POSITION DESCRIPTIONS
President
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Candidate:
Ryan Scheel Candidate Description: As the President of GSA, I intend to ensure that GSA Senate meetings run smoothly and fairly, in part by submitting and following meeting agendas and also by ensuring that everyone has an equal opportunity to speak. Furthermore, I hope to improve student participation in GSA so that our organization can better serve the diverse graduate student body here at ESF. It is my belief that I can serve as a fine representative of our community, and I will work tirelessly to ensure that our voices are heard by the administration. |
Vice president of grants & awards
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Candidate:
Jorge Garcia Polo Candidate Description: My name is Jorge from Guatemala and I would like to nominate my self to this position of VP of Grants and Awards. I want to make the grant selection process fair and to distribute grants to a diversity of students. I am open-minded and inclusive so new ideas are always welcome. My qualifications, as undergraduate student I was the president of the Student Organization of Biology and Student Representative at the Faculty's Board of Directors at University of San Carlos of Guatemala. And my previous job as grants project manager of the Japanese Government for three years, gave me the experience to manage grant process with adequate budget. |
Vice president of international activities
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Candidate:
Zainab Tariq Candidate Description: Hello everyone, With great pleasure, I introduce myself as Zainab Tariq a second-year doctoral student at Department of Environmental Sciences of SUNY ESF. I am very happy to nominate myself for VP of International Affairs position in our GSA board. Currently, I am a member of Willow Project Team and working on policy assessment methodologies and use of biomass or bioproducts for fossil fuel substitution. I hold two master's degrees in Environmental Sciences with different concentrations. Also, I have worked as an Environmental Analyst for three years and have been working as a teaching and research assistant since last year. Our current GSA president Tyler J. Shield nominated me as a representative of our GSA to the Syracuse university GSO (SU GSO) Senate in Fall 2016. Since then I have been actively attending SU GSO senate meetings and advocating for international graduate students in both our GSA and SU GSO senates. I strongly supported the resolution passed by the SU GSO calling Syracuse University administration to declare SU a sanctuary campus as well as strengthening the support for DACA and undocumented students. I strongly believe that this is an extremely challenging time for international students, especially, women and minorities in the US. The changing political atmosphere in DC seems to bring bigger challenges for international students in the future. Hence, I promise to stand strong together and affirm our fight for equal respect and rights. In my view, international students are the crucial workforce, job creators, and contributors to the wonderful US economy. I consider myself as a strong advocate for education, equal opportunity, and against any type of discrimination be it based on religion, race, color, age, sex, ethnicity or sexual preferences. I will be happy to collaborate with SU GSO and work with National Association of Graduate and Professional Students (NAGPS) to advocate for graduate student?€?s debt, OPT, F-1 Visa revalidation, and open access to research resources. Moreso, I have some experience of organizing social, professional, and cultural events. So, I would like to collaborate with our Vice President of Professional Development and Vice President of Social Activities to organize events that will bring graduate students together. Therefore, I request you all to support my candidacy for VP of International Affairs position. Candidate: Sri Vaishnavi Ramesh Candidate Description: The international student community at SUNY-ESF is close-knit, vibrant, evolving and is culturally diverse. This brings wonderful dynamics in terms of exchange in knowledge and inspiration amidst this community. As an international student myself, I recognize the importance of the same, and the potential it entails in terms of the contribution it brings to ESF and its community. With the framework just setting in place for International students to establish an interactive forum within ESF with Tom Carter, I am priveleged to be able to nominate myself for the Vice President of International Activities, and want to work hard towards bringing resourceful collaboration from across departments for the welfare of the student community. Having been the President of the Environment Club of Stella Maris College during my under- graduate degree, it has always been my pleasure to work with people of varied backgrounds and communities. I recognize that a similar opportunity with cultural diversity opens up even more such possibilities for not just me, but the whole of the international student community and serves as a wonderful window for international students' representation within ESF. With my enthusiasm and past professional and personal experience, I plan on striving and working for the same. |
Vice president of professional development |
Candidate:
Chellby Kilheffer Candidate Description: I am currently the VP for Professional Development, and would be happy to serve this role again for the fall 2017. I may complete my degree requirements in fall 2017, but will not know for sure until the end of summer. |
vice president of social activities
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Candidate:
