Syracuse University’s Graduate Student Organization passed a resolution calling for revamping career services for graduate students during its last regular meeting for the academic year Wednesday night.

Senate Resolution 17.08 cited the need for expanding career services for graduate students, especially due to an increasing proportion of international students in the last few years. One of the components of the resolution was a dedicated staff attached with Graduate Career Services to support graduate students in making career plans.

Sixteen percent of graduates in the United States rated career services “not at all helpful,” according to a Gallup poll from December last year.

In addition to passing the resolution, GSO held a discussion on a number of initiatives, from the tuition hike to a child care program.

President Rajesh Kumar announced that the university administration agreed to reinstate a past pilot childcare subsidy program, which provided graduate student parents $375 per child up to a maximum of $750 per year. He said it will stay in place while officials work on creating a permanent solution.

While Kumar mentioned that the GSO’s role would be limited to generating awareness of the program, he said the committee would continue to push for creating a permanent solution and instituting a higher subsidy in the future.

Kumar also revealed that the university administration, composed of several SU offices including the Chancellor’s office, pledged $30,000 in support of the off-campus security camera installation project. The State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry provided an additional $3,000, Kumar said.

The university is also currently reviewing the policy of cutting stipends for graduate students based on the results of qualifying exams, Kumar said. Under the current policy, if graduate students fail the first qualifying exam, they are still allowed to retake the exam the following year. But they are not allowed to work an entire 20 hours per week, resulting in a loss of pay.

“It is a transparency issue because it was not communicated well with the new admitted students,” he said, adding “nobody does this across the U.S.”

Can Aslan, vice president of internal affairs, gave an update on the student health insurance policy. He said the university has been working to remove New York State Medicaid from the list of accepted policies because it doesn’t cover some things that the university wants covered.

The coverage doesn’t extend beyond Onondaga County and when a student travels nationally or internationally, said that it becomes problematic.

Following this, Aslan provided reports from all GSO members serving on the University Senate committees as well as the GSO committees.

Vice President of External Affairs Peta Long, in her report, declared that discount cards would be offered to students at the Spring Picnic scheduled for April 22. Some of the discounts include a Drumlins membership, Tops and Wegmans cards.

The GSO also received a briefing from Rochelle Ford, professor and chair of public relations at the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications, on the institutional assessment process conducted by the university required to retain its accreditation by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Published on March 30, 2017 at 12:47 am

Contact Siddarth: sisenthi@syr.edu