Organization and Operation A ten-member Coordinating Committee attends to routine business, responds to emergencies which may occur between general meetings, and sets the agenda for general meetings. The Coordinating Committee elects two Co-Chairs from among its members. The primary responsibility of the Co-Chairs is two ensure that general meetings are con ducted in a manner that is both orderly and democratic. Salaries, Benefits, and Working Conditions COGS's primary concerns are tuition waivers for graduate employees, paid health insurance, subsidized child care, systemization of hiring and funding procedures, improved teaching assistant training, maintenance of academic freedom, and the elimination of abrupt class cancellations within the evening class program. Paychecks arrive monthly from September through June, inclusive.
Annual appointments are the rule, but one-semester appointments are by no means rare.
Funding criteria vary by department, and the process is often arbitrary and always secretive. In most departments, the level of insecurity has increased dramatically within the past three years. No health or dental benefits are provided by the University. As students, graduate employees may elect to take part in a group plan. Student Government provides minimal child care support to a tiny number of families.