-------- Original Message -------- Subject: Fwd: Fee Restructuring Town Hall and Supporters Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2007 09:57:14 -0500 From: umbagava@cc.umanitoba.ca To: godardbd@cc.umanitoba.ca

Hi Bev,

Please forward this to all graduate students in plant science.

Thank you!

Muthu

----- Forwarded message from Meghan Gallant pres@umgsa.ca ----- Date: Mon, 09 Apr 2007 12:11:49 -0500 From: Meghan Gallant pres@umgsa.ca Reply-To: Meghan Gallant pres@umgsa.ca Subject: Fee Restructuring Town Hall and Supporters To: undisclosed-recipients@

Hi everyone,

A couple of updates about graduate fee restructuring:

First, the GSA has coordinated an open townhall meeting this Wednesday at 12:30pm in the UMSU Council Chambers (176 Helen Glass). This is an opportunity for any students, faculty, graduate chairs etc to come and ask question or raise concerns about the fee restructuring proposal. We invited a member of the fee restructuring committee to attend, and the central administration has sent Richard Lobdell on their behalf. Tom Booth, from the Faculty Association, and I will also be speaking. Please spread the work and encourage people to attend!

Second, I wanted to let you know that on Thursday of last week, the University of Manitoba Faculty Association unanimously approved a motion in opposition to the graduate fee restructuring! The Faculty of Graduate Studies Executive Committee met on the same day. This committee is made up of representatives of each faculty with graduate programs, the associate deans of graduate studies, and three student representatives. The Dean is the chair of the committee and so does not vote. This committee had never had an opportunity to discuss graduate fees, and members added the fee restructuing proposal to the meeting agenda, and then raised concerns about the lack of consultation and potential implications of the proposal. The committee unanimously passed a motion stating that the Board should not consider this proposal until students and faculty are consulted properly.

This motion won't stop the Board from considering the proposal, but is an important demonstration of the way this proposal is being pushed through without support from anyone other than the central administration.

I'll send out more updates as I have them.

Meghan