Shepherd University graduate students have expressed concerns over certain university benefits that aren’t automatically accessible as they are to undergraduates.
In order to access the Wellness Center, graduate students must pay a $74 access fee. For undergraduates, this fee is included in the overall student activity fees as part of tuition. Graduate students instead are given the option of choosing whether or not they want to pay to use the Wellness Center.
Dr. Scott Beard, Dean of Graduate Studies, Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and professor of music at Shepherd University, noted that graduate students are a very important part of Shepherd. He said, “Graduate students provide a great deal of assistance to the undergraduate population on campus through assistantships in student affairs, the advisement center and other units on campus.”
Beard then went on to say that Shepherd is working to include graduate students not only in groups such as the budget committee, Deans Students Advisory Council, and the MBA advisory council, but Shepherd is also in the process of amending the constitution to include graduate student representatives in the student life council.
Another area where graduate students may not feel included is the Academic Support Center. Graduate students are not able to access the free tutoring services. Emily Goss, Director of the Academic Support Center, cancelled an interview with The Picket to discuss the subject.
Dr. Beard explained that the policy was put into place so tutors can focus on undergraduate coursework. He also said that graduate students can use peers, instructors and the graduate studies office as resources.
Hannah Keyser, a graduate student in the Masters of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program, responded that she would like to have more graduate services at Shepherd. She said she would feel better if the Wellness Center fee was included in tuition as it is for undergraduate students. When asked about the Academic Center’s policy, Keyser said, “If the service was there, I would use it.”
Lauren Spence, also a grad student in the MAT program, said she would like to see more facilities on campus with hours that accommodate graduate students’ class hours since many graduate student classes are later in the evening. Spence also stated that she would like to see better student involvement, like “professional groups for future programs.”
Spence responded to the Academic Support Center’s policy by saying, “I don’t see how that’s exactly fair.” She said that with a busy schedule, school can’t always come first and graduate students need just as much assistance in academics. Spence then made a comment similar to Keyser saying that these academic services would need to stay open later to accommodate graduate student class hours.
Though graduate students have resources on campus, the students feel additional services could be provided, such as more facilities having flexible hours. Graduate students at Shepherd are a major part of the university, and the administration will continue to work to include them on campus.
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