GIPS (Graduates in Political Science) is the representative organization of the graduate students within the Political Science Department. The organization serves to forward the interests of political science graduate students and foster a strong sense of community; both among students and faculty. GIPS is directly involved in faculty search committees, new student recruitment, professionalization and organizing graduate student social events.

Current Officers (Fall 2021 & Spring 2022):

President: Brett Bessen
The president serves as a liaison between the student body and the department; oversees functions of GIPS leadership team; organizes meetings and elections; organizes the GIPS paper prize; reviews office assignments; assists with events and department decisions, such as recruitment weekend, faculty-student events, etc.; works closely with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS).

Vice Presidents: Matt Leszczynski & Sara Hoose 
The Vice President calls and hosts “happy hour” each Friday. Other tasks might include alternative events to happy hour, and general assistance to the GIPS President.

Additional Members:

Comps Grad Student Liaisons: Alex Jensen & Zoe Moss 
The Comps Grad Student Liaison will provide support to 3rd year graduate students, who take their comprehensive exams as the second major milestone in the PhD program. This position will work closely with the Graduate Program Assistant (GPA), the DGS, the GIPS President, and, of course, comping graduate students. The Comps Grad Student Liaison will support the communication of  information regarding comprehensive examination and will serve as a peer-advocate for comping graduate students.

Racial Justice and Policy Liaison: Rachel O'Neal 
Keeps racial justice at the forefront of department discussions by engaging proactively whenever and wherever necessary to voice Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC) graduate student concerns. Serves as the primary contact person between the department and GIPS on issues related to racial justice and as the GIPS official who graduate students can turn to when they face or observe microaggressions, racism, or other forms of discrimination within the department.

New Student Liaison: Kathy Schauer
The New Student Liaison helps with recruitment weekend each February for prospective incoming graduate students who have been accepted, and follows up/supports potential and incoming graduate students. This position will work closely with the GPA.

Graduate Committee Representative: Madeline Mader
Works alongside the Graduate Committee to give student input into decisions regarding curricula, hiring, advising, and other related issues.

International Student Representative: Alberto Burgos-Rivera​
Works with incoming and current international students to ensure their interests are met.

Undergraduate Committee Representative: Tyler Garrett​
Works alongside the Undergraduate Committee to give assistance on decisions regarding undergraduate programs, honors theses, and other related items.

UGGS Representative: Madeline Mader​
The UGGS Representative attends UGGS meetings, forwards UGGS emails and represents students' interest in the college-wide graduate organization.

MOPS (Mentors in Political Science) is an organization designed to help develop personal and professional relationships among graduate students in political science. MOPS serves as a support system by which graduate students can share experiences, expertise, and guidance.The primary purpose of MOPS is to provide each new incoming graduate student an advanced graduate student in their major subfield to help transition to the political science program, CU/Boulder, and graduate student life.

 

While the mentor-mentee component is the primary function of MOPS, we offer a host of clinics and professionalization activities over the course of the fall and spring semesters tailored specifically for graduate students. Below are workshops hosted by MOPS this year and in previous years:
  • Maintaining health and wellness in graduate school; included CAPS presentation and discussion of other resources available to CU students
  • Creating a CV and website for the job market with Dr. Andrew Q. Philips
  • How to make the most of academic conferences with Dr. Srinivas "Chinnu " Parinandi
  • Learning to be a productive writer with Dr. Michaele Ferguson

MOPS Coordinators: Damon Roberts & Sarah Brown

WIPS (Women in Political Science) is an informal association committed to helping students and faculty who are women or minorities succeed in the discipline. The key goals of this group are to promote and publicize research by women in political science, address obstacles that women and minorities face in pursuing careers in the discipline, and enhance networking between female faculty, graduate students, and undergraduate students. In order to achieve these goals, WIPS will offer a number of events each semester, including: speaker series featuring research presentations by prominent female scholars, brownbag series highlighting recent research on gendered career issues, and informal social gatherings between women at different levels in the department. The WIPS group represents the political science department’s commitment to addressing issues related to gender diversity.