Debate resurfaces for grad groups

Soon after one plan for graduate-student government drew heavy debate, a new plan is bringing the issue back to the forefront.

At a Graduate and Professional Student Assembly general-body meeting last night, Graduate Student Associations Council representative Roger Turner - a fourth-year School of Arts and Sciences graduate student - presented a proposal for graduate-student-government reform.

His proposal, the UPGRADE Model - an acronym that stands for University of Pennsylvania Graduate Representation As Distinct Entities - focuses on recognizing and handling the differing needs of research and professional students.

But this was less a proposal than it was an appeal to members of GSAC to take time to debate the so-called GV2 proposal and other alternatives before formally presenting a proposal, Turner stressed.

GAPSA currently represents eight graduate schools, excluding the Law, Veterinary and Dental schools. It is also the umbrella organization for GSAC, which deals with Ph.D. students.and also represents SAS.

In last month's GV2 proposal, GAPSA and GSAC officials called for the dissolution of GSAC and the creation of a new graduate-student representative body for SAS.

Turner noted a lack of transparency in the development of that proposal, saying that the GSAC body didn't have a chance to debate these governmental changes before they were presented to administrators.

"Government reform has to begin with openness, not end with it," he said.

GAPSA chairman Lee Shaker, a graduate student in the Annenberg School for Communication, denied allegations of excessive secrecy.

But Turner thinks more discussion is necessary.

"We want to slow down the GV2 long enough that we can have a fair and open debate between viable alternatives," Turner said.

And although Turner's proposal is meant to address concerns about GV2, reactions from those present at the GSAC meeting were mixed.

"I believe that Roger raised a number of extremely valid concerns," said Matthew Hersch, a fourth-year SAS graduate student.

Lucas Champollion, third year SAS graduate student, agreed, saying that the way GV2 is being presented is misleading.

"There hasn't been a vote in . GSAC or GAPSA on either of these proposals," he said.

But a number of students still favor the GV2 propsal.

"Lee and Cassondra made a very good proposal," third-year SAS graduate student Alina Badus said regarding GV2. "I'd like to see more of our time going to flushing that out rather than reworking everything."

Andrew Rennekamp - a second-year medical student and treasurer of GSAC - added that, while UPGRADE was useful at outlining problems with GV2, it didn't solve any of them.

"I was a little disappointed because I didn't think it was an actual proposal," he said. "It didn't present an alternative to the proposal that's out there."

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