Broward Triples Graduate Grants Awarded
Broward Graduate Council announced that it has more than tripled the number of grants awarded to students this year. Randy Goin, BGC‘s chair, also stated that the Council still has grant funding available for Broward Graduate Students. In the past Broward’s grants activity has been lower than on the Boca Campus, and the increase in grants awarded seems to reflect the trend on its sister campus.
Broward is also looking for Council members whose duties include voting for grants. Those interested should contact Randy Goin at [email protected].
Boca Graduate Grants run dry
With four months remaining of the current fiscal year, Boca’s Graduate Grants Committee has run out of money. As of today (March 19th) Boca GGC has only $180 remaining of its original $52,500 for graduate grants. While GGC normally disburses all of its student grants, the funds normally last until almost the end of the fiscal year. GGC has submitted a bill to the Boca Student Government senate requesting an extra $7,000.
I asked Wood why GGC had not requested more funding from student government before now. She said she was told by SG officers (including Governor Pablo Paez, and Senate Speaker Nicholas Kalman) that no additional SG funding would be available until after Spring Break. The grants crisis was compounded when GGC received 14 grant applications in one week.
Wood went on to say that the average amount requested from GGC per grant had almost doubled – from $350 to $700, owing to an increasing number of students requesting funds to present at conferences out of state. GGC currently operates on a first-come first-served basis, and has yet to refuse a grant application. The Agency for Graduate Concerns has also exhausted its grants allowance for Boca Students, and is applying for additional funding from the University Wide Student Government Council.
GGC has requested $60,000 from Student Government for the coming year. Given the increase in requests compared with last year, and given that GGC has already (by mid-March) run out of money this year – one might wonder why they have not requested more.
For status on current funding contact [email protected].
Boca Graduate Elections
The Graduate Student Association (GSA) and Graduate Grants Committee (GGC) are accepting nominations for the following positions: GSA : President, Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer, Senators (department / college representatives). GGC: Chair, GGC Committee members.
Nominations can be made by email to [email protected]. Elections will be held April 2nd at 2:30 p.m. University Center, second floor, Royal Palm room, Boca campus. Current nominees include: President : Janna Taft, Vice President: Linsey Hamilton, Treasurer: Marien Abreu, Secretary: Donna Chamely.
Northern Students not forgotten
While the majority of grads attend the Broward or Boca Campuses, those “up north” have not been left out in the cold. MacArthur’s Graduate Student Council has been lobbying Student Government for funding for the coming year. While students on the Northern and Treasure Coast Campuses can receive support and grant funding from the Agency for Graduate Concerns, MacArthur now has its own students lobbying for local funding.
Robert VanBeck, the Council’s director describes the budget process as having been “bumpy”, but was pleased to announce that the graduate council and MacArthur student government, ” . . . were able to see eye-to-eye a little better at the last meeting”.
Graduate Concerns Agency is growing
The Agency for Graduate Concerns (AGC) has been awarded over 50% budget increase. Kimberly Palermo, Director of the Agency for Graduate Concerns informed the UP in a recent email that the breakdown will include $30,000 for Graduate Grants University Wide. While not the $100,000 promised by ex- SG President Burak Kuntay, it seems that Student Government is trying to make good its promise to increase support for grads. Whether this support will be reflected on FAU‘s constituent campuses remains to be seen, since at time of press the Student Government budget still has not been finalized.
A “Graduate” Student Government?
Relations between FAU‘s graduate groups and Student Government (SG) have varied over the past few years. While most groups enjoy financial support from SG, there is still the issue of how much (or rather how little) funding grads receive. SG gets its money from student “activity and service” (A&S) fees. Around $10 per credit hour of all classes (graduate and undergraduate) goes to student government to do with as it pleases. Graduate students (around 20% of FAU‘s student population) pay into this pot of money.
A full time grad student will pay around $270 in a year, while a full time undergraduate will pay at least $240 for two semesters. Because grad students take fewer classes (full time is 9 rather than 12 credits) the actual amount they pay in Activity and Service fees is closer to ten percent of SG‘s annual budget. Last year SG had a budget of over $6 million, indicating over half a million dollars is paid per year by grads.
Where does SG‘s money go? Largely not to FAU‘s grad students. A large amount of money goes to pay for the University Center on the Boca Campus – an amount set to rise this year after the UC‘s recent expansion. SG also funds concerts, clubs, social events, the University Press, TV Station, the Night Owls and a host of other services.
Other less laudable expenses have included money to new furniture for SG‘s offices, a golf cart for its members to ride around in and cellular phones for its leadership. The amount of money going directly to graduate organizations and clubs is far less than 10% of SG‘s budget. This year all of FAU ‘s graduate organizations (including clubs and agencies) received less than $150,000 – a far cry from the half million or so that some might argue they should have received.
SG members would argue that SG is there to serve grads and undergrads alike, and that both groups can benefit equally from the services that SG offers. There is some truth in this – you are reading the SG funded newspaper right now for example. Unfortunately many grads do not benefit from SG‘s expenditures – many are too busy to attend socials, go to parties or concerts, to “hang out” in the University Center or join a student club. Whose fault is this? Is it that graduate students are just too lethargic to take advantage of the services being offered?
