January 2021

January 27, 2021

SURPAS Council Meeting Agenda

Wednesday, January 27th, 2021 11:30am-1:00pm 

Location: Zoom

Quorum: 14/19

• Acknowledgment statement, inc group norms/mutual respect (2’) Read by Sumin 
• Welcome, Zoom etiquette (2’)
• Introductions and approval of minutes (5’) 
  • Elaina – update on exit survey from OPA meeting

• Updates (15’)
  • Weekly surveillance testing required starting Jan 4th for everyone working on campus
    • All info can be found on this website: https://healthalerts.stanford.edu/covid-19/prevention-care/employee-postdoc-testing/#resources 
  • Vaccination
    • Patient-facing postdocs should have already been contacted
    • Postdocs vaccinations will come from SHCA
      • Guidelines changing constantly
    • Updates on COVID Health Alerts

Stanford is vaccinating at a higher rate than the rest of the Bay Area. We do not currently have information about the next phases and who will be vaccinated next. Anybody who is part of MyHealth will be contacted even though they are not associated with a primary right now. Stanford is working on a helpline for people working outside the Bay Area to get vaccinated. The co-chairs met with Dr. O’Hara. The notes are available on the drive. 

• Meet the new SBPA co-chairs!  (10’)
  • Barbara Rangel da Silva
  • Azeezat Azeez

• Announcements: (15’)
  • IDEAL initiative- Survey Committee
  • Zheng Zu – Postdoc publicity 

The postdoc community has publicity issues. The general public doesn’t understand what we do. At Stanford, everything we do will be published. We want the public to know what we do. How to increase our visibility from the general public. The teaching and outreach committee would be a good platform to increase postdoc visibility within the general public. To be continued…

Teaching and outreach opportunities on the SURPAS site here http://www.surpas.org/teaching

http://www.surpas.org/resources-for-pedagogy-teaching-outreach

• • BioSci Postdoc Open Positions (Jane)

• Open positions (5’)
  • Co-chair
  • Community Engagement Liaison
  • Social Media Director
  • Nominate yourself: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfeo8RxZpKTWEPsUMSK52d9KOyJcSpuKjgFf_VCOy5-n-A_Zw/viewform 
• Proposed Changes to Bylaws to address SURPAS approach to Thanksgiving — Vote (10’) 

The motion passes unanimously 14 yes and 1 abstain 

• Membership renewals (20’’)
  • Elaina Jones – 16 yes

Actual co-chair. COVID response. Past event coordinator. 

• • Nathan Richey – 16 yes

Diversity Seminar Series, Postdoc Symposium. Interested in continuing until the end of his contract in August. 

• • Katie Walwyn-Brown – 16 yes

Communications Director at the moment. Diversity perspective seminar series. 

• New Membership (5’)
  • Nikki Seymour – 15 yes

Joined Stanford last Summer. Currently our c-lib and wants to join council. Also interested in pursuing some diversity and inclusion work. 

• Diversity Engagement Survey (Climate Survey unofficially): Avery Krieger. 

It’s been a long time since the last climate survey at Stanford because they have been shutting them down for unknown reasons. 

1. 1. 1. 1. Aks: Someone from the leadership team could serve and help with the data. 
         2. Sending out survey to lists 
         3. Sharing your program department and send an email to StanfordDiversityEngagement@gmail.com

• Upcoming Events (3’)
  • Coffee Buddy System. 

Maybe having some categories would help. New postdocs, family, and sports as a starting idea. 

• • Someone like me: first event this year coming up. You do need to sign up to participate. 
  • New website 

• • Better allies. How can you be a better ally for marginalized communities? First event happening during February (Black history month) 

• • First diversity committee meeting coming up. Currently recruiting a new co-chair.