I’m Anna Schorr, I Chair the Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC) which is made up of graduate representatives from every department. I am also a student voice on the Graduate Council with access to faculty from each college. Because I represent graduate students in both these ways, I’m ideally suited to represent graduate students in the AS Senate. My mission as an AS Senate representative is to be a liaison between the AS and GSAC. GSAC is a student body council whose goal is to enhance graduate student life through advocacy and collaboration. I will continue this goal as an AS Senate representative. I will be a strong advocate to drive improvements and change for the issues that concern graduate students most, such as tuition and fees, number of TA/RA positions available, diversity, equity & inclusion, stipend amounts, and connecting graduate students with each other. Thank you for voting!
I’ve personally felt and have heard from other graduate students the financial burdens we face, particularly regarding poor stipends that have stagnated while tuition, fees, and the cost of living in Bellingham have skyrocketed. In addition, I have spoken with many teaching assistants that have been assigned TA duties that go far beyond the amount of time we can allocate for this. I will fight for every dollar and address these issues at the Senate. As a second-year chemistry graduate, I’ve also listened to others who would like to see more communication between different collegiate departments that may be battling very similar problems. I will work to build more bridges and encourage collaboration that will help us alleviate problems within the university and beyond. I am extremely excited to hear new ideas from everyone, and I look forward to representing graduate students at the WWU AS Student Senate.
I’m Phillip Hensyel, MBA candidate, member of the graduate student advisory council (GSAC) and graduate council at WWU. By virtue of these platforms I have direct interface with deans and lead faculty of each college. Through collaboration with the dean and assistant dean of the graduate school, and the members of grad council, it is my goal to bridge the gap between student need/ideas and those of each program. Graduate assistantship (GA) stipend increases reflective of cost of living, more GA positions offered for each college, disparities between agreed upon hours and ACTUAL hours worked in GA positions; these are just a few of many issues facing WWU graduate students. By sitting on GSAC and grad council, I have an opportunity to hear your voices directly, then take your words to the ears and faces of those who need to hear it; creating our necessary change.
Vote Here
More candidates here
Fairhaven College of Interdisciplinary Studies Candidates
College of Science and Engineering Candidates
College of Humanities and Social Sciences Candidates
College of Fine and Performing Arts Candidates
College of Business and Economics Candidates
Huxley College of the Environment Candidates
Woodring College of Education Candidates
More information about the election here
AS Student Senate Voter Guide
There are several issues that have not been discussed so far by candidates that I believe should be addressed. Most graduate students are living below the poverty line, with tuition waivers and TA stipends covering less than 50% of living expenses, when taking into account housing and food costs at a minimum.
We are living under the poverty line, have limited funding in a school where undergraduates are prioritized in terms of resources, accessibility, and budgets overall. We pay redundant fees, and are forced to pay into new fees that are voted on by the undergraduate student body, ignoring the 707 graduate students that are present in WWU. We have no graduate union here at WWU, unlike University of Washington, where graduate students fought and unionized in order to increase wages, research funding, and opportunities for graduate students in general. For reference, including our tuition waiver and stipend, we earn about 19 an hour, with UW grad TAs earning approximately 39.
Graduates. Please talk to one another. Realize that most of us are on food stamps, and the university has failed to account for our presence in the favor of undergraduates.
We need a union, we need increased stipends and scholarships for graduates only, we need an independent student body and council apart from the administration determined by the Graduate School, and we need respect.
Thanks and have a wonderful day.
Check out the Union of UW, linked below:
http://www.uaw4121.org/