During the spring 2000 semester, Provost Jonathan Cole, Vice President for Arts and Sciences David Cohen, Executive Vice President for Administration Emily Lloyd, Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Zvi Galil and Dean Eduardo Macagno met with the Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) to identify issues of concern to graduate students and find ways to improve graduate student services. After a series of meetings over the summer and fall with students and other administrators, Macagno announced several changes in these services, including the following:

• Coverage of basic health services and health insurance fees for fully funded Ph.D. students in engineering and all 26 arts and sciences departments.
• An improved health insurance package that increases benefits six percent, including a doubling of the annual prescription drug maximum from $500 to $1,000.
• Coverage of child immunization in child coverage insurance programs offered by Health and Related Services.
• The opening of the Off-Campus Housing Assistance Office to provide housing listings (on-site and on-line), individual counseling and educational programs. This fall, University Apartment Housing was able to offer housing to 1,666 graduate students, up from 1,449 last year.
• Expansion of the department of physical education's intersession hours to 10 p.m. to accommodate the interests of graduate students.