The Faculty of Graduate Studies (FGS) at York University recently announced dramatic cuts to graduate student printing allocation. These changes, effective September 2013, include a decrease in free printing that graduate students have access to from $300 per academic year for all graduate students to $75 per academic year for Master’s students and a non-renewable one-time only $300 stipend for PhD students for the duration of their program.

The decision by FGS to unilaterally cut student benefits reflects a broader attack on the graduate student experience at York, as well as ongoing attempts by the university to transfer educational costs onto students. The York University Graduate Students' Association (YUGSA) Executive Committee, representing over 6,100 graduate students, encourages all graduate students at York University to send a strong message to FGS that these cuts must be revoked immediately. We urge the graduate student community to sign the below YUGSA petition and/or to send their own email to the following individuals:

Barbara Crow, Dean of FGS, fgsdean@yorku.ca

Fahimul Quadir, Associate Dean of FGS, fgsadst@yorku.ca

Sarah Hildebrandt, Academic Affairs Officer at FGS, fgsaao@yorku.ca

Mamdouh Shoukri, President and Vice-Chancellor of York University, president@yorku.ca