Governance

Governance Document

The governance of the Graduate Center is outlined in its Governance document and the Bylaws of Graduate Council. The Governance document includes provisions regarding administration, degree and certificate programs, faculty membership, and faculty and student responsibilities. The Bylaws of Graduate Council set forth its rules of governance. Copies of the Governance document and the Bylaws are available in the Provost’s office from Ms. Alice Eisenberg, Telephone: 1-212-817-7227, or on the web at http://web.gc.cuny.edu/provost/pdf/governance2005.pdf.

Student Leadership Eligibility

The CUNY Board of Trustees bylaws require the Vice President for Student Affairs to certify to the President of the Graduate Center and/or to the Chancellor of the University, that all students running for or holding certain elected or appointed leadership positions meet specified academic and term limit eligibility guidelines. These guidelines apply to all student members (and alternates) of the following bodies: student government, including the Doctoral Students’ Council (DSC) and the University Student Senate (USS); Graduate Council, including all Graduate Council committees; all Graduate Center advisory committees, including search committees; departmental governance bodies and committees, including search committees; Faculty-Student Disciplinary Committee; College Association Governing Board; Auxiliary Enterprise Governing Boards; Student Election Review Committee (SERC); and editors of student publications (as well as officers and directors of any radio/TV station).

The academic eligibility guidelines pertinent to Graduate Center students require that students running for or holding the specified positions be matriculated at the Graduate Center; have a grade point average of 3.0; and, if a Level I or master’s student, be registered for a minimum of 3 credits and “have completed and earned passing grades in at least 50 % of the credits for which [he or she] registered the prior semester, but in no event less than 3 credits;” or, if a Level II or Level III student, be making satisfactory academic progress.

Except for Doctoral Students’ Council Co-Chairs, who are limited to a maximum of three years, “[s]tudents shall be permitted to serve in the same executive office in a student government, the University Student Senate, or [executive office in an]other student leadership position for a maximum of two years.”

The full policy can be found at http://www.gc.cuny.edu/current_students/pdfs/StudentLeadershipEligibility-Guidelines.pdf.

Questions regarding the eligibility guidelines may be addressed to Miss Elise Perram, Associate Director of Student Affairs and Director of Student Activities (1-212-817-7411; eperram@gc.cuny.edu).

Graduate Council

Graduate Council is the academic governing body of the Graduate Center, and the Bylaws of Graduate Council set forth its rules of governance. Members include representatives of the faculty, students, and administration. The President of the Graduate Center is the Chair of Graduate Council. The Executive Committee of Graduate Council formulates the agenda and brings actions to Graduate Council, which meets four times each year. Graduate Council is concerned with such matters as curriculum, degree requirements, standards of admission, academic performance, and program governance. Much of the work of Graduate Council is done through its standing committees, which include the following:
Executive Committee
Committee on Structure
Committee on Curriculum and Degree Requirements
Committee on Research
Committee on Committees
Committee on Student Services
Student Academic Appeals Committee
Library Committee
Information Technology Committee

Complete information on the membership and functions of Graduate Council is contained in the Bylaws of Graduate Council. Copies of the Bylaws and listings of current Graduate Council and committee membership are maintained in the Office of the Provost. Information may be obtained from Ms. Alice Eisenberg, Telephone: 1-212-817-7227, or on the web at http://web.gc.cuny.edu/provost/gradcouncil.htm.

Doctoral Students' Council (DSC)

Robert E. Gilleece Student Center, Fifth Floor
Main Office: Room 5495; Telephone: 1-212-817-7888; Fax: 1-212-817-1592
Email: dsc.steeringcommittee@gmail.com
URL: http://www.cunydsc.org

The Doctoral Students’ Council (DSC) serves all students enrolled in Graduate Center doctoral and master’s programs or courses who pay a Graduate Center student activity fee. This includes students whose programs may be based largely on other CUNY campuses. The DSC is the sole policymaking body representing students in doctoral or master’s programs at the Graduate Center and administers the money collected from the Student Activity Fee. The DSC welcomes suggestions from the student body on how to maximize the use of its resources.

