GPSC hopes to expand Mahato memorial plans

Members of the Graduate and Professional Student Council met for the first this year Tuesday and covered a diverse agenda.

GPSC members were introduced to their 2010-2011 Executive Board, which is led by President Daniel Griffin, a fourth year Ph.D. candidate in classical studies. Griffin called health insurance, funding and career placement the three biggest issues GPSC will discuss.

“Graduate life here at Duke is pretty good—we’re trying to keep that course,” Griffin said.

Due to the withdrawal of an Executive Board member during the summer, GPSC representatives confirmed the appointment of a new community outreach coordinator, Abhilash Sabarathinam, a graduate student in the Master of Engineering Management Program at the Pratt School of Engineering. Griffin said Sabarathinam was selected after a rigorous application process.

In addition to introductions, members of GPSC shared a new plan to expand the Mahato Memorial event, a memorial in honor of Abhijit Mahato, a Duke graduate student who was shot and killed in 2008. The members discussed the photography contest titled “Envisioning the Invisible,” hosted by Pratt in honor of Mahato. Individuals who submit photographs are eligible for a $1,000 award, and winners will be announced at the event Sept. 15.

The meeting began with a talk by Patricia Callaway and Virginia Steinmetz, two assistant directors of the Career Center, who spoke about the center’s services for graduate students. Steinmetz said one of her biggest goals this year is to increase opportunities for students to meet with student employers on campus. The Career Center will co-host TechConnect—an annual event that brings together employers and students—with the Department of Computer Science and Pratt Sept. 14. It will include a panel of employers to provide advice to Duke students searching for internships and jobs.

Steinmetz added that at the Sept. 15 Career Fair, Duke will host more than 100 employers to meet with students. She strongly encouraged students to attend the fair and visit their offices in the Smith Warehouse.

“[Students] don’t have to wait until their last year to contact the Career Center,” Steinmetz said before explaining the benefits of reaching out early to the center’s advisers.