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We will not be holding regular office hours during summer sessions, but feel free to email us (gpso@indiana.edu) with any questions or concerns, and “like” us on Facebook to hear about social events and community opportunities in the upcoming weeks.

Be sure to check back here throughout the summer for announcements regarding incoming officers, orientation week activities, and fall award timelines.

Thank you for a wonderful year!

The Indiana University Graduate and Professional Student Organization (GPSO) and University Graduate School (UGS) congratulate our April student of the month, Ryan Krause!

Ryan is a PhD student at Kelley School of Business after completing his undergraduate degree in finance here at IU.  The Chicago native’s academic interests are in the areas of corporate governance and strategic leadership.  ”I’m fascinated by the work of those who lead large organizations,” Ryan explains. “As soon as I decided that I was going to pursue a Ph.D., I knew that I wanted to study these individuals and what they do.”  He credits regular interaction with his dissertation chair, Matt Semadeni, and Dr. Semadeni’s guidance and encouragement as the most important factors in his academic progress.  “It makes graduate school so much easier when you have a dissertation chair who is as excited as your research as you are,” Ryan explains.  Of all his myriad accomplishments that make him worthy of this award, he is proud of his publications, dissertation work, and rapport with his colleagues, but he is most proud of his marriage to “the most beautiful woman in the world.”  Ryan reports his wife is also an opera singer, and notes that his favorite way to spend his rare free time is traveling with her and listening to her perform.

When asked to provide the final vote in our year-long Cake Vs. Pie debate, he understandably provides a write-in vote for bacon as “it’s healthier,” but acknowledges that “chocolate cake is pretty difficult to pass up.”  That brings our final vote tally to Cake: 2, Pie: 1, Chocolate: 1, Bacon: 1, and Vietnamese desserts with avocado: 1.  So we have Cake winning the year by a slim margin, but the takehome point seems to be if you’re hosting academically superior graduate students for dessert, it’s best to provide a buffet.

Basic Information

Duration:  Fall 2013; Spring 2014; and, Summer 2014 (optional)

Position Open to:  all full-time IUB masters and PhD students

Hours per month:    less than three hours

Sponsor Department:  University Graduate School

Number of positions:  ten

Application Deadline:  Friday, April 19, 2013

Interview Dates:  April 23 and 24, 2013

Website

Required Application Materials by April 19, 2013

1. An online data form
2. Curriculum Vitae/Resume
3. A one-page essay about past experience with similar initiatives, diversity-building efforts, cultural competency, community involvement or leadership skills must be emailed to agep@indiana.edu
4. Interview

Once selected, emissaries will sign a contract which certifies the understanding of program requirements and expectations.

Additional Information

Purpose of program: Emissaries for Graduate Student Diversity serve as first contacts and initial resources for prospective graduate students, in addition to working and engaging in dialogue with graduate programs, departments, and the University Graduate School and the Graduate and Professional Student Organization (GPSO).

Program Description: Graduate student emissaries will participate in information sessions, student panels, and new graduate student orientation.  Graduate student emissaries will attend monthly meetings each semester with other graduate student emissaries. Meetings will be held with University Graduate School staff, and others interested in graduate recruitment activities. Photos and profiles of graduate student emissaries will be posted on the University Graduate School website.

The program will officially begin the week before classes begin in August 2013 and conclude May 2014.  Summer duties may be requested.

Essential Functions:  Graduate student emissaries promote peer connections between individuals interested in masters and PhD programs at Indiana University.  Graduate student emissaries serve as community-building liaisons between graduate studies and the IUB graduate student body.   Through e-mail, web meetings using Adobe Connect, graduate student emissaries answer non-academic questions about graduate student life at IUB, Bloomington and other recruitment related questions to prospective graduate student applicants.  Graduate student emissaries provide personalized campus tours, upon request.  Each fall, emissaries collaborate with the GPSO to welcome new graduate and professional students at the fall “Get Oriented” event.

Required qualifications:  Applicants must be full-time graduate students in a masters or PhD program at IUB, be in good academic standing, and demonstrate involvement in program, departmental, university or community organizations. Preference will be given to graduate students who are involved in diversity-building activities and programming.

