International
and ALANA Students represent about 40% of all GEO
students, and are thus a hugely important group.
We have a dedicated staff member to assist with all
ALANA/ International affairs, Erika Marquez, who
you can contact by email: alana@geouaw.org or
phone: 545-0705, if you have questions. Erika also
chairs the monthly GEO ALANA/
International caucus.
If
you were wondering whether your international status
allowed you to join a union, the answer is simple
- YES YOU CAN JOIN, as explained here.
Our efforts to make UMass both less discrimanatory
and more respectful to all have just seen us win an important
victory over the International Student Fee - a fee imposed
by UMass in January 2004, but overturned by GEO's concerted
efforts in August 2004. Read
the full story here.
We have previously bargained strongly to ensure that GEO's Contract commits
the university to set aside funding for the recruitment and retention of ALANA
and other traditionally underrepresented groups of the graduate student population.This
fund has risen considerably to $800,000 in FY04. Our contract also stipulates
that the University issue an annual report on the use of this funding and on
the actual diversity of the graduate student body. The University has also
agreed to continue funding the position of the Development Officer at the Graduate
School who is responsible for raising funds for ALANA recruitment and retention.
Our contract also contains important language on Non-Discrimination, Language
Testing, and Affirmative
Action that
may be useful to look over.
If
you have any questions about visa issues, we can certainly help, but the UMass
International Programs Office, is the best place to check, as they are
responsible for overseeing the bureaucratic side of your stay here.
Equally the Office of ALANA Affairs may
be a useful resource for dealing with some issues.
There
are also several student groups set up outside of GEO that may reflect your
interests, a partial listing of the graduate ones can be found here.
Other
useful links:
Information
on Union Benefits
Links
to useful sites
Important
Questions Answered
