First meeting of the 2023 Graduate Student Advisory Council. Photo courtesy of Maddy Klotz.
Get-togethers, appreciation notes, newsletters and participating in decision-making, MSU Human Development and Family Studies (HDFS) graduate students are cultivating connection throughout the department, especially through the Graduate Student Advisory Council (GSAC).
The GSAC was created to give graduate students a voice in HDFS and to build community among graduate students and the department as a whole.
Maddy Klotz is the co-chair of the GSAC, and a child development doctoral student.
“I'm really grateful for everyone's involvement in GSAC together as a whole,” Klotz said. “Because of everyone's interest and engagement, we have increased our number of semesterly meetings and our number of representatives on committees.”
Fall 2023 Uncle John’s Cider Mill trip hosted by the GSAC. Photo courtesy of Maddy Klotz.
All HDFS grads – both master's and doctoral students -- are a part of GSAC. Within GSAC, they have an executive board composed of chairs and representatives that serve on university, college, and department level committees and create events and initiatives for the department.
Jiayi Liu is the Grad Ed representative, and she participates in biweekly meetings focused on graduate education and advocating for the needs of international students within the department. This semester, she presented on support for international students to the HDFS faculty, and she also coordinated several international student check-ins in partnership with some faculty members.
“Looking ahead, I'm hoping to see more initiatives that further empower international students and ultimately uplift individuals from all marginalized backgrounds,” Liu said. “Through our ongoing discussion about DEI, we gradually realized advocating for oneself could be a privilege. I hope we could foster an environment that is both safe and empowering, where everyone feels at ease to freely express themselves.”
There is also a graduate representative on the faculty Diversity, Equity and Inclusion committee that helps to create mentorship programs within the community. The GSAC also recently created their own student-led GSAC DEI committee.
Burcu Ozkum, doctoral student, is the DEI rep for the GSAC.
"As the DEI rep and faculty DEI committee member, Dr. Jinny Han, Emily Jensen, and I continued with the HDFS mentoring program where undergraduate students are paired with graduate students,” Ozkum said. “With this program, we aim to support undergraduate students and promote their sense of belonging to the university. We do this by helping dyads to form connections with each other, which serves to mitigate issues that sometimes occur with the transition to college. This approach also helps students to identify potential career paths more effectively.”
The DEI committee also advocates for international students.
“We know that international students - including myself - have unique challenges but also have a lot to offer to the department and the university,” she said. “We will continue to make efforts to take a strength-based approach while working with international students.”
There is also a social chair who helps to put on multiple social events and gatherings for students, faculty and staff.
“Some of my personal favorites are the tailgate and white elephant gift exchange in the fall, and the tie-dye social in the spring. This year, we are hoping to do a talent show & tell in the spring too, and I'm really looking forward to that!” Klotz said.
GSAC tailgate fall 2023. Photo courtesy of Maddy Klotz.
“I'm excited to see GSAC continue to grow,” she said. “I'm hopeful for attendance at events to continue to increase and I'm looking forward to continuing to foster community with one another. Importantly, as more students continue to participate in GSAC, we will become even more representative of our students; GSAC has been a successful voice for students and I'm looking forward to seeing the positive change it will continue to make.”
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By Katie Rose Frey