GSA Politics and Organization
Every graduate student at URI donates to the funds of the graduate student association through the student activities fee. All GSA programs, events, activities, and decisions are managed by the GSA executive committee, as mandated by the GSA Constitution. The executive council is composed of the president, vice-president, secretary, treasurer, operations manager, and 2 members at large. Each council member is responsible for the traditional duties of their respective position. The 2 members at large are assigned specific responsibilities to help make the GSA council a well rounded vehicle for administering GSA sponsored programs. Each executive council officer is elected on an annual basis by voting members of the senate. GSA senators attend monthly meetings with the executive council to discuss and vote on GSA policy decisions. Executive council members have no voting privileges. Any graduate student may sign up to be a GSA senator; for every 20 graduate students, a graduate department is entitled to one department senator, up to a maximum of two. All GSA policy, constitution, and by-law decisions are made by the voting senators. All council members and senators are paid for their duties and contributions to the GSA.
2007-2008 Executive Council Officers
President |
Crystal Fry (Environmental and Natural Resource Economics) |
Vice President |
Laura Gostin (Communication Studies) |
Treasurer |
Liz Smith (Environmental and Natural Resource Economics) |
Secretary |
Lillie Langlois (NRS) |
Past-President |
Matt Freeman (Environmental and Natural Resource Economics) |
Members at Large:
| Webmaster | Pankaj L Ahire (Computer Science) |
Senators:
| Anca Moraru - Communications | Charles White - Ocean Engineering | Jack Szczepanski - Biology |
| Jamie Freidinger - HDF | Kristin Cassidy - Marriage & Family Therapy | Laura Jurgens - Biology |
| Oanh Tran - Accounting | Todd Tetreault - Cellular & Molecular Bio. | Wyatt Furman - Computer Science |
| Xuixia Zhao - Env. ∓ Nat. Res. Eco. | Yi Lu - Accounting | Yuyu Zhou - Nat. Resources Sci. |
| Anju Gupta - Chemical Engg. | Marcy Thompson - Nursing | Yuan Li - Library Science |
Committees 2007-2008
| Graduate Council | Liz Smith, Laura Gostin |
| Constitution, By-Laws and University Manual | |
| Teaching Effectiveness | |
Council for Graduate Research |
|
President's Commission on the Status of Women at URI |
|
Athletics Advisory Board |
Jack Szczepanski |
The Graduate Student Association exists to support the efforts of graduate students as members of the University of Rhode Island community. The goal of the GSA is to enhance the academic, intellectual, and social opportunities of its members in the following ways:
As a student government body the GSA keeps abreast of issues concerning its members and represents their needs to the University.
As a coordinating agency between departments, the GSA encourages and aids in communication throughout the University and in the community at large.
As a source of graduate student funding the GSA offers financial assistance to graduate student groups and individuals through its Assistance Program, Conference Attendance, Thesis Binding, and Baby-sitting Funds.
As an organizer of social activities the GSA plans regularly scheduled social activities ranging from informal socials at local establishments to boat trips and events out of state. And as always, at the end of the Spring Semester, the GSA hosts a Final Bash.