Graduate students are invited to join GSA, especially as we begin our 2008-09 year. Grad students are always encouraged to participate in Assembly meetings, and those in departments lacking representation are encouraged to run for a representative's seat.

Why get involved in GSA?

Our business is advocating for improvements to Yale graduate academic, social, and living experiences. Our representatives are active in GSA for diverse reasons. Many

• enjoy advocacy or activism
• want to address a gripe about bad advising, unfair teaching assignments, student healthcare, the gym, the library schedule, or something else
• are curious to learn how a university makes decisions, allocates money, and implements plans in the face of conflicting interests, or
• want to improve Yale for themselves, their friends, and the greater Yale and New Haven communities

If any one of the above sentiments resonates with you, GSA may be a good fit. Check us out!

Fall elections of departmental representatives

Does your department have no representative to GSA? Want to join, or know someone who might?

What do departmental representatives do?

Reps

• attend biweekly Assembly Meetings to exchange updates on, and brainstorm about, GSA Initiatives (please browse links to the right of this webpage).
• host a departmental meeting (with free refreshments or a meal) once each semester, to gather colleagues' concerns and update them about changes and improvements at Yale.
• serve as a liaison to the GSA or the Deans, and provide information about supportive resources, whenever individual department-mates raise concerns.
• research, brainstorm and negotiate with Yale administration and faculty to improve policies and practices.

Nominations

Students in under-represented departments may nominate themselves or others Tuesday, October 14 - Tuesday, October 21.

If you have been nominated for a GSA representative position, please write a short statement to inform your colleagues about yourself.

Voting

Voting for currently unfilled reps' seats will occur Wednesday, October 22 - Wednesday, October 29. Please cast your votes here.

If you have any questions about the GSA, becoming a representative, or the current elections please contact GSA Vice Chair Stephen Gosden.

For interested students whose departmental rep seats are full

We welcome you to join anyway. Please come to our next Assembly Meeting. GSA has a few items of business which require an Assembly vote, in which case only reps' votes may be counted. However, most of our advocacy work actually gets done through researching existing policies and practices, interviewing relevant administrators and students, and brainstorming and negotiating new policies and practices. To learn more about our ongoing advocacy, please browse the GSA Initiatives links, to the right side of the screen.