The DSC Participatory Budget process has been established to open up spending of the student activity fee to all Graduate Center students, to expand civic engagement, to develop opportunities for community leaders, to build community infrastructure, and to make spending more equitable.
All current Graduate Center students are now invited to take part in the Participatory Budget process by submitting their rankings of the five (5) proposed projects. Please be sure to rank all 5 before submitting them in the order which you would prefer for them to be funded and eventually realized during the spring 2018 semester. The two most highly ranked projects will receive funding up to $3000 and remaining projects may receive partial funding. All will be implemented projects are pending from relevant Offices.
To vote, please use this link: https://eballot4.votenet.com/dsc/login.cfm (your username is your 9 digit Banner ID; your password is (all lowercase) first inital + last initial + 4-digit year of birth).
Project Summaries
Title of the project: Computer Science Lounge Revitalization
What is the project?: The project aims to purchase new chairs, tables, and couches to furnish the Computer Science program lounge.
Where is it taking place?: The project will focus on updating the Computer Science program lounge (Room 4319).
Why is it justified?: The project aims to foster a welcoming environment for students by making the space more ideal for collaboration and socialization.
Title of the project: English Lounge Renewal
What is the project?: This project aims to refurbish the English program lounge with new couches, lighting, decor, sound technology, as well as spaces for storage and equipment for transporting furniture to make the space more welcoming and versatile.
Where is it taking place?: The project will focus on updating the English program lounge (Room 4406).
Why is it justified?: The revitalization of the lounge aims to renew a sense of community and provide a welcoming space for students in other programs who attend events hosted there.
Title of the project: Remembrance is Resistance
What is the project?: The project aims to create an altar or space for reflection, meditation and remembrance in the Urban Education program lounge.
Where is it taking place?: The installation will take place in the lounge space designated for Urban Education students (Room 4202.04).
Why is it justified?: The project aims to create a space in the Urban Education department where people can reflect on their personal and collective experiences. Given that the Ph.D. journey is stressful and isolated, having such opportunities for reflection is thought to be important for engendering creativity and healing, and for building community.
Title of the project: The Students’ Column
What is the project?: The Students’ Column aims to empower the GC student community by designating one of the columns in the GC lobby as an exclusively student-managed space for free expression. Protective planks will be installed around the column to avoid damage.
Where is taking place?: The Students’ Column will remain in place for the whole duration of the Spring semester: January until May 2018.
Why is it justified?: Providing a material platform for students to communicate freely among themselves as well as with the institution and the visiting public, The Students’ Column will enhance the student body’s visibility and sense of agency.
Title of the project: Water Bottle Fountain!
What is the project?: The project aims to fund the installation of a new water fountain that has the option of refilling water bottles with filtered water.
Where is it taking place?: The water bottle foundation will be installed in a location accessible to students in the Graduate Center building. The exact location has yet to be determined.
Why is it justified?: The project holds potential health and wellness benefits for students by providing a free, healthy, and sustainable option for getting water.
You can read full descriptions of the project proposals here.