Summary of the Graduate Affairs Committee meeting March 28, 2014, 3:30-4:30.

Present: Stephen Cook (Chair), Christina Christara, Celeste Francis Esteves
(Graduate Office), Eyal de Lara, Ken Jackson, Allan Jepson (Grad Chair),
Aida Nematzadeh, Bogdan Simion

Regrets:  Michael Brudno

The committee discussed two draft proposals concerning modifying
the current PhD checkpoints, both circulated March 27.  The first is
titled "Minimalist PhD Checkpoint Proposal" by Allan Jepson. The second
is from Eyal.  The consensus of the committee was that the two
proposals are not far apart, and the ideas from each can be merged to
make a satisfactory proposal.

Eyal's proposal would require a Research Skills seminar that would
both prepare new PhD students for the qualifying oral, and cover
topics that are of general importance for all CS PhD students.
The committee agreed that this is a good idea, but the course should
not be required.  It is not clear whether the course should be for
credit (with this indicated on a student's transcript).

Allan and Eyal will collaborate on drafting a merged proposal
for PhD checkpoints.  A student must take the  qualifying oral within
16 months of starting the PhD program, and would require a short
written document summarizing a collection of research papers. 
After that the student must meet with his committee every 12 months
(SGS requirement).  The meetings would not necessarily be tagged
with checkpoints, but one of the meetings should show that the
student has a thesis topic (this would be something like the
current Research Proposal), and would allow the student to be admitted
to candidacy (required by SGS).  A later meeting would have the
effect of the current thesis proposal.  The Departmental Thesis
Oral checkpoint will be maintained.