Notes from GPSC Meeting
September 30th
Brian Marks, Instructor in the School of Geography and Development
The meeting convened at 6:30pm. During the call to the public, I spoke, asking the GPSC to include in its negotiations on a Graduate Student / Teaching Assistant Bill of Rights the ‘money issues’ of wages and benefits, remission and fees, TA workload and imposition of more students per class or section. I also advocated that in the presumably upcoming Provost and Presidential meetings following the Faculty Poll, that the GPSC advocate for a ‘tuition funds flow model’ as its called that retains some part of the tuition money that departments and graduate students generate in teaching lower-division and general education classes as opposed to transfer of those funds towards ‘hard’ science faculty hires as is occurring.
A former GPSC Senator from the College of Humanities, Allison, spoke in the call to the public based on a prepared text on several issues, claiming: the absence of several GPSC Senators from all meetings this semester (there were several placards in evidence for GPSC Senators who were absent for this meeting), occasions when GPSC has not met quorum for meetings, low staffing and vacant positions on the GPSC staff; not following the GPSC Constitution in the filling of those positions, announcing those positions and filing those announcements in the official minutes of the Council. She said that in the 19 years of GPSC it accomplished a lot, 100% tuition remission, health care, shifting of fees to tuition surcharge last year to protect TAs and RAs, when the GPSC is well-organized it can accomplish much and it needs to get more organized now.
Ms. Charlene Ledet of the UA Legislative Advocacy Program addressed the GPSC next. She is a lobbyist for the university. She explained the budget situation, how out of an $11 billion state budget there is a $3 billion shortfall, how of the state budget some 33%-40% is protected from cuts by statute but higher education is not, in fact it is the largest part of the unprotected budget, while the Federal Stimulus money requires no cuts to education below their 2006 level this money is temporary, while the cuts are permanent. Thus after 2011 the projected shortfall is much, much worse. The ‘MOE’ preventing deeper cuts to higher education is a state matter and it’s possible that it may be adjusted in order to cut higher education more, this would be done through negotiation between state and federal government. The UA’s share of the current cuts is $90.6 million, of which $60.8 million is covered by federal assistance; overall, the state university system suffered a $231.5 million cut, of which $154 million was backfilled by federal help.
Ms. Ledet explained there are many ways to lobby legislators. There are opportunities to do this at elections, after elections, and at critical votes. Meeting and greeting candidates and legislators with coffees and meetings is one way, mail and telephone calls is another, voting is yet another, they are organizing coffees with legislators in their districts, hosted by alumni, as well as a ‘Cats at the Capitol’ event later on this year for students and others to go to Phoenix. Also, they are organizing a statewide online petition for higher education that they hope to draw several hundred thousand signatures for, from students, but more so from parents and alumni.
The political situation in Arizona is in part due to the extreme budget shortfall but also due to the voting in of many candidates last election who want to cut higher education and government in general. This includes candidates in the Tucson area.
The march last year to the Capitol had a big effect, as did calls and contacts to legislators – the cuts to higher education were $100 million less than some proposals called for. Nevertheless, the gap between revenues and expenditures in state government is massive and real – people who support us are petrified, and the Governor, who has been very good and is seeking a 5-point plan for the state budget that supports higher education, may not continue to push the sales tax given the opposition to it.
People who can legally register to vote in Arizona should register to vote here.
There was a question from Senator Helena Morrison from the Nursing College, last year we did so much work for very little result (in the GPSC and outside it around the budget, etc.), we got a $700, a $1000 fee increase (in Nursing) and people will pay a fee like that rather than leave their program and their degree behind. We’re a transient population (graduate students in Arizona), we are low-paid, overworked, we have very little power.
Ms. Ledet answered that they are trying to get ways for people to contribute with a minimum of your time, like this online petition.
ASUA Senator James Brooks asked about how to tell who are good candidates, Ms. Ledet said that it’s difficult, voting records aren’t a good measure, in most districts elections are decided in the primary due to strong tendencies towards Democratic or Republican majorities. So it comes down to choosing the most supportive candidate for higher education from their respective parties, that’s not always clear from what they say or their past record.
