President:
Whitney Lash Marshall
After 3 years as the GSA Professional Development Chair, I'm excited for the opportunity to take on the new role of GSA president. I hope to continue building on the success of GSA over the past few years, meeting the needs of the graduate student body and strengthening our ties with the entire campus community. With my leadership and experience (and the help of the incoming members of the GSA), I believe we can continue to serve as an outlet for the issues facing our graduate students, as well as providing successful social, professional development, and speaker events that are of interest across campus. 


Vice President: 
Jimmy McCarthy
In addition to the other duties required of the Vice President, I hope to bring exciting new speakers next spring as well as to the Graduate Student Speaking Series. Although I do not have an exhaustive list of speakers at this time, I intend to tap conservation organizations as well as ESF alumni and faculty for possible candidates. I also bring a positive and enthusiastic attitude!


Treasurer:
Stephen Balogh (incumbent Jen Yantachka to continue for Fall)
I have been a graduate student at ESF since 2008, both as a M.S. and a PhD student. I have experience in college and high school student government. I have professional office management experience and have managed budgets, including a research project budget at ESF. I am also a father of a 3 year old, and therefore have experience juggling family, work, and school. I look forward to providing the perspective of a non-traditional graduate student, participating in faculty/student interactions, and representing the GPES division.


Secretary:
Whitney Carleton
I really want to feel like I am more a part of the ESF community than I have been in my first year. I am a highly involved and caring individual, and I enjoy spending time with new people.

If chosen to be Secretary I would be fully capable of keeping concise organized notes of meetings. Also I would love the opportunity to help on other committees where I was able. Not to mention that I will have full control over the affect/effect and to/two/too issues when typing minutes! 

In addition, one goal I have for being a part of GSA is organizing a paperless anti-fracking campaign. I think it would be a great way to get students (and maybe faculty) to collaborate on a current issue and make it ESF's own by making it paperless. Laptops could be set up across from the library for students to send pre-designed letters/ read pre-written voicemails to elected officials.


Social Chair:
Cat Foley/Emily Hughes
Running as joint ticket. Cat is incumbent in the position.


International Chair: (Elect 1)
Hua (Tina) Cai
I think I can help with TG events and I can organize the International Night well. As a matter of fact, I am willing to help with any event that needs me.

Prajakta Dongre
If I am given the opportunity to be the International Chair, I can better represent the international graduate student community of ESF. As an International student myself being born in India and raised in Thailand, I think it is extremely important to bring the cultures of the world together because we can learn so much more from each other. I would like to bring back the introductory information seminar for new international students in the beginning of the fall semester. I personally found it very helpful when I was a new student in 2010. I plan to work closely with the Multicultural Affairs office and increase the number of events for the international student community by integrating the resources of the GSA and the Multicultural Affairs office. In closing, if elected as international chair I will work diligently to provide excellent service to the entire international community on campus.


Webmaster/Communications:
Jesse Robinson (Incumbent)


Professional Development Chair:
Abbie Larkin


GSO Representative: (Elect 3)
Lewis Grove
I've served two years on the GSA Executive Board, and I'm well-versed in on-going initiatives across the entire GSA.  Along with Scott Sveiven, I've been working with the SU-GSO for the past few months on the initial stages of a contract renegotiation for some of the essential services we all enjoy across the university - this will be the focus of the coming year for the GSO representatives, and I'd like to continue my work in this area.

Jessica Bouchard
Overall, I aim to facilitate the graduate student experience across all departments, by assisting in the organization of activities that enhance the research and learning experience, the social experience, and ultimately the quality of graduate student life.

Scott Sveiven
As a concurrent degree student at Syracuse, I have developed significant graduate contacts with members of the GSO and have already joined Lewis Grove for 2 meetings to discuss ESF/GSO relations. Additionally, as Vice President of the GSA for 2011/12, I gained significant experience with a number of GSA capacities and contacts that will help me serve this role well.


