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Meiers aims to recruit top teaching assistants

If elected president of GPSA, first-year law student James Meiers says he will help the Board of Regents and the New Mexico State Legislature to better understand the needs of graduate and professional students at UNM.

In the last month and a half, Meiers has made a concerted effort to contact the regents and express his ideas for the Graduate and Professional Students Association's future, he said.

"I've been especially fortunate with Reg. [James] Koch," Meiers said. "He's been a great presence. We've given each other a lot of input and discussed issues like ways to help connect the regents and the next [UNM] president with GPSA. That's how you get things done."

One important area of focus, Meiers said, is recruiting quality graduate and teaching assistants.

"Paid G.A.s and T.A.s always have to be a top priority," he said "We need to be able to draw in the best people, in spite of salaries, and assist them in various opportunities."

GPSA's office in the newly-renovated SUB will be right next door to the Associated Students of UNM's office, which, Meiers said, will give the two student organizations a chance to work more closely together.

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He said the opportunity for collaboration will "make my presidency and the ASUNM presidency more effective on campus and when we go to Santa Fe to lobby."

Born and raised in Albuquerque, Meiers graduated from St. Pius High School and spent a great deal of his youth on campus at UNM.

"I learned to swim at Johnson Center," he said.

The University has seen tremendous, positive growth overall through the years, Meiers said, but added that there is always room for improvement.

"There have been some missed opportunities in the last few years to do more in terms of development," he said.

Meiers earned his bachelor's degree in political science at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. He lists participating in one of his roommates' student-government presidential campaign among his accomplishments and relevant experience.

"Though we were edged out by the opposing candidate in the end, we gave it a good run," Meiers said.

He added that his experience in the nation's capital gave him a unique perspective on university life.

"Going to school in D.C. influenced a lot of the ways that I see UNM could be in the future, especially in terms of money and technologies," he said.

University-level development of research opportunities plays a significant role in the future success of graduate and professional students' careers, Meiers said.

He added that he plans to pursue a career in administrative or federal law after graduating from the UNM School of Law.

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