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This year, UNM’s graduate student government will work to connect to students with their campus organizations in more ways.
At this semester’s first meeting of the Graduate and Professional Student Association held Saturday morning, President Priscila Poliana said the organization will strive to bridge the gap between the association and UNM students.
Poliana said she will endeavour to let students know about GPSA’s campus efforts in the simplest manner possible.
“We must extend outreach and improve awareness,” she said. “We are trying to condense the message. Students don’t have the time to understand what the role of the Student Fee Review Board is. My job is to rephrase this message.”
Over the summer, GPSA has been cooperating with the Associated Students of the University of New Mexico, the undergraduate student government, to find ways for the organizations to be more open to students, Poliana said.
One of these ways involves addressing student graduation rate problems. Poliana said although UNM’s graduation rates have increased this year, the University could do better.
“(ASUNM President) Isaac (Romero) and I firmly believe that the challenges graduate and undergraduate students face are easily taken on by our united efforts,” she said. “We, together, will be demanding the UNM administration to review the graduation model.”
According to a document from the office of the provost, UNM’s six-year graduation rate, which is at 47.3 percent, is its highest since it first released numbers in 1989. UNM’s four-year graduation rate also increased by 2.4 percentage points, from 12.6 percent in 2012 to 15 percent this year.
GPSA will also be aiding non-undergraduates, and Poliana said her organization will work to provide more academic resources and scholarships to graduate students this school year.
Poliana also said GPSA has been working with UNM’s faculty senate, the Staff Council and with ASUNM. She said the four organizations have spearheaded writing a weekly column in the Daily Lobo to inform students about the efforts they have been starting on campus.
In addition, the organization is looking to redesign its logo to “make GPSA more welcoming and more open” to students, Poliana said. She said it has already designated a new design for its brochure.
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“We want to refresh GPSA’s branding and give it a new look,” she said.
According to gpsanews, GPSA’s Wordpress blog, there are currently 11 redesign ideas for the organization’s new logo.
Poliana said she would also develop a student hotline, through which graduate students could find information about GPSA, this semester.
Also at the meeting, GPSA Council Chair Maria Elena Corral said besides reaching out to students, she aims to make the council less intimidating to graduate students.
“One thing that I am really focused on this year is creating a council where everybody feels comfortable,” she said.
