The DGSC recognizes several standing and ad-hoc committees, boards, and task forces:
Committees
Constitution and By-Laws Committee
The Constitution & Bylaws Committee
- conducts ongoing review of the constitution and bylaws;
- recommends amendments to the constitution and bylaws to the DSC; and
- monitors New York State law and CUNY policies for changes that are relevant to DSC governance.
The voting members of the Constitution & Bylaws Committee consist of
- the Co-Chair for Student Affairs,
- the Co-Chair for Communications,
- the Co-Chair for Business,
- the Officer for Governance and Membership (chair), and
- one to four DSC representatives appointed by the Steering Committee.
The Committee can be contacted at membership@cunydsc.org.
The current Constitution and Bylaws Committee members for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
Silvia Rivera Alfaro (Co-Chair for Student Affairs)
Christopher Campbell (Co-Chair for Communications)
Jonathan Hanon (Co-Chair for Business)
Ian Williams (Officer for Governance and Membership; Chair)
Adam Kocurek (At-Large Representative, History)
Katherine Anderson (Program Representative, Biology)
Abhipsa Shatarupa (Program Representative, Biochemistry)
Itsue Nakaya Perez (At-Large Representative, Philosophy)
Grants Committee
The Grants Committee awards funds for cultural events, conferences, performances, professional development activities, publications, seminars, and other projects organized by students from program standing or ad-hoc committees, Chartered Organizations, or ad-hoc groups not necessarily associated with programs or Chartered Organizations.
The voting members of the Grants Committee consist of
- the Co-Chair for Business,
- the Officer for Funding (chair) and
- one to seven DSC representatives appointed by the Steering Committee,
with no more than two committee members from the same program.
The current Grants Committee members for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
Angela LaScala Gruenewald (Officer for Funding; Chair)
Jonathan Hanon (Co-Chair for Business)
Adam Kocurek (At-Large Representative, History)
Eva Steinberg (Program Representative, Anthropology)
Bryce Barthuly (At-Large Representative, Criminal Justice)
Christopher Campbell (Program Representative, Comparative Literature)
Health and Wellness Committee
- provides information and educational opportunities to students regarding health and wellness; and
- advocates improvements in student health and wellness, with a special focus on student services.
The voting members of the Health and Wellness Committee consist of
- the Officer for Health and Wellness (chair) and
- two to eight DGSC representatives appointed by the Steering Committee.
The current Health and Wellness Committee members for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
Katherine Rivera Gomez (Officer for Health and Wellness; Chair)
Abhipsa Shatarupa (At-Large Representative, Biochemistry)
Amour Castillo (Program Representative, Psychology)
Jonathan Hanon (Program Representative, Computer Science)
Outreach Committee
- identifies or creates informational materials for students;
- plans and implements social events, exclusive of all-school parties, both at the Graduate Center and at senior colleges where Graduate Center students are based; and
- organizes at least two campus outreach visits each semester, with campuses selected on a rotating basis.
The voting members of the Outreach Committee consist of
- the Officer for Outreach (chair) and
- two to four DGSC representatives appointed by the Steering Committee,
with at least one being an international student and at least two being based at senior-college campuses.
The Committee can be contacted at outreach@cunydsc.org.
The current Outreach Committee members for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
Natalia Lara Gonzalez (Officer for Outreach; Chair)
Eva Steinberg (Program Representative, Anthropology)
Katherine Rivera Gomez (At-Large Representative, Biology)
Student Services Committee
- promotes and evaluates existing student services provided by the DGSC and recommends changes as appropriate, and
- identifies opportunities for new student services to be funded by the DGSC.
The voting members of the Student Services Committee consist of
- the Co-Chair for Student Affairs,
- Officer for Student Life and Services (chair), and
- one to three DGSC representatives appointed by the Steering Committee.
The Committee can be contacted at services@cunydsc.org.
The current Student Services Committee members for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
Sayantika Mondal (Officer for Student Life and Services; Chair)
Silvia Rivera Alfaro (Co-Chair for Student Affairs)
Michael Williams (At-Large Representative, Psychology)
Itsue Nakaya Perez (At-Large Representative, Philosophy)
Abhipsa Shatarupa (Program Representative, Biochemistry)
USS Advisory Committee
- develops and implements strategies to increase transparency and accountability in USS;
- when possible, accounts for the use of USS student activity fee monies;
- advises the USS Delegate on matters of interaction and involvement in USS; and
- drafts resolutions, reports, and governance regarding the above for consideration by the USS and, where appropriate, the DGSC.
The voting members of the University Student Senate Advisory Committee consist of:
- the USS Delegate (chair), and
- two to six DGSC representatives appointed by the Steering Committee.
