The Gradute Proffesional Student Association was proud to host the President’s Forum in room 318 of the Curry Student Center on the evening of Thursday, May, 1. The meeting was developed in order to give the graduate student body a means of expressing their views to the school’s administration at the highest level. Those in attendance at the packed meeting room included the President, Provost, several vice presidents, deans of several colleges, and heads of a few departments. There were approximately 30 students on hand.
Students started the discussion by focusing on the subject of health insurance costs. A major question focused on the difference between the fees paid by Northeastern University students when compared to students of other local universities. In response, President Richard Freeland asked Joe Murphy, the University Treasurer to help break down the reasons for the high costs. Those reasons include the greater amount of coverage than other university’s health plans, the larger number of students covered, and a higher number of claims. Vice President Murphy also reiterated the facts that the school makes no revenue on student health plans, and that other schools may have lower premiums, but pay more out of pocket for health care.
Other health care topics discussed include the limited hours of the Lane Health Center, and the spreading out of payments for student health care. President Freeland and several other administrators responded to both issues by stating that the Lane Center used to have an infirmary, but it was closed due to only having a three percent occupancy rate. Provost Abdelal stated that the school will provide for the ability to spread out the payments over a two semester year in monthly installments. It’s just a matter of “working out the details.” The administration also stated that it would be feasible to link the payments to the graduate stipends and that the suggestion would be considered.
Another related issue discussed during the forum was the lack of dental coverage. The university responded by stating that other schools offer limited coverage at best. Even the Northeastern University employee plan is limited due to the costs. The students made a suggestion to have the university subsidize the costs, to which President Freeland replied that limited resources determine what the university can do.
Housing was the second major concern for the students in attendance. Among the difficulties mentioned by students were the limited number of beds, and the difficulty for international students to find housing due to the lack of local area knowledge and no available credit. Another major issue is the high cost of living. Freeland was taken aback by the credit issue for international students and sympathized with students regarding the cost of living. A suggestion was made by Karen Rigg, Vice President for Student Affairs to use the leased properties for graduate students since the school has been reluctant to use it for undergraduates.
The remainder of the forum was dedicated to a question and answer with the president. During this segment, students from various colleges and programs voiced their concerns and their praise. Some examples include students from the physics department who raised concerns about both the seniority and the hiring practices of the faculty in their department. Students from the public health and law schools praised their respective programs while students from the English department stated they need more faculty. Members from both the College of Business and Engineering mentioned difficulties in finding a co-op during this troubled economy. Finally, a student from the Law School stated the need for a new building. Freeland responded to all of the concerns and expressed a desire to build a new building for the Law School: “It’s just a matter of the $40 million.”
The GPSA would like to take this opportunity to thank Freeland, Provost Abdelal and all of the other members of the administration and faculty including Deans and Heads of Departments present. The Executive Board of the GPSA would also like to extend an invitation to the graduate student body to take an active role in the various functions available during the 2003-04 academic year.
– Augustine Cherukunnel is a senior MBA student.
