If the Graduate Employees’ Organization does end up striking this semester, the Urbana-Champaign Senate has promised those students that departments will not dole out any kind of retribution.
The senate unanimously passed a resolution for protection of graduate employees at its meeting Monday. The resolution originated in the Illinois Student Senate, where it was passed unanimously on Oct. 24.
Monte Beaty, senator and graduate student, wrote the resolution and clarified during his speech that voting for the proposal would not mean senators were endorsing the graduate position to retaliate.
“What this resolution does not do is choose sides,” he said. “That would be improper, and that was not the author’s intention. With the suggestions of others and members of body, the language was amended to accomplish the goal of neutrality.”
Members of the senate spoke in support of the proposal and its equal cooperation of both the GEO and the administration “to advance to a timely and fair resolution.”
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Carey Hawkins-Ash, senator and graduate student, said this phrasing in the proposal puts the pressure on graduate students as well as administration to see that the University maintains its standard of excellency.
“We do that by making sure both sides are amenable to each other such that we can make sure graduates get their needs met, and that undergraduates and the rest of the community can continue to function at the level of prominence,” he said.
Katherine Galvin, assistant provost of administration affairs, said she is hopeful a strike won’t happen but has already taken action to ensure disruption to undergraduate students is minimized and that departments are aware of the students legal rights.
“If a strike is called, they have the right to participate and also the right to not participate, and our departments must respect that right,” she said. “We must ensure no illegal retaliation would occur.”
Beaty said the resolution will be sent to the department heads, and contract negotiations are moving forward.
Corinne can be reached at [email protected].