The Doctoral Students’ Council is located in the Robert E. Gilleece Student Center on the 5th floor. The Student Center houses the student organizations chartered by the DSC and has two spacious, large-windowed student lounges where students can meet and relax: Rooms 5414 and 5409. These lounges, together with a small conference room (Room 5489), are available for reservation for student events through the DSC.

The Executive Committee consists of three co-chairs and the University Student Senate (USS) delegate (as a non-voting ex-officio member):

Co-Chair for Student Affairs: Gregory Donovan, Environmental Psychology
Room 5493; Telephone: 1-212-817-7881; Gregory.donovan@gmail.com
Co-Chair for Communications: Rob Faunce, English
Room 5491; Telephone: 1-212-817-7879; robfaunce@yahoo.com
Co-Chair for Business Management: Brenda Vollman, Criminal Justice
Room 5499; Telephone: 1-212-817-7892; brenda.vollman@gmail.com
USS delegate: Jessica Anderson, Industrial and Organizational Psychology
Room 5495; Telephone: 1-212-817-7888; jessicaanderson42@gmail.com

The Steering Committee—Room 5495; Telephone: 1-212-817-7888—consists of the Executive Committee and the additional six members-at-large listed below:

Alissa Ackerman, Criminal Justice, alissa.ackerman@gmail.com
Andrea Efthymiou, Comparative Literature, andrea_efthymiou@yahoo.com
Anton Masterovoy, History, amasterovoy@gc.cuny.edu
Nancy Medina, Chemistry, nancymargaritamedina@yahoo.com
Denise Torres, Social Welfare, hamtor@netzero.net
Danielle Wu, Biomedical Engineering, daniellewu@aol.com

Each program has elected representatives to the council who are elected on a proportional basis according to the number of students enrolled in the particular program. In addition, at-large representatives are elected from the student body as a whole: one at-large representative for every 200 students. A listing of DSC representatives is available from the DSC office and on the website, http://www.cunydsc.org. The DSC election for representatives is usually held in April. Nominees are solicited from and voted for within each discipline. The newly elected council elects executive committee and steering committee members at the May meeting. (No more than two members shall be from the same program.) The new council begins its official term of office upon election. The Executive and Steering Committees take office two weeks after Commencement.
The Doctoral Student’s Council (DSC), its executive committee, and its steering committee are charged with:

Representing student interests before the administration and external bodies and providing Ombuds functions.
In addition to informal and ongoing communications, the DSC Executive Committee and Steering Committee members meet with members of the Graduate Center administration to report activities and exchange information. Students may have issues presented by their DSC representatives or the DSC Executive Committee before the Doctoral Students’ Council, or can personally address the council by requesting to be put on the DSC agenda for an upcoming meeting. This may, in turn, result in discussion or actions taken within the DSC or between the DSC and the administration. The DSC members also act as advocates for graduate student interests at the Board of Trustees, University Student Senate, New York State Assembly, the Mayor’s Office, and with the Graduate Center administration. Students who are interested in serving on Graduate Council or advisory committees should indicate their interest to the DSC Co-Chairs. (Please refer to p. 48 for standing committees of Graduate Council and consult a Co-Chair for other committee information.) Examples of DSC efforts on students’ behalf include: working for tuition remission for all graduate students; proposal and advocacy for the CUNY Graduate Research Grants Program; negotiating to secure nurse-practitioner services to meet basic student health-care needs; working to ensure student representation on Graduate Council standing and ad hoc committees as well as on departmental committees; opposing tuition increases; and maintaining student autonomy in handling DSC moneys. The DSC Co-Chairs serve as ombudspersons for students, providing information and assistance as requested. This includes guidance and referral in grievance matters and working with departmental student representatives to address student grievances at the Graduate Center.

Supporting student organizations.
The DSC considers requests for charters for interprogram student organizations. Based on the organization’s intent and fulfillment of various structural requirements, the DSC evaluates and votes on whether to charter the organization, which entitles its members to funding according to specified guidelines. (Consult the DSC for further information.) A list of some past and present student organizations can be found at the end of this section.

Fostering a sense of community among the students in the CUNY Graduate Center’s doctoral and master’s degree programs.
The DSC keeps the Graduate Center community informed on important issues through the DSC website, the student newspaper (The Advocate), posters, and open forums. The DSC also organizes free Graduate Center student social events. Every semester the DSC holds a coffee social as well as a late-night party open to all GC students.