Board of Trustees Representative:
Katharine DeVilbiss (Incumbent)


USA Representative:
Keane Clifford
I will bring nearly five years of experience at ESF(four undergrad, one grad),
a desire to be social with my classmates and help my campus community, and a can-do attitude!


Landscape Architecture Representative: (Elect 1)
Christine Gentry
Leadership experience
Real world work experience

Lindsay Perez (Incumbent)
I have been a part of the ESF community since 2007, attending for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. I am invested in our community, the quality of our education, and how we exchange our knowledge and expertise across disciplines. While I have been a part of GSA I have begun to tackle various bike infrastructural issues on campus. As a result, in the coming weeks there will be new bike racks on campus. If reelected, I will continue to address campus bike issues. I am interested in facilitating discussion between LA students and LA faculty regarding MLA and MSLA curriculum. Lastly and most importantly, I'd like to facilitate a stronger connection and exchange of ideas between LA grads and the rest of the ESF grad community


Forest & Natural Resource Management Representative:
David Schmidt (Incumbent)


Paper & Bioprocess Engineering Representative:
Yuanzhen (Jenny) Wang


Environmental & Forest Biology Representative: (Elect 3)
John Wiley
I served my department as a graduate student representative for two years during my M.S., so I have experience with graduate student representation and academia at multiple institutions. During my M.S, I participated in a grant evaluation process administering ~$20-30,000 per year to graduate students, and I have begun to participate in this process at ESF. I am also a biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service and have linked funding through this source to research at ESF. I am of the opinion that funding opportunities are one of the most important aspects of a graduate student's career, and I hope to bring a sense of professionalism and importance to student grants for GSA at ESF.

Brent Johnson
If nominated, I will provide enthusiasm and commitment to my position in the GSA. As a past EFB undergraduate student, I have an awareness of both graduate and undergraduate needs in my department and of both styles of campus life in general. I am willing to offer new ideas for campus events and effective ways to conduct regular duties within the association. I believe being in the GSA could be an all-around fun and worthwhile experience to top off my time here at ESF.

Emily Ogburn
I will bring enthusiasm to GSA and as a minion of the president and vice president I will coerce people into participating in GSA events and they will be having fun and learning before they even realize what they have done. I might also bring cookies to some of the meetings. 
I think it would be fun to work with friends to make things happen and improve everyone's overall experience at ESF.


Environmental Science Representative: (Elect 2)
Kelly Bancroft
I will bring enthusiasm, perseverence and experience to GSA. I am interested in representing GPES students who, as an interdisciplinary group, have unique challenges to connecting with each other in ways that make graduate school the best experience possible. I think a bit of creativity mixed with a lot of communication will serve the GPES group well!

Ari Engelberg
If elected as one of the Environmental Science representatives, I will do my best to represent the interests of all graduate students at ESF, while effectively communicating the needs of those students in my department.


Environmental & Forest Chemistry Representative: 
Alex Levine (Incumbent)

Below is a short description of the role of each office on the GSA written by former and current GSA members in that position, as well as duties outlined in GSA's Constitution. If you wish to contact the current holder of the position for questions, please refer to the GSA Officers page for contact information. For those aspiring to join the GSA governing body, the electronic nomination form can be found under Members > Documents (Please Note: for Spring 2012, the electronic nomination form (above) is preferred), and upon completion, can be emailed to gsa.esf@gmail.com under the heading: GSA Elections 2012. Please note: Nominations and elections for GSA Officers take place only in the spring.  Nominations are due by Thursday, April 12th; elections will begin on Monday, April 16th.  If you would prefer to fill out a nomination form by hand, please use the print version form found under Members > Documents and return it to the GSA Office (B9 Marshall Hall). 

President
The President serves as the chief officer of the GSA, coordinating activities of the committees, running biweekly meetings, and serving as a liaison between the organization and the college administration.

