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Last Updated:
February 23, 2009
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The GSG is holding
general elections for its seven officer positions: Chair, Parliamentary
Secretary, Corresponding Secretary, Recording Secretary, Press
Secretary, Treasurer, and Social Chair.
Information about the duties of these offices can be found here. Keep in mind that, while officers are expected to bring new ideas to the GSG, they are elected to serve the GSG Assembly, not to pursue a personal agenda.
Each
of the candidates has submitted a statement describing why they should
get your vote. Please read them carefully and e-mail the candidates if
you have any questions. You can click on a candidate's name to jump to
their statement.
In addition to their official candidate statement, candidates have had the opportunity to submit a follow-up statement to add to their original statement and respond to the other candidates. The follow-up statements for each office are posted after the candidate statements for that office.
Candidates
- Chair
- Parliamentary Secretary
- Corresponding Secretary
Press Secretary
Recording Secretary
Treasurer
Social Chair
Note: The office of Parliamentary Secretary will be filled by the GSG Assembly at the March 2009 GSG Assembly meeting. However, we (the 2009 Election Committee) will not be involved in that process. If you are interested in becoming Parliamentary Secretary, please look for information from the GSG in late February. You can also contact the GSG at gsg@princeton.edu or visit gsg.princeton.edu.
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Hello! I am a second year student in the Economics department, and am seeking your support in the upcoming election for Chair of the GSG. During my time at Princeton, I have been active both within the GSG and in the broader community. Soon after arriving at Princeton I was elected as the Economics Department representative to the GSG, and for the past year, have served as a Co-Chair of the Internal Review Committee (which was created to examine ways to better run the GSG and implement best practices within the organization). I am a member of the CPUC and serve on the Priorities Committee, which makes recommendations to the President regarding the University's operating budget.
Outside the GSG, I am currently a social rep in the Graduate Economics Club and a member of the Campus Club Advisory Board. Since March, I have served as Secretary of the GC House Committee, and in that capacity was responsible for putting together the 2008 Graduate Student's Guide to the Universe. I believe my involvement in these various organizations has given me a broad perspective of the University and the challenges that we will face as graduate students in the next few years.
There are several issues I would like to tackle as Chair. First, the University is reevaluating its approach to determining stipends, including a proposal to differentiate stipends amongst students within the same program. I believe the GSG must vigorously petition the University to maintain its current policy of providing a uniform package (within each department), and to continue to strongly increase stipends across the board.
Second, mental health continues to be an area of concern amongst graduate students. As a member of the Priorities Committee, I successfully advocated for $193,000 to fund additional counseling and psychiatric staff at UHS. An ongoing challenge for the GSG is to increase awareness amongst graduate students about the mental health services available at McCosh and to organize campaigns to reduce the stigma surrounding mental health.
Third, graduate students continue to get a bad rap on campus, and this is in part due to our poor relationship with the undergraduate community. I would like to see the GSG engage more regularly with the USG, the Daily Princetonian, and the various undergraduate clubs, and to take a more active role in shaping the new Campus Club.
Beyond these longer term goals, there are several small scale things the GSG can do to improve the lot of graduate students more immediately. These include organizing community service activities, putting together a dedicated orientation package for income students, and soliciting funds and sponsorship opportunities amongst local firms for graduate student organizations, to assist in funding their events.
Finally, my involvement with the IRC has generated several ideas about how to more fruitfully run the GSG (internally).
I look forward to serving as Chair of the GSG in 2009. Thank you for your support.
Giri
Giri Parameswaran did not submit a follow-up statement.
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No candidates.
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Candidate Statement for Aurelien Fraisse
(Corresponding Secretary)
This is my fourth year as a Ph.D. student in the department of Astrophysical Sciences. I am running for Corresponding Secretary because I believe my communication skills and experience will be an asset to the advocacy efforts of the GSG. As a graduate representative to the Council of the Princeton University Community (CPUC), and as an occasional proxy for the astrophysics representative to the GSG Assembly, I have been directly faced with the communication challenges between the GSG, the University decision-makers, and the graduate student body. I believe that developing more efficient communication channels between these three entities is a pre-requisite to improving our influence on University policies and decisions that directly impact graduate students. If elected, I will work hard with the other GSG officers to make sure that communicating with the people we represent (without spamming them!) is always a top priority. This will not only make our advocacy efforts more legitimate, but also give the GSG a stronger voice in its interaction with the University administration. The outgoing GSG officers have been doing a tremendous job on this front, and their efforts have already paid off in many ways (more efficient shuttle service, increased stipends for the coming academic year, etc.). I look forward to helping build on their legacy by serving as Corresponding Secretary, and I thank you for your support in this election.
