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Graduate students form new organization

By Chris Mackey
Greenlee Web Team writer

There’s something new this year at the Greenlee School besides the new look of the building. It’s the Greenlee Graduate Students Association.

In years past, graduate students were just another group of students. But Greenlee Director Michael Bugeja proposed an idea to have them come together to form the graduate students association, which includes about 35 Greenlee students working toward master’s degrees.

Associate Professor Lulu Rodriguez, the graduate coordinator, is heading up the group.

She wants the association to work with the faculty, strengthen the Greenlee School’s research base and become role models to undergraduates.

“We want to get the School known as a scientific base,” she said.

At the first meeting on Sept. 17, officer elections were held and several topics were discussed, including the group’s focus and goals, what the association could do to improve the graduate program, and how a revised orientation might help new graduates, especially incoming international students.

The association officers are Kersten Kappmeyer as president, Jason Boucher as the vice president, Holly Benton as secretary, and Joy Helland as social chair. The officers are all second-year students.

Secretary Holly Benton said the group believed last year’s orientation lacked a great deal of information. The proposed orientation would be student-centered and conducted by second-year graduates.

“We want to equip all the incoming students with the information they will need to get the most out of their Greenlee experience,” she said.

The association’s mission is three-fold: sharing scholarship, providing professional development and building community.

Both Rodriguez and Benton agreed that building community within themselves was a key goal as well as educating the graduates about the benefits of a master’s degree.

“We plan to offer activities that will benefit students preparing for conferences and thesis defenses as well as job interviews; activities that will help the students get the maximum benefit from their degrees,” Benton said.

To help with building community, she hopes to use the association as a social outlet for its members as well as keeping meetings fun and informal.

“We don't just want to be another study group,” Benton said. “A key point of this association, I believe, should be to offer students opportunities to get together with each other outside of the scholastic environment.”

The association is planning several social events for its members, including going out informally for drinks, potlucks and “stress relief” outings and parties to coincide with midterms and finals.

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Last updated: Oct. 22, 2003
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