GSS is aware that international student resources do not always support students whose visas may disallow off-campus employment.

Graduate students are frequently provided university-owned computers to support their education and research, but lack the administrative permissions to manage software on these computers even when the computers were purchased by individual faculty labs. The GSS is aware that the lack of administrative access hinders the ability for students to carry out their work.

The GSS is aware that limited parking spaces can make it difficult for students with teaching assistantships to arrive on time to the classes and labs that they TA. We are also aware of increased parking pass expenses.

The GSS is aware that the cost of university health insurance has increased over the last few years, the insurance has high deductibles, and the overall quality of healthcare and insurance has declined. Large insurance fees due at the beginning of the school year are burdensome. We are aware that international students are obliged by the university to purchase this insurance and are therefore unable to seek alternative insurance options that may better align with their needs and budgets.

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The GSS is aware that teaching and research assistantships are not currently meeting the needs of students with these assistantships.

We are aware of the following concerns:

• Low hourly rate for students with assistantships
• Teaching assistantship support is not guaranteed for the entire academic year
• There are inconsistencies between departments about assistantship pay, hours worked, required effort, and treatment
• Lack of HR or other administrative resources to help resolve issues with graduate assistantships, process relevant paperwork in a timely manner to ensure students are promptly compensated for this work, and to address any conflicts between students with assistantships and their direct supervisors

The GSS is aware that the university's technology and continuation fees are expensive and support some services that many graduate students do not utilize. Tuition waivers associated with fellowships are not applied to student accounts in a timely manner, leaving students responsible for extensive fees at the start of each semester, sometimes before they receive their first paycheck. We are aware that the international student fee is high and is applied each semeste

The GSS is aware that international students struggle to find support networks that can help search for financial support, scholarships, and help address academic challenges. We are also aware that there is inadequate social and counseling support through the school and clubs.

The GSS is aware of the following resources which may help alleviate some of these concerns

• UMass Dartmouth Counseling Center

The GSS is aware that policies regarding university supported travel are not always clear and that the reimbursement process can restrict student travel. Lack of full travel funding and a slow reimbursement process limits student travel opportunities since many travel expenses must be paid out-of-pocket and these expenses can sometimes be significant. We are aware that some students cannot take advantage of travel funds awarded to them because of unavailable personal funds to support travel expenses prior to reimbursement.

The GSS is aware that academic honors for graduate students are poorly documented.

The GSS is aware that students lack HR or other administrative resources to help mediate issues between students and their primary advisor or direct supervisor. We are also aware that procedures to pair students with advisors differ between departments.