Committees

Committees are formed to address key issues and are formed following Open Meetings. Members of Committees must be GPLC representatives or Executive Board members. Inquiries relevant to a specific committee are the purview of the committee Chair, who is appointed at Open Meetings and shall schedule meetings with other committee members to solicit opinions, collect information, and identify action items related to the Issue and then to discuss and draft policy briefs. A list of active committees is presented below.

If you are interested in contributing to a committee/issue listed below, please contact either a representative from the respective school/program or the committee chair directly. If you have any questions, contact GPLC at gplc@bu.edu.

Active Committees

---

PhD Funding Model

Issue: This committee was initially organized based on the policy change that guaranteed new graduate students a certain level of financial support for at least five years. However, the policy change did not guarantee support for older students who began their graduate studies before 2013. In some departments, this has resulted in a significant difference in financial support offered to graduate students starting after 2013 compared to graduate students who started before 2013. Some students admitted in previous years report that their support has been reduced or eliminated in order to accommodate the higher support requirements for new students. The committee has since been expanded to addressing issues of funding disparities between departments and the issue of summer funding for PhD students on 10-month stipends.

Status: The administration is currently working to raise stipends to compete with peer institutions, albeit slowly. The Spring 2017 GPLC Recommendations to the Administration suggested that the University work to raise stipends at a higher rate annually and close the gap between the Humanities/Sciences/Social Sciences through additional summer funding. A pilot program is being investigated by the office of the Ass. Provost for Graduate Affairs. Additionally, the GPLC recommended that the University update the definition of “external work” as described in PhD funding letters to allow students to hold positions that are beneficial to future career paths such as funded internships and adjunct teaching positions.

Goals: The PhD Funding Model Committee will strive to achieve greater pay equality between PhD students working within the same department and across different departments. In order to accomplish this goal, it will also explore ways that the current rules that disallow students from increasing their yearly pay through outside funding to be loosened.

---

Dental Plan for Graduate Students

Issue:  There are various options available to Graduate Students to receive Dental Insurance/coverage but these options are not well advertised. Initially it was thought that as non-dental students, you have to pay out of pocket for dental work, no matter what. Previously the dental school offered a plan for $300 a year to receive routine work.  

Status: AENTA’s Vital Savings Plan is an annual plan that you can enroll in for discounts. Additionally AETNA offers a discounted Dental Plan if you call them directly. See Resources page. There is also the Student Discount Program available through BU Dental School, but this option is open and available to the public as well as BU students.

Goals: 1) recommend policies to encourage timely dental care by making affordable routine, basic, and necessary dental care available to graduate students.

---

---

Non-funded Programs

Issue: Students in non-funded graduate programs have raised the concern that the tuition monies paid by students are not being used by the university in ways that benefit current students. We wish to ensure that student tuition money paid to the university in exchange for education and benefits is not being misappropriated or being spent on other programs that do not improve the capacity for learning and research and the quality of life of current BU graduate students, specifically those students who do not receive funding from the university to support their research or cost-of-living expenses.
Chair: Jennifer Kroll (jk786163@bu.edu)

Goals: The Non-funded Programs Committee has three primary goals. First, the committee will investigate the distribution of student tuition money within graduate programs where students do not receive funding. The Committee will study the ratio of accepted students in non-funded programs and assess the levels of student oversaturation and the relationship between tuition money distributions. Finally, the Committee will compare information about BU’s student tuition distribution and program acceptance rates with other universities at the same level, in an attempt to better direct feedback to BU on potential areas of improvement. In order to accomplish these goals, the Committee will examine the impact of current protocol on non-funded programs through data gathering and student surveys.

---

Facilities

Issue: A new committee was proposed to investigate what channels are available for graduate students to address issues related to facilities and amenities. Specific questions raised had to do with how to replace/upgrade basic support equipment (desks, chairs, lab/office space), as well as how to negotiate facilities issues with e.g. security (access after hours while conducting lab research, safety issues with transients taking up residence in unsecured rooms). More information is sought to whom to address these concerns, and what kind of support can be provided to address issues.

Chairs: Andrew Trcila

---

January Credit Reallocation Committee

Issue: Currently, January classes are counted toward Spring semester credits. Part-time students commonly take January courses in order to decrease their program length. However, part-time students have an 11 credit limit. If they decide to take a three credit course during January and three 3 credit courses (this is not abnormal) in the regular semester, they will be registered for 12 credits and be considered a full time student. The difference in terms of price goes from $17,116 for 11 credits to over $24,900 for 12 credits. If a student decides to take two 3 credit courses during January term, and two courses in the Spring, that would be a total of 12 credits. The current threshold for part-time students is 11 credits at approximately $1556 per credit. The additional credit (moving them from 11 – 12 credits) would move them to full time status. The difference in terms of price goes from $17,116 for 11 credits to over $24,900 for 12 credits.
Chair: Marshal Caro
Goals: January courses should function separately from Spring Semester with
an additional Financial Aid application similar to the one for Summer
Semester. If January courses could function as separate from Spring
Semester billing, the total would be $18,672 for 12 credits (6 January
+ 6 Spring Semester). Part-time and pay-by-credit students should not
be penalized for attempting to utilize additional course opportunities
to further progress in their programs.

