A graduate degree from UNC means more today than it ever has before, but we must not ever let a high ranking in any category or within any department or program allow us to be lulled into complacency.
Being the leading public university in any national ranking is not enough until the students at this university are provided the very best opportunities to learn, to interact, and to experience all that Carolina can offer them. I am pleased to support the efforts of Professor Ron Strauss in strengthening communication and interaction between graduate and professional students across campus in the academic setting.
This institution must set a positive precedent and challenge all other universities to follow our lead in the categories of TA compensation, research and publishing opportunities, cooperation and collegiality between graduate students and faculty mentors, and support for the diverse population of graduate and professional students that make up this campus.
We have witnessed a surge of involvement in graduate student government this year. I believe we have the strongest executive committee and cabinet that the GPSF has seen in recent years, and graduate representation in Student Congress is more viable than ever. Also, participation in the GPSF Senate is more prominent and effective this year thanks to Internal Vice President Dan Herman. In addition, graduate students fill the seats of every university-wide committee on campus thanks to the amazing efforts of External Vice President Stephanie Schmitt. The GPSF has been effectively advocating for students on a whole host of issues. I will not spend this time to summarize all we have done. That information is available in our October Report which can be accessed on our web site. (www.unc.edu/gpsf)
However, I will point out a few areas where I think we have made the most improvement.
The issue of childcare was a constant headline last year in the local media. The GPSF is lucky to have two of the most competent advocates for student parents among its ranks. Myra Struckmeyer and Carol Lewald are vigorously working to improve the support we provide students with childcare needs by providing social opportunities for these students. We have worked to make sure the passage of the student referendum on childcare subsidies last February became a reality, and that the money this student fee raised is going to the appropriate places. In addition, we have worked with the Chancellor's Advisory Committee on Childcare to see the implementation of a campus-wide survey on childcare needs. This survey will be the first step in assessing the full depth of this problem at UNC. We hope the administration will support future efforts to institutionalize future gathering of this data, and we will lend our support to any effort to do so.
The Teaching Assistant Task Force, chaired by associate provost Steve Allred, is another item that we are very pleased with. Compensation of teaching assistants for the vital services they perform at UNC is of utmost importance. It affects our competitiveness as an institution. It defines the quality of our graduate education programs and says something about how invested Carolina is in the education of its undergraduate students. I look forward to the findings of that committee and the discussion that will ensue over the course of the next few months. It is critical that we find the means to pay our teaching assistants more, and a tuition increase is not the only way.
One program that I am extremely proud of, but which still has a long way to go, is the Future Faculty Program. There does not exist at UNC, a consistent and comprehensive program to train teaching assistants to prepare them to become better teachers. The Future Faculty Program, initiated last summer by the Center for Teaching and Learning, and supported by a grant from the Provost's Office, is the beginning of such a program. The positive evaluations received at the end of the weeklong session are proof-positive that TA's want to be the best they can. It is critical that we spend the next 6 months and beyond searching for a permanent source of funding for this program. We are not sure yet where that will come from, but it is our hope that Provost Shelton and the administration will assist us in securing the future of this program and its success.
Finally, I want to thank the student body for its support of our efforts this year. We continually strive to listen to everything you say. I encourage anyone to get in touch with me or anyone else on the executive committee, GPSF Senate, or cabinet of GPSF this year whenever you like. We need to hear from you and I guarantee you will hear from us. I look forward to the remainder of this term serving the students of Carolina. Thank you.
