Over the last several weeks and months, the various constituencies of Ohio University have scrambled to understand and articulate various visions of the Five Year Academic Plan. The authors of the plan initially informed the university community that the foundations of the academic plan were rooted in Vision Ohio, Ohio University's strategic plan. Upon inspection, it appeared that there was a large disconnect between the goals, outcomes and priorities articulated for graduate students within those two documents.
To align the academic plan with Vision Ohio, the Graduate Student Senate (GSS) unanimously passed a resolution Oct. 22 that called for a decreased general fee, subsidized health care, an increase in stipends and overall assistantships and an increase in grant funding opportunities. All of these goals were contained within Vision Ohio, but none of them were clearly articulated in the Five Year Academic Plan.
However, the resolution passed by GSS cannot be an end unto itself, and so today the Graduate Student Senate is calling on the entire Ohio University graduate community to mobilize and help ensure that the academic plan respects the goals laid out in Vision Ohio. From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, we will have two stations set up, one at College Gate, and the other outside the 4th floor entrance of Baker University Center. Here, graduate students will be able to call and e-mail Deans Chuck McWeeny and Ben Ogles, who are in charge of gathering input for the next draft of the academic plan, as well as Provost Kathy Krendl, the person ultimately responsible for making changes to the plan before it proceeds on to our president and Board of Trustees.
Additionally, we are calling on all graduate students to attend an open forum today at 3 p.m. at the Baker University Center Theatre, located on the 2nd floor. This is the last in a series of four forums that are designed to gather input on the academic plan. A large graduate presence will help illustrate the degree of support that exists for the proposals outlined in the GSS resolution.
The bottom line is this: Unless significant changes are made to this plan, a decreased general fee, subsidized health care, an increase in stipends and overall assistantships and an increase in grant funding, opportunities will almost certainly not be initiated in the foreseeable future. But, if instituted, these changes could provide thousands of dollars of funding and subsidy to Ohio University graduate students. Today, GSS strongly urges the graduate community to find the time to stop by one of these stations and attend the open forum at Baker to improve the lives of yourself, your colleagues, your friends and the entire family that is Ohio University graduate education.
Drew Pusateri is the senator for the College of Education for Graduate Student Senate. Also signing this letter were Stephan Oechsle, commissioner for graduate student life; Dominic Barbato, president of Graduate Student Senate; Brittany Buxton, vice president for committee and legislative affairs; Nihar Sha, senator for the College of Engineering; Alyssa Thomas, senator for the College of Arts and Sciences; Eric Zimac, vice president for finance and administration; Cherish Odom, vice president for communications; Merrian Brooks, senator for the college of osteopathic medicine; Erin Schwartz, senator for the College of Fine Arts; Jennifer Dunn, senator for the College of Communication; Steve Siff, department representative for journalism; Karen Greiner, department representative for communication studies; Pete Wickman, department representative for history; Jennette Lovejoy, department representative for journalism; Josh Phillips, department representative for political science; and Animesh Rathore, representative for information and telecommunication systems.
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Letter to the Editor
