Speaking Out

GSAC to Departments & Groups

To Penn Faculty and Administrators:

The Graduate Student Associations Council (GSAC) wishes to promote good relations between its constituent Graduate Student Associations (GSAs) and the Departments and Graduate Groups with which they are associated. GSAC is the body which represents students pursuing academic degrees at the University of Pennsylvania--Ph.D. students across the University and all graduate students in the School of Arts and Sciences. We serve as a liaison to the administration and advocate for issues that are important to graduate students across the university. GSAC has in the past supported many lectures, social activities, and other events sponsored by academic Departments. We have been very generous with our money, so much so that we are now apparently sometimes regarded as a convenient source of extra funding for Departmental projects.

To make use of our money and labor, Departments are respectfully requested to be mindful of the following GSAC policies:

1. Departments should not schedule graduate-level courses during GSAC's constitutionally mandated meeting time, from 12-1 p.m. on Tuesday, to allow departmental representatives to maintain attendance at the meetings in order to secure their full GSAC budget allocation.

2. Departments should make their copy machines and computer facilities available for the use of their associated GSAs. GSAC provides each GSA with an operating budget which may used to pay for paper, toner, etc.

3. Departments should make their facilities available for GSA meetings and events as appropriate. A mutually acceptable arrangement should be reached between departmental administrations and the departmental or graduate group GSA leadership on this matter.

4. Departments are strongly encouraged to admit student representatives to faculty meetings, to facilitate communication between GSAs and their Departments.

5. Departments and Graduate Groups are strongly encouraged to support the formation of active Graduate Student Associations.

From this time, failure to comply with these policies will be taken into account by GSAC when considering funding requests. We will, of course, continue to support generously the activities of the GSAs of delinquent Departments. Many Departments are already supportive of GSAC, and we continue to appreciate these efforts.

-- GSAC Executive Committee
Victoria Tredinnick, President
Lynn Anne Sanguedolce, Treasurer
Sunita Parasuraman, Vice-President for Academic Affairs
Christy Doran, Vice-President for Administration
David Bowie, Vice-President for Communications
Payal Gupta, Vice-President for Student Affairs
Jerome Bauer, Member at Large
Amy Ksir, Member at Large
Brian Caton, Member at Large
Steve Winick, Ex officio

Speaking Out welcomes reader contributions. Short timely letters on University issues can be accepted Thursday noon, January 9 for the first issue after the holiday break (January 14, 1997, edition), subject to right-of-reply guidelines. Advance notice of intention to submit is appreciated.--Ed.

Almanac

Volume 43 Number 16
December 17, 1996

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