The Graduate Student Council (GSC) determined the agenda for an upcoming conversation with President Jonathan Levin ’94 and Provost Jenny Martinez during its Monday meeting, focusing its planned questions on free speech, divestment and disciplinary policies.
Next Monday, GSC councilors will sit down with the president and provost to ask questions about and deliberate key issues for graduate students at the University. The GSC arranged a group of topics to address during the dialogue.
Councilors wanted to hear more in-depth about the University leaders’ position on divestment and free speech on campus. They cited how asking direct questions about these topics during the upcoming meeting could bring more clarity to the University’s stance and guidelines.
“Where do they feel that student representation on campus speech issues is felt the most? I want to see where student representation and student voices are being included,” Perry Nielsen Jr. M.S. ’24 said.
GSC co-chair and fifth-year Ph.D. student Emmit Pert said he wants to see more clearly defined rules around campus speech policies and what separates disruption from student expression. Various councilors also called for greater clarity around how students can comply with University rules while voicing their concerns and perspectives.
ASSU President Diego Kagurabadza ’25 spoke at the meeting to advocate for Bechtel International Center’s work on supporting international students amidst the beginning of the new United States presidential administration.
The Center wants to ask the University to “bolster support” for international students,” he said.
“If you’d like to get involved in that, feel free to reach out, and I’d love to connect you all,” Kagurabadza said.
The GSC also unanimously approved a pair of funding requests surrounding upcoming events planned by the Stanford Romanian and Moldovan Association and the Stanford Turkish Student Association. The organizations asked for funding to purchase food and drink items for an Orthodox New Year celebration and winter party, respectively.