The CUNY Graduate Center’s DGSC Student-Parent Organization Constitution
MISSION: The DGSC Student-Parents Organization is an interdisciplinary group of students at the CUNY Graduate Center, who are also parents. We welcome students and faculty from all departments to share interests, ideas, and information about parenting, parenting while being a graduate student, topics on reproductive justice, child rearing, childhood education and other related topics.
Our primary goals are:
To create a place and space to support graduate student-parents at the Graduate Center in any way possible;
To advocate for affordable childcare on campus;
To build and sustain a community of students, staff, faculty and allies that provides support and that advocates for student-parents as they take on the challenge of completing their graduate studies while caring for their families and children;
To prioritize and highlight the needs of LGBTQI parents, parents of color, single parents, low-income parents, international student-parents, undocumented student-parents, parents of multiple children; parents with disabilities and of children with disabilities, etc.
To centralize some essential resources for children (in a physical space that all parents can access and that will be a child-friendly safe space on campus) such as diapers, wipes, toys and games, pack-n-play, refrigerator to store meals and milks, among others;
To create a website or blog with centralized information and resources related to parenting and families, and pertaining to CUNY and the Graduate Center’s policies on paid parental/family leave, family health insurance, child centers in the different CUNY campuses, other child-friendly spaces on campus, clothes and children’s items exchange; info of lactation rooms on campus, etc.
To organize child-inclusive events (talks and parties) every semester. In sum, we envision a group that:
a) Will support graduate students-parents with a space and resources to facilitate their time spent at the Graduate Center working and studying; provide versatility in intellectual events; organize child-friendly/family-friendly events to build community.
b) Will foster an intellectual and social environment of scholars that encourages interactions across disciplines and between faculty and students regarding topics related to parenthood, childhood, family, caregiving…
c) Will provide support, financial and volunteer, for outside relevant projects.
d) Will continue to exist, to support future parents, in perpetuity, even after the founding members have graduated.
EVENTS: The group’s regular meetings will serve various purposes: academic presentations related to reproductive justice, parenting, family, childhood, education and other relevant and intersecting topics.
MEMBERSHIP: We are open to all Graduate Center students and welcome participation from other CUNY faculty and students, as well as those from other institutions; we will make sure our listserv complies with the 20-member requirement every semester.
CO-CHAIRS: Co-chairs will serve for a period of a year that starts when the academic year begins in August and terminates on May 30 (with the exception of the Spring 2023 semester, which is when the group is being formed. The Co-Chairs that hereby apply to charter the group, will begin their duties in the current (Spring 2023 semester) until next elections are held on Spring 2024. Two matriculated graduate students will act as Co-Chairs. Elections will be held for members of the group to vote for the next Chair or Co-Chairs. Any member can run for the position and Co-Chairs can serve for a second term if approved by the majority of members. The responsibilities of the Co-Chairs will consist of –but not limited to- organizing and publicizing events and internal meetings; serve as liaison between the Student-Parent Organization and the DGSC officers; apply for DGSC funds; stimulate students and student-parents to submit intellectual contributions to our annual conference/workshop; invite guest presenters and speakers; serve as the default student representative of the DGSC to the GC Child Development and Learning Center, by coordinating meetings with parents, liaise in other capacities.
