The Graduate Student Organization discussed lowering the required score for international students on the English Language Proficiency Exam.

Glenn Wright, director of graduate school programs, and Matthew Hammill, an assistant professor in the languages, literatures and linguistics department, proposed lowering the required score for graduate students in the TOEFL iBT and the IELTS language placement tests.

Under the proposition, a graduate student who earns a TOEFL iBT score under 90 or under 6.5 on the IELTS would be required to take the English Language Proficiency Exam. Currently, a non-English speaking graduate student who receives a TOEFL score under 100 on the iBT or under 600 on the PBT would be required to take the exam.

After students take the English Language Proficiency Exam, their advisers are given recommendations of English language classes for them to take. But there are no requirements associated with the recommendation.

The exam is also required for all undergraduate students for whom English is not their native language. Colleges would have flexibility to determine their own TOEFL score requirements for course recommendations.

“We came up with this proposal to drop the cut score to 90, which would let a very large number of grad students off the hook from having to take the TOEFL exam,” Wright said.  He said this would allow advisors to know which students in their department would benefit from language services.

Other business

GSO President Mirjavad Hashemi said the university has waived the graduate students’ dependent fee for using recreational facilities.

Hashemi also called for a new survey to provide updated input on graduate student life at SU.

“We need more inclusion of grad students on campus, and we also need to learn more about how graduate students are feeling about their workspace, about their courses, about their lifestyle,” Hashemi said. “The way it was conducted in 2016 was more undergrad focused and didn’t cater to the exact needs of graduate students.”

The Senate will create a task force to find out what services online graduate students use and will create a survey seeking the opinion of online graduate students.

The GSO Senate voted last year to elect online graduate students to the Senate because they use some of the services the organization provides. But the Senate had trouble reaching out to these students for feedback on the election process.

The city of Syracuse is culling the population of deer in the city using trapping and shooting methods during dusk. Hashemi said students were concerned about the potential harm it could cause students who walk home at night.

Hashemi said university and city officials will make sure deer culling will take place during breaks, when classes are not being held and fewer students and faculty will be on campus.

Published on November 13, 2019 at 11:21 pm

Contact Richard: rjchang@syr.edu | @RichardJChang1