Hi all, I am currently a phd student in my second year. Currently, within my department, grad students share a small building with several rooms, 5-7 in a room. There is a proposal to uproot all the students (and combine them with grad students in a similar department) to a renovated basement that is currently not being used because it is moldy, has poor ventilation and no natural lighting. Apart from a few short partitions, this would be a large shared space that "packed as many students in as possible" (about 40; you can imagine the potential noise and disruptions). As the grad student rep, when I explained this to the proponent of this new plan and asked for his justification, it was that "grad students aren't worth much to a university (monetarily speaking, at least, undergrads earn a school more) and it would be nice for visitors to see all the students in one space."
As this plan seems to be moving forward rapidly, I would really like to pull together some documentation that supports my belief that 1) grad students will have a higher completion rate and better output in a better (e.g., quieter and well-lit) work environment and 2) grad students are actually valuable to a university. In my cursory, search, I haven't had much luck - does anyone have any suggestions or input? Feel free to email me directly. Cheers, Alisha
