Graduate Student Senate heard from four out of the five candidates running for executive positions during its open forum meeting.
Michael Senteney, Brett Fredericksen, Linford Frimpong and Dareen Tadros spoke about what their plans would be in an executive position.
Three resolutions were passed at the meeting. One resolution was in response to Student Senate passing a bill with the goal of making its constitution independent from the Board of Trustees approval.
No GSS members, executives or graduate students in general were consulted in the passing or drafting of this amendment, Fredericksen said.
“The language in this amendment was very unclear and still describes their constituency as all students and thus it is unfair how this amendment will, if at all, affect GSS or graduate students more widely,” Fredericksen said.
According to the agenda, another resolution would suspend the rules and procedures of GSS in order to extensively change the executive positions and streamline the roles and responsibilities of the executive officers to better align with university structure.
In addition, this suspension would also •advocate for greater compensation to those in executive roles within GSS. GSS President Maria Modayil said in comparison to other senates, OU’s GSS is by far the least funded.
Senteney discussed the transfer of GSS’s budget from being overseen in an account by the graduate college to an account with the CIC. Senteney said GSS currently has a budget of $2,690.08.
The final resolution appointed two new members into the body, Levonte Brooks as a department representative for psychology and Audra Burtch as a department representative for physical therapy.
