elizabeth Chiarello (GSHIP, Sociology)
Eden Epstein (GSHIP, Social Ecology)

2006 Debbie Davis Award Winner Andreas Gal

We, the undersigned, would like to nominate Andreas Gal for his outstanding service to graduate students over the last three years. Andreas worked passionately towards housing and health care coverage for graduate students, the two most important issues outside academics for graduate students.

During his two years tenure as the chair of GSHIP committee, Andreas ensured that the health insurance plan is run smoothly. He cultivated very effective working relationships with administrators and brokers that helped develop an appreciation for the role of students in the GSHIP process.

As a member of the Ad-Hoc committee on graduate housing in 2006, Andreas was deeply involved in issues related to new housing policy. Andreas played a major role in making convincing arguments to administration on the adverse implications of “three year policy”. Currently, as a member of Academic Senate committee on housing, Andreas continues to work towards improving graduate housing policies.

As a member and chair of the Palo Verde Residents Council, Andreas strongly defended interests of residents and played a major role in successful fight against rent increases for PV residents. He continues to lead the fight on the issue of exits (or lack there of) for PV.

Andreas Gal has made distinguishing contributions to improve the life of graduate students on this campus and he deserves the Debbie Davis award more than no one else.

Sincerely,

Satish Vutukuru (VP Internal)
Katie Pine (VP External)
Suzanne Kaasa (GSHIP member)
Elizabeth Chiarello (GSHIP member)
Michael Campbell (PVRC member)
Josiah Carlson (PVRC member)
Tom Pine (Engineering)
Tia Peterson (Social Ecology)
Samir Patil (ICS)

I would like to nominate Andreas Gal for the Debbie Davis award for his years of dedication and outstanding service to the graduate students of UC Irvine.  Andreas has not only been the driving force behind student participation in health insurance decision-making, but he has also been active in housing and student welfare issues.  I think that Andreas is a Unique case in that he has been so heavily involved for so many years.  Serving on AGS, I witnessed him put an incredible amount of work into the background research, student participation, and information sharing required to make truly informed decisions for the good of the graduate student population.  Finally, Andreas has worked on some very long term issues that don't always get the attention of graduate students and I think that it would be nice to recognize his efforts and accomplishments.

Thank you,
Hannah Aoyagi

Other Nominations of Note

Nomination of Michael Shafae for Debbie Davis Award

I would like to nominate Michael Shafae for the Debbie Davis award.  Michael has made countless contributions to the graduate student community.  He has served as an AGS person for two years and as an executive for another two years.  During this time he organized three of the best parties that graduate students have ever had.

Due to the exceptional execution of these parties, a larger number of graduate students attended.  In addition, Michael has updated the AGS webpage from a useless, seldom visited site to a popular one.  The new site provides information on a broad range of information valuable to graduate students such as upcoming social events, GSHIP, housing and grocery stores in the area.

Michael is also active in the TA union working as an organizer for four years and as a steward for two.  The union has been effective in ensuring that the interests of graduate students are protected and relies heavily on the work of volunteers such as a Michael. 

In addition to his AGS and union work, Michael has actively participated in student housing issues.  Though not himself a Palo Verde (PV) resident, he still stood up to PV bullying on behalf of the graduate students and oversaw the Palo Verde ResidenceCouncil elections. Along with another graduate student, he initiated the process for a housing affordability committee.

Michael continues to be active, continuing his work with AGS and most recently overseeing the transition to the new pub management. I believe that no one is more deserving of this award.

Leila Tarokh
Graduate Student
Department of Cognitive Sciences

I know of no single other graduate student who has done more for the graduate community than Michael Shafae.  Having been involved in AGS for multiple years he had constantly represented our interests, manning election booths, actively supporting candidates for both AGS and the Verano Housing Council, advocating for the retention of the graduate student run pub, and tirelessly planning (and doing a great job at it too) the multiple events the AGS hosts during the year (I have only seen him in action for two years and can only imagine the numerous other significant contributions he has made). I am deeply grateful for all that he has done and frankly, a little concerned if anyone or any group of people can fill his shoes once he leaves. Please consider him for this award as he, in my mind at least, is truly most deserving.

Thank you ,
Debra Freas

Nomination of Nancy & Steven Carter for Debbie Davis Award

They created and organized a group formed by all the graduate students living in UCI Graduate Housing in order to protest the 8% increase in the rent.

This week we (the graduate students living in Verano Place) were notified by the Vice Chancelor that the rent increase would be cut by half.

Their persevirance and organization skills achieved something that seemed impossible. This peacefull and organized protest is a clear process of defense of our rights and quality of life of graduate students on campus.

If hope they have inspired others to stand up for what is right.

Julius Klein
PhD Candidate

Nomination of Carol Sokolov for the Kathy Alberti Award

Submitted by Brook Haley

As the coordinator for graduate affairs in the Office of Graduate Studies and long-time analyst for the Academic Senate Graduate Council, Carol serves as the institutional memory and a crucial behind-the-scenes advocate for graduate students.  She has helped countless individual students navigate the complex bureaucracy and personalities of administrative and academic units as they deal with academic and personal concerns and grievances.  She has helped streamline processes for creating innovative graduate interdisciplinary programs, compiled the first official glossary of terms related to graduate education at UCI, and was a sustaining force behind the Graduate Student Rights and Responsibilities document, approved in 2004.  As Grad Council analyst and assistant to the dean of graduate studies, she reminds these important figures of previous promises made to students, and helps keep alive the changes in policy that move so slowly over years and changes in leadership, and which are so easily derailed by less attentive administrators.  Finally, I credit her for helping improve the Council’s respect and attentiveness to student representatives over the last two years.  Her ability to show where previous Council policies have faltered, and to point out how they can be rectified, aided students in guiding the Council to its decision to drop its insistence on the infamous “three-year-minimum guarantee” housing policy.  She is currently helping to establish specific guidelines for student representation to all academic units and to monitor the application of new standards for academic advising.  Her work is rarely seen by the general graduate student population, but it touches all of our lives as students, as residents, as individual people with individual needs and concerns.

Nomination of Professor Don Blake for the Kathy Alberti Award

Dear AGS,

Professor Don Blake (Department of Chemistry) is the only person I have met
at UCI that sincerely cares about students.  He is an outstanding individual, full of positive energy, and always willing to give for the "better cause." UCI, and the chemistry department owes him a great deal of  gratitude, and he is the Kathy Alberti award!

Please nominate him for this prestigious award.

Best regards,

Armando Ramirez