Tasks outlined in the Constitution 
(a)   Preside at all meeting of the Senate.
(b)  Vote only on motions if there is a tie.
(c)  Appoint all committees deemed necessary and not provided for in the Constitution/Bylaws and to appoint chairpersons and members of such committees.
(d)  Appoint with approval of the Senate all delegates to committees/representative bodies external to the Association unless otherwise stipulated in the Constitution.
(e)   Serve as ex-officio member of all committees of the Association.
(f)   Conduct all correspondence of the GSA.
(g)   Maintain a permanent record of all correspondence, letters sent and received.
(h)  Make sure GSA remains a recognized organization on ESF campus and abides by all regulations set forth by the Office of Campus Activities and Organizations.


Vice President
The role of the Vice President is exciting and ever-changing.  The primary task is to manage GSA speaker events for the semester (chair the Speaker Committee) , both the two major spring speakers as well as the newly-formed Graduate Student Speaker Series.  This consists mostly of delegating tasks (food, room reservations, travel arrangements, etc) to your committee members to ensure the events go off without a snag.  Aside from speaker events, there are a variety of other tasks for which you will be responsible.  Chief among these is maintaining a functional and positive relationship with the president and other committee chairs. You will often have to meet with the president one-on-one to discuss upcoming meetings and plan for the future as well.  All in all, this is a versatile position with a lot of fun responsibilities and a hand in a variety of GSA affairs. 

Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Assist the President in executive and administrative duties.
(b)  Preside at the Senate meetings in the absence of the President.
(c)   Chair the Election Committee as described in the Bylaws.
(d)  Replace the President in the event of his/her resignation or impeachment.
(e)   Be ex-officio member of all committees of the Association.
(f)   Serve as parliamentarian of the Senate.
(g)   Have on hand at each Senate meeting a copy of Robert’s Rules of Order.
(h)  Organize the spring conference and chair the conference committee, when the conference is held.


Treasurer
The treasurer is GSA's account and money custodian and should be able to explain the budget to it's members.  As a treasurer, you will be responsible for various tasks such as inviting budget proposals from various GSA committees, allocating money to different programs, collecting a processing bills, receipts, and vouchers through the Bursar's Office, keeping an accurate record of all money spent and reconciling the budget, and preparing a monthly report for discussion during meetings and an annual treasurer's report.  You are typically responsible for the evaluation and disbursement of travel and research in need award with support from other GSA members.  Overall, you are the person responsible for the management and monitoring of GSA's financial resources.  Do you love to work with money?!  Then consider running for the treasurer position!

Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Direct the payment of money only on written orders properly certified by himself/herself, the GSA president, and the GSA Faculty Advisor.
(b)  Keep an account of all receipts and disbursements.
(c)   Present an itemized financial report at every Senate meeting.
(d)  Submit an itemized written report to the GSA of all financial transactions at the end of his/her term of office.
(e)   Chair the Finance Committee which shall prepare the yearly budget of the GSA funds.

Secretary
Your primary responsibility is to attend biweekly GSA meetings and keep an accurate record of the meeting minutes. Typically after each meeting, I spend some time formatting the minutes and distributing a PDF version which is also posted on the website. Because the duties of secretary are not extremely taxing, I also lend a hand to a variety of events and participate on the Professional Development Committee. Secretary should be dependable, detail-oriented, and committed to GSA and its events.

Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Keep minutes of all GSA meetings.
(b)  Distribute copies of the minutes to each member of the Senate and, upon request, shall provide a copy to any member of the GSA.
(c)   Maintain a permanent record of all GSA meetings.
(d)  Publicize meetings of the GSA.


Social Chair
This position is a fun and important one. The primary role of Social Chair is to organize and facilitate social events for the graduate student body - including TGs, pot lucks, seasonal events, and whatever else is of interest and appropriate to graduate student interests. Although a fun position, the Social Chair does have a lot of responsibility; skills in event planning and implementation, coordinating committees, and budgeting contribute to a successful Social Chair. Please see the Social Committee webpage for more about the Social Committee and previous events: http://www.esfgsa.com/social.html

Tasks outlined in the Constitution 
(a)   Be responsible for the coordinating and managing of all social affairs of the GSA.
(b)  Present a written report of the year’s activities to the GSA at the end of his/her term of office.
(c)   Keep a file of the logistics and preparation regarding each social event.
(d)  Constitute and chair a Social Committee to help facilitate and execute social events.