Campus Outreach
The DSC is committed to providing information and services to students whose programs are located off-campus. Each semester, the DSC hosts two Campus Outreach Visits in the form of social lunches to the graduate students at various CUNY campuses.

DSC Grants
The DSC provides funding for both cultural affairs and professional development for activities at all campuses where doctoral students are located. The Cultural Affairs Grants Committee considers proposals for funding of cultural activities open to all students, such as student productions, guest speakers, musical events, etc.
The Professional Development Grants Committee considers proposals for funding professional development and research activities. These may include student-organized conferences, publications, and workshops on aspects of professional development. Specifics about each grant can be found on the DSC website at www.cunydsc.org.

Departmental Allocations
Funds derived from the Student Activity Fees are also available for use by the individual programs. Each program and subprogram receives a per-semester allotment based on the number of students—either $3 per student or $180 per program, whichever is larger. These student funds must be obtained through departmental representatives to the DSC and must be requested within the academic year for which the funds are allocated. Application forms for allocations are in the DSC offices.

Adjunct Project
The DSC Adjunct Project exists to improve the employment opportunities, situation, and status of CUNY doctoral student adjuncts. Project staff use a variety of methods to accomplish these goals. They engage in advocacy for doctoral student adjuncts, publicize issues of importance to doctoral student adjuncts, facilitate communication about issues of concern, and assist students in advocating for themselves with department chairs and other University administrators. In cases where adjuncts are represented by an existing union, the Project works to advocate for them within the union and to make clear the issues of importance to doctoral students. For inquiries or more information about the Adjunct Project, stop by Room 5398 or call 1-212-817-7888.

In addition, the DSC provides the following:

(1) Partial sponsorship of student travel and research funds, which provide limited stipends for:

(A) registration and/or travel expenses for presentations at professional conferences;
(B) research-related travel costs and travel costs for attending professional conferences;
(C) costs for research materials and dissertation-related expenses such as typing and duplicating. (Personal computers and printers are not included.)

Applications for the Student Travel and Research Fund are available online and in the Student Affairs office. (See page 29 for requirements and restrictions.) Students are advised to submit their applications as early as possible in the school year. The fund sometimes runs out of money in the Spring semester, and funds are awarded on a “first-come” basis.

2) The Robert E. Gilleece Student Center (5th floor), which has a microwave, sofas, worktables, meeting space for student chartered organizations, and office spaces. To make arrangements for the use of student meeting space, obtain a “Room Reservation Form” from the Steering Committee Office (Room 5495) or from the DSC website.
The time and location of each DSC meeting are posted on the bulletin board near the DSC office and on the DSC website.

(3) A student newspaper, The Advocate.

(4) The DSC website, www.cunydsc.org, where students can obtain all current information about the DSC and can post notices on a student bulletin board.

Current and Past Student Organizations Chartered by the DSC
For the most up-to-date information about student organizations, see the DSC website, http://www.cuny.dsc.org, and for more information please contact the Doctoral Students’ Council at 1-212-817-7888, or visit the DSC offices in Room 5495. The following listed organizations are examples of current or past student organizations that have been chartered by the Doctoral Students’ Council:

AELLA (Latino & Latin-American Students Association)
Africa Research Group
Africana Studies Group
American Studies Group (aka CUNY Americanists)
Black Student Alliance (BSA)
Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA)
DSA / Democratic Socialists of America at CUNY
Eighteenth Century Studies Group
Ethnobotany Study Group
Feminist Studies Group
Free CUNY
The French Interdisciplinary Group for Seventeenth-Century Studies
The Future Is Green Club
Global Studies Collective
International Socialists Organization
Japan Study Group
Korean Student Association
Language Studies Organization
L’Atelier
Luso-Brazilian Studies Organization
PART (Art History Journal)
Pearle Kibre Medieval Study
Postcolonial Studies Group
QUNY/The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgendered, and Queer Student Group
SPTSA/ Social and Political Theory Students Association
Taiwanese Students Organization
Turkish Students Association
Twentieth Century Studies Group
Women of Color Network