The Graduate Student Council (GSC) filled a vacant positions for a second co-treasurer, and searched for new social chairs and a secretary at it’s Monday meeting. Rayen Wang M.B.A. ’27 volunteered to serve as co-treasurer, and the search for remaining vacant positions will continue at future meetings.
Sixth-year Ph.D. student Tom Liu presented to GSC on filling the role of two representatives to oversee Due Process Guards (DPG). Due Process Guards, Liu explained, are a “collection of students who are essentially pure advisors for other people going to the Office of Community Standards (OCS).”
Liu hopes that DPG representatives will continue reform to the OCS process, as chosen DPG members will work closely with the DPG chair.
GSC also heard from Emma Keller, a fourth-year Ph.D. student in the Graduate School of Education (GSE) interested in filling the vacancy in GSC for a GSE representative.
“I definitely have some input on some things I’ve seen that I think could work a little differently or just some ideas for how to contribute,” said Keller, noting that for now she was focused on just “trying to get up to speed with what [GSC] currently has going on.”
GSC also heard a proposal for a joint resolution calling for accountability, transparency and student protection following an incident last April when an IDF soldier tackled a student for stealing a sign during a tabling event. The resolution, which passed the Undergraduate Senate (UGS) last Wednesday, was presented by Intisar Alkhatib ’28, UGS political action co-chair, and Laila Ali ’28, UGS co-chair.
The resolution, Alkhatib said, outlines three main concerns regarding the tabling event: Clery Act compliance, the surveillance and targeting of Palestinian students at similar events and the Stanford Israel Association’s (SIA) White Plaza tabling privileges for the “institutional responsibility for the conduct of the guests [they] brought to campus on April 22”.
The resolution demands a formal compliance review of SIA separate from the University’s internal inquiry, publication of the complete vetting process for tabling events with non-Stanford affiliates, an AlertSU protocol for on-campus assault and a direct meeting with Provost Jenny Martinez and Vice Provost for Student Affairs Michele Rasmussen.
The group will return to the joint resolution next week, with a vote resulting in a 6-6 tie, largely due to some GSC members’ discomfort with UGS’ request to suspend prior notice on the resolution, which would have the group vote on the resolution without added time to consider alterations or amendments.
“If anybody has amendments that they would need in order for them to want to pass this bill next week, please reach out to Intisar or me,” Ali said. “If you guys feel like it’s necessary for us to get a small joint group together, we’re totally willing to do that as well.”
GSC then reviewed plans for graduate formal. While tickets for the formal have been in high demand, there are only 1,200 tickets available for over 9,000 students due to the capacity of Frances C. Arrillaga Alumni Center, where the formal will be held. Options discussed included hosting a second graduate formal or attempting to rent nearby buildings in order to increase capacity.
Council members also considered restarting an old GSC Instagram account, on which they would post updates about their meetings and finances.