The Syracuse University Graduate Student Organization released a statement Wednesday morning detailing its stance on the student sit-in for the first time.

In the statement, which is signed by the GSO executive board, the organization said both students and administrators have dealt with each other “in good faith” and sparked important dialogue since the sit-in began last Monday. Many demands voiced by THE General Body, the group holding the sit-in, are “common problems” that align with GSO concerns. But it is GSO’s responsibility to represent all graduate students on campus, according to the statement.

“The GSO is supportive of the changes they demand that are in line with the wishes of the entire graduate student body. However, as the graduate student government on campus, we have a responsibility to represent all of our students, including both those participating in the sit-in and those who are not. Any process of negotiation and allocation of significant resources to student concerns must incorporate the elected, representative student government,” according to the statement.

In an email, GSO President Patrick Neary said the executive board will be talking to GSO senators at its meeting next week to see if they wish to take further legislative action.

GSO is also currently working to address many problems graduate students have faced for years, including improving student access to decision-making processes and raising minimum stipends given to teaching and research assistants by 7 percent last year, according to the statement.

The organization also supports several concerns outlined by THE General Body, including:

• Creating a process to address student grievances
• Improving diversity training within orientation programs for students, faculty and staff
• Improving and creating programs that work to prevent sexual assault, educate the community and provide comprehensive care to victims of sexual assault
• Construction or renovation of the student center
• Prioritizing library funding
• More transparency in university finances
• Improving mental health services

In a document attached to the statement, GSO also outlined its stance on some of THE General Body’s demands. The demands GSO responded to are the same set of demands that university administrators responded to on Thursday night and are not the full list of demands THE General Body submitted to administrators last week.

In the document, GSO supported several concerns raised by the student protesters, including:

• The need for a non-retaliation agreement
• Further discussion on the university’s new mission and vision statements
• The need for the Student Association president to email all undergraduates
• More staffing for the Slutzker Center for International Services

The organization was skeptical of many demands, such as the need to increase student representation on Fast Forward committees, as it has found that students involved are able to offer “substantial input.”

In the document, GSO noted that THE General Body’s demand of creating a student advisory committee to the chancellor and Board of Trustees is similar to the Student Affairs Advisory Board, which was recently created and that membership to this board should continue to be chosen by SA and GSO.

GSO also declined to take a position on many topics because many of the topics are specific to undergraduates or it has not previously discussed the issue in question, according to the statement.

Published on November 12, 2014 at 12:47 pm

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