Download - Nth Degree September 2009
SEPTEMBER 2009
at Galveston, the uni-
versi ty ’s marine-oriented branch cam-
pus.
Dr. Loftin interacted
with the Grads and
reassured that the in-terest of Grad students
was a top priority. He
reminisced his own
Grad life experience
and asked for Grads to
respond with more
feedback and initia-tive. The key issues he
touched on were the
ongoing Presidential
search and its impact
on Grad students,
Grad stipends and
scholarships, ensuring the economic melt-
down is not reflected
on On-Campus jobs for
Grads, and on afford-
able, comfortable liv-
ing situation.
The General Assembly is
where the Council meets all representatives and
works its way through
the year. The Council
meets to discuss issues
pertinent to graduate
students and serves as
the voice of the graduate student body. Through
the General Assembly
meetings we also bring
university administrators
t o t a l k t o t h e
council and address top-ics of importance to you.
We also provide a
platform for any gradu-
ate or professional stu-
dent to bring sugges-
tions and concerns, and
draft resolutions that un-dertake issues relevant
to all graduate students.
The General Assembly is
presided over by the
Executive Vice Presi-
dent. Assembly meet-
ings are open to all
graduate students.
This academic year, the
first General Assembly
was held on September
1st and we were hon-ored to have Interim
President Loftin as our
first guest speaker. Dr.
Loftin has served the as
vice president and CEO
of Texas A&M University
The GSC General AssemblyThe GSC General Assembly
President
Executive Vice President
VP for Finance
VP for Information
VP for University Affairs
Awards Committee Chair
Marketing & Communications
Multicultural & Diversity Affairs
Legislative Affairs Chair
Graduate Quality of Life Chair
Student Research Week Director
Husameddin AlMadani
Laura Ingels
Natalie Hewitt
Brittany Jones
Julian R. Avila-Pacheco
Holly Gibbs
Surya T. Chaturvedla
Feyza Berber
Kathryn Brady
Katherine Prem
Sarah Jacks
09.03.2009 VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2
the Nth Degree
The Graduate Student Council (GSC), serv-
ing as the graduate student government at Texas A&M Univer-
sity, exists to share and discuss informa-
tion important to all TAMU graduate and
professional students and to advocate for their interests in deal-
ing with the Univer-sity, its constituents,
and all other appro-priate entities.
Inside this issue:
The Presidential
Search
2
Back to School Tips 3
Volunteering Op-
portunities at GSC
4
AGGIENDAEVORS:
Aggie Take- New International Student
Orientation
5
EVENTS September 6
STUDY BREAK
How to Catch a Lion
7
GSC General
Information & Town Hall Meeting
8
GSC General As-
sembly contd...
2
President Dr. R. Bowen
Loftin
A Graduate Student Publication A Graduate Student Publication
GSC 2009
GSC 2009-- 2010
2010
Executive Council
Executive Council
dents to be more involved
in college activities and voice their opinion. He
congratulated the GSC, its
President Husam, on the
efforts to do so.
You can also be a part of this exchange, as an indi-
vidual Grad or a part of an
Contd from pg 1…
His opening state-
ment was ‘ There are
7000 of you, and just 1 of me’ and went on
to urge Grad stu-
organizat ion. Every
TAMU graduate and pro-fessional programs that
grant masters and/or
doctoral degrees, as well
as approved TAMU rec-
o g n i z e d , n o n -
departmental, student
organizations, represent-ing graduate student is-
sues not addressed by
degree granting and pro-
fessional programs are
eligible to be repre-
sented on the Council.
The Presidential Search.. The Presidential Search.. The Presidential Search.. And why it is important to YOU. By SuryaChaturvedlaAnd why it is important to YOU. By SuryaChaturvedlaAnd why it is important to YOU. By SuryaChaturvedla
The GSC General Assembly contd...The GSC General Assembly contd...
Page 2
the
Nth Degree
Here’s why that’s not a good idea.
The Presidential search is ex-tremely important to each one of
us, second only to our degree. To
think that this is a managerial is-
sue and hence does not affect us,
is a myth. What affects us is the
picture we present to the outside
world. A good, stable leadership at the top ensures that the goals
of the college are met within
time. That in turn ensures good
public standing, thereby making
the TAMU degree more lucrative.
