The Graduate Student Council approved a spring budget of $115,000 at their monthly general board meeting. The budget marked a $1,000 decrease from the 2024 spring budget.
The approved budget included $45,000 for graduate students to attend research conferences, a drastic increase from $28,000 in last spring’s budget. Nazanin Ahmadi GS, the treasurer of GSC, attributed the budget increase to the large number of applicants to the conference fund.
Kevin LoGiudice GS, the president of GSC, hopes that the increase will allow more students to be awarded funding — only 77% of students accepted their conference funding last semester. He reaffirmed that GSC would continue to advocate for more University funding for conferences.
The budget also allocated $3,000 for the graduate student food pantry, the same amount as past semesters, which meeting attendees criticized. Graduate students have previously told The Herald that food insecurity has been a consistent concern.
Sofia Verba GS, the chair of student life, responded that the pantry will now be stocked with food every two weeks, rather than once a month. She also spoke about efforts to secure graduate students meal swipes to University dining halls.
LoGiudice pointed to efforts to work with Brown Dining Services to start ordering food for the pantry in bulk and added that to increase funding, the Corporation plans to vote to increase the graduate student activity fee by $5.
The meeting opened with remarks from Michael Ziegler GS, president of the Graduate Labor Organization. Ziegler spoke on GLO’s concerns about funding towards research and the decrease in the budget for PhD admissions.
According to Ziegler, GLO will also focus on supporting graduate students who may be undocumented or on a visa under the new Trump administration. He laid out preliminary plans to send out a petition to urge the University to restrict immigration enforcement on campus. He mentioned GLO members have access to a immigration lawyer to consult about potential concerns if they are not able to find support from the Office of International Student and Scholar Services.
Sharanya Renjit GS, the chair of international advocacy, outlined an effort to start a mental health fund for graduate students seeking care from local professionals. She cited the lack of available appointments at Counseling and Psychological Services and expensive copays for outside services.
LoGiudice and Dominique Barnes GS, the vice president of advocacy, gave an update following their meeting with President Christina Paxson P’19 P’MD’20 and Provost Francis Doyle. LoGiudice said that Paxson and Doyle supported their efforts to increase food pantry funding and collaborate with Brown Market Shares.
He added that the duo encouraged GSC to maintain their diversity, equity and inclusion efforts, despite the crackdown on diversity programs by the Trump administration.
University Spokesperson Brian Clark declined to comment on the meeting, but acknowledged the uncertainty regarding diversity programs directives from the federal government.
“We continue to assess federal actions and will provide additional information or instruction as more federal guidance related to the orders becomes available. We always comply with the law,” Clark wrote in an email to The Herald. “Our commitment to diversity and inclusion as fundamental to our pursuit of academic excellence remains strong.”
Ian Ritter is a senior staff writer covering graduate schools and students. He is a sophomore from New Jersey studying Chemistry and International and Public Affairs. When he’s not at the Herald, you can find him playing clarinet or explaining the rules of kickball to confused listeners.