Candidate Statement for Sarah Milov Candidacy withdrawn Feb 19.
(Corresponding Secretary)
Hello, I am Sarah Milov and I'm running to be your Corresponding Secretary. I'm a second year student in the History Department studying American history. The Corresponding Secretary, whose responsibilities include updating the GSG website, creating the monthly e-bulletin, responding to emails sent to gsg@princeton.edu, and sending out relevant emails to all of you (only when absolutely necessary!), is a position for which I am very well-suited.
I have a number of ideas about how this position can be improved. First: When it comes to the GSG, many grad students wonder: "what do they even do?" or "we have a student government?" As the web presence of the GSG, I will use all the tools at my disposal to keep you informed. This means using technologies like blogs and Twitter to update you on various GSG and university policies, advocacy work, and social functions that the GSG is planning or funding. Because nobody likes to have their inbox clogged with long and boring emails (hello, Lisa Schreyer!), a GSG blog or Twitter will be a useful and non-invasive supplement to GSG emails. You only have to visit the GSG blog when you want to. Second: the GSG website could use some cleaning up. Last year the GSG switched URLs and it is still quite confusing which site is current and which is the old imposter. As Corresponding Secretary I would take the time to work with OIT to streamline the GSG website experience.
My past experiences convince me that I am prepared to be your Corresponding Secretary. First: I am on the computer a lot. I will transform my dedication to compulsive email, blog, and website checking into compulsive GSG-email, GSG-blog, and GSG-website checking. Second: as an undergraduate at Harvard I served as The Harvard Crimson's staff director, an administrative position in which I was responsible for updating email lists and communicating upcoming events to the staff. The substantial overlap between my duties then and the duties of the Corresponding Secretary have prepared me well for this position. If elected, I will work hard to make sure your web-interactions with the GSG give you the information you need in a straightforward, readable manner. I appreciate your support.
Follow-Up Statement for Aurelien Fraisse
(Corresponding Secretary)
GSG blogs are a great way to generate input for and follow-up on the GSG Assembly discussions and decisions. They would help GSG officers stay on top of graduate students' feelings on all kinds of issues, including the most pressing ones. The good news is: this is already in the works! The new GSG website was designed to accommodate these forums, and I will make sure that blog-like features are activated as soon as possible after my election. The current GSG officers have been working hard to transfer the contents of the old GSG website to the new one, making many valuable updates and adding even more information along the way. As Corresponding Secretary, I will focus my energy on this effort, with the goal of completing the transition from the old website to the new one before the incoming graduate class arrives on campus. I believe my knowledge of the GSG's organization and on-going projects will allow me to get off to a quick start, helping the new Executive committee to coordinate our advocacy efforts while effectively managing the relationships between the GSG and the administration and between the GSG and the graduate student body. I ask for your vote and thank you in advance for your consideration and support.
Sarah Milov did not submit a follow-up statement.
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Candidate Statement for Sally Ling
(Press Secretary)
Hi everyone, my name is Sally Ling and I am a third year graduate student in Operations Research and Financial Engineering. I would like to express my interest in running for the office of Press Secretary of the GSG here and tell you more about me before you cast your vote for the right candidate.
I am the current president of GWISE, Graduate Women in Science and Engineering. I have organized various activities including social events, professional development workshops, lab tours with the Society of Women Engineers and a joint New York City Girls Engineering Colloquium with NYU coming up later this semester. Leadership and organization are crucial for my role in GWISE, but I have also developed a passion for marketing and promoting each event I am involved in.
I am proficient in designing posters and other promotional materials. I am also involved in a photo shoot for the new recruitment and marketing pieces for the engineering school - a general brochure as well as a diversity brochure for the Graduate School of Engineering at Princeton.
On the personal side, I am happy to share with you my interests outside of work. I love Argentine tango, oil painting and playing the piano. I have actively participated in graduate student events in the past few years such as the Princeton Tango Fest, GSG Photo Contest, HKSA/CSA activities, and numerous alumni mixers, to name a few.
It would be my greatest honor to serve the GSG and the broader graduate community as a Press Secretary, maintain contact with campus and local media, and keep all of us informed of the latest developments and achievements in the graduate school. I am confident that I can bring energy and a fresh viewpoint to GSG. Thank you all in advance for your support and feel free to contact me if you have any question.
Candidate Statement for Anne Twitty
(Press Secretary)
It is with both enthusiasm and a sense of reposnsibility that I seek re-election as GSG Press Secretary.
