Although her three-year Graduate Student Senate presidency is coming an end, Tracy Kelly’s legacy will be kept alive through the benefits her tenure has brought to graduate students and their families.
“I wanted to affiliate myself with an organization like Graduate Student Senate because it had so much potential to bring about change,” said Kelly, a graduate student studying public administration.
Kelly ran under the PROUD party and was elected president in 2009’s uncontested election. The former student trustee said she saw an opportunity to expand GSS by taking on matters facing the LGBT and multicultural portions of Ohio University’s student population.
“I think she’s been great,” said Tynita White, GSS commissioner for African American Affairs. “She is very passionate about what she does and about LGBT issues, and when I was in undergrad, I got to see that.”
One of the largest reforms of her term was rewriting the Domestic Partners Policy during her first year in office. The policy is aimed at ensuring that all graduate student and faculty members’ children and spouses receive benefits for discounted tuition if they choose to attend the university. However, it was found that OU’s Graduate Council was not honoring the policy to graduate students after one graduate student was denied benefits for his domestic partner.
“Within 48 hours, Tracy was on it,” said Molly Yanity, who is running uncontested under the same PROUD party to replace Kelly.
Amid the controversy over the policy, Kelly formed a petition and got 527 students to sign in an effort that eventually got the policy rewritten.
“The graduate college didn’t really want to give ground on the issue,” Kelly said.
During the past year, Kelly and members of GSS have been collaborating to make recommendations to United HealthCare about what improvements they would like to see in the new health insurance plan for next year.
Graduate students wanted to see greater coverage of services in the new policy such as hormones for transgender students and travel immunizations. Some of the suggestions that were taken into consideration and are reflected in the draft of the new policy.
“I am thoroughly impressed with her willingness to listen and get stuff done,” Yanity said.
In addition to administrative reform, Kelly also has helped create new social opportunities on campus with the help of her colleagues. Many students, both graduate and undergraduate, partake in the mini farmers markets that have been made available on campus.
On Friday GSS will host a mini farmers market from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Howard Park. This year, the senate has gained more vendor participation than ever before with 20 local eateries and producers, including Crumbs Bakery, Casa Nueva and Grandma’s Rolling Pin.
“We hope to have a great turnout with this new location,” said Kelly, who plans to continue working with GSS while finishing her master’s. “It’s a great opportunity to meet people in the community.”
Specifically, Kelly will work with Yanity to smooth the transition and help out with events such as the farmers market in the future.
“I’m really proud of our accomplishments, and I think it’s a great opportunity for somebody new to bring some new ideas into the presidency,” Kelly said. “I’m not sad. I feel really positive about everything we’ve
accomplished.”
hm156809@ohiou.edu
