Message from GSA President

Dear Members,

Please find below is an email message from the current INTERIM President.

Sincerely,
Sherene Cheah

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Subject: Message from GSA President
Date: Tue, 23 Jan 2007 14:26:21 -0500
From: Stephanie Frank

Dear Fellow Graduate Students:

I would like to take this opportunity to again invite all of you to meet with me to address any questions, comments, or concerns you might have about either myself, the executive board, and/or GSA. Since being appointed president, I have sent several messages out asking students to take advantage of the opportunity to share their concerns and to work with me in addressing issues. To date, not a single senator has contacted me and I find it hard to believe that no one has questions about the transition or ideas for the improvement of GSA.

In today's issue of Generation Magazine, a graduate student reported frustration over the appointment of a president from the same department as the previous president...making the inference that the same issues that plagued last semester's executive board will continue this semester. The statement is highly inaccurate...Aubrey and I are from two completely different departments...we came to know each other only from my work in the GSA and my time served on the Election Committee. Questions were also raised in the article over why certain budget lines were allocated a certain amount of money versus other budget lines. The article points out that only $4000.00 was allocated to international clubs, but what is not mentioned is that the senate itself approved the budget in the April 2006 senate meeting. Additionally, international clubs were actually allocated a total of $8500 with $5500 given to all the clubs that got early recognition and an additional $3000 was set aside for any clubs that did not get early recognition but might apply for recognition at the beginning of the year, or for any new international club that may form.
This example of misinformation and lack of knowledge is exactly why I have been asking for departments and senators to meet with the current Executive Board and discuss problems and concerns. I challenge the student body and the senators not to be passive members of the senate, but rather, to take a personal interest in the affairs of their student government and to learn how policies and procedures are enacted and enforced. Just as it is the responsibility of the executive board to serve the student body to the best of its abilities, it is the senate's responsibilty to question the whole of GSA (be it the executive board or the senate itself), to be active members, and to perform their duties to the best of their abilities as well to ensure that all of the graduate student body is best served.

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please email them to me at rzp@buffalo.edu.

Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.

Sincerely,
Ronald Piaseczny,
JD GSA President