International Chair
Being at GSA has been a rewarding experience. I have had the opportunity to meet fellow graduate students, which I probably would not have met if not through the meetings and activities that GSA organizes. I have also made good networking relations with the SUNY-ESF administration officers, such as the Dean of Graduate Studies, Provost Bongarten, and Carolyn Salters (Coordinator of International Education) among others while organizing such events as the Panel on International Student Rights and International Night. As the chairperson, I have sharpened my organizational and communication skills. It has been a worthwhile experience. 

Tasks outlined in the Constitution 
(a)   Represent the International Graduate Student interests at GSA meetings.
(b)  Facilitate monthly meetings focusing on International Graduate Student issues.
(c)   Attend new international graduate student orientation at the beginning of each academic year.
(d)  Maintain a working relationship with the Syracuse University Office of International Services.
(e)   Constitute and chair an International Committee to help facilitate and execute events.


Webmaster / Communications
The GSA Webmaster is responsible for updating content on the GSA website, and does not need to have a background in html coding or other web based platforms. In recognition of this individuals role in updating other platforms (social media, GSA calendar, campus calendars etc.), the role of "Communications" is also recognized in the position. The webmaster is also responsible for helping GSA members access necessary GSA documents and support as part of the outreach mission of the GSA. They work closely with the various chairs of the GSA to make sure that the good work the GSA is doing is properly broadcast. It's an important job for tying together all of the GSA's good works in a public venue! 


Professional Development Chair 
This position is an important one for the GSA. The primary role of the professional development chair is to organize and facilitate events directed at helping graduate students develop skills necessary to transition into professional positions. Typical events have included workshops and panels on key paperwork, funding, interviews, Spotlight on Student Research, and research mixers.

 
Graduate Student Organization (SU GSO) Representative (up to 3 people can be elected for this position)
As the GSA representative to GSO you serve as the main liaison between the universities and as a voting member of both organizations. This responsibility includes attending both GSA and GSO meetings and working with both groups to organize jointly sponsored events, such as the beginning and end-of-year picnics and other mid-year events as well. You also act as a sounding board for student questions and concerns regarding university policies and interactions. Posting pertinent workshops, lectures, etc. happening at either campus to each school’s events calendars also helps to foster better university relations. The position is a wonderful opportunity to become familiar with SU graduate students, SU events, and know the inside scoop on issues affecting both campuses. The GSO meetings (once a month) also have pizza, beer, and soda!



Board of Trustees Representative (1 person will be elected for this position)
The duty of the Board of Trustees Rep is to attend the three meetings per year to represent the graduate students of SUNY ESF. GSA gets the power to vote in every alternate years with USA. If you want to be the first one on campus to know what's going on at the highest administrative level in the college, what decisions are going to be taken for students, how the different decisions are going to affect you as a student and which direction the college is going to be  in the near future, then this is the position you want to apply for. Along with it, you don't want to miss the annual award ceremonies held in the Sheraton Hotel (As a board of trustees rep, you are invited in it and get the opportunity to sit in one of the best tables of the ceremony), and the Holiday Celebration Party at the President's house (one of the best parties you can think of). Folks, this is your golden chance to know the who's who of the college, how policy decisions are made in any institution, convey the concerns of the graduate community to the highest administrative level and a great learning experience on how to conduct a high level meeting with people of different backgrounds to achieve the positive outcomes. The best part is, at the end of each meetings, you feel proud and happy to know that you belong to this wonderful college of SUNY ESF. I highly encourage everyone to run for this position!

Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Attend the Board of Trustees meetings to which he/she is invited and to state the students’ views at these meetings as appropriate.
(b)  Report to the Executive Governing Committee the topics discussed at the Board of Trustees meetings.
(c)   Keep a file of the Board of Trustees actions during his/her term of office.
(d)  Organize a campus-wide open forum to be conducted while in office.


