Graduate Students of Mason Unite

By Broadside Correspondent Miguel Perez

The Graduate and Professional Student Association will be implemented after a year of constitutional workshops and planning. Graduate and professional students, who total approximately 10,000 and make up at least a third of George Mason University’s student population, will soon have a platform, where they can voice their opinions and concerns.

“The university had a commitment to making sure that all students had a voice in the university,” said Jude C. Butch, assistant director of Student Governance. “For instance, I always hear from them that they would like healthcare.”

The project will allow graduate and professional students in all branches of Mason’s system to participate, providing levels of local and system-wide representation. At the center of the planning is Butch, who has spent the last year working with Mason graduate students to create GAPSA. “We went to each campus, Prince William, Fairfax, and Arlington, all throughout the course of last year,” Butch said.

When Butch came to Mason, he had to establish a student organization for graduate and professional students. For example, students would attend the Mason Law School in Arlington or the School of Public Policy, or study Bio defense in Prince William County. He set out to create GAPSA by getting students actively involved in the decision-making process.

“We held constitutional workshops throughout last year,” Butch said. “The graduate and professional students really drove the process. This was a result of what they really wanted.”

The result was a comprehensive, system-wide student association that would unite graduate and professional students from all campuses. GAPSA will include representatives from every campus and a central organization to be elected by various groups of electorates. It will also include a liaison to the Student Government.

“The association’s main function is to be inclusive to all graduate students,” Butch said.

So far, the response has been warm and receptive, according to Butch. Many graduate and professional students have already raised their voices.

“They have a variety of concerns. Some graduate students want more services specific to graduate students or space for them,” Butch said.

“There’s not one student involved yet. Structure and functions are set. [Most of the details] will be decided once students join and participate,” Butch said. “We need dedicated graduate and professional student leaders to make the organization grow and stride. Last year was dedicated to coming with the purpose and this year will be dedicated to making the transition from hypothetical to getting people excited about the opportunity to become involved.”

Students interested in GAPSA are invited to the Fairfax campus informational meetings Sept. 16 and 22 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the JC Cinema and JC, room B, respectively. GAPSA can be contacted at gaspa@gmu.edu.