GSS School Execs and Senators
School Executives are the primary liaisons between the graduate student body and the GSS Executive Committee. With their school's senators, they are responsible for representing the interests and needs of hundreds of graduate students at the University and are expected to maintain a regular dialogue with their school's administration on issues facing those graduate students. They span all departments granting graduate degrees within the School of Graduate Studies, and include the College of Arts & Sciences, School of Engineering, School of Medicine, and a number of Professional Schools at the University which also have graduate degrees conferred by the School of Graduate Studies. School Executives ensure that every graduate department in their school is represented by at least
one senator and School Executives are in regular contact with their senators to gauge the well-being of graduate students within their school. School Executives sit on the GSS Executive Committee and are voting members of the Graduate Student Senate (GSS).
Every department granting a graduate degree conferred by the School of Graduate Studies is afforded one Senator. Being a senator is a very important responsibility. While some senators can represent as few as 5-10 graduate students, others may represent as many as 50 or 100. Senators represent the interests of one department alone and are the primary liaison between their department and the Graduate Student Senate (GSS). The process by which Senators are appointed is variable and at the sole discretion of the department being represented. Departments can have alternate Senators who serve in the absence of their primary Senator. Primary Senators are also voting members of the Graduate Student Senate (GSS).
School Executive, College of Arts & Sciences, Absera Melaku
Biosketch:
My name is Absera Melaku and I am a third year Medical Anthropology MA and MPH dual degree student. I attended CWRU as an undergraduate and received my B.A. in Medical Anthropology. During the 2011-2012 school year, I served as the representative for the Department of Anthropology. I am so excited to become more involved with GSS by acting as your representative for the School of Arts and Sciences. I hope to play a more active role in the graduate student community by facilitating interdisciplinary activities among organizations within the School of Arts and Sciences and by bridging the gap between the needs of the student body and GSS. Looking forward to meeting you at the next General Assembly meeting!Senators Representing Arts & Sciences:
| Department | Senator | Alternate Senator |
|---|---|---|
| Arts & Humanities | ||
| Art History & Art | Anna Schuer |
|
| English | Monica Orlando |
Eric Earnhardt |
| History | Jonathan Kinser | |
| Modern Languages & Literatures | Karyn Newton |
|
| Music | Alana Ropchock | |
| Theater & Dance | Karina Browne | |
| Math & Natural Sciences | ||
| Astronomy | Thomas Reding |
Aaron Watkins |
| Biology | James Ferguson | |
| Chemistry | Shu Situ | Adriana Popa |
| Earth, Environmental, and Planetary Sciences |
||
| Mathematics | Joe Volzer | |
| Physics | Ben Saliwanchik |
Johanna Nagy |
| Statistics | NONE | |
| Social Sciences | ||
| Anthropology | Raakhee Patel | |
| Cognitive Science | Austin Bennett | |
| Political Science | NONE | |
| Psychological Sciences | Jamie Juergensen | |
| Sociology | Tirth Bhatta | |
School Executive, School of Engineering, Jessica Patz
Biosketch: I am finishing my 2nd year as a PhD student in the Macromolecular Science and Engineering department. My research is based on polymer rheology with a focus in layered polymeric systems. I have been a part of GSS for one year as the Senator for the Macro dept. Outside of GSS, I am a part of the Macromolecular Student Organization (MSO) and the organization of the PiNO Conference that is held at Case Western every summer. I am also heavily involved in the CLiPS education platform. Outside of the school realm, I enjoy playing in a Cleveland wide touch football league, cooking new and challenging recipes, attending as many free and interesting events in Cleveland as possible, and going to concerts as much as possible.
Statement of Purpose: As the School Executive for Engineering, I would like to get the Engineering departments more involved with the rest of the departments in Case Western. I am also looking forward to working with school officials, GSS, and the graduate student body to improve and expand the opportunities given to the graduate student body at Case Western.
Committee Memberships: GSS Executive Committee, Case School of Engineering Graduate Studies Committee
Senators Representing School of Engineering:
| Department | Senator | Alternate Senator |
|---|---|---|
| Biomedical Engineering | Jessica Nguyen, Julie Murphy | |
| Chemical Engineering | Omar Gonzalez Pena | |
| Civil Engineering | Hao Yu | |
| Electrical Engineering & Computer Science | Mike LaBarbera, Russel Jackson | |
| Macromolecular Science & Engineering | Alex Jordan |
|
| Materials Science & Engineering | Danqi Wang | |
| Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering | Mostafa Motavalli | |
| TIME (The Institute for Mgmt. & Eng.) | Justin Einstein | Kun (Allen) Du |
School Executive, School of Medicine, Andrea Cohen
Biosketch: I am finishing my third year in the MSTP and my first year as a full time member of the department of genetics. My research focuses on the regulation and dysregulation of two epigenetic elements, enhancers and insulators, in colon cancer. Over the past school year, I was pleased to be the GSS co-representative from the MSTP. In addition to GSS, I enjoy participating in various community outreach programs, including volunteering at the local Boys and Girls Club as the current co-leader of the SMART Girls program.
Statement of Purpose: My goal as School of Medicine executive will be to continue the high level of SoM student participation in GSS committees and initiatives.
Committee Memberships: GSS Executive Committee
Senators Representing Biomedical Sciences:
School Executive, Professional Programs, Nirmala Lekhak
Committee Memberships: GSS Executive CommitteeSenators Representing the Professional Programs:
| Department | Senator | Alternate Senator |
|---|---|---|
| Information Systems | NONE | |
| Designing Sustainable Systems | TBA |
|
| Organizational Behavior | Chantal Van Esch | |
| Social Welfare (Ph.D. in MSASS) | Eun Lye Lee | |
| Masters in Public Health | TBA | |
| Nursing (Ph.D.) | Nirmala Lekhak | |
| Social Welfare (Master's MSASS Mendel Counsel) | Selena Marshall | |
| Finance | Adam Stang | |
| Accounting | Aleksandra Brikman |
Grad-Pro Liaison, Bryan Benson
Duties and Responsibilites:
Biosketch: After graduating from the University of Michigan in 2010, I spent a year as the lead researcher on four neuroimaging projects before enrolling in the MSTP at CWRU. I'm currently finishing my first year of medical school and graduate classes and rotating in various labs in neuroscience and BME. I have a year of experience in the GSS, serving as representative for the MSTP. I'm also active on the MSTP student council. In my free time, I enjoy cooking, backpacking and mountain biking.
Statement of Purpose: This year, the GPC has become more active and organized, and teamed with the GSS to sign the Veale resolution. This new activity is exciting, and promises a new collaboration between the graduate and professional students. It also necessitates good communication between the GPC and the GSS to make sure we address common concerns in an organized and efficient way. For example, the parking issue discussed recently in the GSS could potentially create disagreement between the GPC and GSS. Coordination between these two bodies will hinge on making sure that our thoughts are fairly represented. As both a graduate and a professional student, I'm uniquely situated to serve as a link between the two. It also makes me personally interested in ensuring that the GSS and GPC work well together. I would like to serve as the GSS liaison to the GPC.
Committee Memberships: GSS Executive Committee,
