Graduate Student Assembly passed a resolution requesting more information about the Shared Services Plan at its meeting Wednesday. 

The resolution calls for the addition of one graduate student employee, selected by GSA president Columbia Mishra, to be added to the Shared Services Steering Committee.

“The main thing we’re really asking for is just [to] give graduate students a seat in this process,” said David Villarreal, communications director for GSA and the bill’s co-author.

The Shared Services Plan is a set of recommendations that calls for the centralization of University human resources, information technology procurement and finance services. According to University officials, the plan calls for elimination of 500 jobs, mainly through natural attrition and retirement. Before pursuing a full-scale implementation of the Shared Services Plan, the Shared Services Steering Committee will design and conduct a pilot version of the plan in specific University units. 

The assembly’s resolution also asks Kevin Hegarty, executive vice president and chief financial officer, to provide regular updates on implementation, information about centralized services that already exist on campus, specifics on management-consulting firm Accenture’s involvement and specific information about the process of a pilot version of the plan. The resolution also requests that Hegarty begin sharing information by the next GSA meeting March 5. 

In January, Faculty Council passed a resolution requesting more information about the plan and for two non-administrative individuals to be added to the Steering Committee. Hegarty responded to the resolution a week after it was passed by posting a list of the requested information online. In his response, Hegarty agreed to add two non-administrative individuals to the steering committee.