Graduate Student Senate passed three resolutions Monday night and tabled a resolution that could potentially boycott all presidential university committees.
Ohio University’s Graduate Student Senate tabled a resolution Monday to boycott all presidential university committees until OU President Roderick McDavis addresses concerns expressed over the general fee.
The resolution was tabled following a debate between members of GSS, many of whom were appointed during Monday’s meeting.
The resolution states that until McDavis attends a GSS meeting and answers questions from the senate, GSS members would refrain from attending their appointments on university committees.
“I understand completely where (the proposed resolution) would be effective in terms of the General Fee Committee,” Maggie Clark, Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs Senator, who served on graduate council, said during the meeting. “I totally understand that, but I believe that in other ways we would be doing a disservice only to ourselves. I don’t think we would be missed enough.”
GSS President Carl Edward Smith III said McDavis “takes a huge paycheck” in comparison to the $9,000 median stipend that graduate and teaching assistants earn per year. Dan Pittman, OU public relations manager, said in an email that the median stipend for graduate students is $12,000 for the 2015 academic year, while it was $9,000 in the 2013 academic year.
The OU General Fee totaled $1,256 for graduate students during the 2014-15 school year and yielded $27.4 million, according to a previous Post report.
In March, GSS passed a resolution that would allow graduate students to be able to opt out of a portion of OU’s General Fee if they do not plan to attend OU sporting events. Thirty-four percent of the general fee was allocated to fund OU Athletics in the 2014-2015 academic year, according to a previous Post report.
The proposal was not approved by McDavis in April, according to a previous Post report.
On Sept. 12 before the first home football game, GSS hosted a protest during which they called for living wages for graduate assistants and the ability to opt out of part of OU’s General Fee.
GSS contacted McDavis last year and also invited him to Monday’s meeting, Smith said.
“(McDavis is) accountable to us, as well as other faculty and administration members,” Liudmila Pestun, vice president of finance and administration, said during the meeting. “By putting this message across the board, this is our way to say that McDavis doesn't want to talk to us and this is not okay.”
Three other resolutions were passed during Monday’s meeting: amending formatting standards, appointing new members of GSS and appointing and financing a Graduate Employment Public Awareness Campaign Director.
Also taking place at Monday’s meeting, Will Klatt, a recent graduate from the Voinovich school, presented on the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 8 at OU and a possible unionization between university student workers.
“Without graduate workers, this university could not function,” Klatt said. “The institution as a structure doesn’t pay us for what we’re worth.”
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