Highlights from 2005-2006

The Gradient: The spring 2006 edition of the GSA newsletter is now available:

Awards and honors: Peter Beltran, GSA President 2005-2006, received the Presidental Leadership Award, the highest honor for a student at NJIT, at the Highlander Student Achievement Awards on May 2nd. Sanskar, the Indian Graduate Student Association, received top honors for Outstanding Student Group. Shweta Dhadiwal, Electrical and Computer Engineering Program Representative and Sanskar President, was also first runner-up at the annual Mr./Ms. NJIT pageant, held on April 19.

Graduate Student Research Day 2006: On March 6, 2006, in the Campus Center Atrium, the Graduate Student Association held a University-wide Research Day aimed at showcasing our graduate students to the surrounding area of University Heights , as well as other colleges and universities in the state. Jorge Cham, PhD, of California Institute of Technology and "Piled Higher and Deeper," the revered grad student comic strip, delivered one of the most memorable lectures titled, "The Power of Procrastination." For highlights, visit the Graduate Student Research Day 2006 website.

Faculty Recognition: As part of our appreciation for outstanding efforts, the GSA will be providing Faculty Awards to an outstanding professor from each program represented within the GSA during the 2006-2007 academic year.

Teaching Assistant Concerns: This semester, graduate students have raised issues regarding the workload and increasing demand of teaching classes at NJIT. Provost Priscilla Nelson hosted a TA reception in Eberhardt Hall on January 25, 2006, to hear and address NJIT Teaching Assistants.

New GSA Clubs: Three new clubs were recently chartered this semester, with the International Society for Pharmaceutical Engineering, Alpha Epsilon Lambda, and the Pakistani Graduate Students Association joining our growing family of student groups in GSA.

GSA Endowment and scholarships: The GSA recently passed a resolution to establish an endowment, within NJIT, for graduate student scholarships, in the name of the 2005-2006 NJIT Graduate Student Association. This endowment comes from use of the GSA Fund Balance and new by-laws that will help it grow in the next 10-15 years.

Keeping the Van Houten Library open until 2am: In the Dec. 7 GSA General Assembly, the general body unanimously approved funding in the amount of $5000, along with $5000 from both the Office of the Provost and and the Office of Vice President of Academic and Student Services, for a total of $15,000, to cover the expense of keeping the Van Houten Library open until 2am during the fall 2005 and spring 2006 semesters.

Graduate Student Seminars on Academic Integrity and Honor Code: In conjunction with the Faculty Council, Dean of Students and the Vice President for Academic and Student Services, the GSA will be developing a Graduate Seminar that will be aimed at informing and educating students about Academic Integrity and the NJIT Honor Code for international students, especially in the areas of student culture, research, and academic conduct.

Graduate Seminars with Academic Departments: The GSA has extended our resources and financing to various academic departments at NJIT such as the Departments of Chemistry/Environmental Science, Physics, Architecture/Urban Systems, Biomedical Engineering, Materials Science and Mathematics. We are using our resources to help fund graduate student events and seminars related to students' academic disciplines.

Graduate Student Programming: This past 2005-2006 academic year was a successful and busy time for the GSA in terms of events. GSA sponsored numerous trips to Philadelphia, Boston, Atlantic City, and Six Flags' Great Adventure. GSA also planned events, with discounted prices for numerous New York City museums and exhibitions, such as Bodies: The Exhibition, as well as a great abundance of Broadway Shows which included "Wicked," "Spamalot," and "Avenue Q." We also took part in regional professional sporting events, with New Jersey Nets Basketball and Major League Soccer's New York Red Bulls. Finally, GSA-sponsored pub nights were successful, including "99 Nights till graduation" with the Senior Class at nearby Hamilton's Pub.

A student-centered Graduate Student Association: GSA President Emeritus Peter Beltran and his vision for 2005-2006 was to improve the organization's foundations and build a sense of community within the GSA; we believe that we have succeeded in this regard. Currently, the Graduate Student Association has all 15 program representatives (with alternates) in office, as well as over 40 students in attendance at our general assembly meeting on a regular basis.

Common Hour Violation: We continued working with the administration to work towards elimination of all violations of the NJIT Common Hours. The hours, (M 11:30-1:00PM , W 2:30-5:45PM , F 8:30-10:00 ) are the only time during which clubs and organizations can hold events to help improve the quality of graduate student life at NJIT. The School of Architecture remains as the only violator of this policy and the GSA will continue to work with the Provost to ensure that no violations remain on the graduate student level.

NJIT Course Standards: One of our primary goals for the 2004-2005 academic year was to address concerns regarding the quality of teaching on the graduate student level at NJIT. With the help of Dr. Brian Whitworth from the Information Systems department, we composed and unanimously approved a set of basic course standards that would form the first step in this process. We also enlisted the support of the Student Senate and other Administration officials, including the College Deans, as we set out to have these course standards be instituted as general university policy. In what was a major victory to all NJIT students, the Committee on Academic Affairs at NJIT unanimously approved these course standards in January 2005, thereby establishing them as university-wide policy. In addition, we also garnered support from the Faculty Council as both sides pledged to work together to ensure that the course standards will be implemented on a broad university-wide level. GSA has worked extensively with Dr. Priscilla Nelson, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at NJIT, and each of the University Deans over the summer to implement these course standards for the upcoming fall 2005 semester. GSA will be working closely with Faculty Council for integration into the faculty handbook. The NJIT Course Standards can be viewed here .