Graduate Student Association

To get some insight into what you’d like to see from us, as well as the University, we’ve created a survey that we would love for you to fill out. It shouldn’t take much time, and all responses are anonymous. It touches on your programming wants and needs, AI usage, food security, issues facing international students, and more. Your responses will help us tailor our offerings, as well as provide more background that we can use when speaking on your behalf to UB.

The GSEU is looking to gather information about how student workers are being impacted by funding cuts. Please fill out this anonymous survey to let them know if you would like to be included in these discussions.

The Council of Advocacy and Leadership (COAL) grant applications are now available. Please review the application and PowerPoint presentation for details about what types of programs are eligible for funding and how to apply. Applications will be open until September 26^th at 11:59pm. Please submit your applications to gsa-president@buffalo.edu and gsa-treasurer@buffalo.edu.

Additionally, PLEASE MAKE SURE TO INCLUDE ITEMIZED QUOTES! If these are not included, your application will not be accepted. We are always happy to pre-review applications, so please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or want a second set of eyes.

Check out some of the great events GSA has to offer!

Provided by your mandatory student activity fee.

On May 22, 2025, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act” (H.R. 1) by a vote of 215-214. The Senate is now working on its version of the bill, which includes the Senate HELP Committee’s bill text. The House-passed reconciliation bill and the Senate HELP Committee bill includes two provisions of serious concern to CGS and the graduate education community:

• Terminates the Grad PLUS Loan Program on or after July 1, 2026
• Caps Federal Unsubsidized Loans for graduate students at $20,500 annually

These provisions in the reconciliation package will do more harm than good and will put many Americans at a disadvantage. The U.S. Senate is currently drafting its own reconciliation package and has announced plans to pass the bill before the July 4th Recess.

Please contact your U.S. Senators at your earliest convenience to express your concerns about these and other higher education-related provisions in the budget reconciliation bill.

Dear UB Graduate Students,

As many of you know, escalations in the Middle East, as well as threats by the US government to revoke student visas from those with ties to certain countries or studying certain fields, have left many of our students feeling anxious, isolated, and uncertain. International graduate students at UB have worked incredibly hard for the opportunity to make meaningful contributions to our university community, and we fully support their ability to do so. We stand with our international students as they’re forced to navigate not only the everyday challenges inherent in academic pursuits, but also the stress of working during violent conflicts abroad and amid domestic policy changes that may impact their ability to work and study at UB.

As we welcome a new group of students, many of them international, we would like to remind everyone about the following resources and encourage you to use them freely:

• International Student Services– A message of support from ISS, with links to additional resources.
• FAQs and Guidance on Federal Policies– A comprehensive page from the University providing information and guidance.
• SUNY Protocols for Interacting with Outside Law Enforcement– How to respond to requests by law enforcement officials (these guidelines apply to professors, staff, and students).
• S. Laws and Your Rights– Information from International Student Services.
• UB Counseling Services– For mental health counseling.
• Red Cards– Portable information about your Constitutional rights in a variety of languages. Printed cards in a few different languages can be picked up in the GSA North Campus office at 310 Student Union.
• CEAC Visa Status Check– For student visa status checks.

Additionally, we encourage everyone to review the UB Discrimination and Harassment Policy. If you experience or witness harassment on UB’s campus, we strongly encourage you to report it to the Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion. Information about their policies and procedures, including the investigative process, can be found here.

Beginning in Fall, we will be creating an ad hoc International Student Committee. This committee will be helpful in relaying concerns from international students to the GSA, which will in turn use that information to better advocate on behalf of those populations in meetings with upper administration, as well as shape GSA programming for the upcoming year. In the meantime, we welcome any feedback that would be helpful in hitting the ground running once the semester starts.

Please do not hesitate to reach out to anyone in the Graduate Student Association if you have any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

The GSA Executive Committee

Sarah MacDougall, President – gsa-president@buffalo.edu
Sevda Mirkoohi, Vice-Presidet – gsa-vicepresident@buffalo.edu
Isaac Kolding, Treasurer – gsa-treasurer@buffalo.edu

Check out some of the great events GSA has to offer!

Provided by your mandatory student activity fee.

Students have expressed concern over the use of AI detection tools such as TurnItIn, and their disproportionate impact on students of color, international students, and neurodivergent students. If you would like to sign a petition urging the university to move away from using those tools, please do so here.

You Belong is a new campus initiative to support students, staff, and faculty who have been directly or indirectly impacted by incarceration. As part of our ongoing efforts, we have developed a short survey we are disseminating widely across campus. The questions focus on whether you are interested in getting involved, and in what capacity. We would appreciate it if you could take the time to fill out this short survey if this is something you are personally invested in, whether you are formerly incarcerated yourself, have family members who are currently or formerly incarcerated, or simply care about those who have been impacted. If not, please distribute the survey to those who you think may be interested in this initiative. A link to the survey is here: https://forms.office.com/r/Y4whtxJ3Na and a QR code that takes you to the survey is embedded in the flyer below.