The Graduate Student Association determined its budget for the 2003-04 year last week, deciding to eliminate two direct disbursements from the budget, which previously went to the School of Medicine and the International Relations and Pacific Studies departments. These two graduate programs formerly received amounts of $2,400 and $600, respectively, toward each program’s graduation events.
“”Our goal in this change was to level the playing field by making all departmental funding requests subject to the same approval and oversight procedures,”” said GSA President Tom Fleming.
Other changes to the GSA budget included an increase in the salary paid to the GSA staff and elected officials, a decrease in discretionary funds and the elimination of the mail ballot due to availability on StudentLink.
“”It’s not the details of the action that bother me,”” said Class of 2004 School of Medicine President Rambod Amirnovin. “”It’s the sentiment behind it.””
The sentiment, Amirnovin said, is a part of the alienation that the medical students feel within the general graduate student group, specifically within the GSA meetings.
“”It’s not fair for a small minority to receive line-item funding,”” said GSA Vice President of Finance Lee Lovejoy.
According to Lovejoy, there will be a general decrease in graduate enrollment fall quarter. As such, the amount of money coming in from the graduate student fees will reflect a comparable decline.
“”We just can’t afford to give that much money out,”” Lovejoy said. “”Regardless of the fairness issue, we just don’t have the funding.””
Lovejoy also noted that the $150 increase to each of the GSA officials’ annual stipend is a part of an effort spanning the last three years. The staff wages allocation increased by $5,000 in that time.
According to Lovejoy, the GSA has had a difficult time filling their advisory position this year and raised the salary in hopes of finding a permanent employee.
“”We have fought to get that position reclassified from an administrative assistant to a student affairs officer,”” Fleming said. “”The position is currently vacant, and we want to fill it with someone who will help the organization grow.””
Lovejoy said the remaining monies from the budget changes will be in the general request fund for Fall 2003.
According to Amirnovin, the Office of Graduate Studies and Research provides funding for other graduate program graduations.
However, as a rule, they do not provide funding to professional school commencement events. Amirnovin said that the medical school is the only graduate department that is not included in the OGSR.
The $2,400 cut from the GSA budget is only a fraction of the cost of the medical school graduation events, which will total about $20,000.
However, Amirnovin said that the GSA funding is used to offset an extensive amount of fundraising done by the medical students that is necessary to pay for the commencement banquet.
Despite this year’s line-item cuts, these departments are invited to make a request from the general request fund next fall for a reasonable and justified amount of funding, Lovejoy said.
Representatives from IR/PS were not available for comment.
