GSA OCTOBER 10th - ANNOUNCEMENTS

2011

GSA FUN ACTIVITIES: I.THE PHD MOVIE THIS WEDNESDAY!

GSA will be screening The PHD Movie at the Lyric Theater on Wednesday, October 12th at 7:00 pm! The PHD Movie is based on the popular web comic by comedian Jorge Cham (www.phdcomics.com). The film delves into the unique and funny culture of Academia and follows four graduate students (Cecilia, Mike, Tajel, and the "Nameless Grad Student") as they struggle to find balance between research, teaching, and their personal lives. Tickets are $5.00 and will be available during GSA Office Hours Tue 8-10am and Wed 1:30-3:30pm in GLC Graduate Student Organization Office (21 GLC). Tickets will also be available at the door. Questions: Contact Swetha Kumar at swethak@vt.edu GSA VP of Programs. II. GSA FALL 2011 WINE SOCIAL- FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21ST, 5:30-9PM AT THE UNIVERSITY CLUB (1ST POST) Come join your fellow grad students for everyones favorite fall event- the GSA Fall Wine Social! This event will be held at the University Club on Friday, October 21st from 5:30-9pm (wine service ends at 8:30pm). Tickets are only $10 for wine and snacks ($5 for GSA delegates and cabinet members and $2 for just snacks). Volunteers get in for free! If you would like to volunteer to help with the event, please fill out the following survey: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1317947153695. Valid state issue ID required for entry. Questions: Contact Amanda Shea ashea04@vt.edu GSA Events Chair. III. GSA PUMPKIN CARVING POTLUCK (1ST POST) Come join GSA for a potluck dinner and Halloween escape on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 from 5:30-7:00pm in GLC Meeting Room C! Use your creativity to carve a pumpkin and relax with friends while enjoying a potluck dinner. Pumpkins, carving tools and paint will be provided. All guests are asked to bring a covered dish to add to the collective dinner. Be sure to wear appropriate clothing. As always, children, spouses, and friends are welcome. Please RSVP: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1317930202037. Questions: Contact Swetha Kumar at swethak@vt.edu GSA VP of Programs. IV. GLC FELLOWS/GSA HIKE TO THE CASCADES Saturday October 15th, 10:30am, meet in front of the GLC on Otey Street. The GLC Fellows and the GSA will lead this hike up to the beautiful Cascades waterfall and enjoy the spectacular fall foliage. For those people who don't have a car, transportation can be arranged. We will also have a picnic at the top of the falls, so please bring a lunch! If you're interested, please sign up at: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1317392685924 For more information please contact Eric Hodges at hodgeseb@vt.edu

Questions/Suggestions contact: Shaimaa Abdallah GSA VP Membership (shaimaa@vt.edu )

GSA OCTOBER 10th - ANNOUNCEMENTS

GSA SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT (1ST POST)
I. The VP is In - Dr. Edward Spencer

2011

GSA has the pleasure to invite you to attend a meeting with the Vice President of student Affairs, Dr. Edward Spencer. It is open dialogues were you can SPEAK out your mind, your concerns and thoughts about your graduate life experience at VT. So if you have any questions or comments that you wish to share with him in person, you are more than welcome to join us welcoming him on TUESDAY October 18th , Time: 3:30 p.m. 5:00 p.m. Location @ GLC, Room C. Please RSVP by NOON on Friday October 14th: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1315376317838 - Limited number of seats! Questions: Contact: Shaimaa Abdallah shaimaa@vt.edu , GSA VP of Membership II.GSA WEEKLY ANNOUNCEMNTS ARE ALL POSTED ONLINE ON OUR FACBOOK PAGE Check them out and note that our website is open for public view, in other words no Facebook account is needed to view it. Check this link:

http://www.facebook.com/VTGraduateStudentAssembly#!/VTGraduateStudentAssembly?sk=app_12895 3167177144 III. 2nd LUNCH WITH GRAD DEAN DEPAUW, PROVOST MCNAMEE, AND PRESIDENT STEGER SIGN UP NOW Friday, Nov 4, 11:30am-1:00pm, the Inn at Virginia Tech Attend the second of 3 graduate luncheons of the fall semester with President Steger, Provost McNamee, Graduate Dean Dr. DePauw and VP of Student Affairs, Dr. Spencer at the Inn at Virginia Tech. Spaces are limited, so if you are interested in attending, please fill out this survey and include any issues (positive or negative) that you believe need to be discussed: https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1318189603738. Please indicate if you are unable to attend this luncheon and whether you wish to be considered for future lunches. Graduate students selected for attendance will be contacted by Wednesday, Nov 2. Contact Michelle McLeese at mmcleese@vt.edu or bovgradrep@vt.edu with any questions.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES (

OCTOBER 15TH )

I.GSA-GRADUATE RESEARCH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM (GRDP); CYCLE I The GSA-GRDP is a competitive research funding program administered by the GSA to support qualified research and innovative ideas proposed by VT graduate students (awards up to $600 for selected PhD proposals and $400 for selected Master proposals). Applications go through a rigorous review process by a panel of graduate students and faculties. Visit http://www.gsa.uusa.vt.edu/programs/research_program to learn more about this opportunity. Applications open September 14th. Any questions/Information: should be directed to Milad Radiom, at (GSAGRDPChair@gmail.com) GRDP Chair

Questions/Suggestions contact: Shaimaa Abdallah GSA VP Membership (shaimaa@vt.edu )

GSA OCTOBER 10th - ANNOUNCEMENTS

II.GSA-Travel Fund Program (TFP): CYCLE I

2011

The GSA Travel Fund Program (TFP) is here to help relieve some of your financial burdens associated with presenting research at a conference. If you travel between July 1, 2011 to December 31, 2011, you are eligible to apply to the TFP to be reimbursed up to $350 as a masters or $500 as a doctoral student. Applications opened Sept 14 until Oct 15, 2011(5pm). Please review http://www.gsa.uusa.vt.edu/programs/travel_fund. Any questions/Information: should be directed to Franklin Warren, at (GSATFPChair@gmail.com) GTFP Chair

UPCOMING EVENTS
I. Academic HISPANIC LATINO HERITAGE MONTH LUNCHEON - (THIS WEEK) TIME/LOCATION: Friday, October 14, 2011 from 11:30-1pm GLC room F The Graduate School hosts a Hispanic Latino Heritage Month luncheon open to all students featuring Douglas Garcia, Executive Director of Federal Relations and Outreach for the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities. Topics discussed include internship and fellowship opportunities, trends of Hispanics in education, and how to get involved in HACU. Please complete the following survey if interested in attending https://survey.vt.edu/survey/entry.jsp?id=1314727806340 II. Cultural II.A. ANNOUNCEMENT FOR COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS FALL 11 Calling all Virginia Tech Students!! Do you have thoughts and opinions about the Town of Blacksburg? Are there things you really like about the Town? Are there things you would like to see changed? Do you have opinions about housing, transportation, the environment, or the feel of Downtown? Now is your chance to be heard: the Town of Blacksburg wants to hear from YOU! The following 10-minute survey is designed to get YOUR feedback about the Town of Blacksburg! The survey will be open from Oct. 12 th-26th. The survey results and additional feedback will be discussed during a Community Conversation between Town staff and Virginia Tech students on Thursday, November 3 rd from 7:009:00pm in McBryde Hall room 113. Please take our survey and join us at the Community Conversation event to make your voice heard! This is your Town Leave your mark! To take the survey, please visit: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dDVoS2h2UVhlTzFDalBfZ0RnU3dpVVE6MA II.B. STRONG TOGETHER INITIATIVE - (1ST POST) The Office for Diversity and Inclusion will host a formal kickoff of the Principles of Community Strong Together Initiative with a reception on Tuesday, October 25 th from 4:00 p.m. 5:30 p.m. at the Owens Hall Banquet Room. A special presentation on the Virginia Tech Principles of Community as well as remarks by students and university officials will begin at 4:15 p.m. The reception, which is free and open to all Virginia Tech students, staff, faculty, and community members, will also serve as a welcome-to-campus mixer for recently hired employees and their families. The Strong Together Initiative is a year-long effort to promote inclusion and unity at Virginia Tech and will include a variety of programming and promotional efforts geared toward raising awareness and application of the Principles of Community among students, staff, and faculty.

Questions/Suggestions contact: Shaimaa Abdallah GSA VP Membership (shaimaa@vt.edu )

GSA OCTOBER 10th - ANNOUNCEMENTS

2011

RSVPs are not required, but are appreciated. If you plan to attend, please send an email to diversity@vt.edu. If you are a person with a disability and may need an accommodation to participate in this program, please notify Perry Martin at 540-231-7500 or diversity@vt.edu

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS - (5th POST)

