How can I get involved with the GSA?
What a GREAT question! There are many ways...
Join the GSA Executive Board by running for one of the offices of: President, Vice-President of Membership, Vice-President of Programs, Secretary, or Treasurer. These elected positions serve one year terms and are voted into office by the delegate body. Elections are held annually in February of each Spring semester. Duties and responsibilities for each of these executive board positions can be found on the GSA website.
Join the GSA Delegate Body. What is the Delegate body? The delegate body is comprised of graduate students currently enrolled at Virginia Tech who serve as representatives for their respective academic departments. Each graduate department is allowed a maximum of two graduate students to serve as delegates; these delegates are selected in a variety of ways including peer nominations and elections, administrative departmental appointment, and even individual volunteer. If YOU are interested in becoming a delegate for your department please contact the GSA VP of membership, the GSA website, or with your academic department chair to determine whether your department is being represented. Delegates serve as liaison to graduate students and others regarding graduate student issues/concerns, activities, programs, events, and services offered through and by the graduate student assembly. Similarly, these delegates serve as liaison to the graduate assembly on behalf of their colleagues and peers. For more information please contact me at mmcleese@vt.edu.
Join the GSA Cabinet. Maybe the delegates for your department have already been chosen or you're not quite sure the delegate body is for you but you still want to be involved. But what is the GSA Cabinet? Although a non-voting body IN the GSA, these graduate students serve as graduate representatives to a variety of university commissions and committees serve as voting members FOR the graduate students as a whole on their respective committees and commissions. By being involved with commissions and committees throughout the university, graduate students get to interact with faculty, staff, and administrators in the governance system. As graduate students not only are we highly encouraged by faculty and administrators to serve alongside them at this level of university governance but it is important that we be involved to understand what decisions, issues, and policies are being undertaken (or not) at the university level when it comes to graduate students. The GSA Cabinet holds two meetings per semester in an attempt to bring all the committee and commission representatives together to share reports and update one another on major issues and/or concerns.
Join a GSA Program Chair position. Yup, there are still other ways to get involved with GSA if you don't want or can't serve as a delegate or cabinet representative. GSA Program Chair positions include: Events Chair, Graduate and Professional School Fair Chair, Website Director, Travel Fund Program Chair, Research Symposium Chair, Graduate Research and Development Program Chair, and Historian/Media Coordinator and are selected by the incoming GSA executive board at the end of the Spring and beginning of the Summer terms. The duties and responsibilities of these graduate students can be found on the GSA website.
Attend events, socials, programs, etc! So maybe you don't want to have an official title or set of duties and responsibilities; have no fear because there are STILL ways to be involved. Consider attending one, several, or all of the GSA sponsored events throughout the academic year. Do you feel like we're missing a program, event, or service that graduate students need or want? Then contact us so we know what it is YOU want the GSA to do for you! Just contact any GSA board member (executive board or program chairs) for more information and we'll steer you in the right direction.
So...come to an event, visit a board member, or check out a meeting and SEE what the GSA can do for YOU! ARE YOU READY? COME ON VIRGINIA TECH GRADUATE STUDENTS; LET'S GO GSA!!!
Michelle McLeese, Graduate Student Assembly 2009-2010 Vice President of Membership
Join the GSA Executive Board by running for one of the offices of: President, Vice-President of Membership, Vice-President of Programs, Secretary, or Treasurer. These elected positions serve one year terms and are voted into office by the delegate body. Elections are held annually in February of each Spring semester. Duties and responsibilities for each of these executive board positions can be found on the GSA website.
Join the GSA Delegate Body. What is the Delegate body? The delegate body is comprised of graduate students currently enrolled at Virginia Tech who serve as representatives for their respective academic departments. Each graduate department is allowed a maximum of two graduate students to serve as delegates; these delegates are selected in a variety of ways including peer nominations and elections, administrative departmental appointment, and even individual volunteer. If YOU are interested in becoming a delegate for your department please contact the GSA VP of membership, the GSA website, or with your academic department chair to determine whether your department is being represented. Delegates serve as liaison to graduate students and others regarding graduate student issues/concerns, activities, programs, events, and services offered through and by the graduate student assembly. Similarly, these delegates serve as liaison to the graduate assembly on behalf of their colleagues and peers. For more information please contact me at mmcleese@vt.edu.
Join the GSA Cabinet. Maybe the delegates for your department have already been chosen or you're not quite sure the delegate body is for you but you still want to be involved. But what is the GSA Cabinet? Although a non-voting body IN the GSA, these graduate students serve as graduate representatives to a variety of university commissions and committees serve as voting members FOR the graduate students as a whole on their respective committees and commissions. By being involved with commissions and committees throughout the university, graduate students get to interact with faculty, staff, and administrators in the governance system. As graduate students not only are we highly encouraged by faculty and administrators to serve alongside them at this level of university governance but it is important that we be involved to understand what decisions, issues, and policies are being undertaken (or not) at the university level when it comes to graduate students. The GSA Cabinet holds two meetings per semester in an attempt to bring all the committee and commission representatives together to share reports and update one another on major issues and/or concerns.
Join a GSA Program Chair position. Yup, there are still other ways to get involved with GSA if you don't want or can't serve as a delegate or cabinet representative. GSA Program Chair positions include: Events Chair, Graduate and Professional School Fair Chair, Website Director, Travel Fund Program Chair, Research Symposium Chair, Graduate Research and Development Program Chair, and Historian/Media Coordinator and are selected by the incoming GSA executive board at the end of the Spring and beginning of the Summer terms. The duties and responsibilities of these graduate students can be found on the GSA website.
Attend events, socials, programs, etc! So maybe you don't want to have an official title or set of duties and responsibilities; have no fear because there are STILL ways to be involved. Consider attending one, several, or all of the GSA sponsored events throughout the academic year. Do you feel like we're missing a program, event, or service that graduate students need or want? Then contact us so we know what it is YOU want the GSA to do for you! Just contact any GSA board member (executive board or program chairs) for more information and we'll steer you in the right direction.
So...come to an event, visit a board member, or check out a meeting and SEE what the GSA can do for YOU! ARE YOU READY? COME ON VIRGINIA TECH GRADUATE STUDENTS; LET'S GO GSA!!!
Michelle McLeese, Graduate Student Assembly 2009-2010 Vice President of Membership