Perhaps this criticism might apply to a few grads with undemanding schedules and low motivation, but for the most part grads are just too busy to take advantage of these services. A majority of graduate students are in business and teaching programs, holding down jobs while attending school. As one graduate student commented at a recent meeting, “Mom and Dad aren’t paying for college”.
The average age of a grad student is over 30 – a time when many also have family commitments along with school and work. More clearly, some of FAU‘s grads actually are “Mom and Dad”. Clearly the FAU graduate student does not fall into the “single eighteen to twenty-two-year-old” category.
The issue is compounded when you remember that the majority of students in Student Government are “traditional students”, i.e. young, single, and not graduates – one might argue that that age, culture and academic experience make grads and undergrads live in worlds apart. Those with sizeable work or family commitments can seldom spare the time to get involved with SG. This same problem is faced by graduate groups when they look for officers and volunteers to help out at events.
Lobbying
None of this means that SG is unresponsive to graduate concerns. Last year it provided over $50,000 to start up a new Agency for Graduate Concerns (AGC), and it seems likely that AGC will receive even more money this coming year. AGC has expended a considerable effort lobbying SG for funding and support. Various campus-based groups have recently been active in lobbying SG for funding since SG is about to vote for next year’s budget.
Unfortunately some groups have been less than effective at lobbying for graduate concerns, and much of that responsibility has been left to the AGC, whose officers are employed by SG.
The Boca Graduate Student Association, whose officers are elected by Graduate Students at an annual open meeting, has neglected the lobbying role in the last year. When asked “What lobbying has GSA done?” at today’s GSA meeting Anita Kirchen (GSA President) replied, “aside from trying to meet with SG – none”. It is unclear whether other campuses are involved in lobbying SG formally. Dissent is less likely when you consider that the leaders of Broward and MacArthur’s Graduate Councils, those working for the Agency for Graduate Concerns as well as Boca’s Grants Committee are all Student Government employees. Umar Ghuman – AGC‘s Graduate Reception Assistant advocated greater involvement in SG at today’s GSA meeting.
Only one Graduate Student – Bonnie Benson – has stepped up to the plate and is running in the Student Government elections. Obviously there is a real need to get graduate representation in SG’s many committees and meetings, but it would seem that graduate groups could do more in this regard.
A place of their own?
So should graduate students manage their own money? At today’s Graduate Student Association meeting the answer was a resounding (and unanimous) “YES!” by officers and members alike. The benefits would be more funding for graduate grants, more resources for training, seminars, orientations and workshops. Anita Kirchen, GSA‘s president suggested that perhaps 80% of Graduate Activity and Service fees be administered by graduate students, the remaining 20% being administered by Student Government. The idea seemed popular with members, although the idea of placing half a million dollars at the disposal of those who provided the money in the first place might strike some as dangerous.
Voter turnout at SG elections runs typically at around 5% of the population, while Graduates do make up a distinct section of FAU students. In addition, FAU already has 4 campus-based student governments, so there may be a strong case for having a Graduate VP or governor. Given that the infrastructure (campus-based groups, agencies serving graduate needs and democratically elected officers) is already in existence, the argument against a Graduate Student Government might not be as strong as it used to be.
Graduate Student Association & Graduate Grants Committee Meeting
Tuesday, March 19, 2002
2:30-4:30 p.m. University Center, second floor, Royal Palm Room, Boca campus
Planning Graduate End of Year Conference, Nominations for GSA Officers, Education Symposium Table, Fall Orientation and TA Training & Voting on GGC grants; Everyone welcome!
Contact: [email protected]
Broward Graduate Council Presents the Professional Protocol Dinner
Thursday, March 21, 2002
6-9 p.m. Doubletree Oceanfront Hotel
Free to all FAU Broward Graduate Students and any faculty member that brings their students. If you are not a Broward student and are interested in attending contact AGC [email protected] 561.297.1170.
The Storytelling Conference continues with Lucia Gonzalez,
Wednesday, March 27, 2002,
Time TBA, Davie Campus
Lucia is a Cuban storyteller and author from Miami who weaves folktales & personal stories Snacks Provided!! Everyone Welcome!!
For More Information please contact Caren Neile @ [email protected]
Student Government Elections
Tuesday & Wednesday, April 2 & 3, 2002
Graduate Students make up over 20% of the student population here at FAU. Make your voice heard. Get out and vote. Candidate Bios will be published in the upcoming issue of the University Press.
Graduate Student Association Officer Election Meeting
Tuesday, April 2, 2002
2:30-4:30 p.m. University Center, 2nd Flr., Royal Palm Room, Boca campus
Election of New GSA Officers. Everyone welcome!
Contact: [email protected]
Graduate End of Year Conference
Thursday, April 9, 2002
12:00-2:00 p.m. Live Oak Pavilion, Boca campus
Academic and Research Presentations by Graduate Grant Recipients. Lunch Provided. Everyone welcome! Please R.S.V.P.
Contact: [email protected]
Master of Fine Arts Association
Thursday, April 18th, 2002
6:30pm Schmidt Gallery, Boca campus
