Graduate students from the Associated Student Government’s Graduate Student Congress traveled to Waco, Texas, over spring break to discuss graduate student governance and advocacy.

Four graduate students attended the South-Central Regional Conference of the National Association of Graduate-Professional Students hosted by Baylor University. The national association is a student-run organization that seeks to improve the quality of life for graduate and professional students nationwide. The University of Arkansas is a member.

Sanket Desai, ASG senator, caucus chair for the Graduate School, and a doctoral candidate in the history department, lead the group who met with graduate students from universities in Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri.

“We were grateful for the opportunity to represent the U of A and discuss issues that are important to graduate students,” Desai said. “We heard from our peers at other institutions that graduate students face similar issues nationwide, including pay, health care, child care, and student loan debt.”

An important program lead by graduate students in the national association is the “Grads Have Debt 2” Campaign, which aims to increase public awareness about student loan debt and reunify the student loan rates for undergraduate and graduate students, according to the group’s Facebook page. The Graduate Student Congress plans to participate in the National Call-Congress Day on April 9 to help with this national initiative.

The graduate students, including Desai, Alex Marino, Keith Whitmire, and Katherine Knierim, gave presentations on the establishment of the U of A Graduate Student Congress and the transition period of the past year. The Graduate Student Congress was officially established earlier this semester and is the legislative body in ASG that represents graduate students at the U of A. 

“Graduate students from other universities were excited to hear that the GSC was formally established,” Desai said. “We look forward to working with members of NAGPS to advocate for graduate students at the state and national levels.”

The National Association of Graduate-Professional Students will hold a national conference at the University of Missouri in fall of 2014. The Graduate Student Congress plans to send representatives to the national conference to exchange accomplishments, visions, and goals with fellow graduate students at other institutions.