Mission Statement

The BU PhD Student Coalition is a collaborative and inclusive organization formed by BU doctoral students for BU doctoral students. Our seven main goals are to:

1. Broadly develop an interconnected, supportive community that respects and honors the divergent experiences and needs of all BU graduate students;

2. Give a platform and support to doctoral student voices from all backgrounds and circumstances;

3. Collect and share information relevant to the doctoral student community;

4. Spark and facilitate productive discussions about doctoral student issues;

5. Organize collective, practical action to catalyze necessary changes to institutional policies affecting doctoral and other graduate students;

6. Hold the BU Administration to account for creating and living up to policies and initiatives that not only promote equity, inclusivity, and respect for students of all races, ethnicities, genders, and other identities, but also address fundamental concerns of respective identities and communities and issues they face at Boston University;

7. Connect with and inform the public, government officials and institutions, outside media organizations, and others about BU issues that affect the Boston community, Massachusetts community, and higher education community at large.

Collaboration and partnership are fundamental values of our Coalition, not just within our membership but with other organizations as well. We are proud to have formal and informal allyships with other campus and outside organizations, including but not limited to:

• The Graduate Student Organization (GSO)

• Graduate Women in Science and Engineering (GWISE)

• SEIU-Local 509

• SEIU-Local 32BJ

• SEIU-Local 888

• UAW-Local 2324

• Allied BU Faculty

• Allied BU Alumni

History

The BU PhD Student Coalition was formed in the Summer of 2020 with the goal of organizing collective action against Boston University’s inhumane, inequitable, and dangerous COVID-19 reopening policies for Fall 2020. In coordination with various interest groups and concerned parties, the Coalition has:

• Successfully lobbied to preserve doctoral student insurance benefits on the basis of student status, not teaching assistantship; raised awareness about ICE’s illegal handling of international student visas;

• Spurred members of the Boston City Council as well as state and local representatives into action, prompting BU to give explicit details on many of its reopening plans and helping catalyze the state government to mandate a 14-day quarantine for incoming students from states with uncontrolled spread of COVID-19;

• Actively sought and received coverage in many national and local news outlets, including Science Magazine, Vox, Inside Higher Ed, WGBH, BU Today, and many others; created a public petition regarding cBU’s fall 2020 re-opening plan with 718 signatures that has been included in the Boston City Council’s record;

• Formed a collaborative activist community with over 150 members (and counting!) working together to give voice to doctoral students from many different backgrounds and circumstances.

• Co-organized the Campus Health is Community Health rally on August 13, 2020 with BU faculty, staff, alumni, and Boston community members.