A team in Vision Ohio, Ohio University’s comprehensive plan for the future, is developing a set of recommendations for OU administrators, and members of Graduate Student Senate reviewed the recommendations at last night’s meeting.

In the “General Values Draft” of Vision Ohio’s Graduate Priorities Implementation Team, the 12 values emphasize increasing graduate enrollment and retention, balancing students’ workload and increasing graduate programs.

“Dora (Wilson, a member of the priorities committee,) said, ‘We need to think of this in terms of principles,’” said Josephine Bloomfield, associate professor of English and director of English graduate studies. “This helped us organize our minds better.”

High on a list of priorities for the values draft is low stipends and high fees, some senators said, adding that graduate students know of the amount of their stipend but are unaware of fees that greatly take away from the stipend.

Senators’ comments will be added to the recommendation and given to OU Provost Kathy Krendl on June 15.

The team’s hope is that the changes will help boost graduate recruitment and retention, Bloomfield said.

“What are the things we need to draw you here?” she said. “What are the things we need to retain you here?”

Senate also discussed endorsing the change of OU’s “260 hour rule,” which states that graduate students who have more than 260 credit hours are not eligible for tuition remission and must pay for one hour a quarter and receive department approval to continue to receive a stipend, according to the Web site www.ohio.edu/graduate.

In other business, senate will vote at its next meeting and decide whether to change graduate students’ current health insurance plan. If senate is in favor of change, students will choose from three different plans, said Mark Mecum, senate president.