posted
In regards to the recent survey suggest by Miles Lepping about departmental reps access to faculty meetings and voting rights, I'd like to propose that the GSG initiate a process to attempt to standardize the rights and responsibilities of representatives across all departments. Specifically, I believe that all departmental reps (or at least one from each department), should have access to faculty meetings. Voting rights can be left to the individual departments.
This could probably be accomplished by writing up a letter about what reps are/do and why they should have access and sending it to all the departments on campus.
Any thoughts?
Posts: 71 | I am: Senator | Registered: Nov 2001
| Logged: 138.88.153.131 |
posted
It's a pretty interesting idea. One issue I think we would need to put some serious thought into is that GSG Departmental Voting Reps. 1) don't currently have any GSG-based statutory responsibilities vis-a-vis the inner-workings of their depratments; departments are self-governing, with obvious exceptions of University and College-specific policy; and the GSG can only exercise moral force here, not policy direction. What the latter means is that we can broach the topic with departments, but they can also feel free to ignore us... unless we want to try to initiate some University-wide policy.
But beyone all of that, there are some distinctions of importance. For example, in the SOCY department we have a graduate organization that oversees these kinds of issues with elected officers and a plan of organization (very loosely defined). It's called the Sociology Grad Forum. Two of the elected officers of that Forum are the GSG Reps. However, other officers are elected to serve on departmental committees with faculty, etc. This arrangement has served us well.
I guess my bottom line is this: I think we should advocate for graduate student participation in the life of departments, but that we should not, per se, advocate that this participation necessarily go through the GSG Reps. I'm also not sure that it's a good idea to try to standardize these practices. Some departments have mechanisms for this. We don't necessarily want to change those. I think the overall theme of grad student participation is a good one though.
Posts: 258 | I am: Graduate Student Government President | Registered: Oct 2001
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posted
Although in general, I agree with Doc that it's not the GSG's role to actively lobby individual departments, I do think that David's idea has some merit.
The GSG brings together students from departments all over campus. Some of those departments are more receptive to graduate student feedback than others. While it's not really to place of the GSG (or any campus-wide body) to interfere in the internal organization of departments, it is the place of the GSG to serve as a forum for students from those different departments to meet and exchange ideas. Many students have approached the GSG with problems internal to their departments. Often, I think the solution to those problems can probably be found by talking to students in other departments. The GSG is perfect for this. If you were wondering how your department could offer more represenation to its graduate students, wouldn't you like to be able to go to your department chair and tell them what other departments on campus do about it?
Maybe a project that the GSG could undertake would be a non-binding guide to "best practices" in departments across campus. This would include things like departmental structures that facilitate graduate student input in departmental decisions, or even elections processes for GSG or other campus-wide representatives. Essentially it would be something put together by the reps, pooling their collective knowledge. It could even be done right here in the forums.
Posts: 322 | I am: VP Committee Affairs | Registered: Nov 2002
| Logged: 128.8.120.224 |
posted
I agree with both Doc and Adam, and I never meant to imply that the GSG should attempt to strong-arm this kind of a policy onto departments. I think a friendly letter with some suggestions of what other departments are doing and why it might be a good idea would be best. Looking at "best practices" and what other departments are doing would be a good idea. Some departments have student groups with representation, some have their own 'faculty assembly' where grad students can voice their ideas. I'll begin to talk to people and collect some information, maybe by posting another poll, about what various departments are doing.
Posts: 71 | I am: Senator | Registered: Nov 2001
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posted
David, I didn't think you meant to imply that at all. My recommendation is that rather than sending some kind of letter (even a very nice, cordial one) "to all departments", we instead simply make the relevant information (and, perhaps, some institutional approval) available to grad students who wish to lobby for some kind of change in their departments. In this way, any lobbying efforts go mainly to the departments where grad students are asking for change (and are, in fact, initiated by those grad students), and not to departments where things are fine, or where the grad students are simply indifferent.
In other words, something like this shouldn't be organized centrally. It can be coordinated centrally, but mainly a resource for grassroots efforts that are targeted where they are most needed.
[ November 11, 2004, 10:15 PM: Message edited by: Adam Lopez ]
Posts: 322 | I am: VP Committee Affairs | Registered: Nov 2002
| Logged: 128.8.120.224 |
posted
Thanks to each of you for continuing this previous discussion. One place to increase communication between departments and the GSG (as was suggested) is with the reps themselves. As a rep, I am currently introducing the issue of communication between the GSG and my departmental student org.
Our student org is currently drafting our first constitution, and in this I recommend a standing GSG rep position(s). As a member of both the GSG and the student org I can encourage the bridging of permanent communication lines so any concerns within existing departmental student groups may filter to the GSG, if appropriate.
Of course, building bridges between existing orgs is easy, but how many departments (1) do not have current representation in GSG (as was the case in my department for some time), or (2) have reps but are not associated with a standing departmental student group or grads serving on faculty committees?
Ideas: 1) If there are many departments without GSG reps, may we extend a special invitation to grads in those departments to consider sending a rep to an assembly meeting? (OIT has the listservs) 2) Ask current reps to inquire to their constituents about building permanent communication lines between the GSG and their department’s faculty, staff, and/or student orgs. (e.g. GSG reps could be asked to hold two meetings per year with each the head of department-associated student groups as well as the department’s faculty chair)
Posts: 2 | I am: Ph.D. Entomology | Registered: Nov 2004
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posted
Miles, thanks for these comments. What you are trying to do in your dept. is exactly the way SOCY is set up. Our internal grad organization, the Sociology Grad Student Forum, has two officers on the ExecCom that are GSG Dept. Reps. to the Assembly. It usually works fairly well ala your intended communication network. This is great to see from other departments as well! Also, our Forum does have a liason wih the Dept. Chair so, of course, I think that's an excellent idea too!
We should definately find ways to encourage Reps. to build these kinds of internal departmental structures. Any suggestions on how to do that effectively? One of things that the GSG ExecCom is doing, ala our new strategic plan, is a suvey of all departments to see what kinds of these sturctures they have and which ones seem to be the most effective. Once we've done that, we'll put it all into a "best practices guide" to help grad students form these kinds of groups. Any other ideas would be most welcome!
FYI: I'm pretty sure that our VPPR is trying to hit up non-GSG representated departments. This is always an up hill battle. I'm sure he woudl welcome suggestions on how to be more effective in that as well.
Thanks again!
Posts: 258 | I am: Graduate Student Government President | Registered: Oct 2001
| Logged: 128.8.22.75 |
posted
There used to be a graduate student present during fac/staff meetings in our department. They were not able to voice their opinions, only listen. They eventually stopped attending the meetings because they thought it was a waste of time not being able to put their in "two cents", and because they were frequently asked to leave so the faculty could address "confidential" personnel matters. No one since has wanted to, or thought of, attending fac/staff meetings.
I would like to be able to tell my fellow students what is going on within our department as well as discuss issues that my be similar to those with reps in other departments.
Posts: 1 | I am: MM | Registered: Jan 2005
| Logged: 128.8.218.8 |
posted
I would bet the "token grad student" is par for the course in many grad programs.
I know that CMLT has suffered many incarnations of shared governance with the exact same result: a grad rep could go to meetings but not say anything, not vote, etc. I've heard descriptions of similar situations in ENGL and SLLC, too.
Posts: 578 | I am: PhD, CMLT | Registered: Oct 2001
| Logged: 70.17.93.93 |
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