This spring, all Graduate Center students may have the opportunity to vote on whether or not they want $12 per semester of their Student Activity Fees to go to partially fund the part-time nurse practitioner in the Graduate Center’s Wellness Center (a $96,000 contribution annually). The referendum on this matter will be held if 10% of the student body signs a petition agreeing that a vote should be called.

This referendum stems from a symbolic vote at the Doctoral Students’ Council December plenary to discontinue our contribution to the Wellness Center in this amount. The arguments used by those who spoke against the continued contribution at the plenary meeting generally followed these three lines of thought:

  1.         Historical – A contribution to the Wellness Center to partially fund a nurse practitioner began in 2005, when the Graduate Center did not offer any insurance to its students. Therefore, students were paying for what essentially amounted to some amount of health insurance with their $12 a semester. As the health insurance situation in the Graduate Center and in America has changed in the past few years, we should instead turn our attention to advocating for health insurance under NYSHIP for EVERY Graduate Center student, instead of paying for both a nurse practitioner and health insurance.
  2.         Practical – When the nurse practitioner was on leave for many months in the spring of 2015, only one uninsured student used the stop-gap measures that were in place for medical testing. This shows a relative lack of need for the service by uninsured students, and the DSC could continue to fund medical testing for uninsured Graduate Center students that occurs off campus through a similar arrangement.
  3.         Ideological – Fully funding the Wellness Center should be the responsibility of the Graduate Center as an institution, and not the responsibility of already burdened student-workers. With tuition set to increase, and wages remaining stagnant, the Graduate Center should provide wellness services and NYSHIP insurance for ALL of its students.

If this referendum is brought to a vote by all Graduate Center students, a vote to not contribute $12 of Student Activity Fee money to the Wellness Center means that each student will pay $12 less in Activity Fees each semester.

Sign the petition here: http://tinyurl.com/jtrclqf

Want to know more about this proposal?

  • The DSC is organizing an information session to answer your questions: Wed Feb 24th at 6pm in room 5409.
  • Stop by during office hours to ask questions and have some coffee, tea, or snacks.
  • DSC representatives will be tabling in the lobby over the next several days to discuss this issue with you.
  • As always, you can contact us at dsc@cunydsc.org with any of your questions or concerns.