Ove the past year, as GSG Press Secretary, I've spoken with the Daily Princetonian about a wide range of issues, including graduate student stipends and social life. I've created the GSG's first official stationary and helped draft a variety of emails to publicize the efforts of the GSG's dedicated standing committee chairs. And I've attended countless meetings on everything from housing policy to the opening of the new Campus Club in order to educate myself about the issues facing the university community and ensure that I can speak thoughtfully and forcefully on behalf of Princeton graduate students.
As a member of the GSG Executive Committee, I've been an active participant in weekly meetings during which the Executive Committee sets priorities and develops the organization's agenda. I've drafted the GSG's official policy statement on the 10 Year Campus Plan as it relates to graduate housing during our summer letter writing campaign. I've worked with members of the GSG Facilities Committee and relevant university personnel to ensure that recent shuttle changes benefitted graduate students. And I've supported the recommendations of the GSG's Institutional Review Committee, which has worked to shape the GSG into a more effective and democratic body with a greater emphasis on advocacy efforts.
In the coming year, I will continue to work hard to represent graduate student interests to the best of my abilities. I hope to devise a message calendar that will allow the GSG to focus attention on a different issue affecting graduate students each month. With extensive experience in public speaking and written communication, and a history of service to a variety of organizations on campus, including Princeton Pro-Choice Vox and the Graduate History Association, I believe I am the best candidate for GSG Press Secretary. I appreciate your support.
Sally Ling did not submit a follow-up statement.
Follow-Up Statement for Anne Twitty
(Press Secretary)
The GSG Press Secretary must serve as a voice for the graduate student community and must be willing and capable of expressing what should be said. In the past year, I've spoken out on the University's need to construct additional graduate student housing, I've urged the administration to ensure that graduate student stipends at Princeton remain competitive, and I've advocated for constitutional reforms that would democratize the GSG. I believe I possess the necessary experience and the personal backbone to best represent your views.
I considered it a privilege to be elected GSG Press Secretary in 2008. I ask for your continued support.
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Candidate Statement for Marina Paul
(Recording Secretary)
I am running for the position of Recording Secretary in the 2009 election. I have held the position for the past two years, and have enjoyed working with my colleagues on a range of efforts, from improving the housing situation for graduate students, to helping out at GSG-sponsored social events. I look forward to advocating for the student body during the upcoming year.
Sincerely,
Marina Paul
Marina Paul did not submit a follow-up statement.
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Hello All,
I am Raghuveer or for some people RAGHU. If you ever remember having the best spaghetti sauce (RAGU) then you can never forget my name.
Well, coming to the point, I am a third year graduate student, accepting the nomination for the post of TREASURER of GSG during my fourth year. I have run for this post last year and am running again for it. So, this has been on my list since long. I have served as the GSG representative for the Civil and Environmental Engineering department for the year 2007-08 and am a current member of the GSG Events Board (which is chaired by the GSG Treasurer). I have worked along with previous two treasurers (Emmanouil Koukoumidis & Alex Ntelekos '08), who have done a tremendous job in putting the accounts well maintained and intact. So, if you look at the near history, for around 4-5 years, engineers have taken the responsibility of the treasurer and have proven to be the best to handle the position. Apart from my experience with the GSG, I also currently serve as the Graduate Engineering Council representative and a treasurer of PERMIAS (an Indonesian student organization on campus). With that being said, I as an engineer want to keep up tradition and look forward to work for the GSG (as a treasurer) in the executive committee.
Raghuveer K Vinukollu
Raghuveer K Vinukollu did not submit a follow-up statement.
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Since arriving in this small town to pursue my PhD in molecular
biology, I've adopted the maxim that you gotta be able to make your
own fun. I started out organizing movie nights and trips with my
class, and eventually became involved in organizing department-wide
events. Last year I served on the GSG Events Board, responsible for
allocating funds to graduate student events. Over the past two years
I've been heavily involved in organizing the annual Wine and Cheese
Socials and the Valentines Day/Winter Ball Dances. I'm also serving on
the combined Graduate/Undergraduate committee overseeing the opening
and operation of the upcoming Campus Club, a common social space
resurrected from a closed eating club which will hopefully finish
construction and refitting this year.
The more events I become involved with, the more I believe in our
student body's ability to make its own fun. We have the resources to
make Princeton something greater than just the place we come to earn
our next degree. I would like to see continuing improvement in
attendance, and broader appeal of our current traditional events. I
also want to see an continuing increase in the number of smaller-scale
events, which could be held more frequently to encourage regular
participation in the graduate social life. As Social Chair, I would
take it upon myself to not only organize scheduled events but to
create and adopt whole new activity and event ideas into the regular
course of GSG business.
Jasdave "Raja" Chahal did not submit a follow-up statement.
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