Your departmental representatives have nominated the following candidates for the executive board positions. Now its your turn! Please let your departmental representatives know who has your vote!
President
Julia Bradley-Cook
“As President I will: (1) advocate for longstanding initiates such as graduate student space and dental insurance, (2) strategically align with the transitional Dartmouth Administration, and (3) harness the energies of our community through a specific, action-oriented task force that will target a student life issue.
The coming year will be a transitional period for the Dean of Graduate Studies and the College President.
Dartmouth is the sole Ivy League without dental insurance for graduate students, and I believe we can leverage the enthusiasm of the incoming administrators to revisit dental options and prioritize grad student space in long-term campus planning.
To me, Graduate Student Council is about community and collective action. In the Fall of 2012 I will organize a task force to identify, investigate and address a unifying concern in the graduate student community (e.g. diversity, sustainability, etc).
To this position I will bring two years of experience in the student government, enthusiasm for Arts & Science graduate program, and motivation to harness the energies of our community.”
Jeremy Fitzpatrick
“I am a forth year graduate student and have been active in the Graduate Student Council since my arrival here at Dartmouth. I served as a representative of the Chemistry department for 2 and half years, during which time I participated in several committees and volunteered to help with many events. I have served as Activities Co-Chair for this past year giving me experience in event planning, working with others and a working understanding of the Executive Board.
Because of my extensive experience with the GSC over the past several years I believe that I would be the best candidate to represent the face of the GSC. I also believe that I have the experience necessary to take on the other duties of the Office of the President, including the administration of monthly meetings and promoting Dartmouth Graduate Studentsʼ objectives to the administration.”
Vice President
Justin Richardson
“As an interdisciplinary scientist, I, Justin Richardson, know how to bridge gaps between departments and connect with students outside of my area of research to work on a professional and personal level. I have worked with various committees and clubs associated with the GSC as a council member and I hope to continue this work on the executive board. The departure of the College President has raised many questions but, it has also given us many opportunities. As Vice-President, my goals are to foster an interdisciplinary atmosphere through academic events, work with the administration to better address the needs of graduate students specifically transportation to the campus and promote sustainable practices through collaboration with the office of sustainability with the interim administration. Discussing our research with graduate students from other departments provides us with a unique feedback opportunity in which we can reflect on our work from a very different perspective. Because of the size of Dartmouth College’s graduate student body, this can be done on a personal, interactive level. As Vice-President of the graduate student council, I will work towards the goal of making Dartmouth College an ideal place, not just for undergraduates, but for graduate students as well.”
James Peck
“I think I would make a good Vice President because, as a third year graduate student, I believe I have a solid understanding of issues that are important to graduate students. I will seek to promote the interests of the graduate student body and GSC as I deal with the Dartmouth administration. I will also seek to assist the President and GSC exec board in presiding over the GSC. I believe that serving in this position is a good way to enact changes that we feel are important, like getting more money to attend conferences, presenting our research to the community inside and outside of Dartmouth, and promoting a positive atmosphere, both academic and social alike.”
Finance Chair
Adrienne Perkins
“As a detailed-oriented person, I feel this is an excellent attribute for a position on the Executive Board, and combined with my team-spirit work ethic, I know I can faithfully fulfill the required duties. But more importantly I have so enjoyed the camaraderie shared on the Board of Directors during this administration.
Not only are our meetings engaging but also working on specific projects has rekindled and fostered many friendships. This is why I look forward to serving during the upcoming 2012-2013 term, for I know our friendships will grow as our Board continues its endeavors in promoting our graduate community. I hope you will give me the opportunity to be a part of this.”
Lisa Jackson
“I am excited to run for Finance Chair! I have greatly enjoyed serving this past year as Representative of my program, The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI). I feel the activities and events that the GSC hosts are important to bringing graduates from all departments together to learn from one another and have fun while here at Dartmouth.
I feel I am qualified for this position due to my professional experience in finance. For over five years I managed and supervised aquatic facilities at YMCAs across the country, wherein I was responsible for successfully creating and balancing a multi-thousand dollar fiscal budget for my department. Additionally, I recently took a healthcare financial management course at TDI. Through that class I was able to better hone my financial knowledge by becoming even more familiar with finance terms and strategies.
I feel I am strongly prepared to be successful as Finance Chair and would very much appreciate your support! I look forward to continuing to serve the graduate community, and to continue to spread the word about GSC events to my fellow TDIers next school year. Thank you!”