The current USS Advisory Committee members for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
Alex Jiang (USS Delegate; Chair)
Zhuo Yin (USS Alternate)
Jonathan Hanon (DGSC Representative)
Task Forces
Governance Task Force
- reviews governance documents and policies at the Graduate Center
- investigates reported infractions of governance and reports them to the DGSC and the appropriate committees of Graduate Council and
- provides mediation, intervention, and advocacy in furthering democracy and democratic processes at the Graduate Center and CUNY.
The members of the Governance Task Force include
- student members of the Graduate Council Committee on Structure
- all members of the DGSC Executive Committee
- DGSC representatives ratified by the DGSC Steering Committee.
When possible, a diversity of academic clusters and programs is represented.
The current Governance Task force members for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
Jonathan Hanon (Co-Chair for Business)
Silvia Rivera Alfaro (Co-Chair for Student Affairs)
Christopher Campbell (Co-Chair for Communications)
Alex Jiang (USS Delegate)
Parisa Montazaran Osmanovic (UFS Liaison)
Amy Hammersmith (Committee on Structure)
Stefan Morello (Committee on Structure)
Gayle Maslow (Committee on Structure)
Yang Zhou (DGSO Member, Physics)
Michael Williams (At-Large Representative, Psychology)
Bryce Barthuly (At-Large Representative, Criminal Justice)
Advisory Boards
Emeritus DGSC Leadership Advisory Board (EDLAB)
EDLAB shall serve as a source of institutional knowledge and guidance for the DGSC. The members of EDLAB shall provide mentorship and advice to members of the DGSC, when requested, and advocate for Graduate Center students through formal and informal channels. EDLAB shall have no decision-making power within the DGSC.
EDLAB shall consist of up to nine former officers of the DGSC. Each year, three members of EDLAB shall be appointed by the Executive Committee prior to the first Plenary meeting, when this selection shall be reported to the DGSC. The term of appointment shall be three years, and members may be reappointed for additional terms. After serving three consecutive terms, a member shall be ineligible for appointment for a period of three years.
The duties of EDLAB shall include but not be limited to:
- maintaining the institutional knowledge of the DGSC;
- advising and mentoring DGSC officers and representatives upon request;
- publicly raising awareness of the DGSC and its mission and aims; and
- advocating for Graduate Center students to the extent possible.
EDLAB Members continuing for their final year
Ana Perry
Hamad Sindhi
EDLAB Members continuing for their second year
Sara Ortiz
Raj Korpan
Roderick Hurley
EDLAB Members serving their first year
Adam Kocurek
Deborah Leter
Sharanya Dutta
Advocate Advisory Board
The Advocate Advisory Board makes recommendations concerning non-editorial newspaper policies to the editor-in-chief and/or the Steering Committee as appropriate.
The Board is composed of
- the Advocate editor-in-chief
- one member of the DGSC elected from and by the DGSCE at its May meeting,
- one member elected from and by the DGSO during DGSC elections each spring,
- one current or former chartered organization chair elected during DGSC elections each spring, and
- one member of each DGSC affiliate, except the Advocate, appointed by unanimous decision of the senior employees of that affiliate.
Advocate Advisory Board Members
The current Advocate Advisory Board members for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
Rafael Munia (Editor-in-Chief)
Adam Kocurek (Doctoral and Graduate Student’s Council)
Silvia Rivera Alfaro (Doctoral and Graduate Students’ Organization)
Jasmine Pathan (Chartered Organization Leader)
Vacant (Adjunct Project)
Zachary Muhlbauer (OpenCUNY)
OpenCUNY Board
The OpenCUNY Board shall determine governance policies for the digital medium while respecting the following priority:
OpenCUNY shall primarily serve Graduate Center students as their general digital medium and as a means of communication regarding their rights and educational, cultural, and professional interests.
The OpenCUNY Board shall be composed of the OpenCUNY Coordinator and four members of OpenCUNY.org. All members of the OpenCUNY Board must be registered Graduate Center students and members of OpenCUNY.org. Members of the OpenCUNY Board, with the exception of the Coordinators, shall be elected annually by the members of OpenCUNY.org during DSC elections each spring. All members of the OpenCUNY Board, including the Coordinators, shall have equal voting power. If a member misses two consecutive meetings, they will be removed from the board. The OpenCUNY Board shall meet at least twice each semester.
The current OpenCUNY Advisory Board members for the 2022-2023 academic year are:
Paul Hebert (OpenCUNY Coordinator)
Zach Muhlbauer (OpenCUNY Coordinator)
Vacant (OpenCUNY Coordinator)
Silvia Rivera Alfaro (DGSC Representative)
Roderick Hurley (DGSC Representative)
Jason Nielsen (DGSO Member)
Sichao Yu (DGSO Member)
