Spectrum - Volume 18 Issue 20 February 8, 1996 - GSA passes Education resolution

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GSA passes Education resolution

By Susan Trulove

Spectrum Volume 18 Issue 20 - February 8, 1996

The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) has passed a resolution requesting the Board of Visitors and "other university bodies concerned with funding, staffing, and support" to make a commitment to maintain the College of Education's "outreach programs that meet the needs of a diverse, state-wide population."

Catherine Pinson, delegate from the College of Education, explained in introducing the motion that "most of what the College of Education does is geared to working with professionals-school administrators and teachers. In the merger with Human Resources-which was really a shotgun wedding-both colleges will have to change. Our concern is that the people off campus don't have a regular voice. We (the GSA) have to be their voice. We are looking for something from the Board of Visitors, the university's administrators, and the committees addressing the merger saying (students at off-campus sites) will not be lost in the shuffle."

She said that she has talked to President Paul Torgersen and Henry Dekker of the Board of Visitors. "They indicate they are willing to listen to the students."

A GSA delegate asked if anyone from the College of Human Resources had been asked for an opinion on the resolution, pointing out, "It does affect resources."

Pinson said she did not talk to anyone in Human Resources. Mike Schroder said, "but you're not saying you want to transfer resources from Human Resources, but that you want to maintain current levels."

"That's right," said Pinson. "We want to maintain these programs."

The resolution points out that 79 percent of College of Education students are graduate students, 48 percent of graduate enrollment is in off-campus programs, and that the college has proportionally more women and African American students in graduate programs than any other college--last year graduating 64 percent of the university's graduate students, 71 percent of the doctoral students, and 46 percent of the university's women students. "Since its founding in 1969, (the College of Education) has pioneered in innovative programs on and off-campus, being particularly responsive to the needs of non-traditional students who must juggle school, work, and family commitments and have limited access to graduate-level education." The GSA voted to waive first reading and passed the resolution so it can be presented to the Board of Visitors in February.

(Spectrum will continue coverage of the GSA's actions in the next edition.)