The 2013-2014 Doctoral Students’ Council elections are open, and students can submit their ballots online until April 30, 2013, at 11:59 p.m. In addition to program and at-large DSC representatives, students can vote for representatives on Student Academic Appeals Committees, the Faculty-Student Disciplinary Panel, Student Elections Review Committee, the OpenCUNY Board, and the Advocate Advisory Board.

At the plenary meeting in March, Provost Chase Robinson was the guest speaker. He responded to the resolution that plenary passed unanimously at the February meeting, affirming the Robert E. Gilleece Student Center’s location on the fifth floor, written in response to a proposal to move the student-controlled spaces on the fifth floor to the C-level of the Library. Provost Robinson answered questions about the proposal and student participation in creating the plan. Following the meeting, the provost wrote to the DSC leadership to say that the administration would not be pursuing the move.

Also at the March Plenary, the body endorsed a letter on Open Meetings, urging the administration to ensure that programs are convening program standing committees  and stated the DSC’s position that program standing committees fall under New York State Open Meetings Law (cunydsc.org/resolutions). Associate Provost Louise Lennihan replied to say that the provost had contacted all Executive Officers at the Graduate Center requesting they confirm that their programs were in compliance with the Graduate Center bylaws, particularly the ones that stipulate the existence of these committees and the membership of student representatives. If programs are not in compliance, they are to submit a plan for correcting that. Associate Provost Lennihan offered that students could be in touch with her if they had issues or questions.

The DSC plenary also passed a resolution on the CUNY Library Catalog, written by an ad hoc committee on the library catalog to which Curtis Kendrick responded by email (cunydsc.org/resolutions). A fuller discussion of the issue and Dean Kendrick’s reply is covered in this Advocate article: http://opencuny.org/gcadvocate/2013/04/10/searching-in-the-cuny-catalog-not-working-for-you-you-are-not-alone/.

On April 30, the Outreach Committee will host an International Student Town Hall.

DSC Activities in 2012-2013

Over the 2012-2013 school year, the DSC continued to offer services including its regular services—free legal services, fitness classes, room reservations, and discounted movie tickets. Standing committees and steering officers distributed grants, developed health and wellness resources, reached out to connect with students based at campuses other than the GC, and identified a variety of student needs. In addition to the work of the standing committees, several ad hoc committees and working groups addressed specific issues that arose this year, including parental leave, gender neutral bathrooms, the new fellowships and GC restructuring, blood drives and the FDA ban on MSM blood, and the Robert E. Gilleece Student Center. The DSC also hosted a Town Hall with the Adjunct Project this semester.

Outreach

The Outreach Committee held off-campus events targeting students based at City College, Baruch College, and Queens College. These events informed students about services of DSC and goings-on in the activism & advocacy communities within CUNY, connected students from various programs, and offered suggestions and follow-up assistance in regards to student organizing and representation within programs.

We also held a Student Organizing Workshop in the fall to help students better understand the tools and resources available to them within the CUNY community, their programs, and at GC. This workshop also served as an early connector for students who were interested in organizing around the issue of GC fellowship restructuring, following up on the Town Hall held the week before.

In addition, an International Student Town Hall will be hosted by Outreach on April 30. This gathering will feature as a guest speaker Douglas Ewing from the Office of International Students, and will serve as both an information session and a discussion space for issues that are common to many international students.

Grants

The Grants Committee funded twenty-eight grants this year, allocating $18,628 to student-organized initiatives. In addition, they approved two $150 start-up grants. In total, $18,928 was allocated for student organized events and activities for CUNY graduate students!

Student Services

Student Services worked to facilitate non-DSC room reservations for students. They also worked to get approval for student tabling in the eighth floor dining commons. In the fall, they organized the first ever finals library comfort station, which included a nap area, chair massage, and other amenities. The Student Life Survey closed April 18.

Health & Wellness

This academic year, DSC Health & Wellness has made uninsured and under-insured graduate students a priority. To this end, we’ve added a good deal of material to the Health & Wellness site (opencuny.org/healthdsc),  providing information on how students can get insured, and offering details of free and low-cost clinics for treatment in the meantime. We’ve also distributed, by email and in pamphlet form, details of these resources available to uninsured students.

We’ve also launched a series of five posters, featuring a variety of health and wellness information and advice, which are displayed on the GC’s electronic notice boards, and on our website.

The H&W site has also been significantly updated over the year, with information on free hearing tests and services at the GC, and on disability services at the GC and CUNY-wide; additional student-recommended health providers; and a new section on graduate student wellness, with resources for quitting smoking, and practicing safer sex; as well as details of ergonomic considerations for academia, and of where to get meningitis vaccinations in light of the recent NYC outbreak of the disease. Among our regular blog posts have been a number informing students about the impact of the Affordable Care Act—or rather the lack thereof—on NYSHIP coverage.