Questions: If you have any questions regarding the Emissaries for Graduate Student Diversity Program, please contact Dr. Yolanda Trevino at agep@indiana.edu.

Fifteen quality mentors were nominated for the GPSO Faculty Mentor Award this year by graduate and professional students, and an independent committee of GPSO members selected Rowland Ricketts as this year’s winner.  He utilizes natural materials and historical processes to create contemporary textiles that span art and design. Trained in indigo farming and dyeing in Japan, Rowland received his MFA from Cranbrook in 2005. Rowland’s interests span the relationship of materials, process to place and the role of tradition in contemporary craft. His work has been exhibited at the Textile Museum in Washington, DC, Fiberart International, and Snyderman-Works Fiber Biennials.  Mr. Ricketts was named a USA fellow in 2012.

Professor Ricketts’ nomination spoke of his skills as a role model, speaker, researcher, mentor, and friend.  He has done an exceptional job building up the textile department and has seen his students earn scholarships, fellowships, and other awards.  Thanks to Professor Ricketts’ efforts, he and all of the program’s students received funding to travel to Japan for a week to study traditional processes and hand techniques, as well as attend a national cultural festival for which he designed the fine arts exhibition.  He honors his students, department, and IU with his care and dedication, and we thank him for his hard work!

The IU Graduate and Professional Student Organization (GPSO) proudly congratulates the following students as winners of the 2013 Spring Travel Award:

• Meg Arenberg, Comparative Literature: 26th Swahili Colloquium
• Allison Bailey, Biology: Radioimmunoassay (RIA) Training
• Scott Breen, Law J. D.: The 2013 George Wright Society Conference on Parks, Protected Areas, and Cultural Sites
• Chris Clements, History: Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Annual Meeting
• Sarah Dees, Religious Studies: Native American and Indigenous Studies Association Conference
• Graham Epstein, SPEA PhD: IASC 2013: Global Conference of the International Association for the Study of the Commons
• Amanda Gibson, Biology: Evolution 2013 Annual Meeting
• Kaeleigh Herstad, Anthropology: The Seventh World Archaeological Congress
• Cathleen Jewll, Biology: Evolution 2013 Annual Meeting
• Clare Longendyke, Music/Piano Pedagogy: New Music on the Point Festival
• Krista Rodkey, Philosophy: Orange Beach Epistemology Workshop 2013: “Early Analytic Epistemology.”
• Tara Saunders, History: 2013 Business History Conference
• Holly Schreiber, American Studies: International Association of Literary Journalism Studies Annual Conference (IALJS-8)
• Nancy Tyree, Telecommunications: International Communication Association Conference
• Katie Van Loo, Psychology: Midwestern Psychological Association Conference
• Jessica Waggoner, English: Society for Disability Studies

The Indiana University Graduate and Professional Student Organization (GPSO) and University Graduate School (UGS) congratulate our March student of the month, Darci Trader!

Darci comes to us from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE), where she initially planned to be a pharmacist.  ”After my first chemistry class I quickly changed my mind,” she recalls. Darci discovered her passion for synthesizing molecules while conducting research in organic chemistry as an undergraduate student.  She came to IU to put her organic synthesis skills to work in the more biologically focused lab of Dr. Erin Carlson.  Darci is currently interested in the development of technologies to discover new molecules that have some kind of important biological activity.  When asked about the accomplishments of which she is most proud, Darci names two: “Last summer I won a travel award through the American Chemical Society to attend the EuCheMS Chemistry Congress in Prague, Czech Republic. This was my first international conference and I was selected to give an oral presentation. This trip allowed me to meet some fantastic chemists from the US and also make connections with those that shared research interests similar to mine in Europe. I am also very proud of obtaining a postdoctoral position at The Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, FL. It has been through a lot of hard work and perseverance at IU that I will be able to pursue cutting-edge research at a premier institute.”  Darci cites perseverance as the most essential quality for a successful graduate student.   “It is also helpful sometimes to remember that if it was easy, everyone would do it,” she notes. “Also, taking time away from lab/work and relaxing with friends is a great way to de-stress and allow you to come back later with fresh determination to solve the problem.”  In addition to time with friends, Darci’s favorite non-academic pursuits are getting outside with her dog as much as possible, particularly running on the B-Line Trail.  When asked to break the GPSO Graduate Student of the Month Cake-or-Pie tie, she boldly asserts “I prefer cake because they usually are for special occasions. When something significant happens in lab, like a publication, grant, or award we always have cake. Professor Carlson is not only a fantastic scientist and mentor but a great baker too!”

