A letter from assembly president of GPSA

I get a lot of questions about the GPSA Assembly and what we do. I like to compare us to the US Congress. But like Congress, the GPSA Assembly is the legislative branch of our Graduate Student Government. We are made up of representatives from various colleges, elected every spring, to serve as conduits between fellow students in their college, GPSA and ASU at large on a variety of issues. We hold monthly meetings where we vote on measures to improve GPSA operations. We develop new ways for GPSA to serve students. We hold the power of GPSA’s purse and approve how our budget is spent. We serve on committees that promote the wellness, success and liveliness of ASU’s graduate student community. Lastly, we support other parts of GPSA by helping with events, funding programs and advocacy efforts.

However, we are also graduate students who teach, conduct research, work, take classes and deal with the ups and downs of graduate school. We enjoy our work for GPSA (most days) and are grateful we get to give back to our community. In return, we get to meet students from across the university, work on meaningful programs and have fun. Don’t take it from me though. The voices of our members give the best snapshot of what we do:

“The most rewarding part of serving in Assembly is simply being able to have a voice and take action on issues that impact graduate students daily lives. Seeing that some of our work is immediately effective has given me a real sense of empowerment and reminded me that organizations such as this are integral to a healthy and functioning university.” – Brittany McCall, Assembly Member, School for the Future of Innovation in Society

 “What I enjoy about being an Assembly Member is ability to meet different graduate students from different programs at GPSA events. I enjoy the different interdisciplinary conversations and interaction that we have at events and our meetings. I’ve learned about the more universal challenges facing graduate students at ASU.” – Zee Wilson, Assembly Member, Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts

“As a graduate student it is easy to feel isolated and separate from others, but GPSA has helped me feel less like I’m on a lone island and more a part of a larger community. Serving in the assembly has highlighted the over 100 student organizations on campus. It’s encouraging to see so much diversity of ideas, values, and commitment to student excellence on all of our campuses.” – Nicole Mayberry, Assembly President Pro Tempore

At the end of the day, we are here to help our community. Reach out to the Assembly Member from your college. We’re here to serve. Also, don’t forget to vote in the upcoming GPSA Elections on March 26 and 27.

- Nicholas Weller, Assembly President