Robert Moesch Candidate Description: My intent is to have events that are inclusive for all graduate students here at the college. I want to work with anybody and everybody who wants their voice heard on providing safe and fun activities of all types for the student body. I do not only want to have great TG's, but also continue the long standing devotion to environmental and social causes. I believe I am qualified because I have been living in Syracuse since 2008 and have cultivated many long lasting relationships that will only be beneficial to the student body. I have worked in the service industry at many points throughout my life and this has given me a particular set of skills that lend itself to putting successful events together. |
Vice president of speakers & presentations
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Candidate:
Ge Pu Candidate Description: I have served GSA as the VP of communications for 2 consecutive years now. I am very fairly familiar with the organization and helped to maintain ESF GSA facebook pages, official website, surveys and elections. Last year, my biggest effort was invested in making a blog section for the GSA official website where all graduate students can make posts about their researches and their professional development. Now the blog is done, and little work is needed to encourage students to use it. However, I understand that the communications among graduate students of various departments at ESF are still not in anyway thriving or frequent. The blog is just a small step in my big effort to improve graduate student communication. Next step in my big effort is to become the VP of Speakers and Presentations if you will allow me, and I intent to put forth a project to begin, on a regular basis (once per month), a series of research presentation workshop/symposium. Graduate students can use this opportunities to both learn and practice their skills on presenting scientific presentations and posters. This will also be a perfect opportunity for students of various departments to show case their work and network with other students, thus improving communications. If you can give me the chance to become the VP of Speakers and Presentations, I promise I will make my best effort in making this project happen. |
Vice president of Communications
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Candidate:
Rea Manderino Candidate Description: My intent as Vice President of Communications is to maintain a clear voice between the actions of the GSA and the community. I will manage the responsibilities of this position dutifully as benefiting the greater graduate student body and organize the intentions of the GSA for the greatest efficiency. I plan on accelerating this position by putting forward a project that will benefit both graduate and undergraduate students. I propose organizing and maintaining a website that streamlines the process of hiring undergraduate research technicians by graduate student mentors. This site will list graduate students and their project descriptions for potential undergraduate mentees to contact and will be advertised by Career Services. I will be a third year doctorate student, having previously attained my Masters of Science at the University of Virginia. I moderate the popular science Facebook page, 'Relax, I'm an Entomologist,' on which I post explanatory and exciting articles daily since 2014. I have organized and scheduled meet-up groups, including a science-based book club, 'Reading Skeptically,' for over two years. I also maintain my personal webpage (reamanderino.com), and Google Calendar is a fundamental tool of my life. Thank you for your consideration. |
Secretary
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Candidate:
(Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) |
Treasurer
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Candidate:
(Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) |
Department Representative: Paper and
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Candidate:
(Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) |
Department Representative: Environmental
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Candidate:
Michael Jones Candidate Description: I have been an EFB representative since the 2015-2016 academic year and have enjoyed working with GSA and my fellow EFB graduate students. I would be honored to continue representing my department and the interests of my fellow students. Candidate: Aimee Hudon Candidate Description: Hi, I'd like to get more actively involved in the GSA and the grad student community. I want to be able to help others also feel welcome amongst their peers. I think that having a supportive community can greatly enhance the graduate experience as well as make it more beneficial to the student and his or her work. During undergrad, I served on the executive board of the campus Shakespearean club first as co-public relations chair and then as treasurer. I also was involved in the student council when I was in high school. Thank you for your consideration. Candidate: (Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) |
Department representative: Chemistry
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Candidate:
(Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) |
Department Representative: Landscape Architecture
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Candidate:
Claire Fisher Candidate Description: I am nominating myself for the Landscape Architecture Department Representative. I've held this past academic year, and would like to continue serving as a representative between the GSA and the Landscape Architecture Department. Candidate: Kirsten McGiver Candidate Description: I would like to become more involved with GSA in an effort to create an open line of communication with the Landscape Architecture department. I would like to see us to integrate more with the graduate community as a whole. I have been president of my undergraduate's chapter of Ecological Society of America (SEEDS). By working with an exceptional and dedicated group of peers we were able to instigate and find funding for broad conservation initiatives that benefited the whole campus. That position of working with a varied community qualifies me for this. |
