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May 14, 2004

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The Doctoral Students Council: Alive and Well

Paul McBreen

The accomplishments of the Doctoral Students Council (DSC) this year indicate that activism and advocacy are alive and flourishing at the Graduate Center. The clearest sign of this is the increase in participation in DSC activities and attendance at plenary meetings.

We began the year by setting specific goals that each of us (the three co-chairs and six steering committee members) felt were realistic for two semester’s time. These goals included improving the visibility of the DSC within the GC community, strengthening our ties with off-campus programs and lobbying on the matter of student health care. The DSC plenary then discussed these goals and passed a resolution regarding their execution.

Co-Chair for Student Affairs Carolyn Fisher arranged the successful and well-attended student organization fair and diligently pursued the issue of tuition remission for GC students who teach and serve the university as fellows. Her articles have appeared in several editions of The Advocate, and her excellent “Student Involvement Survey” has been invaluable in providing the DSC with names and contact information of students who wish to be involved, thereby widening the pool of students who participate in GC governance.

Co-Chair for Communications Paul McBreen attended press conferences to keep alive the awareness of the plight of Miguel Malo, a former Hostos student leader who is facing unwarranted charges due to CUNY cop brutality while engaging in peaceful demonstration. Paul also attended the New York City Council meetings which were held on matters concerning CUNY.

Co-Chair for Business Jose Zambrana embarked upon a massive office organization project to transfer old DSC financial records to newer computers. He was diligent in aligning the budget allocations with the Constitution, and made sure that everyone got paid as close to on-time as humanly possible.

Meanwhile, steering committee members pursued many projects helpful to students. Sheryl Gordon worked on a committee that drafted the healthcare survey, recently completed by over 650 students. The data she helped gather will influence decisions regarding student health plans in the near future. Tina Lee served on a committee that studied the issue of graduate tuition remission and also aided in the planning of our Fall party. With future generations of DSC operatives in mind, Tina and Sheryl put together a binder with our collective knowledge on the subject of throwing a kick-ass party. Tina also hosted a steering committee bake-off which resulted in the vast array of cookies consumed at the first coffee hour.

Camille Tipton doubled as our web-druidess and designed an awesome website for the DSC (she’s behind The Advocate’s page as well). Camille spearheaded the Constitutional Convention, an attempt to modernize our founding document, which is printed on yellowing parchment and sometimes requires medieval experts to be understood. We all channel information to her regarding events happening at the GC in order to provide a current “events” calendar.

Ceila Braxton researched off-campus programs in order to form a database of contact information since the DSC does not have access to a direct channel of communication to all constituents. She initiated and organized the DSC popcorn giveaway in October (thanks again to the Mathematics department’s Rob Landsman for the long-term loan of the popcorn machine), a three-day event during which information on DSC was distributed as well as publicity for our Fall party. She served as the student representative on the Curriculum and Degree Requirements Committee, and she exhorts other students (that means you!) to get involved with GC committees “to make sure the concerns of students are not simply heard, but acted upon.”

Brenda Jenkins is a voice of calm and wisdom at our steering committee meetings. As a night-time only GC student, her perspective is invaluable. She earned kudos for chairing last year’s highly contentious “war resolution” plenary, which some remember). Moira Egan, of DSC’s past and present, organized our coffee hours and assisted in party planning. Moira visited Roosevelt Island, a possible site of future student housing and contributed her opinions on the need for student accommodations at a reasonable cost.

We recommend that students fill out the Student Involvement Survey which will be arriving in their GC mailboxes soon.