The IU Graduate and Professional Student Organization (GPSO) proudly congratulates the following students as winners of the 2013 Research Award:

• Nichole Bauer, Political Science: When Gender Matters on the Campaign Trail:  Stereotype Activation and Support for Female Candidates
• Chris Clements, History: At the Edge of Sovereignty: Building a Mohawk Nation in the U.S.-Canada Borderlands
• Lindsay Ems, Telecommunications: What’s in a boundary? Exploring the subcultural dynamics that protect the Amish way of life in a high-tech world
• Robin Green, Geological Sciences: Ostracodes as proxies for Pleistocene climate history at early hominid site, Olduvai Gorge, Tanzania
• Steven Green, Psychology: Reliably Eliciting Frustration
• Amy Harris, Bioanthropology: Women’s Experiences with Oral Contraceptives: Hormonal variation, expectations, and side effects
• Cynthia Rogers, Medieval Literature: “Make thereof a game”: The Lyrics of the Findern Manuscript (CUL Ff.I.6)  and their Late Medieval Textual Community
• Lauren Rudolph, Neural Science: Mechanisms of estrogen-dependent SNB dendrogenesis
• Eric Shattuck, Biological Anthropology: Behavioral Correlates of Vaccination in Travelers
• Kimberly Whitler, Marketing: Causes and Consequences: The Organization of Marketing

UPDATE: This position has been filled for the 2013-2014 school year.

The Graduate and Professional Student Organization  serves over 10,000 graduate and professional students at IU Bloomington through providing academic support, advocacy, community-building and resources. The GPSO seeks applicants for the position of Communications Coordinator for the 2013-14 academic year.

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

The GPSO Communications Coordinator’s roles and responsibilities include:

• Act as the primary representative for the GPSO by responding to e-mail and phone inquiries from current and prospective students, faculty, administrators, and the public.
• Communicate with graduate department secretaries to coordinate GPSO presentations at each department’s new student orientation. Assist other Executive Committee members in carrying out graduate student orientation events.
• Work to increase awareness of GPSO in the graduate and wider IU communities
• Maintain and regularly update the GPSO website, including but not limited to posting GPSO events, information for GPSO Assembly members, blog posts and announcements, and managing content for various GPSO topics (e.g., health insurance, awards and grants, graduate student resources, etc.).
• Design and distribute a weekly electronic newsletter to the GPSO Representatives consisting of announcements and events emailed to the GPSO, as well as searching for events online.
• Publicize the Graduate Student of the Month Award to graduate department faculty, and manage nominations. Chair the GPSO Graduate Student of the Month Award committee and coordinate the judging of nominees. Interview and publicize award winner.
• Write and distribute press releases when appropriate.
• Assist GPSO Awards Officer in communicating with award applicants and winners. Maintain current awards information on the website and within awards applications.
• Work with GPSO President to create agendas for various meetings. Distribute agendas electronically to GPSO Assembly and Executive Committee members. Attend, take attendance, and give reports at monthly GPSO Assembly meetings.

The Communications Coordinator serves on the GPSO Executive Committee, assisting special projects and programs as requested.  In addition, the Communication Coordinator’s graduate student orientation week responsibilities require some summer hours (max. 150).

REQUIREMENTS:

The position requires knowledge in website maintenance and design, familiarity with mass and electronic communications, excellent verbal and written communication skills and proficiency with general office productivity and managerial panache.  Knowledge of HTML, CSS, and the WordPress environment are strongly preferred.  Candidates must be enrolled full time as an IUB graduate or professional student and must be a U.S. citizen or a non-citizen authorized to work in the United States for the period of the appointment (April 2013-April 2014).   NOTE: The Communications Coordinator may not concurrently hold positions as Associate Instructors, Graduate/Research Assistants, or be committed to other full- or half-time work.

