As graduate students express concerns over funding, TA positions and communication, the newly elected Graduate Student Association leadership hopes GSA can become a stronger channel for advocacy and support.
Brandy Wicker and Bhavysree Surendar were elected GSA president and vice president, respectively, after running a campaign centered on communication.
Wicker said top concerns for graduate students include funding for coursework and programs.
“When the Trump administration canceled a lot of National Science Foundation grants, that affected the university. Even if you are not tied to the grant specifically, it decreases the overall funding of the university,” Wicker said. “It puts a lot of graduate students who are fully funded in limbo and flux.”
Wicker said funding cuts have resulted in fewer TA positions and class sections available.
Some graduate students said GSA’s role on campus has not always been clear, especially for students who do not already have support through their program.
“I’ve heard of GSA before, but I don’t think a lot of graduate students fully know what it does or how to use it as a resource,” accounting graduate student Sheline Tissera said. “I think GSA could focus more on marketing directly to students who aren’t in cohorts like PPA, [Professional Program in Accounting], and showing how their resources specifically help graduate students.”
Surendar said she wants to address that gap by improving GSA’s outreach and building on the work of previous administrations. She said one way she will evaluate her term is by whether more graduate students understand GSA’s role on campus.
“I want the students to know that GSA is actually there for them and be a helpful resource for them. Just come, talk, share your concerns and we will create an impact,” Surendar said. “By the end of my term, I just want to make sure that the majority of graduate students know that GSA is there to look after their concerns and make sure their voices are heard.”
The incoming leadership plans to use the summer to plan for the year ahead.
One of their summer goals is to create group listening sessions with graduate students across schools. GSA plans to use an online signup system, allowing students to share concerns about their academic experience.
“I wanted to have these sessions and have them small so we can have an early ear to what is happening. Even if we talk to our friends and colleagues we do not always get the full story of what is happening out there, so I wanted to have these intimate listening sessions over the summer,” Wicker said.
Wicker said she plans to continue previous initiatives, including joint events with the alumni center. These events bring in alumni from different fields for panel discussions and networking opportunities.
However, Wicker said these events may transition online in order to be more specialized to specific fields of the graduate student body.
GSA also plans to create “Meet the Liaison,” a revised version of “Meet the Dean,” for each school. Wicker and Surendar hope students feel more comfortable sharing academic concerns with liaisons over deans.
As they prepare for their term, the incoming officers said they want to stay grounded in the students who elected them.
“I feel so happy that they chose me as their representative for the graduate student body. I am truly grateful for them,” Surendar said.
Wicker said GSA hopes to build on that trust by making sure graduate students know they can come to the organization for support.
“GSA is here to serve graduate students and advocate for you [graduate students] so please reach out,” Wicker said.
