The Advocate

Spring News from the Doctoral Students' Council

Welcome back, and welcome to The Graduate Center, CUNY to any incoming new students! This page of The Advocate is reserved for news on the activities and ideas of the Doctoral Students’ Council—the representative body for all GC students. Read on to see what’s on the DSC menu right now.

Funding problems for Mid-Level Students
The DSC is reminding administrators at every chance possible about the unfair situation mid-level students are encountering. These students are no longer able to apply for financial assistance since the current GTFs are being repackaged for incoming students only. Meanwhile, the Writing Fellowship program is returning to its original mission of funding Level III students and by next year will likely be open to them alone. Provost Bill Kelly has assured us in meetings that he is aware of the lack of funding available for mid-level students and is sympathetic to their plight. However, no concrete solutions have been discussed.

Tuition Remission
The GC seems to be edging closer to its long-sought holy grail of tuition remission. The budget request submitted by CUNY to the governor and the legislature in Albany includes a request for $7.5 million specifically earmarked for graduate student support and tuition remission for students who offer service on CUNY campuses. The DSC will be working with administrators on a spring campaign to inform the GC community about who our elected representatives are and which ones we need to target with focused lobbying efforts. The long-term goal is institutional budgeting parity with SUNY in funding graduate student support. Part of SUNY’s annual allocation includes a set amount earmarked specifically for graduate support; CUNY deserves the same annual allocation mechanism!

Reaching Off-Campus Students
Steering committee member Tomo Imamichi will be spearheading our visits to various campuses to mingle with fellow graduate students who do not frequent 365 Fifth Avenue often. We are concerned that all registered GC students benefit from the student activity fee, even if this means that smiling DSC members deliver a pizza party this semester.

Cultural Affairs Grant Money
The DSC offers grants up to $600 for student-led conferences, activities, and publications. This is an under-utilized resource which we want to advertise and encourage students to pursue. The specifications and application process are described on the DSC website.

Reminder about Graduate Council
The first meeting of the Graduate Council will be Thursday March 3rd at 3 PM in room 9206/7. Student attendance has been improving and we support this movement.

DSC plenary
The next DSC plenary is March 11th. DSC representatives must attend!