The Graduate Student Government Association (GSGA) discussed the rough draft of a survey that would poll students from across the University’s seven graduate schools during their Oct. 16 meeting. GSGA President Cody Long (20L) also announced plans for a University-wide conduct board, as well as possible changes to the academic appeals process.
GSGA Discusses Plans for Graduate School-Wide Survey
GSGA provided feedback on and suggested changes to a survey meant to gauge graduate student experience. The survey is planned for launch in November and will run for approximately six weeks.
“The goal of the survey is to get a feel of campus climate for graduate students, seeing how Emory University is doing in a lot of key areas,” said Vice President of External Affairs Aaron Blakney (20PH), who is in charge of writing the survey. “We want to get a better idea of the general campus atmosphere, how we can do better as a graduate student government organization, as well as going to the Emory University administration to push for changes.”
The survey will collect information that ranges from demographics to overall satisfaction with many aspects of the graduate student experience. This includes satisfaction with present options for housing, health and transportation. The feedback received from the survey will help GSGA lobby the Emory administration for changes that could improve the graduate student experience, according to Blakney.
GSGA to Meet with Administration about Graduate Student Concerns
Long announced that the legislature has begun reaching out to Campus Life to discuss plans for a University-wide student behavioral conduct board.
Long said he will also meet with outgoing Provost and Executive Vice President of Academic Affairs Dwight A. McBride to discuss religious observations. He noted that the coinciding of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting, with Spring 2020 finals, poses a significant concern for affected students.
Additionally, Long said he will discuss a process that will allow students to receive third-party re-evaluation for academic appeals that the deans of their respective graduate schools may already have denied.
Musa Ya-Sin (21C) is from Decatur, Georgia, majoring in history. Before transferring to Emory in Fall 2019, Ya-Sin attended Georgia State University. An aspiring law student, Ya-Sin enjoys video games, volunteering and cooking.
