GPSC votes on Wallace Wade section name

The new graduate and professional student section of Wallace Wade Stadium will soon be named.

Of the many updates and concerns addressed at the Graduate and Professional Student Council meeting Tuesday night, the new stadium section given to Duke graduate and professional students was first on the agenda. GPSC members voted on a section name, which will soon be disclosed to the public.

“Graduate and professional students are excited about naming our section and will also be giving out T-shirts with our section name probably at the homecoming game,” said GPSC president Yvonne Ford, a fourth-year nursing Ph.D. student.

The meeting lasted slightly more than an hour, and primarily dealt with the introduction and explanation of the role of GPSC and its major committees. During his presentation, GPSC vice president Adam Pechtel, a third-year law student, noted that GPSC includes all graduate and professional students at Duke, and is composed of legislative, executive and administrative boards.

Several members voiced their frustration with the difficulty in navigating the GPSC Web site. GPSC members voted to have the Web site committee submit a report containing suggestions for possible improvements by Dec. 1.

The meeting concluded with Ford’s final remarks on a few topics. Ford proposed that GPSC members send their condolences to the graduate and professional student body at Yale University in response to the recent murder of Yale pharmacology student Annie Le. Ford said she feels this is an appropriate gesture especially after Yale graduate and professional students showed their support following the murder of Duke graduate student Abhijit Mahato in 2008. GPSC members supported the measure unanimously.

Ford also asked GPSC members for monetary donations to three female Duke graduate students who fell victim to a house fire Monday morning in Woodcroft neighborhood in southern Durham.

“We’re trying to organize an effort to get them funds as well as household utensils because it’s devastating to lose everything you have,” Ford said.