Social (x2)
Gilbert Rahme (Nominated)
Secretary
Adrienne Perkins
“As a detailed-oriented person, I feel this is an excellent attribute for a position on the Executive Board,
and combined with my team-spirit work ethic, I know I can faithfully fulfill the required duties. But more
importantly I have so enjoyed the camaraderie shared on the Board of Directors during this administration. Not only are our meetings engaging but also working on specific projects has rekindled and fostered many friendships. This is why I look forward to serving during the upcoming 2012-2013 term, for I know our friendships will grow as our Board continues its endeavors in promoting our graduate community. I hope you will give me the opportunity to be a part of this.”
Student Life
Yash R. Patankar
“As an undergraduate, I served as a resident assistant for two years. In this capacity, I learned, understood and experienced some of the challenges faced by students, including myself, and helped address them. Now, as a graduate student, I am even more aware of such challenges in addition to the other challenges faced by graduate students. For instance, I believe finding the work-life balance is even more important as a graduate student.
If elected as the Student Life Chair, I will follow through with the existing initiatives. As a first step, I aim to extend the Advanced Transit schedule since the current schedule imposes constraints to graduate students’ productivity in the week during the evenings and weekends as well as their housing options. I have alternative suggestions that I would like to bring forward to possibly extend the Advanced Transit service. The other issues I intend to work on are of vision/dental insurance, housing costs, graduate student space and carpooling within the Upper Valley. Due to my past experience as an RA and my enthusiasm towards this post, I believe I can act as a valuable resource, successfully fulfill my responsibilities and aid in improving the graduate experience at Dartmouth.”
Ron Bucca
“I recognize that Dartmouth’s Graduate student population is a diverse group with many different needs. Our students have a wide range of responsibilities and priorities, both academic and extracurricular. That many of our students commute increases the difficulty of creating a close knit community among the graduate population. The Student Life chair, then, is assigned the difficult task of dealing with a variety of demands that one might not expect from a normal student population. If elected as the Student Life Chair, I will be proactive in the student community. Through thoughtful interaction, outreach, and surveying, I will learn and understand the needs and issues of all graduate students.
There is already great foundation of Student Life at Dartmouth. The Carpool and Rideshare Program and the Relief Fund are both great ideas that should be developed further. If elected, I will advocate strongly for students with families, and try to tighten our Graduate community by sponsoring inclusive activities, making it easier for students to bridge their social and academic life. I will bring ten years of military and corporate leadership experience to the Student Life position. I would relish the opportunity to advocate for the health, happiness, and wellbeing of my fellow students in an official position. Thank you for your consideration.”
Academic Chair
Gilbert Rahme
“I, Gilbert Rahme, am a graduate student representative for the genetics department. I have had the privilege to be nominated for several positions in the graduate student council executive board for next year including secretary, activities co-chair, finance chair, and academic chair positions. I believe that the skills that I have built up from my previous professional experiences and from my experiences in Dartmouth make me a competent candidate for the aforementioned positions. My position of choice is academic chair, however, I will leave that for the representatives to decide what this campaign makes me most competent for. Since I joined Dartmouth, I have been involved in several extracurricular activities including but not limited to the Graduate Outing Club, Dartmouth student committee for strategic planning, GSC travel grant committee, IGMP, and I have been involved in writing the gazetteer for this academic year. I believe that my experiences allow me to be competent in any of the nominated positions. However my plans as potential academic chair include making Nerd Nite a weekly event with one speaker reporting, host a session to encourage students to apply to the GSC travel award,
boost grant training fellowship and CV writing workshops, help the TED talk project (Rich Lopez) initiate and become a success, and establish a fellowship orientation session for international students.
I sincerely hope that you will vote for me for the position you think I am most worthy of, and I look forward to serving the graduate student society as part of the GSC.”
Richard Lopez
“As Academic Chair of the GSC Executive Board, I will commit myself to a broad but comprehensive vision: bridging the academic and intellectual life of graduate students with the greater Dartmouth community and beyond. To this end, I will strive to increase awareness about the exciting lines of research that Dartmouth graduate students are currently conducting, making sure this awareness reaches more parts of campus and even surrounding towns and communities. It is my sincere hope—and probably one that I share with many others—that the perception that only professors conduct cutting edge research is mistaken and needs to change!
Thankfully, due to the fantastic work and enthusiasm of former Academic Chair Julia Bradley-Cook, the monthly Nerd Nites are beginning to open avenues in which graduate students can communicate their research to a wider audience. At the end of this academic year, the inaugural “GradTalks” event will be held. If elected as Academic Chair, I will continue to coordinate and support Nerd Nite and GradTalks, both of which are fantastic opportunities for graduate students’ research can make an ever widening and influential impact outside the hallowed halls of academia.”