We just had a very well attended workshop on how best to deal with NYSHIP so as to avoid huge, unexpected bills and get the most out of one’s coverage. This was jointly organized by the H&W Committee and the Adjunct Project. Our participation in the annual GC Wellness Festival also went really well—among other things, we offered students free massages, and giveaways promoting the H&W site so that more students become aware of it.

Another project of ours has been to inform students of the existing health, wellness, and family services available to them at the GC, and we’ve produced and have been distributing a pamphlet with listings of those services.

The Monday afternoon DSC coffee breaks—aimed at improving the GC environment in a small way by creating a social space at for students to interact with people from other programs—has proven popular. We’ll also shortly be sending out our annual health and wellness survey to reassess what services and provisions grad students most need.

And, finally, we’ve been working for some time on providing dispensers for condoms and other barrier methods for safer sex in the GC bathrooms so as to allow students easy, comfortable, and convenient access to these. We’re yet to get approval from the administration, but we are continuing to work toward this.

Governance & Bylaws

The Governance and Bylaws committee this semester made several changes to DSC governance.

  • It expanded the capabilities of OpenCUNY, our free and open source medium, by designating a new Coordinator for Organizing & Action to work directly with groups that share its mission — including the Adjunct Project, the Free University, and more.
  • It made it easier to apply for DSC grants by increasing the number of review opportunities, raising the maximum start-up grant award, and clarifying the process for expedited review and revision.

It took steps toward making the University Student Senate more transparent, accountable, and representative, by establishing a standing committee to support the USS Delegate in tracking USS Student Activity Fees and proposing revisions to USS governance.

  • It increased the representation on the DSC’s standing committees of international students and students from satellite campuses.
  • It designated a standing Governance Task Force to aid programs in guaranteeing students’ voice and vote in their respective committees for faculty membership, curriculum, admissions, and elections, as well as the program executive committees.

Technology & Library

The 2013-2014 Student Tech Fee Committee voted on a budget that included the following:

  • $11,000 for the purchase of hardware for the New Media Lab
  • $56,000 towards the purchase and installation of new wireless access points throughout the Graduate Center
  • $90,000 towards hardware for the IT Client Services
  • $253,000 for towards Mina Rees library databases
  • Addressing lack of tech resources to Ph.D. programs located on other campuses
  • Maintaining current printing capacity

The Student Tech Fee Committee was informed by the annual Student Tech Fee survey, which the Officer for Technology & Library publicized via the DSC website, Facebook, and Twitter. In addition, she attended monthly meetings with the IT department for updates on student tech requests and IT projects. She also contributed to the ad hoc library committee’s efforts to raise awareness around the current state of the Mina Rees library catalogue, that resulted in a new DSC resolution regarding the catalog and an Advocate article on the issue.

From the University Student Senate Delegate

Due to concerns about the University Student Senate’s integrity, including questionable use of student monies, I decided that the Graduate Center cannot represent GC student interests through direct participation in the USS. This year I represented the interests of USS through alternate means including creating an Ad Hoc Committee to strategize how to negotiate a relationship to USS that is comfortable and ethical.

In order to be able to report on the events of the meetings, I used the Freedom of Information Law (FOIL) to request minutes, budgets and expenditures. In addition to this I also maintain the Unofficial University Student Senate (UUSS) OpenCUNY site, where I post information collected largely through FOIL requests. By the end of my term I plan to have this updated with as much information as has been made available to me.

In addition to FOILing minutes, budgets, and expenditures I have requested other information that would give that information a context such as correspondence between the CUNY central office, administrators and Vice Chancellors. This information has proved harder to acquire because it has not been explicitly denied (so I cannot automatically appeal) but rather the process has been dragged out, making the grounds for appeal less obvious. The details of this will be included in the May issue of the Advocate.

The ad hoc committee has brainstormed several ideas for representing the Graduate Center’s interests with the University Student Senate, particularly in the misuse of our student activity fee money. The committee has also helped to construct the subjects of the Freedom of Information Law Requests that the USS Delegate requested. One of them is the #USSFAIL/#our330K Twitter Campaign which will be launched again with the publication of an Advocate Article on USS in May.

Finally, one of the duties of this office is to participate as a voting member on the Executive Committee of Graduate Council. For this entire school year the committee has scheduled meetings at times when they knew I could not attend even though I have requested that the meetings time be changed to accommodate me, at least for one of the four meetings. This disregard for student participation and governance is problematic and should be noted publicly.

Ad Hoc Committee on New Fellowships

The Ad Hoc Committee on New Fellowships has drafted a petition that details some objections to the implementation of the new fellowships:

We, members and supporters of the CUNY Graduate Center, fully endorse President Bill Kelly’s recent assertion that it is “practically and ethically” necessary to provide better funding to graduate students. We therefore urge the Graduate Center to fulfill its ethical obligations not only to incoming students but to current students as well. The new Graduate Center fellowships fail to address the serious funding and labor issues faced by current GC students, who are consistently underpaid and overworked. Remedying these economic inequities will ensure an appropriate time-to-degree of current students, reduce attrition rates, and increase students’ career prospects. Therefore, we demand that:

1. The GC administration present, with full transparency, the details of any existing and future funding packages and admissions policies to the entire GC community.