 

---

Former Committees

*******

Weekend BU Shuttle Service

Issue: Many students have Saturday academic/professional obligations on the medical campus. Many students live on the Charles River campus and find the commute on Saturdays more difficult. The bus service would also help students living on the medical campus attend BU events on the Charles River campus and visit Fit Rec. Full service would not be necessary, but limited service would be helpful for a substantial portion of the BU Medical Campus community.
Chair: Azeez Swarup (agsdmd)
Result: BUS runs on Saturdays now in large part due to the Dental School’s efforts. It now runs four times per day and chances for increasing that are likely to be very low because of safety issues, since the last one is pretty late. BUS also removed the Medical Residence stop, making the trip shorter.

---

Medical Campus Student Health Services

Issue: Currently, students on the medical campus have to take the shuttle to the Student Health Services on the Charles River campus. It is often difficult to find the time between classes and patients to make the trip to Health Services.
Chair: Kate Goodmon (kgoodmon)
Result: A new mental health clinic was opened on the Medical Campus at the Solomon Carter Fuller Building on September 2, 2015. All full-time students are eligible for care regardless of health insurance. Part-time students who have the Aetna Student Health insurance are also eligible. It is staffed two days per week – Mondays from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Wednesdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The following services are available: evaluation, consultation, short-term treatment (both medication management and psychotherapy), 24-hour coverage for psychiatric emergencies. Please call 617-353-3569 to request an appointment.

---

FitRec Membership for BU Alumni

Issue: A recent graduate was dismayed about the cost of visiting FitRec as a non-student. It costs about 15 dollars per visit to FitRec if you do not have a membership. However, there is a young alumni membership as well as a Friends of BU Membership.
Chair: Kira Sullivan-Wiley (kswiley@bu.edu)
Result: Share available information on the GPLC website to clear up confusion about options for FitRec membership for recent graduates. See following website for info on memberships: https://www.bu.edu/fitrec/membership/alumni/

---

Auditing FitRec Classes

Issue: The issue is related to the limits on the number of courses a graduate student can audit, and the effect this has on taking certain courses at FitRec. Once graduate courses are completed, there is a limit of one audit per semester. Many courses at FitRec are not available for punch cards, only for credit, and thus not available to graduate students unless they register as a full time student which is very expensive. 
Chair: Kristen Carey (kmcarey@bu.edu)
Result: Appropriate variety of classes offered

---

Student ID Replacement Fee

Issue: If you lose an ID you have to pay 40 dollars to replace it. One student’s fee was not waived at first because of a complication regarding her status as a graduate student/RA/TA. She went to the Dean of Students, the Ombudsman, and finally got to the person who waived her fee. He stated that he is not reviewing this policy, but instead reviews cases on an individual basis. The goal is to get this policy removed.
Chair: Natalie Vaisman (nvaisman@bu.edu)
Result: The replacement fee on the student ID in cases of theft, upon presentation of a copy of the police report is now a policy that’s in place.

---

Reconstruction of Commonwealth Avenue

Issue: The city is planning to restart phases 2A and 3 in the process of redesigning Commonwealth Ave. Phase 2A is from the BU Bridge to Packard’s Corner. Phase 3 is from Packard’s Corner to Warren Street. During the remaining design process, students (and the community at large) may have a strong interest in pushing for better walking, cycling and transit conditions along Commonwealth Ave.
Chair: Michelle Divelbiss (midiv@bu.edu)
Result: Discussions ongoing regarding Commonwealth Ave. reconstruction from Packard’s Corner to BU Bridge. Main issues involve multiple stakeholders. Items under discussion include installing a buffer track for cyclists as opposed to the current plan of only a painted lane. Committee is attempting to coordinate with the GSO and BU Bikes to write letter to President Brown and perhaps the Mayor, to call for a meeting with President Brown and discuss student concerns regarding the reconstruction. They are currently working on a draft of the letter.

Goals: 1) Coordinate between past and current committee members to get everyone up to speed on the reconstruction project; 2) Understand the current construction underway on Commonwealth Ave. and understand the changes for planned/future construction; 3) Communicate these updates to the student body; 4) Hear out student concerns and, if possible, relay these concerns to city planning representatives.

---

Basic Plan vs. Plus Plan

Issue: Grad Student Healthcare on CRC has the basic plan as the default plan and students can elect to pay more for the plus plan. However, grad students on the Med Campus are automatically enrolled in the plus plan. Tim Barberi is thinking of shifting the plans so that the plus plan becomes the default for all students and the university would pay 80% of the premium for the better plan rather than 100% (what they pay now). Option to opt-out with some sort of credit for the stipend.

Chair: Soren Hessler (shessler@bu.edu)

Goals: Serve as point person in conversation with Tim Barberi as the conversation develops about the relative benefits of changing the current system.

---

Credit/Debit Cards at all BU Dining Locations

Issue: The current state of affairs is confusing and contradictory. Some dining locations accept cards and others don’t, though they serve the same population. On average, the campus adds one dining location per year that will accept debit/credit cards.

• Supporting arguments: TerrierPoints aren’t available to graduate students or visitors; fees to use ATMs if your bank isn’t represented on campus; some departments/offices lack refrigerators, so students are forced to purchase food, and then incur additional costs to do so (time and fees).
• Dissenting arguments include: businesses are independent; the costs to the vendor may be high because of the credit card company fees

Chair: Sila Ataca (toksoz@bu.edu)

Result: Completed

Goals: Recruit committee members to survey graduate student opinions, find information, and explore options.