Ohio University graduate students are one step closer to dodging a 3.5 percent increase to the general fee next year after President Roderick McDavis' budget advisory council passed a resolution in favor of allowing graduate students to use money to buy down the general fee increase rather than for merit raises.
At Friday's meeting, the Budget Planning Council - an advisory council that makes recommendations to McDavis about financial decisions - approved a resolution that suggests graduate students with assistantships receive the money given to the Graduate College by the 1 percent merit pool increase to offset the general fee increase.
The merit pool increase will give the Graduate College an extra $118,000 to spend.
According to these numbers
it looks like we can completely offset the 3.5 percent increase and spare our constituents Kelly said. The cost to buy down the 3.5 percent increase will be $110 000.
Currently, graduate students pay $513 a quarter for the general fee, and with the 3.5 percent increase that amount will increase to $530.95.
Under normal circumstances, the money would have been given to the dean of the Graduate College, Rathindra Bose, to distribute as he saw fit - most likely to be used for stipends.
We wanted to make sure that it went right to graduate students in the most meaningful way
said Tracy Kelly, president of Graduate Student Senate. We wanted the money go to graduate students on assistantships equally.
With the addition of the new funds, Graduate Student Senate wanted the money to go toward helping the general fee buy down, Kelly said. We came to a consensus in (senate) and with several other constituents that this is how we wanted the money to be allocated.
With the money covering the general fee buy down, it will be exempt from taxes and retirement money.
Based on what was presented
(the graduate students) got more benefit getting the money as a buy down rather than in the form of a stipend enhancement
said Scott Titsworth, director of graduate students in the School of Communication Studies and member of BPC. If you take the money and give it to them as a stipend
you take it and spread it out over nine months ... It really diminishes the spending power (of the increase).
The resolution passed with ten votes to none with four abstentions.
In light of the recent budget cuts
Kelly sees this as a positive sign for graduate students.
We just went through significant budget cuts, Kelly said. And the fact that we can obtain this increase, and then we were able to offset the increase. ... This is a very significant victory.",",1,News,Olivia Arbogast,",",",",",","
31469,2010-04-26 01:45:00,Showers make for 'relaxed' Ark Fest,Although Ark Fest had everything from organic ice cream to beer bongs
it lacked attendees and bands.,Although Ark Fest had everything from organic ice cream to beer bongs
it lacked attendees and bands.
There have been five times this many people other years, said Kolin Gregory
a senior studying pre-law. More people want to watch the (NFL) draft (this year).
The fest began at about noon and ended at about 7 p.m. Saturday. For the first hour
