Row If there is any firm or organization that you don't believe falls into one of the above categories, or if there is an organization that you believe deserves special interest, please write it in: 2 General/Civil/Mechanical Engineering -> Engineering/Geotechnical Consulting Firms 4 Scientific press 19 Mining/Petroleum exploration (perhaps). 23 Finance, Analyst 27 public administration, non profit organizations 38 law firms 49 White House 83 Finance companies, such as Goldman Sachs, etc. - a lot of science PhDs are finding alternate careers there, so it might be a good idea to let people see this side of life as well. 86 Public Policy 105 Greenpeace and similar 106 Commodity Chemicals 107 Companies that do a lot of non-biological chemistry research (DuPont, Dow, BASF, etc.) 119 Investment banking 125 Financial 137 I think you missed the whole chemistry, chemical engineering, material science, applied physics sector 150 Patent Law 157 NASA 159 environmental engineering 169 Financial/Investment (SSB, Goldman Sachs, Lehman Brothers, etc.) 192 no Row 3a. Other (type your answer between the brackets) 4 scientific journalist 23 Financial Analyst 26 ENGINEER, CONSULTANT, PRODUCT DESIGN 86 Policy Analyst 190 Technical Writer Row B. Personal Information Row 4a. Other (type your option between the brackets) 45 Physical Chemistry 105 biochemistry Row Comments for the GSC 11 Have a "quality" party with people from other institutes, like Arts Center, UCLA, USC, Clarement, Pomona, Oxy, etc. 20 Finding affordable health insurance for my wife and children is extremely difficult. Besides rent and food/household items, the insurance we currently have (not through Caltech) is our largest monthly expense including car payment and car insurance. Anything that the GSC/administration can do to improve this would be of great benefit to our family. 23 I would like to have the option of making matched, or even unmatched, IRA contributions. 31 no comments 39 The vast majority of the academic community at Caltech is entirely too arrogant for its own good, including a significant number of grad students. This can only harm the students, both professionally and personally, later in life when they graduate from Caltech and move on to the school of hard knocks in the outside world. The prevailing attitude seems to be that being smart equals being superior, which is a highly dangerous and highly counterproductive concept. Intelligence is a tool, not a license to look down upon others or to suffer from the delusion that one is clever enough to manipulate others to advance one's self-interest. I would therefore like to see some effort made to encourage both grad students and the greater Caltech community to examine the choices they make and the course that they are on in life to see if it is something that they feel is truly beneficial or if they are merely "going with the flow" that their predecessors have already set. I fully realize that a program such as this would be doomed to failure from the start for the very same reasons that it is necessary. 40 coordinate or publicize opportunities for community service. in less than a year I will graduate and my spouse will still be a student. At that point I would most likely enroll in Caltech's health insurance plan for dependents...if it were less expensive. 44 More affordable food on campus (Shandler, Avery,...) 62 I LIKE SUCH SURVEYS. ONE OF THE ISSUES I AM CONCERNED IS THE CHILD CARE FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS. BOTH MY HUSBAND AND I ARE CALTECH GRADUATE STUDENTS. IT WOULD BE VERY CONVENIENT FOR US TO ENROLL OUR CHILD AT CALTECH CHILDREN'S CENTER (CCC). BUT IT IS TOO EXPENSIVE FOR US. RIGHT NOW THERE IS NO ANY PRIVILEGES FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS TO ENROLL THEIR CHILD AT CCC. I AM JUST WONDERING IF IT IS POSSIBLE TO IMPROVE IT THROUGH GSC. 66 The affordable health care thing is very important. Caltech either should drop the prices or start paying us more. (Am going to be married soon.) 78 the GSC does a great job! keep up the good work! 80 Lobby for vision coverage (or at least vision care discounts of 25% or more) in our health care coverage. 83 ski trip... 87 There are a few things that I think are lacking for graduate students. I think we need a lounge...somewhere like the Rathskellar, in terms of having a TV and games of some sort, where we can escape from the faculty and from the undergrads. I know most medical schools and law schools have a social center of some sort where only the students (and in our case, I think postdocs) can sit and try to escape. I think it would increase productivity and would be a good venue for cross-option mixing. Plus, there should be vending machines that are centrally accessible and a lounge would be a perfect place for that. I also think that the prices at Chandler are getting out of hand. I understand that they are trying to improve the food there (and only minimally succeeding), but grad students are a large part of their clientele, and many of us are beginning to feel we can't afford to eat there. An on campus food distribution center shouldn't exist to make a profit. 92 The last section assumes your spouse is not a caltech student for Q9-end. I am married to another grad student, so we are both covered, but not through the spouse program. Also - would REALLY like vision insurance!!! 96 Lovely job. 100 I recently sent an e-mail to the GSC about sanitation issues involving the Catalinas. Please refer to this. 101 No 107 i like the bbq's and field trips that you do. e.g. i remember going to zuma beach for a cookout and day of relaxation last year (at least i think that was gsc sponsored). more things like that would be good; just make sure they're well advertised because i sometimes see fliers for interesting events that have already recently happened. 109 I would like to have the option of NOT having my GSC funds spent on events in which GSC sponsors alcohol-releated activities (i.e. GUSH). I don't think that it's appropriate for someone to pay for these types of events when they strongly conflict with one's religious and social beliefs. Instead, that money could be used for the establishment of graduate fellowships that would benefit the graduate community as a whole. 114 I was dissapointed in the most recent change in the health insurance plan. The choice of ppo doctors seems to have decreased. I know that the costs of the plans is extreme and is probably the reason for the change. I know that this is not a direct solution, but maybe offering Aflac supplemental insurance would be a possiblity. 115 work to promote recycling, eco friendliness and water conservation on campus with the administration. have a movie screening like charlies angels at least once a year 129 Extending insurance to dependents is very important, either that or Caltech needs to start paying us more! 141 no real suggestions 165 lights on the field north of the gym would be nice 199 YES, get affordable health insurance for Grad Student's spouses and children!!! 206 I think that the GSC is doing a very good job