Happy Holidays!!!The Graduate Student Assembly would like to wish everyone good luck on finals, and a safe, happy, and restful Winter Break! Thursday, December 16 will be our last meeting for the semester. Our website will be updated over Winter Break with next semester’s meeting times.
Parking Rates are Going Up!In case you haven’t heard, the daily parking rate at UMass Boston will be going up from $6 to $7 in 2005. If you need information about parking passes and rates, contact the Parking and Transportation Office at 617-287-5041.
December 11 Athletics Study BreakThe Graduate Student Assembly’s December 11 Athletics Study Break was a lot of fun! The GSA would like to thank several individuals and departments for helping make the event a success: Vice Chancellor Charlie Titus for donating raffle prizes; SodexHo and the Parking Office for their contributions; Joyce Morgan for her guidance; GSA members who planned and worked at the event, and everyone who came to spend their Saturday afternoon with us! We would also like to congratulate the UMass teams, and wish them the best of luck for the rest of their seasons!! We look forward to having a similar event next semester! Check out the Athletics website at http://www.athletics.umb.edu/ for the teams’ full schedule.
Recognized Professional Associations for Spring 2005The Graduate Student Assembly sponsors Recognized Professional Associations (RPAs) to promote interaction and professional development among graduate students at UMass. A list of this year’s RPAs is available on our website. RPAs are open to all graduate students. If there is not currently an RPA to match your interests, consider organizing a new one! A potential new RPA must have at least 10 graduate student members (but no two RPAs may have more than a 20 percent membership crossover), a constitution outlining its purpose, structures, and procedures, and a faculty advisor. Activation materials for new RPAs for Spring 2005 will be available on the GSA’s website within the next several weeks.
Don’t Forget to Register for Classes or Pay your Program Fee!!!Can you believe that it is already time to register for next semester’s classes? If you don’t register before December 26, you will have to pay a late fee! And if you are finished with classes and working on your dissertation, be sure to pay your Program Fee. The Program Fee form is available at the Registrar’s Office.
Institute for Asian American Studies Call for Research ProposalsThe Institute for Asian American Studies will select up to five individuals to serve as Research Fellows for 2005. The Research Fellow Program provides support for scholarly projects focusing on topics related to Asian Americans. Although proposals may deal with a wide array of topics, the Institute is especially interested in research focused on Asian American issues and experiences in the New England area. Faculty, graduate students and other scholars are eligible to apply. Further information may be found on the Institute’s website: www.iaas.umb.edu.
Professional Development GrantsAre you traveling 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?The GSA office is 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.