The more lucrative, the more stu-
dents want to join, and the higher
TAMU climbs in the ratings chart. Now this is only one aspect of the
entire picture, but the biggest
one.
The most frequent response of
Grad students to this argument is
that the damage has been done.
How does my involvement bene-fit ME? Each one of us may have
our own personal reasons for
choosing A&M over other offers.
We NEED to participate, to vali-
Texas A&M university has lately
been in the news, for the wrong rea-sons. The appointment and subse-
quent resignation of President Elsa
Murano has placed several uncom-
fortable questions before us.
While trying not to investigate what
happened and why, we have a hu-
mongous task ahead of us– to pick a new President. A 15-member search
committee headed by Regent Rich-
ard Box, was formed in July to find
and recruit the best and most quali-
fied presidential candidates. At its
initial meeting July 24, the commit-
tee announced it had retained the
consulting firm Academic Search, Inc. with Dr. Robert Lawless as prin-
cipal consultant.
Over the months, we students have
received regular updates on campus
news and have also received emails
asking to participate in the Presiden-
tial Search and give feedback. A common (and disturbing) trend is to
think that our opinion and thoughts
will not carry all the way, and hence
not express them.
date that choice.
The search committee is imple-menting a number of outreach
efforts, from town hall-style meet-
ings to an interactive website
(www. tamu .edu/pres iden t /
search). There also is a survey
f eedback f o rm ( h t tp : //t a m u s u r v e y . t a m u . e d u /
C o m m u n i t y / s e . a s h x ?
s=5F3B04D8764E8BCC) that al-lows us to rate and comment on
the process, including criteria for
presidential candidates, and to
make suggestions for improve-
ment. Complete the survey. It’s the best thing we could do for the goodness of our degree.
Box: “We think the data we re-
ceive from this survey application
will be of tremendous value as we
move forward with the process,
so that we remain as responsive
as possible in finding the right candidate for A&M’s future.”
A&M’s future, is your future.
To be included on the
General Assembly agenda, or to find out
more about the General
Assembly meetings,
please contact the Ex-
ecutive Vice President at
General Assembly
meetings take place
every 1st and 3rd Tues-
day at 5:30 p.m. in
Koldus 144.
You are welcome!
As you begin this new semester with loads of excitement, a little worry, innumerable questions and the
flavor of being an aggie, we though it would be nice to give you some heads up on how to make life more comfortable at Aggieland!
while at the same time,
saving your househols money for other ex-
penses!
SOCIALISM: Everyone
buys food together, and
the cost is equally di-
vided. Each member of
the household shares responsibilities of cook-
ing, cleaning and shop-
ping, This requires co-
ordination, creates a ter-
rific home environment.
It is important to commu-
nicate which model you
would like to use so you and your roommates can
avoid any arguments
from happening.
You will need to reach
an agreement with your roommate(s) about shar-
ing food and kitchen re-
sponsibilities. There are
three main models to
chose from:
INDIVIDUALISM: Each
individual does his/her own cooking and shop-
ping. This is good if you
or your roommate main-
tain a special diet or en-
joy fixing your own food.
CAPITALISM: Everyone
shares basic items such
as flour, sugar, butter, bread, etc. This still
gives you the freedom to
cook whatever you like,
Dining out is the more simple and easy solu-
tion. But you need to go
easy on the purse and
on those calories. Occa-
sionally though, dining
out can be fun!
Always re-member to
check out the
local restraints.
And the best
way to find out
about them–
ask around!
Happy eating!
Welcome Back Ags!Welcome Back Ags!
the use of a Roommate Contract.
The Roommate Contract is a legal document which defines in writing
each roommate’s obligations. Dis-
cussing issues up front and commit-
ting to them in writing helps set you
up for a great living situation.
The Off Campus Student Services
can help you with these issues and m o r e . V i s i t h t t p : / /
s tuden t l i fe . t amu .edu/agoss /
LivingWithRoommates for more
details. You are also welcome to
come down to Cain Hall B117 and
visit.
Remember, a big part of student
life is living together. Let it be an experience of a lifetime!
You Are Your Roommate’s Roommate By Off Campus Student Services
Your roommate may not be a mirror im-
age of yourself, but remember that roommates do not have to be best
friends. It is not necessary to share
every aspect of college living together.
