Prior to becoming an active member of GAPSA, I found it hard to find graduate community and stay up to date on policies relating to graduate student, however, now that I am an active participating member, GAPSA has widened my graduate community sphere and has been essential to navigating and advocating for graduate student policies in this post-COVID university period.
Marissa Howard, 2021-2022 VP of SciTech
Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA)
The Graduate and Professional Student Association (GAPSA) serves as the university's primary advocating body and community building student organization at the graduate level. If you are currently enrolled in a degree seeking program here at Mason (whether MA/MS/MFA, PhD, or JD), you are already a member of GAPSA. GAPSA , similar to how the undergraduate student government works. GAPSA works to support all graduate RSOs and promotes a sense of community for Mason’s graduate populations by putting events on at each campus in partnership with different university offices (including but not limited to Graduate Student Life, University Life Arlington, and University Life SciTech). They also host the Mason Graduate Interdisciplinary Conference with Graduate Student Life and The Office of Graduate Education. While GAPSA helps put on many community building events throughout the year, the General Assembly is the principal body for their advocacy effort. The General Assembly comprises one voting delegate from every graduate and professional program at GMU. If you would like to be in the General Assembly, contact your program director and have them put your name forward.
When I started at Mason last Fall as a new PhD student in the IPN, I didn't know anyone outside of my program. GAPSA introduced me to a bunch of amazing graduate students from different programs with similar interests while keeping me informed on current events and allowing me to use my voice to influence decisions that affect students like me.
Dylan V. Scarton, 2021-2022 VP of Fairfax