Graduate Student Service Positions: Academic Year 2023-2024

  • Strategic Action for Equity Committee (SAEC-previously known as Diversity):
    Brigid Mark and Grace Nakajima
  • Faculty Meeting Liaisons: 2 Reps
    Luke Novak and Valentina Serrano Salomon
  • Faculty Mentor Award Committee: 2 Reps
    Ashley Blinkhorn and Zoe Lefkowitz
  • Graduate Committee: 2 Reps
    Matthew Bravo and Luke Novak
  • Graduate Student Organizers for Sociology Speaker Series: 2 Reps
    Austin Fitzgerald and Robert Scott
  • Open House Committee: 4 Reps
    Katherine Craig, Sophia Harris, and Jay Grega
  • Social Committee Reps: 2 Reps
    Blade Wagner and Grace Nakajima
  • Undergrad Committee: 2 Reps
    Katie Mercer
  • Hiring Committee: 1 Rep
    Ian Whalen
  • Graduate Teacher Program Lead: 1 Rep
    Katie Mercer

A Brief Description of Responsibilities

SAEC (Strategic Action for Equity Committee) Representative (2 positions) – Work to address issues of diversity within the department. The SAEC meets on a monthly basis for approximately one hour. Student representatives provide input on a variety of measures proposed by faculty committee members and report to other students on the committee's work. Such efforts include the recruitment and retention of students of diverse backgrounds and working in cooperation with other departmental committees to foster diversity in all departmental endeavors.

Faculty Meeting Liaison (2 positions) – Attend Faculty meetings. Act as a liaison between graduate students and faculty members to address departmental issues.

Faculty Mentor Award Committee (2 positions) – Collect nominations for the faculty mentor award and determine the recipient based on an established scoring system.

Graduate Committee Representative (2 positions) – Attend Graduate Committee meetings. Act as a liaison between graduate students and the graduate committee to address departmental issues

Graduate Student Organizers for Sociology Speaker Series (2 positions) – Work with faculty organizer(s) to plan and welcome internal and external speakers. Fall semester has had two internal speakers, spring semester has had external speakers flying in from elsewhere. This year, there might be some remote/virtual speaker arrangements.

Graduate Teacher Program Lead (1 position) – Serve as a liaison between the GTP and the home department, meeting with lead coordinators, negotiating and writing a plan that is acceptable to the GTP and to the department, presenting opportunities available in the Graduate Teacher Program to graduate students and faculty, consulting with TAs during office hours and in videotape consultations, developing and presenting at least one discipline-specific workshop, working on a cross-disciplinary team, and turning in a final report. Leads also do a teaching assistant support activity of their choice within the home department and may participate in new student orientation. Self-nominations in January or February to Graduate Committee.

Open House Committee (3-4 positions) – Take the lead in assisting the graduate chair and Graduate Committee with coordinating the annual open house for admitted students. The open house generally occurs in early March, and this service assignment is one that is concentrated in the January-March time period. 

Social Committee (2 position) – Organizes social functions to promote camaraderie and communication between graduate students and faculty.  

Undergraduate Committee Representative (1 position) – Work with the faculty on the Undergraduate Committee to address undergraduate student issues and curriculum development. 

Hiring Committee Representative (1 position) – As the grad student representative on the hiring committee, review materials and meet with prospective faculty during interviews/job talks.