GPSA, Admins Discuss Grad Student Life Issues
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The dilapidation of the Big Red Barn has spawned continuous support for not only the building itself, but also for what many claim it represents — the state of the graduate and professional student body at Cornell.
President Skorton acknowledged the lack of visibility of Cornell’s graduate student population in comparison to the undergraduate community at the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly Council of Representatives meeting yesterday, which he attended with Susan Murphy ’73, vice president for student and academic affairs. Skorton and Murphy discussed the Big Red Barn’s progress as well as larger issues such as the Graduate Community Initiative and Master Plan, which includes developing a potential graduate student center. Several other concerns pertaining to the graduate community were also addressed.
The BRB should open “by April first at the latest but hopefully by the conclusion of Spring Break,” according to Murphy. “The construction will buy us at least three to five years,” Murphy reported, but it is no permanent solution. The task force assigned to examine the Master Plan continues to work on a long-term solution for a graduate student center. Yu Yu grad, president of the GPSA, said the decisions could proceed in several directions, including expanding or replacing the BRB as the center of graduate activities.
In the meantime, “BRB at Trillium” will open on the mezzanine level of Trillium. TGIF will continue to be held every Friday at Trillium, according to Brenda Wickes, assistant dean of graduate student life, although there is no alcohol permit at the replacement eatery. Internet access via RedRover is available, in addition to numerous tables and chairs. Besides serving as an interim location for graduate activities, “BRB at Trillium” provides a productive use of free space.
“Trillium is a hot spot for lunch but hasn’t really been fully utilized at other times … There’s learning to be done on both sides … but we don’t have to have this as just one event,” said Murphy.
According to Skorton, a group that he claimed is “making a lot of progress” has convened to look over the GCI document. If the task force, which meets today, approves it, Skorton will then also look over the GCI. 
Constructive criticism: President Skorton and Vice President Susan Murphy speak with grad students at the GPSA meeting yesterday in Willard Straight Hall.
While all these steps advance forward, many feel the prospect of a graduate student center still lags behind on the University’s agenda. Yu brought up student suggestions for an additional activity fee or financial support by alumni as potential solutions to catalyzing the process, but Skorton was hesitant, remarking that he did not want to “promise something [he] could not give.” He emphasized that they first consider what the scope of the project would be and encouraged the graduate students to write directly to him regarding any concerns or suggestions.
In response to the suggestion for alumni support, Skorton alluded to his recent article, “Focusing on Graduate and Professional Education,” in the Cornell Alumni Magazine, which he believed would help bring graduate student concerns to the forefront, particularly in the eyes of Cornell alumni.
In addition to the BRB, Skorton discussed other campus issues at the GPSA meeting such as the Campus Code of Conduct, which he reported is within weeks of finishing the review process.
In response to concern and discussion over lack of graduate student mental health support, Wickes emphasized Gannett’s efforts to target the graduate community as well as the inherent difficulty in catering to such a diverse and distant population.
For additional coverage of the GPSA, and Big Red Barn Closure click here.
Who cares BRB?
To the Editor:
Is Big Red Barn important? My friend who worked there before told me it was a place for a group of 80-90 social animals to enjoy themselves every week.
As a grad, my family, lab and department are my communities. Why should I be connected with people from the Department of Comparative Literature?
For the GPSA, I've never seen any election about it. Where does it come from? Since I never vote for it, how can it represent me?
For people who disagree with me, go to Hasbrouck or Maplewood, randomly pick 10 graduate students. See how many of them frequently go to, or even know Big Red Barn. How many of them know GPSA and think GPSA can represent them.
Re: Who cares BRB?
As a member of the GPSA, I'd like to answer Anonymous's question about how the GPSA is elected. Most of the information is available on our website. (http://assembly.cornell.edu/GPSA/Home). Basically, each field in the grad school elects or appoints a member to sit on the Council of Representatives, a non-voting advisory council that assists the GPSA. Every year, the GPSA is elected from CoR members, with a certain number of seats set aside from the different areas of the graduate and professional programs. I suggest that Anonymous ask around his or her department to see who is his or her CoR member -- each department is left to their own devices as to how they elect or appoint CoR members. It could be that there is no one -- some of our CoR positions are still unfilled, and we have been working on speaking to those departments about that.
(We also have been working to make sure that more people know about what the GPSA is about, and in making sure we do represent grad students. To that end, I, at least, am pleased that the Sun is covering our meetings so that grad student readers are involved of their goings-on. I invite Anonymous and any readers of this to attend our meetings -- which are listed on our website and open to the Cornell community -- if they are really curious. And, if they have a concern, I urge them to email a GPSA member or come to one of our meetings and speak during Open Forum.)
-- Rebecca Harbison
GPSA Member
Physical Sciences
Who cares BRB?
Dear Anonymous,
I would like to second that which Rebecca has stated. As Vice President of the GPSA, I am the Communications Chairperson and I also recruit for our Council of Representatives. Every year, we actively recruit for the Council with the assistance of past members and GFAs. I welcome you to personally contact me if you are interested in learning how your field may or may not be represented on the GPSA. If your field is not represented, I personally invite you to get involved. You are correct that the GPSA is only as strong as its membership.
While a focal point of our business in the GPSA this year has been the BRB, we also work directly with administrators on other issues - such as housing and family services, among others. The BRB may not be of interest to you, but these other issues may, so again, I welcome your feedback and participation.
Thank you,
Michelle Leinfelder
GPSA Vice President
Biological Sciences Representative
maybe you find out who your GPSA rep is!
For you to not have know there was a body like the GPSA, is quite suprising. It only makes sense that the thousands of graduate and professional students at CU would have the GPSA. Maybe you should visit the GPSA and see who your field representative is... then contact them with your concerns. Additionally, all meetings are open to the public, where have you been to voice your minorty opinions?
The graduate student center is a very important issue. In fact, you make my point for me... it is a failure on your part and the part of CU that your community is your "family, lab and department". There is more to life then a small world like that (and the graduate students at Hasbrouck or Maplewood compose a small and specific portion of the graduate students at CU, most of us do not live in University owned property). With a proper graduate student center and the many other issues in the Graduate Community Innitiative (you can find this from the GPSA website), the GPSA is working to bring about a stronger graduate community. With a strong graduate community, you, your lab, AND your family will find there is much to learn (accademicly and personally) from those in near and distantly related fields.
Please, do visit the GPSA website, find your your field rep (or become one), get involved and make your opinions heard. While you are there, spend some time and read the Graduate Community Innitiative (you will also find the GPSA is working hard to make good health insurance for your family more affordable, an issue I bet you will find agreeable).
Hopefully, with a stronger graduate community, future CU gradstudents will realize the benifits to meeting others in related fields and the personal benifit of meeting people "different" than what they are commonly surrounded with. Thus making their CU experience more bennificial and pleasurable.