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benefits. Oddly enough, Scott says, there was
only one international student representative
on the committee that negotiated the current
plan. A new plan negotiated in the past month
apparently had much more international student
representation, but no UGA or graduate assistant
representation. All that may sound like so much
bureaucratic jargon, but it's clear within the
context of health care in America (and within
the University System of Georgia) that graduate
assistants have reason to watch over the benefits
they worked so hard to earn several years ago.
That's why—when she heard Mar. 8 that USG
officials were looking at re-bidding a new plan
out of the blue—Scott set to work over Spring
Break and kicked fellow students into motion,
getting some 120 emails to relevant officials at
the USG level. That prompted unfriendly email re
sponses to UGA grad students from University of
West Georgia President Beheruz Sethna, currently
USG Interim Executive Vice Chancellor. But while
Dr. Sethna didn't appreciate his inbox getting
clogged, upper-level UGA administrators—also
mystified by the actions in Atlanta—sided firmly
with the graduate students and, they say, com
municated their concerns to the appropriate
officials.
At the end of the three-week ride—a blind
ride for the grad students who'll be affected by
the plan—it appeared that USG officials had in
deed negotiated a new plan (not yet finalized at
press time) that suited more students' needs bet
ter, though it would likely include some reduc
tion in benefits for domestic graduate assistants.
UGA administrators will continue to provide a
stipend to students to help pay for the plan. The
stipend paid 42 percent this school ye? r , and
indications are that administrators would like
it to pay even more in the future. There's also
speculation that UGA administrators might like
to consider following the model of many research
schools to which they aspire. In North Carolina,
for example, the university system's research
institutions have their own plan, separate from
the rest of the system, presumably on the prem
ise that it suits their needs better. And while
they likely have come out more or less in decent
shape after an unexpected shuffling of their ben
efit plan, some UGA graduate assistants will re
main vigilant. After all, their predecessors didn't
rally at the Arch back in 2001 for nothing.
Ben Emanuel ben@flagpole.com
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