Grad group takes anti-war stance

Joining city councils, labor groups and student governments across the nation, Penn's Graduate and Professional Student Assembly recently passed a resolution against war with Iraq. Originally introduced by GAPSA's vice chairman and political science graduate student Michael Janson, the resolution was tabled last month. Brought back to the floor on March 5, albeit significantly modified, the resolution passed easily by a vote of 16 to 1. Amendments "simplified the resolution to allow for more broad-based support," according to GAPSA chairman Jeremy Korst, eliminating several "'whereas' clauses that were an issue for people," including references to U.N. Resolution 1441. The core of the adopted resolution is that "war at this time is not the best possible solution," Korst said. Korst added in an e-mail that "GAPSA completely supports the men and women of the armed forces who will be involved in any conflict with Iraq." "Our thoughts and prayers are with them, their families and the people of Iraq," he wrote. The question of military action aside, some feel that GAPSA was out of its element representing Penn's 10,000 graduate students on sweeping questions of foreign policy. "I find it disappointing that we think this is what we're there to do," Wharton School representative to GAPSA Robert Alvarez said, explaining why he moved to table the motion in February. "There's plenty of important things for [this] assembly to do," Alvarez said. "GAPSA should not shy away from controversial or political issues but should chose one within its purview. "That doesn't mean the assembly can't take a role in debates like this," Alvarez said, maintaining that GAPSA should "get a dialogue going" and facilitate debate rather than make such sweeping pronouncements itself. "It's saying it doesn't have any better way to spend its time," he said. Confident that Penn students are more than capable of expressing their political opinions for themselves, Alvarez noted that since every graduate and professional student is automatically a GAPSA constituent, the resolution, passed by 16, technically speaks for all 10,000 members of the graduate community. Others, meanwhile, say other student government organizations on campus should follow GAPSA's lead. "It's great to see the graduate students get mobilized on this issue," said anti-war activist Arshad Hasan, a College senior. A former Undergraduate Assembly communications chairman, Hasan declared himself "disappointed and not very well represented" by the UA, which has yet to take a stance on the issue. He added that GAPSA is "traditionally less active on campus, and it's really disheartening to see the UA fall behind and not address the issues that really affect the campus."

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