Monday, September 24, 2007

Grad student only clubs?

A problem that arises every year is the method by which the GSS organizes clubs.
About five years ago, graduate students ran a referendum in which they decided to fund clubs, services and other groups in the SUB thus guaranteeing membership for graduate students in those groups. these groups include constituency groups of the UVSS (such as the Native Students' Union and AVP (the campus sexual assault centre)), VIPIRG, and UVSS Clubs. UVSS clubs range from political clubs like the Young Liberals or Young NDP to religious clubs to social and and activity clubs such as the Outdoors Club or Sailing Club.

Every year a group of graduate students try to form a club but find they cannot because UVSS clubs policy requires a certain percentage of members of clubs be undergraduate students.

This poses a dilemma for the GSS. Would it be better to have separate funding for clubs come to the GSS so graduate students can form our own clubs but graduate students have to pay fees to join UVSS clubs, or is it best to maintain access to all the UVSS clubs as through our current system, but forfeit the ability of graduate students to initiate clubs without a majority of undergraduate members?

I am interested to hear what graduate students would prefer.

1 comment:

Unknown said...

The Sailing Club, and the Outdoors club are both Athletics and Recreation clubs. They don't have anything to do with the UVSS. They get their funding and room booking ability, and everything from Athletics and Rec.

Besides that, Grad students shouldn't have to find a certain number of undergrads for their clubs, undergrads don't have a grad student quota, and grad students pay into the clubs to get access to them.