Andrea's VISION

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"You couldn't truly understand what being a Bobcat really means, unless you've lived it, learned it, and loved every minute of it. And that's exactly what we did."

As we built our platform, the idea of this graduate community came up many times. I did my undergrad at Ohio University and am now a diehard Bobcat. Being a Bobcat is an amazing thing. Anyone who classifies themselves as an Ohio University Bobcat understands the quote above. This is why I love my school. I could not even begin to count the number of times that I’ve met a fellow Bobcat and before we know it we’re lost in conversation about OU and our love for it.

When I started my graduate degree, I was heartbroken to find out that not everyone has that same passion. Graduate school is crazy. We’re reading, writing, going to class and barely sleeping but that doesn’t mean that we should lose sight of everything OU has to offer. When talking to other graduate students about our school, they just don’t get the passion.

As a Graduate Student Senate executive, I want to foster an environment that allows all students to feel this sense of community. I have an amazing background in Public Relations that has given me the opportunity to build skills that I believe will be essential to creating this community. The biggest piece of our platform is the creation of our PR Team. This team will work with social media, plan and promote events, workshops and lectures and put out a bi-weekly e-newsletter. From my experiences, I know that I am more than capable of not only creating this team but executing all of the elements so they may be successful.

I am a Bobcat and my goal is have every single student, undergraduate or graduate, leave Athens with that same idea. I believe as a Graduate Student Senate executive I can make that happen and I would be honored to receive your vote on April 18^th.

-Andrea Harless

Liz's VISION

My name is Liz Volpe and I am VISION’s candidate for the Vice President for Committees and Legislative Affairs.  It is my desire to use my skills to make Ohio University a better place for graduate students and my all around love for this university that led me to running for this vice president position. 

The Graduate Student Senate (GSS) bylaws state that the VP for Committees and Legislative Affairs is responsible for overseeing committee activities, preside over the executive council meetings and ensuring the graduate colleges are aware of vacancies and work to fill those open positions.  After my undergraduate graduation, I worked for a marketing and promotions company in Columbus as an operations coordinator and it was my responsibility to oversee all board meetings as well as the steering committees.  This marketing and promotions organization was responsible for working with four nonprofits and I was able to successfully manage agendas and meeting minutes for multiple boards and steering committees.  I was the resident go-to person in the office for information and ensured that all the checkpoints were being met.

Another responsibility for the VP of Committees and Legislative Affairs is the training of all GSS members and ensure that everyone is following the bylaws.  I was one of the founding members of a new department during my time working with a large financial institution.  I was responsible for writing the procedures and working with legal and compliance to ensure that our department was not in violation of any laws.  I am comfortable working within bylaws and feel confident that I can   

I was very fortunate to be given the opportunity to design and conduct a weeklong training for fifteen new employees.  I was successful in raising our productivity and acted as the subject matter expert for individuals who had questions during their time on our team.  I feel confident in my abilities to conduct successful trainings and my ability to collaborate with my peers to ensure our Senators and Department Representatives understand their roles.

I am currently a Masters for Public Administration candidate at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs.  During my classes over the past two semesters, we have talked a lot about transparency and accountability and those are two values that I believe GSS could benefit from.  As the VP of Committees and Legislative Affairs, I can ensure that our committees and executive council are accomplishing their goals and advising our graduate community what GSS is accomplishes.

-Liz Volpe

Jennifer's VISION

            Over the past few weeks, I have been asked numerous times why I want an executive position on Graduate Student Senate. While many answers come to mind, today I would like to focus on one specifically. An executive position on Senate will provide me with the opportunity to bring a sense of community to the graduate school and all of its students.

            It is a well known fact that the majority of Ohio University’s student body are from Ohio. For me, this is not the case. I was born and raised in New Jersey, and lived there until I left for college in 2005. I then moved to West Chester, Pennsylvania, where I earned my Bachelors degree in Professional Studies.

            Seeing as I did not complete my undergraduate degree at Ohio University, I sometimes struggle to feel a sense of belonging and a sense of community here in Athens. I constantly observe students who have Bobcat pride gushing out of their bodies. I, too, want to feel that way, but struggle to gain that school spirit as a graduate student.

            A position on Senate will provide me with the tools I need to plan more events for graduate students. As a team, our VISION is to build a stronger network within the graduate college and bridge the gaps between programs. We ultimately want all graduate students, whether they are from Ohio or are an International student, to leave Athens at the end of their academic journey feeling proud to say they were a Bobcat. 

-Jennifer Smolowitz 

VOTE VISION

 

VOTE VISION APRIL 18TH