Welcome Back………The Graduate Student Assembly (GSA) welcomes returning graduate students and welcomes new graduate students.

The GSA is the voice of graduate students at UMass Boston and is dedicated to enhancing the academic and professional development of graduate students including support for graduate research and skill development.

Graduate Student Assembly Spring Meeting Schedule: Spring 2003 Assembly meetings are being held on Thursdays in the Wheatley Student Lounge, 4th floor at 4PM. Meeting dates are January 30, February 13, February 27, March 13, March 27, April 10, April 24, May 8th.

All graduate students are welcomed to attend assembly meetings. The GSA Constitution limits the number of voting assembly members at one percent of the total number of graduate students but you do not need to be a voting member to attend meetings.

New and Improved GSA Website: Our new website is ready to be loaded onto the UMB server. By the time you read this article the change might have already taken place. Go to www.gsa.umb.edu. We look forward to receiving your feedback on the changes.

How to Contact the GSA: At press time, we are in the process of finalizing our spring office hours. Office hours will be posted outside the office (W-4-170) and on our website.

You may call us at 617-287-7975 or by email at [email protected].

Grant Applications and RPA Activation Forms are available on our website and also in the Office of Student Life, W-4-181.

Spring 2003 Student ID StickersRemember to get your Spring 2003 sticker for your UMass student ID card. Stickers can be obtained in Graduate Admissions Office or Student Life.

Education Support Grants: Education Support Grants are awarded each semester based on a graduate student’s GPA. To be eligible one must be a matriculated student in a degree-seeking program and have completed at least nine credits.

Grant applications are due at the beginning of each semester for classes taken the previous fall or spring semester. Grant applications are available on our website or in the Student Life Office. Each application must be accompanied by the student’s WISE grade report.

Why should I apply for an Education Support Grant? Winners can select a UMB bookstore voucher, a copy card or a combination of bookstore voucher and copy card. Fall 2002 winner awards were $100 each. Many of the winners selected a $100 UMB bookstore voucher.

The GSA awarded 28 grants for Fall 2002. Watch our website and The Mass Media for the Spring 2003 grade deadline.

If you are one of the twenty-eight winners, please remember to stop by the GSA Office to pickup your award.

Dissertation Hearings: Congratulations to Randy Wilson of the Public Policy Ph.D. Program for successfully defending his dissertation proposal titled The Massachusetts Extended Care Career ladder Initiative: Moving the Demand Side to Promote Long Term Care Workers.

On Tuesday, February 25, 2003 at 3:00 PM, Amy Heller of the Public Policy Ph.D. Program will present her dissertation research, “The Perceived Effects of Managed Care on Physicians who Care for Children”. The presentation will be in the Public Policy Program Classroom, Healey Library, 10th floor.

Recognized Professional Association Events: The Clinical Graduate Student Psychology Association along with the Psychology Department is holding a colloquium on Thursday, February 20 from 3PM to 5PM. Dr. Paul Wachtel, CUNY will speak on Therapeutic Communication: Knowing What to Say When.

Spring 2003 Lecture Series….Watch for Details: The GSA is working on a spring lecture series consisting of three different speaking events. One event will be on social policy, another on environmental policy and the last event will be management related.

4th Annual Graduate Conference – Mark your calendar: The annual conference is Friday, April 11, 2003. Preliminary plans include morning workshops, luncheon (free) with awarding of graduate awards, afternoon workshops and poster presentation reception. Workshops on obtaining grants, new software, resumes building/marketing yourself and entrepreneurship are being planned. What types of workshops would you like to attend? Please tell us.