Student Affairs plans to revoke the GSA's current offices and use them for Student Affairs personnel. The GSA offices are critical to maintaining the GSA's ability to represent the interests of the graduate student body independently and privately without the intrusion of university administration. Please sign the petition to show that you are against this displacement.
Update: Thank you for your signatures and your support! The Office of Student Affairs has clarified their plans to us. Although it is still their intention to use some office space in the graduate student lounge building for Student Affairs personnel, they have also put in writing their commitment to providing continued office space for the GSA in the building starting this fall when renovations are complete. Although sharing this space may take some getting used to, we are glad to be able to continue to serve the interests of the graduate student body in our historic location.
Updates
April 20, 2017
We are currently reviewing the written commitment from Student Affairs regarding our office space. Post this link on Facebook and text three friends to ensure this transition happens exactly as promised.
April 20, 2017
The momentum we built forced the administration to put their commitment to our space in writing. Keep this pressure up by emailing your department heads to ensure they honor this promise through the fall renovations.
Reached 100 supporters
April 20, 2017
33 Comments
Graduate students use this space. The academic and educational reputation of the university is built upon the back of graduate student work. In my opinion, this action shows the university administration's attitude is incongruent with this fact. Graduate students need to be recognized and treated better by the university as a whole not only protected by their advisors and departments.
As a former GSA elected officer, I know first hand the importance of having a dedicated physical space for graduate students to gather and for its governance to be headquartered. This attempt by the administration to remove this space is part of a larger, troubling pattern of under-appreciating graduate student presence and labor in the Rutgers University community. We're pushing back against this attempt to insist that our concerns and needs be taken seriously.
You'd think that Student Affairs wouldn't be this out of touch with its students, but I guess they are. Unless an alternative equivalent space is/was offered, this is a rather boorish decision by them in my opinion. Was there even an attempt to include the GSA's admins in this decision process?
Having worked as the GSA Business Manager for 2 years and also served as interim secretary, I am highly distressed at the thought that this space could be lost. Graduate students are a unique population at Rutgers with special interests and concerns, and the GSA provides an invaluable service to them in an effort to meet their needs. Eliminating this space would be a grave disservice.
I served as a GSA representative during my years as a graduate student at Rutgers University. The GSA offices were key to the successful functioning of the GSA and as a community focal point, along with the Graduate Student Lounge, for the graduate student community at all the Rutgers New Brunswick campuses.
The GSA needs it's own separate office space.
As a graduate who benefited on many a time from the only exclusive space for graduate students I hope it will be kept and improved for future graduates.
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Student Affairs plans to revoke the GSA's current offices and use them for Student Affairs personnel. The GSA offices are critical to maintaining the GSA's ability to represent the interests of the graduate student body independently and privately without the intrusion of university administration. Please sign the petition to show that you are against this displacement.
Update: Thank you for your signatures and your support! The Office of Student Affairs has clarified their plans to us. Although it is still their intention to use some office space in the graduate student lounge building for Student Affairs personnel, they have also put in writing their commitment to providing continued office space for the GSA in the building starting this fall when renovations are complete. Although sharing this space may take some getting used to, we are glad to be able to continue to serve the interests of the graduate student body in our historic location.
Updates
April 20, 2017
We are currently reviewing the written commitment from Student Affairs regarding our office space. Post this link on Facebook and text three friends to ensure this transition happens exactly as promised.
April 20, 2017
The momentum we built forced the administration to put their commitment to our space in writing. Keep this pressure up by emailing your department heads to ensure they honor this promise through the fall renovations.
Reached 100 supporters
April 20, 2017
33 Comments
These graduate student spaces are vital to creating a cohesive environment for the Graduate Student Organizations. Without these offices AND replacement space to perform the equivalent functions, I would be reminded that while graduate students are valuable in maintaining the integrity and quality of Rutgers R1 status, the focus of support structures and spaces at the University is centered more so on undergraduates.
Graduate students use this space. The academic and educational reputation of the university is built upon the back of graduate student work. In my opinion, this action shows the university administration's attitude is incongruent with this fact. Graduate students need to be recognized and treated better by the university as a whole not only protected by their advisors and departments.
As a former GSA elected officer, I know first hand the importance of having a dedicated physical space for graduate students to gather and for its governance to be headquartered. This attempt by the administration to remove this space is part of a larger, troubling pattern of under-appreciating graduate student presence and labor in the Rutgers University community. We're pushing back against this attempt to insist that our concerns and needs be taken seriously.
You'd think that Student Affairs wouldn't be this out of touch with its students, but I guess they are. Unless an alternative equivalent space is/was offered, this is a rather boorish decision by them in my opinion. Was there even an attempt to include the GSA's admins in this decision process?
Having worked as the GSA Business Manager for 2 years and also served as interim secretary, I am highly distressed at the thought that this space could be lost. Graduate students are a unique population at Rutgers with special interests and concerns, and the GSA provides an invaluable service to them in an effort to meet their needs. Eliminating this space would be a grave disservice.
I served as a GSA representative during my years as a graduate student at Rutgers University. The GSA offices were key to the successful functioning of the GSA and as a community focal point, along with the Graduate Student Lounge, for the graduate student community at all the Rutgers New Brunswick campuses.
The GSA needs it's own separate office space.
As a graduate who benefited on many a time from the only exclusive space for graduate students I hope it will be kept and improved for future graduates.
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These graduate student spaces are vital to creating a cohesive environment for the Graduate Student Organizations. Without these offices AND replacement space to perform the equivalent functions, I would be reminded that while graduate students are valuable in maintaining the integrity and quality of Rutgers R1 status, the focus of support structures and spaces at the University is centered more so on undergraduates.