Members of the Graduate and Fixed-Term Employee Organization were denied the right to address the University Faculty Senate during its meeting yesterday in Kern Building.

Led by Beth Widmaier, a fourth-year graduate student, the organization attempted to formally rebut Executive Vice Provost Rodney Erickson's memo detailing the reasons for the administration's opposition to graduate employee unionization.

"This is a graduate student issue versus a faculty issue. We only deal with faculty business and therefore, the GFTEO was not allowed to take the floor," said George Bugyi, executive secretary of the Senate.

In handouts distributed to faculty members who entered the Senate meeting, GFTEO expressed its reasons for wanting to unionize graduate assistants. The reasons included the feeling that they have to do work with little or no relevance to their degree completion.

"I major in 20th century American literature and have had to teach a freshmen writing class which is not in my field of expertise," Widmaier said.

She also noted in her letter to the Penn State faculty that many graduate students are required to do "tasks" which will have no impact on their future careers, in particular, filing and photocopying errands. She also brought up the fact that she had to teach with little or no preparation or support from advisers.

On the other spectrum of the issue, many members of the faculty disagree with the GFTEO's recent actions, specifically pointing out that the Senate does not even deal with their situation. Instead, they focus primarily on the staff and issues relating to the curriculum.

"I denied the e-mail from the GFTEO because voting on whether or note to unionize is up to them and has little do with the Senate," Cara-Lynne Schengrund, chair of the Senate, said during the meeting.

Eva Pell, vice-president for research and dean of graduate schools, also said a union is an inappropriate activity for the graduate students.

"Their work is highly valued, but they are first and foremost students," she said.

Contrary to what Pell said, Jack Selzer, professor of English, said he believed that in the United States, citizens have a right to unionize.

"A part of graduate education is designed to provide a service, not work their way through school," Selzer said. "They are doing work relating to professional training."

The GFTEO also raised questions in its memo concerning the appropriateness of the courses that they are required to instruct.

In response, Selzer explained that the class allocation process considers all graduate students capable of teaching first-year courses, such as the freshmen writing class that Widmaier earlier referred to.

"All graduate students in the English department, for instance, have to take a first-year seminar designed so that they are qualified to teach basic classes. As they proceed, they are then able to teach according to their field," Selzer said.