GSA Officer Election voting polls are now open. Graduate students may log on through the “CLICK HERE TO VOTE!” button on the GSA Election 2021 page to cast their vote. Polls will remain open 24 hours a day until 11:59pm on Thursday, April 15th. Results will be announced via the GSA listservs on Friday, April 16th.
As of April 1st, Gena Zimmerman has officially retired from the Graduate Student Association. We would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Gena and thank her for her 46 years of dedicated service to the organization. The help and guidance she has provided to graduate students over the course of her career has been invaluable. We wish her all the best as she starts this new chapter in her life!
Until further notice, please send all GSA related correspondence to Stephanie George at slfrank@buffalo.edu, or to any of the GSA E-board members if you need assistance. Thank you.
Do you have a quick question for a copyeditor that doesn’t require submitting a full document? GSA Editorial is now offering a free live chat feature on our website. Staffed by our editors, this chat can be used for:
The chat is live! You should receive an answer to your editorial question within five minutes.
Want to chat with us? You can find us here: https://ubgsaedit.wixsite.com/gsa-editorial
Available to all graduate students who have paid the mandatory GSA activity fee.
(Chat hours starting March 16, 2021)
GSA Officer Elections will take place online April 12th – 15th, 2021 via a link on the GSA website (https://ubwp.buffalo.edu/gsa/election-2021/)
Your Candidates for 2021-2022 GSA E-Board are:
For President:
J Coley- J for UB GSA President: Providing Leadership, Experience, and Dedication in a time of Uncertainty
For Vice President:
Jennifer Schechter Powrie– A tested and excellent student leader with experience and passion for the job.
For Treasurer:
Joshua Joseph– Bank on me I’ll treasure your vote! Turning cents into dollars, it all adds up!
The official Candidate Q&A will take place during the Wednesday, April 7th Board of Directors Meeting at 6:30pm, which will be live streamed via YouTube.
Due to the resignation of Connor Walters as Vice President, there is a vacancy in the Graduate Student Association’s Executive Committee.
Please note as stated in the GSA By Laws:
“In the case of removal or resignation of any officer, said officer shall be replaced by a vote of the Board from any willing graduate students in attendance who have attended and signed in at two Board meetings within the past twelve months during the meeting at which the replacement election is held.”
Effective immediately, there is a call for nominations to permanently fill this position through the end of the current term, which is May 31, 2021.
Please send all nominations to the GSA President, J Coley at gsa-president@buffalo.edu.
Can’t Pay, Won’t Pay!
As graduate workers, we at the Living Stipend Movement strongly believe that we should never be subjected to broad-based fees by our own employer. Join us in pledging to boycott graduate fees for the Spring 2021 semester, or sign in solidarity if you are unable to withhold fees and/or are willing to contribute to the forthcoming Boycott Protection Fund. Sign the pledge here!
For more information, see our FAQ page, or email us to get involved!
On April 12 – 15, 2021 the following offices will be filled through a general election of graduate students at UB:
PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT
TREASURER
The stipends for each of these positions is currently $14,500, but this amount may be increased as part of the GSA Board of Directors’ approved budget for 2021-2022 (which will be voted on at the April 7th Board of Directors meeting). Elected officers must be present and available to serve in the duties of their office from June 1, 2021 until May 31, 2022.
Any student enrolled in a department that is currently represented by GSA, who is in good academic standing, and has attended one Board of Directors meeting in the past twelve months prior to becoming a candidate and attends the February 3rd and March 3rd Board meetings shall be eligible to run for office.
*Please note that international students holding an assistantship or any other employment will be restricted by federal work regulations and may not be eligible to run for office under United States Law.*
Petition packets for candidacy are now available by email request and are due back to the Election Committee Chair by Friday, February 26, 2021 at 4:30pm. Absolutely NO late submissions will be accepted.
All prospective candidates must attend a mandatory meeting with members of the Election Committee where the Election Rules and Regulations will be handed out and reviewed. Meetings will be arranged between prospective candidates and the Election Committee to occur between Thursday, March 4, 2021 and Thursday, March 11, 2021.
Please contact the Election Committee Chair, Daniel Duran (dduran@buffalo.edu) to request a petition packet, or to inquire about the details of the application procedure and formalities.
The GSA Winter Break Schedule will be as follows:
The MyUB Development Team is looking for current UB students to share feedback on a new platform: MyUB Beta.
They are hoping to gather real student feedback to optimize the experience for all students using MyUB. Their feedback will be used to help improve the new platform before it’s released to all students. Would you be willing to share this information with the graduate students?
To participate in this limited pilot project, they should be:
A limited number of students will be selected for this pilot. To register, please go to: https://buffalo.edu/ubit/myub-beta
Good fellow student leaders,
SUNY Board of Trustees will be holding a virtual public hearing to discuss “University Issues”. There has not been a more important time than now to shake the table, hold SUNY and the BOT accountable to the students. We need your voices at the table, now more than ever. Here are some important information for you all about the hearing:
WHY IS THIS HEARING IMPORTANT:
During this pandemic when students are facing financial hardships, the Board of Trustees is looking to raise tuition, which may be up to $1,000. SUNY should not be unjustly placing the financial struggles of the institution on students’ backs and must seek state support instead, as a public university system.
This hearing is an opportunity for students to hold the Board of Trustees accountable to the students, and raise the alarm on the insurmountable hardships we have been facing: mental health, international student concerns racial justice, accessibility services, and difficulties encountered with online learning.
They are only giving each student 3 minutes to speak, but that 3 minutes can turn into 300 minutes with a massive student movement of diverse voices that will shake the table. Our time is NOW.
This is THE MOST IMPORTANT opportunity to stop tuition increase and make our voices heard. This is our moment to make sure SUNY places students, first!
Hearing Date:
November 17, 3PM via zoom.
Due Date to Submit Registration to SUNY SA:
Monday, November 9, by 9PM. Via this >>>LINK<<<
Due Date to Submit Registration to Board of Trustees:
Tuesday, November 10, by 3PM
IMPORTANT: Each student that will be at the hearing, must email the Board of Trustees from their own email to “request” to be at the hearing. SUNY SA will send all students who have registered with us (by MON 9PM) a “template email”, to send to the Board of Trustees to confirm their attendance (before TUE 3PM), as well as the email address, this is why it’s important to register with us ASAP.
What can you do:
1) Push members of your cabinet and senate to attend, as student representatives this is their opportunity to represent their constituents at the most important table of SUNY
2) Gather coalitions from student organization presidents at multicultural organizations
3) REMEMBER: register with SUNY SA by Mon, 9PM, and keep an eye out for SA’s. email to register with the Board of Trustees by Tuesday 3PM.
NOTE:
We will meet as a group before Nov 17 hearing to discuss the testimonials.
From the bottom of my heart thank you all for being willing to fight this fight with us. Only together, we can.
Yours in advocacy and solidarity,
Eusebio Omar van Reenen
Vice President
He/Him
Student Assembly of the State University of New York
State University Plaza – Albany, NY 12246
Your Voice. Your Student Assembly.
