Student Government
From left to right: Ben Whitlock, Will Smith, Alison Carley, Kari Fischer, and Rob Frawley.
The Graduate Student Executive Council (GSEC) is the student government of the Graduate School (WCGS). The purpose of GSEC is to represent the graduate student body and to act as a liaison to WCGS administration. GSEC is responsible for distributing funding to graduate student organizations and organizing graduate student meetings, annual events, and social activities.
In addition GSEC has representation on several WCGS committees. GSEC membership also includes program representatives from the WCGS programs of study.
The GSEC Administrative Officers for 2011-2012 are:
Alison Carley, President
Will Smith, Vice-President
Rob Frawley, Treasurer
Kari Fischer, Secretary
Ben Whitlock, Parliamentarian
GSEC meets monthly between September and June each year and additionally when necessary. The meetings are open to all graduate students and serve as forums to discuss events, issues that may have arisen in specific committee meetings, and any other student concerns.
Specific GSEC committees organize annual graduate student events, including recruitment, orientation, and the Vincent du Vigneaud Research Symposium. The du Vigneaud event each spring affords more than 100 students the opportunity to share their research through posters and oral presentations. The symposium honors the late Dr. Vincent du Vigneaud, former Chair of Biochemistry at Weill Medical College and recipient of the 1955 Nobel Prize for Biochemistry.
One of GSEC’s main functions is to organize social and charitable activities. Popular GSEC-sponsored activities have included Halloween parties, a potluck turkey dinner and touch football game in Central Park, holiday toy drives, ski trips, and social activities associated with annual graduate student recruitment.
GSEC also provides funds to clubs and organizations focused on specific hobbies or interests, such as soccer, knitting and cooking.
