Funding, staffing issues delay grad student center

Though the newly renovated Student Activities Center held its
grand opening celebration just last week, many of the offices
remain empty. Room B-11, home to the up-and-coming Graduate Student
Resource Center, is one of the vacant offices.

The Graduate Student Resource Center, funded by the Graduate
Student Association, was scheduled to open in the fall of 2003 but
was delayed due to funding and staffing problems.

Though there are places where graduate students can interact
with one another, such as department lounges, there is no central
location on campus where graduate students from all schools can
come together and seek help, advice or just hang out, said Hanish
Rathod, president of GSA.

When it opens, the center’s aim will be to bridge this gap
within the campus, GSA members said.

“The vision is that there will be a place for graduate
students to come together and interact but more so to get their
questions answered,” Rathod said.

The center is slated to appoint someone to a cabinet-level
position. The appointee will take the initiative to go to various
entities on campus and bring in resources such as workshops on
taxes. The director will also provide help and support when
graduate students encounter departmental issues.

In addition, the center will serve as a place where department
representatives from Murphy Hall can have office hours so graduate
students can talk to them directly.

“(The center) will evolve with time to fit the need for
graduate students … we want it to adjust for future needs as
well,” Rathod said.

“Graduate students represent one third of the campus but
there is nothing for them … It is very important that this center
is funded properly,” Rathod said.

In the midst of the budget cuts, funding has become a big issue
for GSA. GSA used money saved from several years ago to start the
project by buying furniture and office supplies, but operation
costs are high and extra funding is necessary.

“For the day-to-day operations, that takes a lot of
capital … I am looking toward other venues to get funding, but
it’s difficult when the state is cutting funds,” Rathod
said.

The delay in the opening of the center is also due in large part
to the resignation of the former director of the Graduate Student
Resource Center earlier this year. Rathod declined to comment on
the resignation. Students have applied for the position and Rathod
expects the position to be reassigned this Friday.

“It is unfortunate that everything has to just sit in the
office. We have all these ideas for the center (but) we don’t
have operating funds,” Rathod said.

Some graduate students on campus had a vague idea about what
services the center would provide and were not sure if the
resources would be helpful to them.

“Most law students will probably not use it because we
have institutions here that are already helpful, but it will
probably be useful for other graduate students in the other
departments,” said Steve Kaplan, a law student.