The University Graduate Student Association at NC State hopes to increase its presence at the university this year, using techniques such as revamping its social networking presence, in an effort to tell more people about the association’s current projects and goals.
The UGSA represents the approximately 10,000 graduate students who attend NC State. Its goal is to improve life for graduate students by understanding and providing for their interests and needs, according to David Fiala, the president of UGSA and a Ph.D. candidate in computer science.
Barry Peddycord III, vice president of communication for the UGSA and a Ph.D. candidate in computer science, said in order to succeed in academia, it is important for graduate students to have allies, which is part of the mission of the UGSA.
“We want them to feel like they’re a part of something bigger, and we want to make sure that they succeed,” Peddycord said.
The UGSA functions similarly to Student Government, holding council meetings once a month to discuss issues and pass bills and resolutions. The council operates with one delegate from each of the approximately 55 graduate programs represented. Delegates are elected from their departments to represent all the students in their graduate programs.
Fiala said the UGSA tries to address the issues many graduate students face, such as making sure students’ research and academic expenses are adequately funded.
“Wouldn’t it be horrible if you needed five years to finish your Ph.D. but you could only be supported for four?” Fiala said. “Now the school [has] put four years of money in to you, and now suddenly you’re out because you can’t afford to pay for that last year.”
The UGSA recently established a travel award, which funds some students’ travel expenses so they can present their work at conferences.
The travel award used to be first come, first served, but UGSA now uses a new system that is more equitable and allows students who may traditionally not have been able to get funding to have a better chance of receiving grants, according to Fiala.
“It looks good on us, it looks good on the university,” Peddycord said. “It looks good on their research and helps them get a job, so that’s great.”
The UGSA will hold a ceremony in March to present the Outstanding Teaching Assistant Award and to formally recognize successful Teaching Assistants.
Peddycord said formally recognizing achievement in teaching acknowledges it as an accomplishment to be proud of as opposed to viewing it as a service.
The UGSA also holds a research symposium annually in March to showcase graduate student findings from different departments across campus.
Traditionally, the UGSA has been primarily concerned with internal projects, such as research, than with connecting graduate students with each other. However, the association hopes to change that, Fiala said.
The UGSA hopes to get more students connected by pairing with more student organizations and with professional programs put on by the graduate school.
Many student organizations on campus are geared toward undergraduate students, and graduate students may not attend student organizations due to lack of knowledge or a time conflict with their research work, Fiala said.
“I think that, having attended a lot of seminars and having met with a large portion of the graduate student body, meeting your peers is one of the most important things that isn’t being done right now,” Fiala said.
The UGSA attempts to create a community for a like-minded people with similar backgrounds and experiences to relate to one another, Peddycord said.
“I’m very passionate, and I believe that a well-off, happy, educated graduate student body is in fact a well-connected one,” Fiala said.
