Graduate students unanimously rejected a buyout offer from the provost last night - turning down her offer of $40,000 toward covering the 3.5 percent General Fee increase if they gave up all educational benefits.
Graduate Student Senate President Tracy Kelly told senators that, in a meeting on Monday, Executive Vice President and Provost Pam Benoit offered to give the Graduate College $40,000 if senators agreed to give up education benefits.
Her proposal is that (the benefits) would be eliminated across the board
Kelly said. It would just eliminate the whole thing.
OU's Board of Trustees approved a 3.5 percent General Fee increase at its meeting last month. Graduate students currently pay $513 a quarter for the General Fee, and the 3.5 percent increase will up that amount to $530.95
Senators questioned the validity of the proposal, including the monetary amount that would be accredited to each graduate student once the funds were distributed.
When you distribute out this (money) among the graduate students who are on appointment it looks like it is going to come to seven dollars or less per graduate student per quarter Kelly said. Potentially what is being asked of us here is that we will cash in a benefit that is ours that we can be eligible for seven dollars a quarter.
OU's Budget Planning Council has passed a resolution recommending that the Graduate College be allowed to use the 1 percent raise pool to buy out the increase. If approved by President Roderick McDavis, the money from merit raises will provide the college with $118,000. Kelly has estimated that it will cost $110,000 to cover the costs of the General Fee increase.
Other concerns raised with Benoit's offer included if the money would be offered on an annual basis and if educational benefits are cut, would it lead to more cuts for graduate students.
My concern is that rather than being fair and equitable
the provost has decided to eliminate the benefit rather than follow what is in the policy
said Dave Nichols, senate's Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Affairs commissioner. What other benefits are they going to take away from us because I am not seeing them putting anything into graduate education or giving graduate students anything. I just see the cutting and cutting and cutting. Where do we draw the line as graduate students?
Senate is currently circulating a petition calling for OU to include graduate students in domestic partner benefits, after a graduate student applied for benefits for his domestic partner and was denied.
Our petition is now at over 390 signatures and counting
Kelly said.
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Olivia Arbogast
