Trinity junior Takcus Nesbit, DSG vice president for student affairs, met with GPSC Monday night to discuss ways to improve relations and interaction between graduate and undergraduate students.
Michael Tino, president of the Graduate and Professional Student Council and a third-year graduate student in cell biology, said that he is enthusiastic about the opportunity that GPSC will have to work with Duke Student Government toward improving interaction between the two organizations.
"There are many issues that we share and can complement each other," he said. "We are a great resource for [undergraduates]."
GPSC members suggested informal information sessions, shared social events and assistance for seniors applying to graduate or professional school as ways to promote interaction. Students also suggested increased graduate student representation on those committees dealing with issues that affect all University students.
"The ideas mentioned tonight are helpful... and everyone at the meeting tonight thought it was a great idea." said GPSC Vice President, Susan Timberlake, a third-year graduate student in biomedical engineering.
Nesbit agreed that the suggestions made by GPSC members were constructive. "The proposals voiced here tonight are great ideasÉ I don't see why we couldn't get them off the ground," he said.
Student reaction was similarly enthusiastic. "I read the law school bulletins, but it's helpful to get answers from people who have recently gone though the experience to find out what is the best way to go about it,"said Trinity senior Kevin McGinnis.
Trinity senior Laura Schoenrock said that interaction between graduates and undergraduates has proven to be helpful in the past. "I've attended different information sessions and I've talked with several students from the Fuqua School... It was incredibly interesting to talk to them about the process they went through and how they chose a graduate school."
IN OTHER BUSINESS: GPSC members discussed spouse benefits for graduate students and the criteria that defines same-sex spousal equivalents. The benefits currently extended by the University to graduate student spouses include access to libraries, recreation facilities, family health insurance, space in Central Campus apartments and student discounts at various campus stores.
To increase these benefits, graduate students discussed the possibility of requiring spouses to pay dues. A motion was passed to defer a proposal regarding spousal benefits until the next meeting, to be held on Monday, Oct. 23.
In addition, council members expressed concern about insufficient housing space on Central campus. Members said that only 187 bed spaces are currently reserved for graduate students, while they would like more than 200 spaces.
Ways to more efficiently publicize events and communicate with members from different schools were also discussed at the meeting.
Strong emphasis was placed on increased attendance at graduate student functions and reaching graduate school departments without GPSC representation.
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