The Geography Graduate Student Association (GGSA) provides a space of community for geography graduate students to support each other in their academic and social lives, and to work collectively within the department to encourage open communication between students and faculty. The group meets monthly to communicate pressing departmental or university issues of concern, and to establish a collective voice (when possible) on the matter at hand. The concerns of the grad students are then voiced by group leaders to the department or other university bodies. The GGSA typically meets at least twice per quarter, and the department funds lunch for each meeting.
Officers and Elections
Each year the GGSA holds elections for the following positions. Elections are held in the spring of each year or as needed, and appointees begin their tenure the following academic year. Terms are one year unless otherwise specified.
President/Co-Presidents
Act as liaison between department chair and graduate students. Duties include:
- attend Faculty meetings
- communicate graduate concerns to faculty/chair
- facilitate monthly graduate student meetings and other social/academic events.
Colloquium Committee Reps
The departmental Colloquium Committee plans our annual colloquium series, which hosts scholars from on and off campus who present their research in geography and intersecting disciplines. The Colloquium Committee includes both faculty and graduate student members. Grad students on the committee assist in choosing and inviting guest speakers, as well as take the lead in organizing the details of speakers’ visits, including administrative tasks (paper work, coordinating airport pick-ups, posting lecture titles and abstracts, etc.) and coordinating a brown bag lunch the day of colloquium (for out of town quests) during which graduate students have a more informal discussion with the guest scholar over lunch in SMI 409/411.
After each colloquium, the department hosts a reception in SMI 411, which is planned and hosted by the Colloquium Reception Committee (see Graduate Student Service). Light refreshments are served and the speaker mingles with faculty, graduate students, and departmental guests. The Colloquium Committee’s budget includes an allotment for reception beverages and snacks.
GPSS Senators
Two senators are elected per department and the senators are to attend bi-weekly meetings during the school year, generally Wednesdays at 5:30pm in the HUB. Senators then report back to geography grad students via geogg listserv as well as at the geography grad student meeting. Senators are expected to meet with incoming cohorts during Orientation introduce students to GPSS and its functions and duties. This will include an introduction to the website, rights and responsibilities of students, and rights and responsibilities of Senators.
Diversity Committee Representatives
The diversity committee representatives are graduate students who join the faculty diversity committee, which aims to better the department’s culture and address diversity issues. The Diversity and Inclusivity Committee, consisting of faculty and graduate student members, coordinates the department’s work toward these goals. They regularly organize and facilitate events around strengthening departmental diversity and inclusion. The number of representatives and meeting frequency depends on that year’s committee.
Graduate Policy Committee Representative
Meets once or twice per quarter with Graduate Program Coordinator and two other faculty (rotates every year). Main task of the committee is to reassess regularly graduate academic policy, gather ideas/suggestions from graduate students and faculty on possible revisions, and make final recommendations to faculty or chair for review and consideration. Some of the recent changes include adding courses (i.e. grad level methods courses), consolidating previous graduate course requirements (512 and 515 are now one course instead of two), clarifying language in policy regarding graduate admission policy, spring graduate student review feedback and graduation requirements.
Graduate Student Service
The department offers several service positions beyond those listed above that allow graduate students to get directly involved in department events and to assist in improving the department’s culture. While service positions can fluctuate by year, we usually have several open opportunities at the beginning of the year and as needs arise. These positions include Colloquium Reception Committee, Coffee Hour Committee and TA Committee. However sometimes we have service positions that come up for special reasons such as lounge redecorating. Colloquium Reception Committee takes care of the reception that follows each colloquium speaker; this includes buying refreshments and setting up. The Coffee Hour Committee hosts a coffee hour usually once a month, which offers some casual time for grad students, undergraduates, staff and faculty to talk over coffee. The TA Committee consists of multiple graduate students who typically plan workshops to develop our TA skills.