Department Representative: Forest and Natural Resource Management
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Candidate:
(Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) Candidate: (Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) |
Department Representative: Environmental Science |
Candidate:
Daniel Tinklepaugh Candidate Description: I am interested in continuing in my post as GPES representative for the coming school year as I find the work to be fulfilling and important to the structure of our graduate student body. Candidate:
Shruti Mokashi Candidate Description: Hi, I would like to nominate myself for the position of a department representative for Environmental Science (GPES). I?€?m a PhD student in the Graduate Program in Environmental Sciences (GPES) with Environmental and Community Land Planning as my area of study. If elected, I will provide the best of my abilities for the successful representation of the GPES students and their issues and concerns. Thank you for the consideration! |
Department Representative: Environmental Resources Engineering |
Candidate:
Madhuri Dinakar Candidate Description: I believe department representatives act as messengers and hence hold a very important responsibility. They need to be good in both communication as well as leadership. I have since a very young age explored my leadership qualities by becoming the district interact (part of Rotary International) secretary- Bangalore. I was given the opportunity to organize several campaigns with regard to water conservation and also had the chance to conduct the annual school competition with more than 500 participants. Conducting such a massive event gave me the necessary skills to handle multiple things at a time. Later in high school I was nominated by the school as a deputy house captain and later promoted to the house captain for successfully leading our house in inter-house competitions. My more recent achievements have been to organize a college wide (2000 people) event for our annual college fest Aatmatrisha. While I was the district secretary I was trained to take down accurate minutes of a meeting which I believe will be useful during faculty meetings as a representative. Having interacted with nearly all the faculty of ERE and knowing all the graduate students I hope to make a good source of communication between the GSA and our department. |
Syracuse university graduate student organization representatives |
Candidate:
(Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) Candidate: (Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) Candidate: (Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) |
ESF undergraduate student organization representatives |
Candidate:
(Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) |
board of trustees representative |
Candidate:
Alex Poisson Candidate Description: Last year I was the GSA Board of Trustees (BoT) Rep, and would like an opportunity to RENEW my position, and represent the interests of ESF grad students to the Board. I have been a grad student at ESF for 5 years now, and have come to care DEARLY for ESF, the ESF community and its grad students. Last year, at the first meeting of the BoT, in May 2016, I mentioned to the Board that GSA would prioritize, in the coming year, beginning a dialogue with ESF Administration concerning the very low hourly salaries that ESF grads receive, compared to (1) all other PhD granting SUNYs (on average ~$4000 lower than SUNY Buffalo, Albany or Binghamton) and (2) to estimate of cost of living in Syracuse. Grad students NEED competitive wages (and a Living Wage) in order to have the means to concentrate on and finish their degrees on time. Meanwhile, ESF needs grad students to be fairly remunerated, in order to attract the BEST environmental science students in the country, and internationally. So, together with the GSA Executive and Senate, we worked on passing a GSA Resolution to officially demand the Administration prioritize this matter, integrate plans for adjusting GA salaries upwards within their Close-the-Gap budgeting strategy (meaning, despite their structural budget deficit). The GSA motion has now been brought to the attention of the ESF BoT and in the Spring of 2017, the President of the College included increasing GSA salaries (to competitive levels) as one of the College's major priorities. More work still remains to continue to advocate strongly for this matter. As GSA's BoT's rep, I also strongly advocated for the creation of regular WEEKLY meetings between ESF Admin and both student bodies, USA and GSA, in order to improve communication (in a turbulent time) through DIRECT and frequent channels, instead of through secondary means and on an ad hoc basis. The ESF Admin agreed, and the GSA and USA Presidents have been meeting regularly, on a weekly basis, since fall 2016. Although GSA has had disagreements with the current Admin, I have worked hard with the GSA Executive to communicate grad student concerns and priorities directly with the Admin, and in so doing, find areas of agreement and work through problems as they arrive. In the future, I would like to work with GSA's new Executive and Senate to give ESF grads students the best overall experience they can hope for out of their short (M.Sc or M.PS) or longer (PhD) stay here, in Syracuse. Because some CONTINUITY in these efforts is always helpful, I would like to stay on as GSA's rep to the ESF Board of Trustees for one more year. Thank you for considering my candidacy. Candidate: Fred Agyeman Candidate Description: It has always been an interest of mine to engage in perpetuating this institution's educational mission and policies. I want to contribute to guiding the University to achieve its vision and goals as well as serve the common interest of the general university community. |
ESF Sustainability Committee Rep. |
Candidate:
(Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) Candidate: (Unfilled) Candidate Description: (Unfilled) |
