Daily Egyptian Spring 04
Spring '04 Edition
Amy Sileven elected GPSC president third consecutive year
Kate Galbreath
Daily Egyptian
Tuesday night was a last hurrah of sorts for a number of outgoing Graduate Professional Student Council representatives, but simply the end of another year for President Amy Sileven.
Sileven, now holding the record for most terms served as GPSC president, will begin her third year in office at the end of the semester.
The electoral process included open nominations for president, vice president for Administrative Affairs, and vice president for Graduate Affairs.
Each office had two nominees vying for the position. Jason Vaughn, a graduate student in the English Department, ran against Sileven. Vaughn's experience at SIUC includes serving as the chair for the Association of English Graduate Instructors and Students (AEGIS), organizing various AEGIS events and serving as a GPSC representative.
Prior to elections, incumbent Sileven said serving as president has been a privilege, and she hoped to serve her constituency for another term.
"I have been honored and thrilled to serve the past two years as GPSC president," she said. "This is obviously a job in which one could never stop growing.
"I've worked really hard to try to bring graduate issues to the ears of administrators on campus. I think I've been effective for you, and I'd like to be effective again."
Sileven regained her office with a vote of 10 to four.
The open position of vice president for Graduate Affairs, formerly held by graduating senior Casey Deaton, also brought two nominations: Angela St. Paul and Katrina Blasingame. Both had prior experience in GPSC.
St. Paul said her experiences on the Affirmative Action Committee and serving on the election commission of the student trustee elections had given her motivation to serve in other areas.
"I've enjoyed myself a bit getting involved with other departments, and I'd like to expand that," she said.
For the last officer position, Eric Waltmire was voted into another term as vice president for Administrative Affairs.
Two awards for graduate achievement by a student and one by a faculty member were given following the elections.
The first of the two, the Deborah Joy Brown Award, was started in 1982 and named for a former president of GPSC. Brown was renowned for her service to graduate students, and therefore the award was established in her honor. The award is given annually to the member of GPSC who contributed the most over the past year.
Casey Deaton, outgoing vice president of Graduate School Affairs, was this year's recipient. Deaton served on the executive board, graduate council and the expanded executive council, planned the Welcome Back Bash for graduate students, organized the graduate conference, served as a representative for Rainbow's End and proxied on the Fine Arts Committee.
The second student award, the Darrell Johnson Award, was awarded to representatives.
Deaton and Bei Zhang, a long-term member of GPSC, received the award for their commitment.
The most emotional part of the evening came as representatives discussed the two nominees for Outstanding Contribution to Graduate and Professional Students at SIUC, an honor reserved for faculty and staff.
Vaughn previously nominated Elyse Pineau, a former teacher and mentor who aided him with his one-man play, as well as with his personal life.
"Her compassion and professionalism are without parallel," he said.
Blasingame and Rep. Eric Jurgens nominated Secretary Cathy Earnhart.
She recounted numerous ways Earnhart had worked to ensure graduate students' success over her seven years, such as holding an office potluck, fighting for new computers for grad students and helping students accommodate being away from home.
"These were things that have never been in Cathy's job description, but she made time for them even in her off hours," a teary-eyed Blasingame said. "She essentially was our department mom."
Earnhart was given the Outstanding Contribution Award by a secret-ballot vote.
"She played a large role in making sure we as graduate students could continue as graduate students," Jurgens said.
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Last update: Friday, April 30, 2004 at 1:15:05 AM
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