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Frequently Asked Questions...
| 1) What is the Graduate Student Senate (GSS)? |
The GSS is a body intended to represent the interests of all graduate students. It consists of an elected senate representing different academic departments, programs, residential areas, and Graduate Student Organizations. This senate and its committees, which are open to all graduate students, form the legislative part of the GSS. The GSS's daily operations are managed by four elected officers (President, Vice President, Treasurer, Executive Officer) and five hired staff.
The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) is one of the recognized governance bodies at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. It is a democratically elected council of graduate students which serves to represent the views of UMass graduate students and advocate for and protect their interests. GSS pursues policies and objectives that serve to advance the social, cultural, material and academic needs of graduate community. GSS is committed to provide services devoted to graduate students' concerns and needs.
| 3) That sounds great! But can I join/help if I'm not an elected member? |
Any elected or unelected GSS member can attend and speak at GSS meetings, and there are ways of getting involved with GSS other than senate meetings. There are different committees, internal and external to the GSS, that encourage participation from the graduate community at large. There are also graduate student organizations that are open to all graduate students.
| 4) Why should I bother getting involved? |
There should be a few differences between a big research university and, lets say McDonalds or IBM. Where businesses are about making profit, universities are about creating knowledge. Part of that means that those who create knowledge (us) get to shape the environment in which we work. To that end the academic part of all large universities are governed by a rather complex system of Senates and Committees. Graduate students have a voice through the Senate and on these committees and our participation ensures that those decisions reflect our interests (the carrot). In the absence of active student and/or faculty participation, the Administration gains the ability to dictate the conditions of our study (the stick). In any case, participation in these groups prepares us for the 'service' component of academic careers and/or helps us become more aware of the bureaucratic structures that will determine our working lives.
| 5) Sounds even better! So how do I contact the GSS? |
The elected members of the GSS can be reached as a group by sending e-mail to gss-info@resgs.umass.edu. Additional information about the GSS can be found on the GSS web site:
http://www.umass.edu/gss
If you wish to attend a GSS meeting, they are held monthly. Tentative agendas for the meetings can be found on the GSS web site.
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