The chairwoman of the Graduate Student Senate told the Undergraduate Student Congress Tuesday that changes proposed by Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society are dangerous to the needs of graduate students.
If the UOSA Superior Court rules in favor of Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society’s ballot initiatives next week and they are passed by a vote of the student body in a campus-wide election either this fall or next spring, the Graduate Student Senate will have to merge with the Undergraduate Student Congress.
“The [Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society] proposals are not good for any of us in the long run,” said Susan Adams Johnson, Graduate Student Senate chairwoman. “We do some things that are special for graduate students, and if we have to merge into another body then we won’t be able to effectively serve our graduate students.”
Johnson said she has talked to many organizations across the country that have praised OU for the Graduate Student Senate’s work on attaining grants, a job Johnson said is exclusive to the Graduate Student Senate.
“If we move into a unicameral form of government, it will be harder for us to move legislation through that benefits graduates,” Johnson said. “The system we have in place is a good system. Also, we are graduate students, and we have families and jobs on top of our studies. It just isn’t convenient for us to meet when undergraduates meet.”
Johnson said mixing graduate legislative items with undergraduate ones would be detrimental to all students.
“I think there is room for improvement, but improvement this dramatic would be a disservice to many students,” Johnson said. “We can’t have graduate stuff like grant applications that are timely caught up in things that affect undergraduates.”
But Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society spokesman Matt Bruenig said Johnson’s view of the society’s proposals is inaccurate.
“If you actually look at what we are proposing, the Graduate Student Senate will get to keep their special powers of sponsoring travel and giving out grants,” Bruenig said. “To say that we are trying to take power and representation away from graduate students is not true.”
Bruenig said the only thing that would change is that the Graduate Student Senate and the Undergraduate Student Congress would be merged into an academic legislating body.
“Under the proposed changes, graduates may also seek seats in the [proposed] Student Organization Congress,” Bruenig said. “We are actually giving them more power in the long run that would better serve graduate students.”
But because of the UOSA Superior Court case on the ballot initiatives, which begins Monday, Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society’s ballot referendums may not be voted upon in the upcoming general election.
“If the court rules in favor of the [Oklahoma Students for a Democratic Society] before Oct. 27, then the ballots will have the initiatives on them,” UOSA General Counsel Mike Davis said in an Oct. 20 story in The Oklahoma Daily. “If the court rules in favor of the General Counsel, the referendums will not be on the ballot.”
Davis said Tuesday was the deadline for OU IT to put names and referendums in the computer program that will operate the upcoming election ballot casting.
Johnson said it didn’t matter when the referendums would come up, UOSA needed to be ready.
“I have a feeling that if we don’t see the referendums voted on this fall then we will see them in the spring,” Johnson said. “I came here to tell you that our ability to serve students will be greatly harmed, and I’m asking you to get out and vote.”
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brandeis 2 years, 7 months ago
it's OU, who gives. only impressive thing about this is that some kind of podunk excuse for a community college has an sds branch. enjoy your veterinary assistant associates degree.
meANDmy_monkey 2 years, 7 months ago
"Also, we are graduate students, and we have families and jobs on top of our studies. It just isn’t convenient for us to meet when undergraduates meet.” When exactly does the GSS meet that would be so incompatible with the Student Congress? The proposed amendment seems to directly contradict Johnson's claims that graduate students will lose the power to do "things that are special for graduate students."