Graduate Student senators seeking new budget
At the Graduate Student Senate meeting Wednesday, senators discussed getting a budget increase from Associated Students of Utah State University, among other things.
Currently, the GSS is budgeted $1,848 from ASUSU per year, said Erica Thomas, GSS president. With 2,537 graduate students, they pay a total of $125,581.51 per year for ASUSU fees.
The GSS receives 1.47 percent of these fees, Thomas said. They would like to have their budget increased to about $30,000, or 24 percent of what graduate students pay.
“It’s imperative that graduate students get more out of what they’re giving,” Thomas said.
Undergraduates get 47 percent of what they pay to ASUSU, Thomas said.
A recent survey conducted by GSS revealed that graduate students would like to see more opportunities and information offered by GSS, Thomas said. This requires more funding.
Comparative universities offer graduate students much more than is offered at USU, Thomas said. For example, New Mexico State receives $20,000 for its graduate students, she said.
The additional funding could be used in recruiting, retention, creating a graduate study center, research awards, thesis funding, paying for conferences, health insurance and donations to the library.
GSS is already working to provide a graduate study center, Thomas said. They are working with the Merrill Library to find a place for graduates to study, use computers, have penny copies and just hang out.
Thomas said they would also like to see the idea incorporated into the plans for the new library. This area would also hold the offices for graduate representatives.
Also discussed at the meeting were other graduate issues including working out kinks in the QUAD registration system, not having undergraduate courses as prerequisites for graduate courses and possibly designating a parking area exclusively for graduates.
“Let’s take over,” Thomas said and laughed.
The GSS passed their first pieces of legislation at this meeting as well. GSS Vice President Dan McCay is resigning next semester, leaving a vacancy in the senate, Thomas said. To deal with this and impeachments halfway through the year, the GSS passed additions to their constitution detailing the necessary steps.
“We wanted to make this similar to those [elections] held in the spring, and make it open to the general graduate student population,” Robert Franckowiak, physics senator, said.
A nominating committee was formed and the senate will now be taking nominations for graduate students who would like to have the position. Anyone can nominate, but only graduate students are eligible, Thomas said.
Those nominated will be asked to submit a platform, résumé and list of leadership experience, Franckowiak said.
Also, Wednesday evening the GSS hosted a graduate dinner catered by USU. About 68 graduates were in attendance.
The next activity GSS will host is the Intermountain Paper and Poster Symposium, which will be held March 15.