Hi Alisha, You could probably collect some useful data in an afternoon of chatting with faculty and students in your department--administrators care about numbers of publications, grant dollars, and teaching undergraduates so it might be helpful to know:
--How many / what proportion of the department's recent publications were first-authored by students --How many / what proportion of the department's recent publications were co-authored by students --How many faculty use their training of graduate students in their broader impact statements for grants (I would guess all of them) --How much grad student tuition is being paid to the university from grant dollars or from students directly --What proportion of grad student salaries and benefits are paid by grant dollars versus university dollars --How many students have received grants that contribute to university overhead, if any --How many contact hours each graduate student spends teaching undergraduates --How many grad students are responsible for training undergraduates in their labs Have they told you what they want to do with the space you're in now? If moving out is inevitable, is there an option other than the basement? When I was in grad school some of us had offices, but some of us just had a desk in the lab, it worked out fine. If the basement is the only option, could they put up some partitions or cubicles to cut down on the noise, or wall off a room for socializing/meetings? At the very least, mold and poor ventilation are safety issues, and the university must remedy those problems before moving any employees into that space. If they are balking, talk to whoever does your lab inspections on campus. Finally, you'll have better luck with the administration if you have the full-throated support of the faculty, particularly the department chair. The faculty should be particularly concerned about recruiting new students--the best students have many options, they will not accept an offer from a school that hides them in the basement with a bunch of unhappy colleagues. Hope that helps--good luck, and let us know how things turn out. For what it's worth, your administrator is wrong--you *are* important to your university, whether she admits it or not. Cheers, Sarah
