Hello everyone! I think it’s time for me to formally introduce myself as your GPSS senator. My name is Justin Pothoof and I am a third year in David Ginger’s lab. This is my first year as a GPSS senator, but it has been a marvelous experience thus far, albeit a bit slow as everything has been impacted by the pandemic. In the senate, I serve on the Elections committee and am a member of the Climate Change working group. As a member of the Elections committee, it is my duty to ensure a fair and honest election is run for the Officer positions in GPSS. I worked with my fellow committee members to construct an elections guide that details out how prospective candidates must become eligible to run, how they may campaign, and what duties those officers are responsible for. If you’re interested in learning more about the election, please feel free to reach out to me. The election will be on Wednesday, April 21st at 5:30pm.
The Climate Change working group, although new, has been working diligently to influence the University to really take responsibility for their role in contributing to climate change. On January 27th, the GPSS unanimously voted to pass the Resolution Regarding Divestment of UW Resources from Fossil Fuel Companies. (Resolution) The University decided to divest from thermal coal in 2014, but continues to invest in fossil fuels as a whole. This resolution sponsored by the Climate Change working group calls upon the Board of Regents, Chief Investment Officer, President of the University, UW Environmental Stewardship & Sustainability office Director, Project Manager of the Climate Action Plan, and the Environmental Stewardship Committee to take action in divesting UW resources from fossil fuel industries. A sister resolution was pass by the Associate Student of the University of Washington (ASUW) and we are also communicating with the faculty senate to pass a third resolution. Finally, a representative from ASUW and GPSS have recently spoken with the Board of Regents to have this item added to their meeting agenda in a future meeting – I will update you when that occurs. Now, the Climate Change working group is drafting a letter to the Biden administration to be sponsored by the GPSS to layout what we as Graduate Students expect the administration to do to fight climate change. If you are in any way, shape, or form interested in being a part of drafting that letter, please do contact me!
Your final update is that the GPSS Legislative Advisory Board (LAB) is KILLING it this legislative session. Yesterday was the 2021 Grad Day on the Hill, which is when the LAB and any interested graduate students go to Olympia – virtually this year – and lobby state representatives and senators to support the bills we sponsor. This year, the GPSS has been sponsoring bills requiring graduate student health insurance plans to cover the reproductive health the same way state health insurance plans are required to, graduate student child care services, and requiring “locked-in” tuition rates for graduate programs, among many others! This full GPSS legislative agenda can be found here.
The GPSS typically has biweekly meetings, and I will continue to update you as those come!
Justin Pothoof
jpothoof@uw.edu