Undergraduate Student Association (USA) Representative (1 person will be elected for this position) 
Do you miss your undergrad days,
Want to build collaboration, And work with undergrads in so many ways?
Then the USA rep might be your destination!
You meet with the undergrad Exec,
Find events that you want to share,
Talk to SAO to keep everything in check,
And make sure the undergrads know that we care.
Really this position is what you make it,
So think outside the box,
Use your charm and your wit,
And surely you will find that this position rocks!


Departmental Representative: Landscape Architecture (1 person will be elected for this position)
As the GSA Representative for the Masters program in Landscape Architecture, it is my responsibility to coalesce the concerns and interests of the students and provide info and feedback to the Graduate Student Association. This includes informing both the GSA and students of events and information that pertain to the program but furthermore the issues and interests that are critically important to the dialogue that we should be having at an "environmental" school. All the department representatives are encouraged to interact with one another and come to communal decisions; that is an imperative skill to develop. What better time is there to use the community of our peers as a resource to gain insight into different yet related fields? Landscape Architecture is a field of many disciplines and GSA is a great way to foster those skills in information sharing and decision making between those disciplines. The experiences and knowledge I have attained both here at SUNY-ESF and at Maxwell will serve me well as a base for my capstone work: Parallels between people and place: Wales, United Kingdom and NY, United States), International Collaborative Design as a Catalyst for Reinvestment.

Tasks outlined in the Constitution 
(a)   Represent the students in his or her department
(b)  Maintain a record of activities conducted during his or her term and pass this record on to the next representative of his or her department
(c)   Provide assistance in executing all GSA activities during the year
(d)  Serve on at least one committee per semester. (e)  Serve as members of the OIGS Graduate Advisory Committee; when called upon, representatives will provide feedback to the OIGS on campus issues concerning graduate students.


Departmental Representative: Environmental Studies (1 person will be elected for this position)
In this role, an intrepid grad student is able to bring forward issues related to the department to graduate students in the larger community, and vice-versa. It is a great way to not only keep on top of what the department is doing, but also -- particularly given the breadth of research done by graduate students in ES -- begin to help ES gain more prominence as a (relatively) fledgling department on campus. My involvement with GSA has not consumed too much of my time, and has been a great way to keep abreast of department goings on and to be a voice for the department among the wider graduate student community.

Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Represent the students in his or her department
(b)  Maintain a record of activities conducted during his or her term and pass this record on to the next representative of his or her department
(c)   Provide assistance in executing all GSA activities during the year
(d)  Serve on at least one committee per semester.
(e)  Serve as members of the OIGS Graduate Advisory Committee; when called upon, representatives will provide feedback to the OIGS on campus issues concerning graduate students.


Departmental Representative: Environmental Resources Engineering (1 person will be elected for this position)
As the ERE department representative, I am the liaison between ERE graduate students and the rest of the ESF campus. I am always involved with new and current academic and extracurricular activities in the department, including planning student events and taking suggestions to better my office, the department, and the college. I am in charge of administrative tasks in my office, and am the voice of the ERE grads.

Tasks outlined in the Constitution 
(a)   Represent the students in his or her department
(b)  Maintain a record of activities conducted during his or her term and pass this record on to the next representative of his or her department
(c)   Provide assistance in executing all GSA activities during the year
(d)  Serve on at least one committee per semester.
(e)  Serve as members of the OIGS Graduate Advisory Committee; when called upon, representatives will provide feedback to the OIGS on campus issues concerning graduate students.

Departmental Representative: Paper and Bioprocess Engineering (1 person will be elected for this position)
My introduction to GSA has been through TGIF’s and various professional workshops. While considering the position of EFB rep, the first question that came to my mind was: DO I have the time and patience for this extracurricular activity? My experience has definitely put all such thoughts to rest. Every activity/event has members who are willing to go an extra mile and help each other. I have also been involved in activities which will bring the department of Paper and Bioprocess Engineering into the spotlight, for example, I am arranging tours for paper making and biofuel production. I have also sharpened my organizational and networking skills. It has been a worthwhile experience. 


Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Represent the students in his or her department
(b)  Maintain a record of activities conducted during his or her term and pass this record on to the next representative of his or her department
(c)   Provide assistance in executing all GSA activities during the year
(d)  Serve on at least one committee per semester.
(e)  Serve as members of the OIGS Graduate Advisory Committee; when called upon, representatives will provide feedback to the OIGS on campus issues concerning graduate students.

Departmental Representative: Forest and Natural Resource Management  (Up to 2 people can be elected for this position)
The FNRM representative serves as the voice of FNRM graduate students, representing the department at Graduate Student Association meetings and making sure the needs of students in the department are met. As a member of the Graduate Student Association, the representative also has the opportunity to serve on GSA committees, setting up speaker series, running professional development workshops, organizing international student activities, or planning social activities like TGs. Serving as representative has given me a chance to be involved with the community of students here at ESF while making a positive impact on the campus. I am proud of the educational opportunities I have helped to organize and glad to have made connections outside my department.

Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Represent the students in his or her department
(b)  Maintain a record of activities conducted during his or her term and pass this record on to the next representative of his or her department
(c)   Provide assistance in executing all GSA activities during the year
(d)  Serve on at least one committee per semester.
(e)  Serve as members of the OIGS Graduate Advisory Committee; when called upon, representatives will provide feedback to the OIGS on campus issues concerning graduate students.

Departmental Representative: Environmental and Forest Biology (Up to 3 people can be elected for this position)
As an EFB representative and member of the speaker committee, I have enjoyed working with my peers in the GSA to improve the graduate student experience at ESF. In my previous years at ESF, I have benefited in several ways from the behind-the-scenes efforts that GSA students, and it has been rewarding to step up and contribute to this. Although I am most proud of my work in helping to organize the graduate student speaker series and bringing scholars to share new perspectives in our community, I will not soon forget the profound sense of duty that accompanied delivering kegs for a TG.  Participation in the GSA offers resources and opportunities to work with motivated and enthusiastic students to improve one small component of your world. 

Tasks outlined in the Constitution 
(a)   Represent the students in his or her department
(b)  Maintain a record of activities conducted during his or her term and pass this record on to the next representative of his or her department
(c)   Provide assistance in executing all GSA activities during the year
(d)  Serve on at least one committee per semester.
(e)  Serve as members of the OIGS Graduate Advisory Committee; when called upon, representatives will provide feedback to the OIGS on campus issues concerning graduate students.

Departmental Representative: Graduate Program in Environmental Science (Up to 2 people can be elected for this position)
Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Represent the students in his or her department
(b)  Maintain a record of activities conducted during his or her term and pass this record on to the next representative of his or her department
(c)   Provide assistance in executing all GSA activities during the year
(d)  Serve on at least one committee per semester.
(e)  Serve as members of the OIGS Graduate Advisory Committee; when called upon, representatives will provide feedback to the OIGS on campus issues concerning graduate students.

Departmental Representative: Sustainable Construction Management and Engineering (1 person will be elected for this position)
Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Represent the students in his or her department
(b)  Maintain a record of activities conducted during his or her term and pass this record on to the next representative of his or her department
(c)   Provide assistance in executing all GSA activities during the year
(d)  Serve on at least one committee per semester.
(e)  Serve as members of the OIGS Graduate Advisory Committee; when called upon, representatives will provide feedback to the OIGS on campus issues concerning graduate students.

Departmental Representative: Chemistry (1 person will be elected for this position)
Tasks outlined in the Constitution
(a)   Represent the students in his or her department
(b)  Maintain a record of activities conducted during his or her term and pass this record on to the next representative of his or her department
(c)   Provide assistance in executing all GSA activities during the year
(d)  Serve on at least one committee per semester.
(e)  Serve as members of the OIGS Graduate Advisory Committee; when called upon, representatives will provide feedback to the OIGS on campus issues concerning graduate students.