GPSO elects new officers

The Graduate and Professional Student Organization, the governing body of graduate and professional students on campus, elected new executive officers at its meeting Friday.\nThe new officers are only one of a number of changes the GSPO has undergone in the last year. The group has a new name, a new logo and a new Web site. The representative body used to be called the Graduate Student Organization.\nAfter a short speech and a question and answer session with candidates Dietrich Willke and Rachel Anderson, the group elected a new moderator, the GPSO's main liaison to students and the administration. Anderson, the Medieval studies representative, will fill the role next semester. This semester's moderator, John Mersch, revoked his nomination so he could focus on writing his dissertation and finishing up his education.\n"I think Rachel will step into the role and succeed very well," said Andrea McDowell, coordinator of the GPSO.\nAnderson said she is "excited about getting involved with the day-to-day activities and the inner workings of the organization."\nShe is also eager to get more people involved in the GPSO, especially professional and master's students.\n"I want to continue the strength of the organization by getting as much representation as possible," Anderson said.\nThe recording secretary, Elizabeth Rytting, and the treasurer, Lisa Kuriscak, both ran unopposed and will serve again next semester.\nThe organization felt it was important to include professional students in the group's name, McDowell said. She explained that the GPSO works on issues that affect all graduate and professional students: including housing, parking, child care and health insurance.\nThe new Web site will help GPSO get the word out about what they do, said Emily Nagoski, GPSO's Director of Public Relations. The site has a new design, updated contact about health care and other important issues and a calendar of social events. It includes information about what the GPSO committees are working on.\nThe site also has a new feature called the Guide, which has basic information geared toward graduate students, such as where to go grocery shopping and what to do around town. The site has a housing bulletin board where students can find and post a place to live, Nagoski said. \nThe GPSO will continue to try to increase its visibility in the future in a number of ways, such as giving GPSO information to graduate students at their department's orientation, Nagoski said.\nThe GPSO began in 1979, when 10 graduate students were appointed to a committee to advise the dean of the Graduate School on issues and concerns of graduate and professional students. The Graduate School authorized the Graduate Student Organization in 1983, after seeing a need for more representation.\nThe group has been instrumental in securing several awards to promote academics. The Research award gives several students each semester funds so they can complete research projects. The Remak award gives money to a department to bring a recent graduates back to speak to students. \nThis spring, the Office of the Chancellor, the Research and University Graduate School and several schools on campus will fund a travel grant program so that graduate and professional students might attend conferences and workshops.\nIn Spring 2001, the group voted to change the name of the Graduate Student Organization to the Graduate and Professional Student Organization. The group now has representatives from more than 60 departments.\nIn the future, the group will work to receive universal health care for graduate students. This spring, the group will award the first GPSO Faculty Mentor Award, to recognize an outstanding faculty member at IU.