Harvard GSAS Student Council Postpones Raising Student Fee, Rejects Changes to Voting Procedure

The Harvard Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Student Council met on Wednesday night to consider raising student fees and changing its constitution to support universal voting on GSC motions for all GSAS students.

The meeting came after a budget report released by the GSC last week reported that the council’s 2023-24 budget was completely spent and “unable to meet a majority of student needs.”

A poll sent out by the council this week to the GSAS student body asked students to rank three options for updating the annual fee: no increase, a one-time increase to $35, and a one-time increase to $75.

Of the 275 respondents, 51.8 percent opposed any fee increase, while 48.2 percent were in favor of some increase. Among those who preferred a change, the $35 revised fee was preferred over the $75 fee.

The low poll participation — with responses from only slightly more than five percent of the 5,000-member student body — suggests low GSAS student engagement with the GSC.

Though GSC members agreed to raise the student fee, they did not reach a decision during the meeting on the specific value. Instead, a motion was approved to hold an asynchronous vote to decide between the $35 or $75 fee options.

The meeting then shifted to consider changes to the GSC’s constitution, which currently stipulates that only elected GSC members may vote on procedural motions throughout the year.

Each spring, GSAS students seek election to become committee chairs, representatives — including division and at-large representatives — and executive board positions on the GSC.

During the meeting, GSC representative Aaron B. Benavidez proposed an amendment to the constitution that would allow all enrolled GSAS students to vote in all GSC elections through an asynchronous online ballot. Benavidez also proposed a second amendement to allow GSAS students to cast a vote during open meetings in any real-time procedure requiring a collective count.

’s monthly open meetings through an asynchronous, real-time online ballot.

The motions were ultimately rejected, with members citing concerns that students in smaller graduate programs in the humanities and social science would not receive adequate representation.

Instead, GSC Vice President Aden Solway proposed the establishment of an ad-hoc committee to evaluate student engagement, which the council approved and will become effective later in the spring semester.

Benavidez wrote in a statement to The Crimson that the rejection of his motion “for universal suffrage should alarm any GSAS student who will give the GSC her student fees.”

“If current GSAS students were to conclude that the 14 people who voted against universal suffrage want their money but not their vote, I would not disagree,” Benavidez wrote.

Correction: April 4, 2024

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Aaron Benavidez proposed an amendment to vote during the GSC’s monthly open meetings through an asynchronous online ballot. In fact, Benavidez proposed two amendments, with the first one to allow GSAS students to vote in GSC elections through an an asynchronous online ballot and the second amendment was to allow GSAS students to vote in any real-time procedure requiring a collective count.

—Staff writer Angelina J. Parker can be reached at angelina.parker@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @angelinajparker.