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Syracuse University’s Graduate Student Organization plans to continue funding its travel grant program as academic conferences move online due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The travel grant program provides funding to graduate students for transportation, lodging and registration while attending academic and professional conferences. GSO will adjust its budget to accommodate virtual conferences this year, Comptroller Yousr Dhaouadi said Wednesday at the organization’s first townhall of the semester.

“We are planning on keeping the funding and seeing how much is reimbursed to students, as some virtual conferences require a fee to attend,” Dhaouadi said. “We will move our budget around to get money back into students’ pockets.”

GSO will host all of its meetings virtually this semester. Members said during the meeting that they hope graduate students still feel comfortable discussing their concerns and engaging in conversation despite the online format.

The organization had hoped to conduct meetings using a hybrid model this semester, citing concerns that members will be less inclined to participate in virtual sessions, said Mackenzie Ess, GSO’s internal vice president. However, the organization was unable to secure a space for in-person meetings, Ess said.

Though GSO has had to scale back events due to the pandemic, it still plans to engage students, said Jessica Montgomery, external vice president.

“Socializing and coming together is what we do,” she said. “Being on Zoom versus in person is a new challenge but it has become the new norm.”

GSO is currently looking for members to fill its diversity, finance and student life committees, said GSO President Mirjavad Hashemi. The first GSO Senate meeting is scheduled for Sept. 16.

Published on September 2, 2020 at 10:35 pm

Contact Dominick: dpfister@syr.edu