Higher turnout and interest goals for GSS

Members of Ohio University's Graduate Student Senate hope to increase participation in GSS this year, they said Sunday.

And GSS might do that, president Derek Bleyle said, based on the enthusiasm of incoming senators.

"We have a lot of ambitious people in senate," Bleyle said. "That shows that they care and are going to get a lot done."

Bleyle is one of two senators from last year returning to serve, which will be a key factor in the body's success, he said.

Increased representation and participation in GSS is the main goal for fall quarter.

"We already have 12 senators from the spring elections," Bleyle said. "Ideally, I'd like to have representation from about 80 percent of the departments."

With full representation, the body would have 50 senators.

Representation was one issue GSS dealt with last year, and both Bleyle and Vice President Isabel Graziani said they want to remedy the problem.

Bleyle met with Undergraduate Student Senate President Jim Hintz during the summer and said he hopes to forge a bond between the two bodies.

"If we can unite the two senates, the entire student body can be represented and we'll have more leverage in university matters," Bleyle said.

GSS voted to set a Sept. 21 Fall Quarter election deadline within academic departments. Departments with graduate students who wish to have GSS representation must conduct elections before this time.

"If you complain, you don’t get things done," Graziani said. "If you work, you get things done."

Graziani's interest in politics and graduate student affairs led her to run for the post in last year's GSS elections, she said. She hopes to increase awareness of GSS and issues involving graduate students, she said.

Graziani, a native of Peru, said she wants to place more emphasis in GSS on the problems facing international students.

"We now have more international students involved with GSS, so we must now be more aware of their concerns," she said.

– Ben Roode