Polls are open for campus elections. Graduate students can vote now through Thursday, April 25 for next year's Graduate Students Association officers and student fees. Read on below for more information about the candidates and the proposed student fees.
Graduate Students Association Officers:
Read candidate statements at ucsbgsa.org/2013-spring-elections/. Write-in candidates are permitted for all positions.
- GSA President
- Gary Haddow
- GSA VP, Academic Affairs
- Marcel Brousseau
- GSA VP, Student Affairs
- Gary Fox
- GSA VP, External Affairs
- Katie Koehler
- GSA VP, Communications and Records
- Ester N Trujillo
- GSA VP, Budget and Finance
- Caitlin Rathe
- GSA VP, Committees and Planning
- Dusty Hoesly
- GSA VP, Internal Affairs
- No Candidate (write-in candidates allowed)
Graduate students will vote on two GSA fee reaffirmations:
Night and Weekend Parking (Reaffirmation)
Do you wish to continue a $5.00 (includes return to financial aid of $.42) per graduate student per quarter (excluding summer) mandatory fee to fund annual Nights & Weekend parking passes for all graduate students. If passed, the fee will be collected fall 2013 through spring 2015 and be subject to reaffirmation in 2015.
Student Medical Emergency Relief Fund (SMERF) (Reaffirmation)
Do you wish to continue a $0.89 per student per quarter, including summer, mandatory fee in order to provide funding for the Student Medical Emergency Relief Fund (SMERF), which provides grants for students who are not able to cover the costs of medical procedures? If reaffirmed, the fee will be collected fall 2013 through summer 2017 and be subject to reaffirmation in 2017.
Graduate students will vote on two new campus-wide fees:
Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity (WGSE, formerly known as the Women’s Center) Support Fee Increase
Mandatory fee increase of $3.92 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter, including summer, in order to further support the Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity Department (WGSE, formerly known as the Women’s Center).
The WGSE currently collects $4.25 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter (including summer), currently up for reaffirmation, through a campus lock-in fee.
If passed, the fee would begin fall 2013, be subject to joint reaffirmation (base fee of $4.25, plus increase of $3.92 = $8.17) in spring 2017, and would raise the total undergraduate and graduate per student quarterly fees for this service to $8.17 (fall, winter, spring and summer).
Failure of the reaffirmation of the campus lock-in base fee of $4.25 negates the increase whether or not the increase passes (see below).
The Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity support fee increase will help maintain staff and programs including Campus Advocacy Resources and Education (formerly the Rape Prevention Education Program); Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Resources; Women's Center programming; and Non-Traditional Student Services. The support fee will maintain the public spaces within the Women’s Center, Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, and Non-Traditional Student Resource Center (e.g., libraries, art galleries, meeting rooms) through the addition of new technology, library acquisitions, art gallery resources, and replacement of aging equipment. It will also help to improve current WGSE programs and services such as 1) the Campus Advocacy Resources and Education; 2) help for individuals in crisis; 3) support for lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender/intersex/ally communities; 4) student-initiated activities and events; 5) student employment opportunities; 6) student internships; and 7) educational programming.
Health & Wellness Programs Fee
Mandatory fee of $7.13 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter, including summer, in order to support Health & Wellness Programs, (Breakdown: $5.35 goes to Health & Wellness, $1.78 is for return to aid). Of the $5.35 for Health & Wellness, a 7% administrative assessment will be charged to all non-capital expenditures. If passed, the fee would begin fall 2013 and would be subject to reaffirmation in spring 2017.
This fee will allow Health & Wellness to preserve the staff necessary to continue student-centered and student-requested programs on topics such as sex and relationships, healthy eating, drugs, stress-reduction techniques, and positive psychology. The Wellness class (ED 191W) and internship program provide professional training and leadership certification for more than 330 students per year. Annually, Health & Wellness interns facilitate over 90 workshops, 26 field trips, 120 healthy food demos and 20+ events such as Dog Therapy Day, HIV Testing, Love Your Body Day, Liquid Lab/DUI Prevention, Random Acts of Kindness, Sex Affair, and National Eating Disorders Awareness Week. An affirmation of this fee will also allow Health & Wellness to continue providing resources such as weekly massage, organic apples, and condoms to students at no additional cost. If this ballot measure does not pass, Health & Wellness will be forced to reduce and/or eliminate services and staff. This fee will preserve Health & Wellness services and help UCSB students to continue to thrive academically, physically, socially, and emotionally.
Graduate students will vote to reaffirm two existing campus-wide student fees:
Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS, formerly Counseling Services) and Career Services Support Fee
Do you reaffirm a mandatory fee of $5.85 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter, including summer, in order to provide funds to maintain service levels for Counseling & Psychological Services and Career Services ($2.69 goes to CAPS, $3.16 goes to Career Services)? If reaffirmed, the fee will continue to be assessed until subject to reaffirmation in spring 2017.
Counseling & Psychological Services (CAPS) currently collects an additional $10.85 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter (including summer), collected through a campus lock-in fee, for a total of $13.54 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter to support CAPS.
Career Services currently collects an additional $5.55 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter (including summer), collected through a campus lock-in fee, for a total of $8.71 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter to support Career Services.
Counseling & Psychological Services receives $2.69 (of the $5.85 fee) to see graduate and undergraduate students who are in emotional distress. Along with providing confidential individual counseling, we work with roommates, friends, parents, teaching assistants, faculty, and staff to help them get counseling for someone in need. Students also now have access to counseling 24/7 through our phone consultation services.
Reaffirmation of this fee will allow us to continue to support psychologist positions, and budget permitting, avoid co-payments and reduced hours. A yes vote for this reaffirmation will ensure that we are able to continue to offer these essential services to all graduate and undergraduate students in need.
Career Services receives $3.16 (of the $5.85 fee) to assist approximately 10,000 students per year with career-related issues such as major and career selection; access to internships and part- and full-time jobs; assistance with graduate school applications; provision of job search tools such as workshops, employer information sessions, job fairs, and on-campus interviews assistance. Specifically, these monies support one career counselor, one job developer and related marketing efforts, and the free three-month grace period for students after graduation.
Reaffirming this fee will support employer development, outreach, career counseling staff, and budget permitting, enable us to avoid reducing hours and instituting or increasing fees for testing, job fairs, and workshops. By reaffirming this fee, you ensure Career Services will continue to be available for your career counseling needs and continue to offer quality services.
Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity (WGSE, formerly the Women’s Center) Support Fee
Do you reaffirm a mandatory fee of $4.25 per undergraduate and graduate student per quarter, including summer, in order to enable the Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity Department to maintain programs and staff positions? If reaffirmed, the fee will continue to be assessed until subject to reaffirmation in spring 2017.
The Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity support fee will help maintain staff and programs within the Women, Gender, and Sexual Equity department such as the Campus Advocacy, Resources, and Education program (formerly the Rape Prevention Education Program); the Resource Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity (RCSGD); and the Non-Traditional Student Services.
For more on the proposed new fees and fee reaffirmations, check out Upcoming Campus Election Material from February.