On the weekend of April 16th and 17th two of our GSA members, Galen Crawford and Elizabeth McGregor, attended the National Association of Graduate and Professional Students Midwest Regional Conference, held this year at the University of Cincinnati. Activities consisted of presentations covering such topics as locating resources for graduate students as well as addressing the difficulties graduate students and their dependents face in obtaining health insurance.
The University of Cincinnati’s graduate dean was the conference’s keynote speaker. He emphasized the increasing numbers of those in higher education due to our knowledge based economy. But he also indicated administrative politics are a fact of life and the budget must be cut somewhere, noting this often happens to graduate student programs and services. Galen points out graduate students make up less than 25% of Wright State University’s student population but that this very group contributes to making both deans and department heads look good. Graduate students provide untold amounts of innovation and scholastic achievement to universities. This is why it is so important for GSA to advocate on behalf of Wright State’s graduate students. Joining NAGPS would provide many benefits such as an annual conference in Boulder, CO to help promote a strong support network for students. It also has a contract with Amazon.com to provide book deals to members.
Elizabeth mentioned attendees discussed graduate programs in general and specifically how they can be improved. She also noted everyone at the conference was incredibly friendly and seemed genuinely interested in following up after the conference. Overall, Elizabeth felt it was a great networking opportunity. The two received advice and ideas from students who were in new or less established graduate student groups because they understood how difficult it is to put down roots in a new organization. Elizabeth loved the community-building ideas she took away from the event such as wine tasting activities and a graduate student orientation.
Both Elizabeth and Galen came away from the conference energized. Since it appears next year’s NAGPS conference in the Midwest will be held at Northwestern University near Chicago, IL, Elizabeth and Galen are already discussing carpooling options for GSA members. Galen anticipates being able to obtain even more money for next year’s event so that hotel costs along with the conference fees would be covered for any GSA member looking to attend. The National Association of Graduate and Professional Students Midwest Regional Conference was an excellent networking and learning opportunity for Elizabeth and Galen both professionally and personally, and it has helped give them several ideas for improving and expanding GSA! Great job, you two!
