By Heather ConnorsContributing Writer

Become a Member!

The Graduate Student Assembly is the voice of graduate students at UMass Boston. The semester is almost over, but you still have time to get involved! If you can’t make today’s (April 21) meeting, our last meeting of the semester will be held on Thursday, May 4. Our meetings are held every other Thursday at 4:00 p.m. in the Student Life Conference Room (Campus Center, third floor). All graduate students are invited to attend!

Spayne and Bollinger Grant Deadline – Next Wednesday, April 27

Are you a doctoral or master’s student working on your thesis? Do you need funding to complete your research? The GSA may have money for you! The Spayne Master’s Thesis and Bollinger Doctoral Thesis grants are competitive grants of up to $1000 each, given to two doctoral candidates and two master’s candidates each spring and fall semester. The application deadline for this spring’s grants will be Wednesday, April 27 at 5:00 p.m. More information and applications may be found on our website.

GSA Recruitment

Although we have a great ‘core group’ of GSA members, we are sad to note that several will be graduating at the end of this year. That means, of course, that we will be looking for new faces! As the semester comes to a close, we would like to encourage all graduate departments to become involved with the GSA next year. Having at least one student from each academic department on GSA not only enriches us as a student government, but has the added benefit of giving all departments access to information from our meetings. We encourage you to discuss with your colleagues who may best represent your department on GSA for the 2005-2006 academic year. If you are interested in getting involved, please email the GSA and we will add you to our contact list.

Recognized Professional Association Information

Don’t forget – You are running out of time to spend your money! May 6 will be the last day to make purchases from RPA accounts. Please get in touch with your advisor as soon as possible to start making arrangements for any purchases you plan to make. Also, remember that as of October 11, 2005, RPAs will no longer be allowed to carry a monetary balance in excess of $500. So, please spend accordingly! If you need to know how much money is in your account, please contact the GSA.

Housing Opportunities

Are you looking for housing options in the Boston area? Are you looking for a new roommate to replace someone who is graduating? The Office of Student Housing may be able to help! Search for apartments or list available rentals on their website: housing opportunities

Professional Development Grants

Do you need extra money to travel to a professional conference this semester? The GSA administers the Professional Development Grant (PDG) program to assist graduate students with the economic burden of traveling to, and participating in, professional conferences and meetings. Grants of up to $400 are available to reimburse students presenting papers or posters, and grants of up to $300 are available for students attending conferences. Please refer to our website for application materials and guidelines. Note that all application materials must be submitted at least 30 days prior to travel to be eligible for review.

Looking for us?

We are located on the third floor of the Campus Center, in room 3404. For applications, forms, or more information on any of our programs, please visit our website at www.gsa.umb.edu