For the first time since Nov. 18 of last year, Ohio University President Roderick McDavis will be in attendance at a Graduate Student Senate general body meeting.
On Tuesday at 8 p.m. in the Walter Rotunda, GSS plans to ask McDavis about the Graduate General Fee Survey, collaboration with Athens Public Transit and parking on campus. They also plan to ask him about the “most transformative experience” he has faced during his time at OU and what issues he would pursue if he were a GSS member.
“We have a stronger relationship with administrators both in (the) Graduate College and the Office of the President this year,” Alex Burke, vice president of finance, said.
GSS President Ian Armstrong said he hopes the relationship between GSS and the Office of the President continues with the next president after McDavis leaves.
“I think it will set a really positive precedent for the Graduate Student Senate to be in conversation with the Office of the President,” Spencer Smith, vice president of communication, said in an email. “It makes our job of representing graduate students easier if we can have regular face time with the president.”
The general body meeting will follow OHIO Leaders, an event GSS has been working on since July, Burke said. It is a commemorative event for Sen. George Voinovich who served two terms as Ohio governor and graduated from OU in 1958. He died June 12 at age 79.
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“I’m just excited that we have such an engaged alumni group,” Armstrong said. “Just the fact that we have these great individuals coming to interact with current students is great.”
Since McDavis is coming to the meeting and it directly follows OHIO Leaders, the general body meeting will be short and anything the body doesn’t get to will be tabled until the next meeting.
“We would like the president to have as much time as we need for that discussion,” Armstrong said. “We also told the body we wouldn’t go past 9 in order to be consistent. Anything we don’t get to will be tabled until the final meeting for the fall.”
The body will vote on at least one resolution, which outlines the body's stance on holding forums with the final candidates for OU's next president. Armstrong, who is sponsoring the resolution, thinks holding those forums is “really important.”
“As far as I understand, no one will commit to that,” Armstrong said. “So I plan to bring forth this resolution to have GSS state that this is something that needs to happen to keep this process transparent.”
In addition to that resolution, GSS will vote on budget resolutions. As of Friday afternoon, Burke said there were three budget requests.
