Graduate Student Senate Executive Council (2021-2022)
With increasing vaccination rates in Vermont and Governor Scott easing Covid restrictions earlier this summer, the new executive board of UVM's Graduate Student Senate (GSS) was eager to fill their calendar with social and informative events for UVM's graduate students. So far, GSS has seen graduate students spanning almost every UVM department at their events which include axe throwing at Burlington's Burly Axe, pick-up soccer games, a grand BBQ at North Beach Park, and most recently, the annual Graduate Student Resource Fair at the UVM Davis Center. We asked the five-member team behind the GSS executive board what they are looking forward to most during the Fall 2021 semester. This is what they had to say:
Rosaura Chapina (GSS President): "This semester I would like GSS to promote community building and have as many social events as possible. I would like to have professional development seminars and engage students as much as we can! As an executive board member I plan to work with the administration to lower the student fees, increase student stipends, and expand the mental health opportunities for graduate students on campus.”
Miki Beach (GSS Vice-President): “I’m looking forward to being a full-time graduate student. I’ve been working towards the Master's Degree in Social Work (MSW) at UVM for the last 4 years, first as a continuing education student and then as a part-time student. It will be so meaningful to focus fully on being a student this year! Serving as GSS Vice President will help me deepen my connection to other graduate students and build relationships with UVM administrators as we work toward shared goals.”
Patrick Payne (GSS Secretary): “As a public health student, I have a deep passion for supporting my community. I am eager to connect the committee work of GSS and the larger UVM community with the needs of the graduate student body and city of Burlington. I am especially excited to advance the work on graduate student housing, to establish a permanent solution to an enduring graduate student issue.”
Alison Hall: (GSS Treasurer): “As a e-board member this year, I have found an inspiring community of graduate students from across UVM. Whether it's fostering a connected social network through hosting events, tackling food security, or encouraging student research at the core of our work is a shared dedication to improving the lives of graduate students. This semester I look forward to working together with GSS to build up systems that support all graduate students.”
Irfan Tahir (GSS Communication Director): I am really looking forward to organizing more social events as I have found the few in-person social events we have organized so far to be a real catalyst for increasing connectivity amongst graduate students and a really good platform for initiating collaborations. Additionally, I also want to work with the administration to continue working on increasing graduate student stipends, decreasing student fees and for creating a graduate student housing. It is truly an honor to serve on the GSS e-board this year.