By GSAS President, Miriam Makhyoun          

Last year, $170 million was cut from the UNC-System budget, which constitutes 14% of the NC budget. Appalachian saw a $619 tuition increase in the 2009-2010 academic year—a 6.5% increase approved by the Board of Governors and a $467 tuition increase was approved by the legislature to offset the flexibility management cuts.

The trend of rising costs of higher education is not going away. Despite the Governor’s announcement on February 9 that the previous $3.7 billion dollar gap is now a $2.7 billion dollar gap, higher education is still a target—especially since legislators think students rarely notice the increases. The right to higher education “far as practicable, be extended to the people of the State free of expense” is protected in Section 9 of the North Carolina Constitution. The final budget is expected in July of 2011.

The Graduate Student Association Senate wants you to contact your representatives to tell them that higher education means greater tax revenue (due to higher salaries), lower government spending (due to decreased demand for government services), and a more vibrant economy. At its January meeting, GSAS determined the 1% sales tax set to expire this July could be earmarked for education but many legislators oppose this.  With no action from our legislators, the campus budget cuts could be severe and may even threaten faculty. The decision-makers include the Board of Governors, the General Assembly, and the University Committees that sent them their proposals in the fall.

Atul Bhula, a student in the MBA Program, is the President of the Association of Student Governments, which organized Students’ Day at the Capitol on Wednesday, February 9, and he represents students as an ex officio non-voting member of the Board of Governors. Contact him with other insights:  atul.bhula@gmail.com

Proposed Tuition Increased Amounts for Semesters 2011-2012 Not Including Fees ($1711 with $566 going to Athletics Annually):

+$220 for graduate students

=$3,650 grand total for graduate students

+$944 for non-resident graduate students

=$15,462 grand total for non-resident graduate students

The 33% financial aid hold harmless (funds that partially cover the increase for applicable students) and a 6.5% cap on campus-based tuition increases continue to apply but are under threat more than ever.

Submit your story of personal sacrifice for higher education.  

By Kyle Nelson in Biology and Brandy Hopkins in Business

 As of this moment, GSAS research and travel grant funding has not been restricted due to budgetary challenges. Therefore, the original calls for applications for GSAS grants will not change. Each graduate student applying for funding from GSAS should make sure to review the guidelines on the GSAS website. The wording has changed to clarify some grey areas and an additional requirement has been added to the application: 

Every graduate student is now required to submit a personal letter written by the graduate student in addition to the letter written by an advisor and the required documentation (i.e. conference registration) in order to be considered for funding. The letter written by the applicant/graduate student should be well written and tell the GSAS Finance Committee how the student—not the research itself—would benefit from the anticipated reward.

Each grant awarded is funded by graduate student tuition and is peer reviewed and awarded by graduate students. So, in order to better determine which applicants to fund, GSAS would like to know how the money would benefit you. Would this money help to provide necessary skills or experience for the applicant’s future? Would the money help further the education of the graduate student? How will the money benefit the graduate student specifically, and not the advisor?

In the past, lack of necessary documentation has been the most common cause of denial for these grant applications. For your convenience, a brief overview of what is required is provided below:

               Research Grant                                                                     Travel Grant

                        Online Application                                                             Online Application

                           Signature Page                                                                   Signature Page

                        Advisor Statement                                                              Advisor Statement

                       Personal Statement                                                              Personal Statement

Print-out/Catalog copy of Items Needed with Prices                 Confirmation of Conference Registration

           Explanation of Materials Requested                                       Price Quote for Plane Tickets

                                                                                                      Confirmation of Hotel Registration

                                                                                              Confirmation you are presenting (If Applicable)

Name:  Graduate Student Representation Trustee Act     

Background: The Graduate Student Association Senate (GSAS) was founded in 1981 to represent all graduate students at Appalachian State University with the current total student population consisting of 14% of graduate students. The President of the Student Government Association (SGA) is a voting member of the Board of Trustees, as mandated by section NCGS §116-233 of the North Carolina General Statutes. However, at Appalachian State, graduate students do not vote in the SGA elections nor can they run for office; policies and procedures that greatly influence the educational and social character of the school are determined on the BOT therefore of great interest to the Student Body including graduate students.

Desired Outcome:  An ex officio non-voting role for the President of GSAS allows for graduate students to be represented at an official capacity on the BOT by participating in the discourse.

Name:  Amendment to the Student Government Association By-Laws for the adoption of a graduate student to the selection of delegates at the University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments (UNC-ASG)

Background:  All students attending each of the 17 public universities fund the Association of Student Governments of the University of North Carolina (UNCASG). Every student pays $1 per year to ASG--including graduate students. However, graduate students are currently not included in the delegation that travels once per month to network with fellow UNC-System students. 

Desired Outcome:  Amendment to the Student Government Association By-Laws for the adoption of a graduate student to the selection of delegates at the University of North Carolina Association of Student Governments (UNC-ASG) beginning in the 2011-2012 academic year.