2008 Woodie Awards
GSS: Better than USG, but has its problems
By: Greg Chick
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Forum
A lot of my friends ask me, with all the criticisms I've levied at Undergraduate Student Government, why I've never spoken about its graduate-level equivalent, Graduate Student Senate.
The truth is, GSS just doesn't affect the number of students that USG does or have a large presence, so I've never felt it was worth it. But for those unfamiliar, let me share with you some of the strengths and weaknesses of GSS.
Much like USG, GSS is intended to "act as the elected representative body of the BGSU graduate student community." That's simple enough - USG represents undergraduate student concerns and GSS represents graduate student concerns.
Like USG, GSS has its own repertoire of somewhat basic executive positions. This includes the president, treasurer, secretary and parliamentarian.
This efficient leadership system is in contrast to USG, whose officer list, found on their Web site, is a laundry list of impractical, resume bullet points, including two campus communication officers; a city, state and national liaison; an organization liaison; a director of campus initiatives; a student welfare officer; a special events officer; and a community service officer.
Why these positions are necessary when the organization has several committees and general senators that fulfill these obligations is beyond me. You don't see the U.S. Senate having a money officer or Indian liaison; rather, there are committees (Committee on Finance and Committee on Indian Affairs, FYI) that fulfill these duties.
What really sets GSS apart is its level of inclusion. USG has representatives from every residence hall on campus in addition to all its executive board positions.
GSS, on the other hand, has representation from every academic graduate department as well as any graduate student organization.
While this is a fundamental difference that serves each organization's needs, GSS's structure is much more encompassing.
By having academic departments and student organizations represented, GSS has representatives from just about every major component of a graduate student's life. This is much more representative of the constituency it serves.
The truth is, GSS just doesn't affect the number of students that USG does or have a large presence, so I've never felt it was worth it. But for those unfamiliar, let me share with you some of the strengths and weaknesses of GSS.
Much like USG, GSS is intended to "act as the elected representative body of the BGSU graduate student community." That's simple enough - USG represents undergraduate student concerns and GSS represents graduate student concerns.
Like USG, GSS has its own repertoire of somewhat basic executive positions. This includes the president, treasurer, secretary and parliamentarian.
This efficient leadership system is in contrast to USG, whose officer list, found on their Web site, is a laundry list of impractical, resume bullet points, including two campus communication officers; a city, state and national liaison; an organization liaison; a director of campus initiatives; a student welfare officer; a special events officer; and a community service officer.
Why these positions are necessary when the organization has several committees and general senators that fulfill these obligations is beyond me. You don't see the U.S. Senate having a money officer or Indian liaison; rather, there are committees (Committee on Finance and Committee on Indian Affairs, FYI) that fulfill these duties.
What really sets GSS apart is its level of inclusion. USG has representatives from every residence hall on campus in addition to all its executive board positions.
GSS, on the other hand, has representation from every academic graduate department as well as any graduate student organization.
While this is a fundamental difference that serves each organization's needs, GSS's structure is much more encompassing.
By having academic departments and student organizations represented, GSS has representatives from just about every major component of a graduate student's life. This is much more representative of the constituency it serves.
Viewing Comments 1 - 2 of 2
Dan Carr
posted 4/21/08 @ 6:07 PM EST
Having just read this article, I applaud your ability to offer insight into the inner workings of GSS despite not being a graduate student. Most of your commentary is very accurate. (Continued…)
Jane
posted 4/23/08 @ 11:06 AM EST
Dan, careful you don't misunderstand Greg's column. First of all, he is in fact a graduate student not an undergraduate student. Second, when he talks about the "resume padders" he is actually talking about members of the Undergraduate Student Government, not Graduate Student Senate. (Continued…)
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