Graduate students at the University of Arizona got one step closer to a new bill of rights and responsibilities with the endorsement of the  Graduate Council. The Graduate and Professional Student Council is pushing for a  new bill of rights and responsibilities for graduate students that would protect graduate students whose programs are cut due to budget problems. The bill still needs approval from the Faculty Senate and the University President to become official.

The Council voted unanimously to endorse the bill at their Oct. 23 meeting as a “concept document,” a necessary act by the Council if the bill is to be approved by University President Robert Shelton. The Graduate Council is a board of faculty and administrators who decide academic policy for the graduate students.

The new phrase “where possible” was added to a clause that states graduate students must be allowed to finish their degrees even if their program is axed by budget cuts. Professional Student Council President David Talenfeld said, “We have to acknowledge that there are certain circumstances where that may not be possible.”

Talenfeld, a second-year law student, made it clear that he thought all the changes to the bill “were perfectly acceptable.” Talenfeld also said that while the bill has been gaining momentum, concerns for its approval may arise due to lack of funding and faculty cuts for the University.

The bill will go to the Faculty Senate for approval at its next meeting on Nov. 2, after which it will go to the President.


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