CGS PRIORITIES FOR 1993 - 1994
Adopted by the Council of Graduate Students October 31, 1993.
It is the intention of the Council of Graduate Students to represent all graduate students at The Ohio State University, regardless of race, color, creed, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, sex, age, disability, Vietnam-era veteran status, employment status, or part-time status. The Council's primary aims are to serve as an advocate for graduate students as they pursue their education and to identify and promote necessary support services in all areas of the University.
To carry out these objectives, the Council has identified seven major areas of concern for the 1993-1994 academic year. These will be the issues where CGS will devote its greatest attention.
Restructuring
The Ohio State University is engaged in a major restructuring of academic programs, beginning with proposals originating at the college and departmental levels. The Council of Graduate Students anticipates wide-ranging implications for graduate students, particularly if colleges and departments are consolidated or abolished. The interests of graduate students and all members of the University community are best served by successful restructuring. For this undertaking to be legitimate, participation of students in all aspects of the process is essential, including, but not being limited to, representation on college and departmental committees dealing with restructuring issues. The Council's position on this issue is outlined in the "Resolution on Graduate Student Participation in University Restructuring," adopted October 3, 1993.
Graduate Student Enrollment
As The Ohio State University engages in a process of self-examination regarding the nature and quality of the educational experiences it offers, often mentioned is the idea that increasing graduate student enrollment would promote a richer academic environment. The Council of Graduate Students identifies this issue as one which requires the representative involvement of graduate students at all levels of deliberation, should actions be forwarded or steps taken to increase the number or proportion of graduate students on campus. Specifically, concerns include but are not limited to:
Graduate Student Representation at College and Departmental Levels
The governance of The Ohio State University operates under a system of rights and responsibilities shared between faculty, students, and administrators. The Council of Graduate Students acknowledges that graduate student representation is well established at the university-wide level, and further acknowledges its responsibility to seek and appoint qualified representatives to present graduate student concerns and to advocate for their best interests.
However, graduate student representation in the governance affairs of colleges, schools, and departments varies widely across the university. Consistent representation for graduate students at these levels is essential, since discussions critical to the quality of graduate education occur initially and are conducted primarily at the level of the department, school, and college.
Thus, the Council will strive to promote graduate student rights to representation and associated responsibilities at the college, school, and departmental levels by means including, but not being limited to:
Graduate Associate Training and Support Services
Graduate associate training serves many functions, including: providing basic skills and opportunities for development; communicating the structure and goals of the employment area; orienting GAs toward available resources; and informing GAs of their contribution to the mission of The Ohio State University. Uneven and inadequate training across areas is harmful to the university to the degree it hinders its mission to its students and the community. The Council of Graduate Students will be an advocate for improved GA training by employing units, while concurrently seeking to preserve and expand the central support for graduate associates (and all individuals who provide instruction) provided by the Center for Instructional Resources and other university units.
Unsupported Graduate Students
The traditional image of a graduate student is that of an individual devoting full attention to studies while serving a teaching or research apprenticeship in a well-defined academic unit and supported by a Graduate Associateship. This picture is changing rapidly as graduate study expands into interdisciplinary areas and as the number of individuals pursuing part-time graduate education increases. Such trends, coupled with a possible increase in enrollment, should be addressed by the University, in order to continue its mission as a graduate educational institution. The Council of Graduate Students will seek to:
Graduate Student Workload and Financial Support
With the recent increases in tuition and related fees (health insurance, etc.), the purchasing power of a graduate stipend has not kept up with the cost of living in Columbus. The Council of Graduate Students will be an advocate for stipend levels that enable graduate students to effectively pursue their programs of study. Additionally, the Council will seek to determine if:
Stable Sources of Funding for CGS President and Vice President
It is clearly in the best interest of all parties involved, namely,
the graduate student population, The Ohio State University governance
structure, administration including the Graduate School, and
individual academic departments, for a Council of Graduate Students to
exist and serve all of these constituencies. Toward that end, a
precedent and history has been established by which the President and
Vice-President of the Council of Graduate Students receive a 12-month
stipend and tuition waiver, thereby ensuring that the obligations and
responsibilities of the Council can be met. This necessary continuity
and stability has been threatened in the past two years with the
Graduate School support for the Vice-President eliminated for the
academic year 1992-93 and supported for only 6 of the 12 months in
1993-94. While the Council on Student Affairs via its Allocations
Operating Fund provided emergency assistance money to fund the
equivalent of a one-year position, it is already apparent that the
Allocations Operating Fund is under further pressure from a variety of
other sources and, under current circumstances, is not a stable source
of future funding. The Council of Graduate Students, therefore, must
seek a long-term funding commitment for both its President and
Vice-President positions.
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