Graduate Student Senate passed four resolutions, including one giving graduate students the option to waive part of the general fee, at the March GSS meeting as it was live streamed for the first time.
Graduate Student Senate wants graduate students to be able to opt out of a portion of Ohio University’s general fee if they think they won’t attend OU sporting events.
The resolution was approved at GSS' Monday meeting.
It's not clear what steps will be taken by university officials regarding the resolution.
The general fee is a chunk of money that OU students pay. It goes into a pool of money and the pot funds various departments within the university.
Under GSS' plan, graduate students would be able to opt out of a part of the flat rate they pay that goes toward tickets to athletic events, which they consider to be about $100.
“I have never attended an athletic game and I don’t think I’m alone,” said Guy Aldridge, a GSS history department representative who sponsored the resolution.
In the 2014-15 academic year, more than $27.4 million was collected for the student general fee, according to a previous Post report. About 34 percent of that total, or about $9.2 million, went to OU Athletics.
Waiving the optional fee would give graduate students back $134 — the approximate amount that goes toward athletics, according to the resolution.
The general fee for graduate students was $1,256 for the 2014-15 academic year.
“I really think that it’s exciting to explore the ways that graduate students differ from undergraduate students because at this point all the fees that we pay are the same, the way that our fees are structured are the same, but at the end of the day we have a lot of interests that differ and priorities that majorly differ,” said Maggie Clark, GSS' vice president for committees and legislative affairs.
Two other resolutions were also passed Monday in favor of a “full buydown” of the general fee for graduate students by the next academic year.
According to one resolution, “The university’s 2006 Graduate Priorities Implementation Team under the Provost recommended a full waiver of the General Fee for graduate students; therefore be it, That the Graduate Student Senate officially demands a full buydown of the graduate student General Fee beginning in the 2015-2016 academic year...”
The resolution to enforce this demand also detailed plans to protest at OU football games if graduate students are still paying the athletics portion of the general fee next fall.
Clark noted that graduate students have a greater financial burden than undergraduates, specifically pointing out that many graduate students are no longer supported by their parents.
“It’s really exciting to look at how we can appeal to higher quality graduate students by making less of a financial burden for them,” Clark said.
Monday’s meeting was also the first to be live-streamed. The stream included a chat option for participants to submit comments and questions about the meeting.
GSS President Carl Edward Smith III noted that the video and chat options would be convenient, as many graduate students take classes online.
@megankhenry
