After spending the fall forming a strategy and vision for the year, Graduate Student Senate President Tracy Kelly plans to shift her focus this quarter.
We plan on taking the resolutions and bringing them into reality
Kelly said.
Last quarter, the Senate passed seven resolutions, including ones to request educational benefits for domestic partners of graduate students, oppose reductions in graduate appointment stipends and benefits and to adopt Bobcat Budgeting which mocked President Roderick McDavis' choice to funnel excess general fee money to Intercollegiate Athletics.
Over the break, Kelly said she concentrated on the domestic partners resolution and the protection of graduate education.
This quarter, Kelly wants to raise awareness concerning the importance of educational benefits for domestic partners.
Ohio University's administration defines domestic partners as two people who share a regular and permanent residence, have a committed personal relationship of at least six months, can demonstrate financial interdependence and are not related by blood, married or in another domestic partnership.
We aren't saying that the institution should change the policy; we're saying that the institution should apply that policy uniformly across the population said Josh Bodnar, the senate's vice president for committees and legislative affairs, in October.
As part of Kelly's plan for university-wide recognition about the resolution, she met with Mickey Hart, LGBT Center director, and Dean of Students Ryan Lombardi. Kelly said they will help her take the resolution to the next level by presenting it to the Budget Planning Council.
Along with the domestic partners resolution, Kelly said she worked over break to protect graduate education in terms of funding, benefits and stipends in the midst of budget cuts. Thus far, Kelly has met with four deans, including Dean of the College of Education Renee Middleton, Dean of the College of Fine Arts Chuck McWeeny, Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Ben Ogles and Dean of the Graduate College Rathindra Bose.
If you believe in something
you have to follow through with it
Kelly said.
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Rachel Ferchak
