The Graduate Student Council (GSC) met last night to confirm the new ASSU Elections Commission, vote on proposed changes to the ASSU Judicial Charter and discuss the future of Flicks.

Second-year law student and newly-elected Elections Commissioner Tim Sanders announced that there will be an information session for those interested in running for a spot on the GSC from Feb. 21 through 22. Sanders said the commission’s main goal is to publicize the committee is looking for candidates in order to get more graduate students involved in the ASSU.

The upcoming information session is for undergraduate students as well, and will describe all the positions in the ASSU, including both the undergraduate senate and the GSC. The first information session will be held in the ASSU office in Tressider Union, and the second will be held at the Graduate Community Center.

GSC leaders said they were pleased with the newly-confirmed Elections Commission.

“We’re excited about the Elections Commission that has just been approved,” second-year law student and GSC Co-chair Jenny Allen said. “I’m looking forward to working with them to increase the graduate student turnout at the upcoming election in the spring.”

Allen also said she hoped to raise awareness about the spring elections at popular graduate student events. Calling last Sunday’s Grad Night at Flicks a huge success, she suggested the possibility of sponsoring another Grad Night this quarter in order to “tag team with elections and to recruit people to run for various GSC positions.”

Maria Spletter, the GSC Flicks coordinator, said she expects the Grad Night program to continue.

“Every quarter during the school year, the GSC sponsors a Grad Night at Flicks, where graduate students get in free and we provide donuts and juice,” she said. “This quarter had the best turnout ever, with 290 grad students who came to watch ‘Rent.’ We will be sponsoring another Flicks night this quarter because of the popular response.”

Spletter also commented on the changes being made to Flicks. “Basically, Flicks will now be a joint-service project,” she said. “This means that instead of Flicks being part of SSE — the part of the ASSU that generates money — Flicks will now be a service project, which will most likely go on the special fees ballot. If this occurs, then students will vote whether to support Flicks or not. This would be a big benefit because it would mean that tickets for students would be either very cheap or free.”

Also addressed were the revisions to the ASSU Judicial Charter. The Undergraduate Senate approved changes to correct minor typographical errors and a minor word change on Tuesday night. The GSC voted to approve those modifications last night as well.

According to GSC Co-chair Tom Lee, a fourth-year electrical engineering doctoral student, the GSC will discuss more major changes to the charter next week.

The GSC also approved a number of funding requests submitted by student groups. The Stanford German association received funding for a Fasching celebration on Feb. 26. The Stanford Chemistry Women’s Committee on Graduate Life requested funding for a March 13 seminar titled “Uncle Sam Wants You,” featuring a panel of scientists who have chosen careers in government service. Argentinos en Stanford received funding for a traditional Argentine barbeque to be held on Feb. 26. Finally, the GSC funded the group Bio-AIMS, who will hold a series of events designed to encourage diversity in biological sciences.