Student committees and representation

Represent EECB at the University level by serving on the Graduate Student Association (GSA) Council

Have you ever considered participating in GSA's student government? EECB is an interdisciplinary program under the leadership of the Dean of the Graduate School and does not reside within any one college, however EECB graduate students are eligible and encouraged to run for election within their respective college.

Time commitment: Elected representatives meet from 7 to 9 p.m. every other Tuesday, from the first Tuesday after classes begin until the last Tuesday before prep day. Representatives are also asked to serve on GSA committees and University faculty committees, some of which only meet once a semester or for a short time each year.

Perks: GSA representatives are not paid, but earn valuable leadership experience to put on their CV. The GSA President earns a full 20-hour graduate assistant stipend, and each of the two Vice Presidents (Internal and External), earn 10-hour graduate assistant stipends. With approval, this can be in addition to your research or teaching assistantship.

An EECB student serving on GSA Council would benefit fellow EECB students by:

• Serving as a liaison between program students, faculty, and the Graduate School.
• Alerting students and faculty to relevant issues and events.
• Connecting students with resources and funding opportunities.

Colloquium logistics committee (6+)

Fall members: Casey Adkins, Anson Call, Gabby Mizell

Spring members: Anson Call, Lauren Benedict, Avery Grant, Steve Hromada

Charges:

• Send email announcements [if the host prefers] and post fliers
• Ensure all reimbursement paperwork is complete
• Help speaker get set up properly in colloquium room before the talk
• Provide snacks for reception

Colloquium nomination committee (4+)

Members: Cas Carroll, Aramee Diethelm, Trevor Faske, Guillermo Garcia Costoya, Kelly Robinson

Charges:

• One representative for each section: Ecology, Evolution, Conservation Biology, and Ecosystem/Plant Science
• Solicit nominations for colloquium speakers before the fall and spring semesters
• Organize schedule of speakers for each semester
• Work with website committee to ensure colloquium is up-to-date on web page

Grants committee (1+)

Member(s): Ally Coconis

Charges:

• Manage grant calendar and send grant deadline reminders to listserv

Justice, equality, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI) committee (6+)

Members: Valentina Alaasam, Stephanie Coronado, Cas Carroll, Lydia Doan, Akhila Gopal, Anjana Parandhaman, Laura Shriver, Saw Sudta | Email the JEDI committee

Charges:

• Collect survey data on the experiences, needs and resource access of underrepresented students and faculty members within EECB
• Organize spaces and events for underrepresented students within the EECB program
• Coordinate with the EECB program director to ensure all underrepresented students have needed resources and support
• Establish connections with diversity committees outside of the EECB program to share ideas and community space

EECB JEDI COMMITTEE WEBSITE

Mental health committee (3+)

Members: Kristin Charles, David Guerra, Madeleine Lohman, Kelli McKeegan, Keely Rodriguez

Charges:

• Work to increase awareness of graduate student mental health issues throughout UNR faculty and student body.
• Distribute information to graduate students regarding mental health resources on and off-campus (therapy, meditations, books, social gatherings, etc).
• Check up on fellow students who may be in need of assistance, or are struggling, and encourage others to do the same.

New student orientation committee (2+)

Members: Madeleine Lohman, Haley Moniz, Angela Pitera, Anna Tatarko

Charges:

• Add contact information to Ph.D program page and respond to emails received
• Organize new EECB student orientation before the fall semester each year
• Update and distribute student orientation handbook to all new and transfer students
• Organize post-orientation meet-up for new and continuing students

Outreach coordination committee (2+)

Members: Ally Coconis, Ronny Forney, Jen Heppner, Morgan Long, Nadya Muchoney, Angela Pitera, Leah Prescott, Ben Sonnenberg, Saw Sudta, Santiago Villamarin  

Charges:

• Establish and maintain connections with on- and off-campus community service and science education organizations (e.g., Museum of Natural History, Darwin Day, Upward Bound, TRIO, BBBS, TINS, Nevada Bugs & Butterflies, Discovery Museum, etc.)
• Organize two outreach activities per year and encourage EECB student participation

Peer review committee (4+)

Members: Chris Halsch, Anson Call, Kelly Loria, Trevor Faske

Charges:

• Read and review submitted material in a timely manner.
• Provide constructive feedback to submitters on text, tables, and figures.
• Maintain a form for managing submissions.

Form to request peer review

Political outreach committee (6+)

Members: Casey Adkins, Tara Christensen, Trevor Faske, Ranae Zauner

Charges:

• Work with EECB faculty to provide resources to politicians about the effects of global change in Nevada to a global scale.

Social committee (2+)

Members: Avery Grant, Ciara Sheets, Ben Sonnenberg, Anna Tatarko

Charges:

• Plan EECB student parties (responsible for communication with faculty host, purchase of food and beverages and coordination with Graduate Director)

Website committee (3+)

Members: Lauren Benedict, Morgan Long, Katy Uckele

Charges:

• Solicit information annually and update pages of students, postdocs, faculty, and alumni 
• Designate at least one committee member to advertise for colloquia
• Designate at least one committee member to share EECB events and awards on social media
• Designate at least one committee member to coordinate with University marketing representative for EECB website updates
• Update news feed (on EECB website and social media) regularly with major grants, publications, awards, media coverage, etc.
• Update UNR calendar regularly with colloquiums, ecolunch, candidate seminars, defenses, outreach, grant deadlines, etc. 
• Ensure new students are subscribed to the EECB student listserv (Mailman owner/administrator account required)
  • SUBSCRIBERS: to subscribe or unsubscribe from eecbstud listserv, follow the directions at the UNR OIT services.