Campout, insurance at top of GPSC agenda

At their first meeting of the year, the Graduate and Professional Student Council discussed new GPSC Basketball Campout policies and introduced their various committees while serving up delicious Chinese food.

Heads of the GPSC Basketball Committee presented a comical home video that drove home the news that Campout-the graduate students' tenting equivalent-has been moved to a new location. The tents may now be set up at the intersection of Cameron Boulevard and Science Drive.

"Same great weekend. New location," said Committee Co-chair Sarah Crider, a graduate student in chemistry. "The new tent area is at least twice the size of last year's." She added that the event will take place Sept. 19 to 21.

Also at the meeting, a representative voiced complaints about shortcomings and miscommunications with the University's new health insurance provider.

Last Spring, Duke switched its provider from Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina to United Health Care Student Resources. A group of graduate and professional students had lodged complaints against the former company, but at Tuesday's meeting, GPSC members said the new provider had not, as promised, given $100 per year eye-glass or contact lens reimbursements nor provided 80 percent coverage on a yearly in-network eye exam.

The agenda then moved on to an announcement of a new entrepreneurship education series beginning next week. The series will provide tips for starting a company, and will feature Duke alumnus Aaron Patzer as the first speaker, said Michael Schwartz, a student in the Fuqua School of Business. He added that the series will also be open to undergraduates interested in entrepreneurship, because "great leaders and great teammates can come from anywhere."

In other business:

GPSC committee heads introduced and explained the responsibilities of their respective committees in an effort to recruit members. Throughout the meeting, representatives also expressed a desire for more green initiatives, such as bike lanes around campus.