2. The teaching load of current students with fellowships be reduced to one course per semester, equal to the 1 : 1 teaching load stipulated by the new fellowships.

3. Any and all new sources of funding obtained henceforth be dispersed to graduate students without funding or with funding equaling less than $25,000 per year. Henceforth, whenever new funding sources are obtained, they will be dispersed to first, un-funded and second,
under-funded students, rather than to incoming students only.

4. The GC administration work with current faculty and students to create plans to provide sufficient financial support (up to the level of the new $25,000 fellowships) to current Graduate Center students, prioritizing first, un-funded and second, under-funded students (including any graduate student receiving less than $25,000 per year).

The City University of New York is a public and publicly accountable institution with a mandate to “educate the whole people.” As the primary doctoral degree granting body of the CUNY community, the Graduate Center represents the University’s commitment to preparing high level scholars, educators, and intellectuals for careers in research and public service. We, the undersigned, applaud the Graduate Center’s efforts to provide increased funding to incoming students in the form of the new Graduate Center Fellowships, and agree that sufficient financial support is vital to ensuring the success of doctoral students throughout all stages of the degree. We the undersigned call on President Bill Kelly and Provost Chase Robinson to act on their laudable commitment to supporting scholarly achievement at the Graduate Center by responding to these specific demands, in writing, to the entire GC community.

Parental Leave Working Group

The Parental Leave Working Group raised awareness of the Graduate Center’s current lack of a policy for parental leave, and, in a series of meetings with the administration, advocated that a policy be established as follows:

All full-time GC students–without regard to gender or method of family-forming (birth, adoption, etc.), and without regard to fellowship status — should be eligible for coverage under this policy, which should provide all of the following:

  • Guaranteed health care;
  • Immediate return to pre-existing fellowship or position, including seniority;
  • Automatic one-semester extension of deadlines without penalty;
  • A one-semester salary at the rate of 1/2 GCF with a minimal work requirement;
  • Students retain their matriculated status and receive tuition remission.

In addition, the working group recommends that a policy statement include a preamble explicitly calling for a culture of universal support. Given the current state of graduate studies in the United States and the world, CUNY has an opportunity to become a global leader in creating a healthier, more welcoming environment for families.

The working group conducted a survey on parental leave, which was open from December 20, 2012 to January 31, 2013. 97 percent of 263 respondents overwhelmingly supported the Graduate Center adopting a Parental Leave Policy. Students reported a pervasive institutional lack of support for parenting due to the Graduate Center’s lack of policy and transparency, as well as disparaging comments and/or lack of information from department chairs and advisers. 98 percent of 264 respondents reported having received no “information from [their] program about how fellowships are or are not affected by having a child.” Almost 100% of 262 respondents indicated that their program did not explain how the financial support of students who become pregnant is affected. Additionally, students reported that fear of losing the NYSHIP health insurance prevented them from taking a leave of absence. Students reported negative attitudes from chairs and advisors regarding becoming pregnant.

Students specified features of an ideal parental leave policy, including:

  • coverage for all new parents (not just pregnant women);
  • coverage for all students (not just those with fellowships);
  • paid leave (requested time varied);
  • keeping health insurance;
  • schedule flexibility for course work; and
  • “stopping the clock” for time-to-degree.

Other suggestions included changes in work duties; providing Family and Medical Leave for students; using existing policies such as the Family Medical Leave Act, New York City’s policies for city government workers, or other graduate program policies as a guide for shaping a policy; access to / assistance with daycare that includes infants; and more support for breastfeeding in Graduate Center facilities. A concern that medical leave (regardless of the specific reason) counts against fellowship funding was also reported. Several students reported they delayed child rearing due to CUNY’s lack of financial /institutional support.

The survey points to the pressing need for The Graduate Center to develop a parental leave policy and to make this policy an inclusive one that respects all students’ rights to create families regardless of sexual orientation or work status within CUNY. Additionally, increased transparency, support for students, and compassionate professionalism when addressing life issues would be welcomed regarding all communication between the administration and the student body.

Emeritus DSC Leadership Advisory Board

The Executive Committee voted to create an Emeritus DSC Leadership Advisory Board (EDLAB), to explore the possibility of instituting such a board through bylaws, as a way for current DSC leadership to draw on the institutional knowledge of previous leadership.

Blood Drives Off Campus

In Spring 2012, the DSC passed a resolution calling for blood drives to be moved off-campus until the FDA lifts its ban on the blood of men who have sex with men. The DSC successfully pushed the administration to move blood drives off campus. The February blood drive took place on 35th Street between Fifth and Madison Avenues, in a New York Blood Center mobile bus.  On the day of the blood drive, DSC Steering Committee members tabled in the Graduate Center lobby, collecting signatures for a petition to fund necessary research to lift the FDA ban on the blood of men who have sex with men, and collecting symbolic donations of red straws from people ineligible to donate because of the FDA ban.