I. GSA Graduate Undergraduate Mentoring Program (GUMP) COMMITTEE We are seeking volunteers for this years revised program. The intention is to create a shadowing program where undergraduate students shadow a graduate mentor. This new program is based on successful programs at other universities whereby undergraduates can get a taste for graduate school while forming real relationships with graduate students whom they can contact for advice in the future. Students will spend 2-4 hrs per week with a graduate student observing routine activities. They will rotate every two weeks for a set period of six weeks in the Spring semester, allowing for a diverse experience with three different mentors. Committee volunteers are needed to help with advertisement materials, recruiting graduate students, hosting one short orientation meeting in the fall semester, and hosting one program completion meeting in the spring semester. Questions/Information contact: Risa Pesapane rpesapan@vt.edu GSA GUMP Chair. II.GSA HEALTH CARE COMMITTEE (HCC) The VT Graduate Student Assembly Health Care Committee is dedicated to improving the health mental and physical of our graduate student body through facilitating discussions and advocating policy changes with the administration of Virginia Tech. Our dedicated consecutive members/team after three years of hard work, last year had a major success and a break through leading to great improvements. We were able to get a new Health Insurance vendor, AETNA, with better benefits and service quality, a 90% subsidy for Grad Students. This year we are seeking volunteers to follow on our HCC PLAN 2011-2012. Check our FB page (no account is needed!) for more information about earlier work milestones: http://www.facebook.com/pages/VT-GSA-Health-Care-Committee/105179039565894#!/pages/VTGSA-Health-Care-Committee/105179039565894?sk=info Questions/Information contact: Amit Amritkar amritkar@vt.edu - GSA HCC Chair (2011-2012).

HELP IS ON THE WAY!!

All LISA Courses are from 5-7pm this semester in either Fralin Auditorium or 3060/3080 Torgersen Hall. For Full schedule & Registration check: www.lisa.stat.vt.edu/?q=short_courses I. TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO JMP Tuesday & Thursday October 11 th and 13th; those two sessions are identical. Individuals are encouraged to attend the session that fits their schedule. Instructor: Wandi Huang Location/Time: 3060 Torgersen Hall from 5-7pm Course Topics: This short course is designed for beginners who are not yet familiar with JMP. It will begin with basic data manipulation, demonstrate JMP's summary and analysis capabilities, and move to some advanced features. Topics covered in this course include importing data, graphing data, descriptive statistics, and simple inferential tests such as t-tests, ANOVA, and regression.

Questions/Suggestions contact: Shaimaa Abdallah GSA VP Membership (shaimaa@vt.edu )

GSA OCTOBER 10th - ANNOUNCEMENTS

2011

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REPEATED
I.GRADUATE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE BOARD OF VISITORS-HAVE YOU MET YOUR REP YET? II. LISA STATISTICAL COLLABORATION SERVICE III. *"LIKE" OUR NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE* I. GRADUATE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE BOARD OF VISITORS-HAVE YOU MET YOUR REP YET? Meet Michelle McLeese, your 2011-2012 graduate representative to the board of visitors (BOV). There are many reasons to know about the BOV and to have your voice heard and be represented! Michelle is your direct liaison to the BOV and she also works with the graduate student assembly (GSA) every month to present information from the BOV directly to you and your departments. Consider visiting Michelle in the Graduate Life Center (23A) or emailing her for more information at mmcleese@vt.edu. II. LISA STATISTICAL COLLABORATION SERVICE LISA (Virginia Tech's Laboratory for Interdisciplinary Statistical Analysis) provides faculty, staff, and student researchers with quality statistical support for free. LISA's statistical collaborators are trained to help design experiments, analyze and plot data, run statistical software, interpret results, and communicate statistical concepts to non-statisticians. For best results, request a collaboration meeting with LISA before you collect your data. LISA recommends meeting with a statistician before collecting data to ensure the experimental design will provide appropriate data to answer the research questions. If you are seeking our advice on data analysis or report writing after collecting data, please bring to the meeting a clear idea of your overall research goals, specific research questions, cleaned data you may have already collected, and the results of any analyses already performed - including any plots or graphs. LISA strongly encourages everyone to plot their data! All LISA Courses are from 5-7pm this semester in either Fralin Auditorium or 3060/3080 Torgersen Hall. For Full schedule & Registration check: www.lisa.stat.vt.edu/?q=short_courses For more information about LISA's services, please visit our website (www.lisa.stat.vt.edu). III. *"LIKE" OUR NEW FACEBOOK FAN PAGE* Graduate Student Assembly invites you to LIKE our new interactive Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Virginia-Tech-Graduate-Student-Assembly/101362179953389 You will receive updates about current GSA news, events and programs right in your Facebook newsfeed! Also, you will be able to share departmental events by posting event information directly on our Facebook wall. For a full listing of summer events, visit the Google Calendar on the GSA Website (http://www.gsa.uusa.vt.edu) including trips to the Cascades, the Summer Wine Social, and the annual Welcome Back BBQ!

Questions/Suggestions contact: Shaimaa Abdallah GSA VP Membership (shaimaa@vt.edu )