Michael Weismeyer is the incoming president of the UCLA Graduate Students Association. The doctoral student in the history of science talked with the Daily Bruin about the organization’s plans for the year.
Daily Bruin: Tell us about the big issues facing UCLA graduate students this year.
Michael Weismeyer: The main thing we want to focus on is quality of life issues like career services, mental and physical health, and the way graduate students understand funding and how they are funded. What is it that goes into making their life better outside the classroom so they’re able to be more successful inside the classroom.
Last year there was a survey done on graduate students that focused on quality-of-life issues and on what they think of offices and departments on campus. It asked whether there was enough interaction. From that survey, the Graduate Students Association and the Graduate Student Resource Center are coming up with specific types of information, so now whatever we propose will be more powerful than if we just say that it’s that. Now we can back that up with more data.
DB: What are your personal goals as GSA president?
MW: To leave it a better place than I got it in some sense. To help build structures and systems that can enable GSA to function better and more efficiently going forward. If there are certain things that always happen every year about how things function, if we can systematize them in a way that can be passed on, so that no matter what happens or who comes in (to GSA), that will be in place so we’ll be able to move forward and not be lost or fall through the cracks.
There’s a new dean for the graduate division. I’ve met with her a couple of times and she seems eager to work with us which provides a really good opportunity because they’ve undergone restructuring over the past 6 months. Having new structures there, a new dean, and some of the ideas we have from the survey, it’s a good time for trying to move some of our issues forward.
DB: Finances are always a big issue for any university. What is one thing GSA is keeping an eye on this year in terms of how money is going to be spent or limited?
MW: Budget cuts affects us indirectly, so when putting on events we have to think, how much do we need to subsidize students? How do we make sure our events are going to be open to (the) widest amount of people for (the) least amount of cost?
One thing students across the UC will see is what happens when more cuts come from the regents. If there end up being additional cuts, what then happens, or what do (UC) Regents do about that? Will there be more cuts, will they be mid-year, or next year? I went to part of the (UC Student Association) congress with both graduate and undergraduate presidents from other UC campuses, and we’re coordinating with them and seeing what else other people are hearing at different schools when it comes to things like the regents. I met the student regent and student regent designate and am working to set up a time for them to come to campus. There’s also the periodic conference calls with (UC) President (Mark) Yudof.
DB: How do you plan to increase involvement with GSA?
MW: We’re going to work to be more collaborative with different groups on campus, to let people know that many of the things they already do, like Melnitz Movies, are put on or paid for by GSA. Partnering with UCLA Recreation or other student groups like the Engineering Graduate Student Association, the graduate residence associations and perhaps post-docs, too. Working with all of those groups and bringing together these groups that sometimes may not come together.
I’ve spoken at the law school, dentistry school, school of medicine, and the Weyburn Terrace resource fair this summer, so some things have already been done. We’re trying to make those connections even stronger and branch out to others that GSA hasn’t reached out to as much.