In its Wednesday meeting, the Graduate Student Council (GSC) discussed the creation of an advocacy committee for graduate students to petition the administration, different possibilities for changing the structure of elections and the Council’s policies on letter-signing.

There were no bills voted on during the session, though Council member Isa Rosa M.S. ’16, a Ph.D. candidate in civil and environmental engineering, said that a vote on the advocacy committee should happen in two weeks.

Efforts to set clear guidelines for elections continued, with Council member Melanie Malinas, a Ph.D. candidate in bioengineering, suggesting the inclusion of more details regarding at-large seats and Council member Alejandro Schuler, a Ph.D. candidate in biomedical informatics, asking for information on how representation is structured by district. These guidelines, once finalized, will ultimately be sent to the Elections Commission, which requested them originally.

Members also suggested adding more graduate students to the graduate student email list. Rosa proposed adding everyone who RSVPs to events to the list, and Council member Rosie Nelson, a Ph.D. candidate from the Graduate School of Education, said the focus should be on transitioning to a new internet server first.

A contentious point among members was the signing of anonymous letters on behalf of the Council. Council member Dan Walls, a Ph.D. candidate in chemical engineering, reminded Council members that traditionally letters have been written using GSC letterhead and have been signed by the chair as well as all Council members.

Council member Gabriela Badica from the Division of Literatures, Cultures and Languages emphasized that the Council should not be affixing its name to letters other people have written, especially when the letter’s authors wish to remain anonymous.

 

Contact Rebecca Smalbach at smalbach ‘at’ stanford.edu.