REMUNERATION:

The Coordinator is a 20-hour per week (50% FTE) position. Compensation includes full tuition remission for 12 credits per semester and 6 credit hours during summer session, excluding non-remittable fees; subsidized Student Academic Appointee Mandatory Health Insurance and a $12,000 stipend.

The Communications Coordinator may also work as many as 150 summer hours at a paid hourly rate of $12/hour during the summer 2013.

The assistantship is considered taxable income.

HOW TO APPLY:

Interested parties should submit the following application materials in one PDF (the letter of reference may be sent separately if necessary) by 5 pm on Sunday, March 17^th electronically to Dean Yolanda Trevino at ytrevino@indiana.edu:

1. Cover letter and résumé
2. One current letter of recommendation from a source who can speak to the required skills
3. Contact information for 2 additional references
4. 300 word essay explaining your vision for increasing the relevance of the GPSO in the wider IU and Bloomington Community during the 2012-2013 academic year.

Applicants will be vetted by the GPSO Staff Search Committee. Candidates will meet with the GPSO Executive Committee and a decision made as quickly as possible.

Questions: If you have any questions regarding the position, contact the GPSO at gpso@indiana.edu

The Indiana University Graduate and Professional Student Organization (GPSO) and University Graduate School (UGS) congratulate our February student of the month, Teresa Hancock-Parmer!

Teresa is a doctoral student in Spanish and Portuguese and she studies Hispanic literature, specifically early modern nuns’ mystical writings.  “I was named after St. Teresa of Avila, who is perhaps the quintessential early modern mystic,” she explains.  “I read some of her writings for my senior undergraduate thesis, so when I came to graduate school I decided to study them, as well as other religious texts from that time period, in greater depth.” Teresa previously studied Spanish at Ball State and spent three years teaching English with the Peace Corps in Kazakhstan.  “My ties to Kazakhstan are still an important part of my identity; I keep in touch with my Kazakh friends, and I participate in Kazakh language and cultural activities here at IU,” she says.  Teresa also runs Grupo de Teatro VIDA, the Spanish-language theatre group in her department, in which she previously also acted.  She reports her accomplishment of which she is most proud is her family.  Her husband, Michael, is a graduate student in Central Eurasian Studies and History, and their daughter, Jansamal (pictured), celebrates her first birthday today.  “Jansamal is Kazakh for ‘soul breeze’,” Teresa explains.  Happy birthday, Jansamal!  In addition to her role as Jansamal’s mother, Teresa helps others’ children in her role of Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) for children who have suffered from abuse or neglect.  She feels that it is important to maintain a balance while in graduate school, “to incorporate one’s academic work into one’s life in a way that makes both the work and everything else enjoyable.”  Teresa devotes at least a few hours per day of focused work on her dissertation so she can enjoy other activities such as spending time with her daughter, hiking with her family in state parks, and playing board games.  When asked to break the GPSO Graduate Student of the Month Cake or Pie tie, she declined to take a position, describing herself as “not a dessert person.”  Teresa does enjoy chocolate, however, so she votes for “whichever one has richer, creamier chocolate.”

UPDATE: Elections have concluded, and the position of Operations Coordinator has been filled for the 2013-2014 year.  Please send an email to gpso (at) indiana (dot) edu if you are interested in discussing remaining elected officer positions.

Nominations are open for most elected officer positions for 2013-2014 until midnight on February 17th.  Nominees will be asked to accept their nomination and provide a position statement.  All elected officers except the President will receive a $500 per semester stipend.

In addition, we are seeking to appoint a new Operations Coordinator for the 2013-2014 academic year.  The President and Operations Coordinator receive a full time student academic appointment (20-hour per week, 50% FTE). Compensation includes full tuition remission for 12 credits per semester and 6 credit hours during summer session, excluding non-remittable fees; subsidized Student Academic Appointee Mandatory Health Insurance and a $12,500 stipend.  The deadline to apply for the Operations Coordinator is February 22nd (The letter of recommendation may be sent separate from the other application materials but must arrive by the deadline).  Both positions also require mandatory compensated summer work.

Elections for the elected officer positions will be held at the March 8th Assembly.  Please consult the linked materials for more details, and email gpso at indiana dot edu with your questions about any position and/or nominations for an elected position.  Any graduate or professional student can nominate themselves or another student for an elected position.