The Council of Graduate Students elected Carl Newman as its new president and appointed a new executive board to serve for one-year terms on March 17.
Newman, former COGS treasurer, said he plans to expand the council's presence at MSU.
"In general, I would like to make COGS more visible on campus and try to differentiate between graduate students and undergraduates," Newman said. "While we're all students, our needs are much different."
Newman said graduate students need to be made aware of what COGS has to offer, such as legal services, copy machines, funding to graduate organizations, loans and grants, as well as the food bank, an organization started and funded in part by COGS.
New board members who will represent COGS are Vice President of Internal Affairs Vladimir Hlasny, Vice President of University Relations Brad Love, Vice President of Graduate Welfare Benita Barnes, Treasurer Christina Harzman, Corresponding Press Secretary Smriti Shivpuri, and Recording Secretary Alyssa Friede.
The biggest issues the council faces in the upcoming year include working to gain graduate student representation in faculty-input meetings regarding Provost Lou Anna Simon's proposal for liberal arts reorganization.
"Graduate students teach a number of classes that would be affected, and their input would be very important," Newman said.
COGS also will concentrate its efforts on creating social environments for graduate students, who often do not interact with students from other departments, Newman said.
The council is planning a bonfire for next fall, inviting all graduate students and graduate school alumni, so that it will give students the opportunity to speak with previous graduate students in the workforce and create friends interdepartmentally, Newman said.
Kimberly Yake, outgoing president of the council, commended the full council's participation and approach to tackling graduate issues in the past year and said she was sure the new leadership would continue the progress of COGS.
"This year, we have been more proactive and have been able to make an larger impact," Yake said. "I'm confident in Carl's leadership in continuing what we did."
