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During Wednesday night’s Graduate Student Organization Senate meeting, the organization hosted Associate Provost Peter Vanable and Associate Graduate School Dean Gabby Chapman to share a potential new parental accommodation policy allowing an eight-week grace period for graduate students who have or adopt a child.

“This is in addition to our childcare subsidy policy. We actually think it’s underutilized,” Vanable said.

The academic accommodation relieves students of academic and research requirements during the eight weeks. Chapman pointed out that the policy is for “new” situations of adoption or birth and arranges for reasonable extensions for coursework, qualifying exams and research milestones during that time.

The policy also would include an eight-week financial accommodation for students with assistantships at SU. This would allow the student to continue to receive the same level of stipend payments while they adjust to their new parental responsibilities.

Vanable said he would look into the inclusion of legal guardianship in the policy.

The GSO Senate also elected three secretaries and four new senate members during the meeting.

Abiodun Adeoye, a first-year graduate student, will become the new recording secretary. Melissa Alvisi will be sworn in as the next financial secretary. Daniela Puente will be the new communications secretary.

GSO Member Adeoye, who is pursuing a masters degree in Public Administration and International Relations, became the new recording secretary in a 31-10 vote. Adeoye defeated Kellin Tasber for the position.

Tasber leaned on his experience as a returning member of the senate when fielding questions from the body, while Adeoye pointed toward his work with foreign students.

“I have plenty of experience working (in) different time (zones) with foreign students,” Adeoye said. “I’m well equipped to quickly schedule a meeting and get things done.”

Tasber ran once again, specifically to be the GSO Senate’s financial secretary, but ultimately dropped out during the questioning portion of the election because he said Alvisi, his opponent, was more than qualified.

Alvisi, a first-year GSO member, served as SUNY Cortland’s Student Government Association’s financial advisor and chief financial officer. While attending the school, Alvisi said she has worked four jobs, including as a teaching student. She beat out Hien Thi Thu Nguyen for the position, a second-year graduate student.

“The main goal when it comes to GSO funds would be to make sure utilization is maximized so that organizations have fair access to social capital.,” Alvisi said. She added that the GSO’s goal should be to prioritize the students, and funds utilization should be for that one priority.

Five candidates ran for the communications secretary, the new position initially proposed in the spring by Daniel Kimmel, vice president for internal affairs.

Through a ranked-choice voting system, Peunte earned 24 votes, enough to win a majority against Hemalatha Yuvaraja and Benjamin Tetteh, who each received 7 votes.

Seven members ran for an additional four at-large positions. However, the GSO Senate tabled the election, considering a March 23 resolution that expanded the number of at-large positions from 6 to 10.

Published on September 14, 2022 at 11:52 pm

Contact Anthony: aalandt@syr.edu | @anthonyalandt