The meeting moved on to reports from the Executive Board.
VP David Lopez-Negrete told us that the College of Humanities and Sciences Deans are not cutting TA lines to meet their budget cuts, the budget is at the Department Head level now but it’s his understanding that those lines are protected.
Exec Board Treasurer Cory Christenson reported College of Science Dean Ruiz met with them recently and said he as very supportive of anything the graduate students needed in the budget process, Christenson said Ruiz asked the graduate students to keep him accountable and get their concerns organized through meeting in their departments and then tell him what we need. Christenson also asked for a resolution supporting the Arizona Students Association campaign for the Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, or SAFRA.
ASUA Liason Lucy Blaney informed the Council of ASUA’s three pieces of pending legislation about the guns on campus issue, a freedom of speech resolution related to the chalking arrests, and a supporting resolution to the Faculty Senate’s resolution on academic freedom.
Senator Maribel Moreno asked for the Council to take up an inquiry on the allegations the former Senator raised in the call to the public.
There were several funding requests before the GPSC that were approved in part or in full.
Senator Blaney informed the Council about the ASUA Mentoring program with GPSC, this is a program for undergraduates to learn about what graduate student life is like from graduate students. The GPSC would operate a bulletin board to allow this to happen, that’s the only responsibility of the GPSC.
President Talenfeld then testified about the policy goals of the Council: He had three objectives: Protect TAs, Minimize Cuts, and secure a Graduate Bill of Rights.
Protect TAs:
-Maintain GTA positions (from being cut by the budget)
-Retain tuition remission and benefits
(There will be a Tuition Retreat with President Shelton on October 28th that’s important.)
-Cap TA workload, conduct a workload survey, incorporate workload into the Bill of Rights.
(The workload survey will be done so as to compare our workload with other peer universities.)
-Technology access in the classroom
Minimize cuts:
-Hold the state accountable to Federal commitments (on the higher education budget.)
(The sales tax proposed would prevent only 1/3 of the cuts to the state’s budget; the deficit is huge and unprecedented in Arizona.)
We need to target Democrats in the State Legislature on the sales tax and target Republicans on budget cuts.
-Support the statewide online petition on higher education.
Bill of Rights:
-Convene a committee to draft an ideal document
-Have a meeting with Shelton on October 13th
Senator Blaney had several questions about these points. She said there are many past workload surveys, they can be used to compare things to back then, also to construct this survey instrument. The English Graduate Union presented its own workload survey at a meeting with Shelton in the Fall of 2008.
She also said that GPSC needs to draft a petition on higher education support now and get it before the public.
She said it was too quick to get a draft Bill of Rights to Shelton by October 13th. She moved that the President’s Policy goals be heard before the Policy Committee for their approval before they were acted on by the full Council.
Chair James Johnson said that a Bill of Rights will face an uphill battle among faculty, he gave as an example his professor who said he was getting a great deal and shouldn’t have any complaints, so people need to talk to their professors about the need for such a Bill.
At this point there was a contentious discussion largely between Senator Blaney and President Talenfeld, in which Blaney said she thought Shelton’s comments on the Bill meant it would be an informational document, putting in one place policies that are already in place but not granting any new rights in the context of the budget crisis, etc. Talenfeld responded by saying that the Graduate College sent him the University of Michigan’s Bill of Graduate Rights the day after the 9/21 meeting with Shelton, he believes the President is committed to a serious, binding and substantial Bill of Rights. Blaney offered criticism of the Bill but did not contribute to negotiating it, Talenfeld said. On her part, Blaney countered that she did a lot for the Council and did not get a stipend like the Executive officers, plus she has offered suggestions. Talenfeld asked for people to stay after this meeting to convene a group and set a meeting to draft a Bill of Rights to present to Shelton.
There were several votes towards the end of the meeting, which concluded around 9:30pm. Notably, a resolution on free speech, particularly sidewalk chalking, drafted by President Talenfeld failed to pass after several rounds of friendly amendments over what acceptable forms of free speech were and what disruption to the university or classes entailed.