In fact, learning to tolerate each other’s
differences, without infringing in one
another’s freedoms can be a valuable
part of your education.
Good intentions do not always lead to
good relationships! But how do you sit
down with someone you have known for
years or with someone you have just met
and attempt to discuss expectations for
the variety of situations that arise when you live together? Always be honest
about your expectations!
To aid roommates in defining their obli-
gations to each other, we recommend
As you begin/continue at Grad School, you
should take time out to
explore your reasons for choosing to attend
school and determine
what you wish to accomplish this
semester, and with
this degree.
Living away from home gives a great
deal of freedom, along
comes responsibility. This is your
opportunity to show
who you really are, as you apply your values
to your everyday
choices.
Page 3
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2
Food! Cooking or Dining Out? Courtesy 2009 Off-Campus Survival Manual
Sarah Yaks,
Director– Student Research
Week
The mission of Student Re-
search Week (SRW) is to
recognize and celebrate
student research at Texas
A&M University. SRW aims
to highlight the excellence and broad range of this re-
search to the University
community. Please con-
sider applying to be a part
of the Planning Committee.
Below you will find a description of
each position.
Assistant Director
Serve as the second-in-command of the
SRW Planning Committee.
Oversee the funding of awards and work
with the business office to determine and
maintain proper procedures.
Work with the Director in organizing the
overall planning and scheduling of the
event.
Volunteer Coordinator
Responsible for recruiting and organiz-
ing and assigning jobs to volunteers for
SRW events.
Work with other Coordinators to ensure
that there are enough workers for every
job during the week.
Determine the winner of the Volunteer
Competition in collaboration with Direc-
tor, Assistant Director, and GSC Advisor.
Sponsorship (Community Donations)
Coordinator
Contact local area businesses regarding
donations to SRW via letters and follow-
up phone calls.
Collect and catalog donations and send
thank-you letters to donors.
Logistics Coordinator
Responsible for recruiting and maintaining
records of judges each year.
Work closely with the Sessions Coordina-
tor to set the competition/presentation
schedule.
Ensure that Student Registration is staffed
and running efficiently.
Media Relations/ Marketing Coordina-
tor
Responsible for writing all news releases
for on-and off-campus media and for coor-
dinating any interviews
Assist with special guests visits during
SRW.
Coordinate and schedule presentations to
student groups
Technical Coordinator
Assist with web page updates
Coordinate technical needs for training
sessions.
Will coordinate pick-up and return of
equipment to owners.
C o n t a c t S a r a h J a k s :
and Communications chair,
and other Executive Council
members, to update the
GSC Calendar regularly.
Post GSC events and activi-
ties on the GSC Facebook
and Twitter accounts.
Edit and post GSC photos
and videos on its various
outlets.
Historian
Responsible for collecting
GSC information through its
history of 15 years.
Surya Chaturvedla,
Marketing and Communi-
cations Chair
GSC is celebrating its
15th Anniversary this
year. Lots more excite-
ment.. And lots more fun!
Web Designer
Responsible for maintain-
ing and updating the GSC
website.
Work with the Marketing
Maintain records and the
documents in a timely fashion
and reproduce when neces-
sary.
Create the ‘History of GSC’
document for the 15th Anni-
versary celebrations.
Interested? Or just want
more information… con-
tact Surya Chaturvedla: c o m m i t -
Or Br i t t any Jones :
Volunteering Opportunities @ GSCVolunteering Opportunities @ GSC
Marketing and CommunicationsMarketing and CommunicationsMarketing and CommunicationsMarketing and Communications
Page 4
the
Nth Degree
There are various opportunities for Grad students to take part in activities conducted by the GSC. This is your chance to be a part of a fun team, and make a difference!
By Lakshminarasimhan Krishnan,
Look College of Engineering
NISO – New International Student Ori-
entation was conducted by Interna-
tional Student Services (ISS) on the 17th
and 18th of August, 2009. I had at-
tended this orientation when I joined
A&M in the Fall of ‘08. This time
around I volunteered at the event as
an ISMA mentor. For you new interna-tional students, who are wondering
what ISMA is, we are the Interna-
tional Students’ Mentor Association. Do check us out at our website:
isma.tamu.edu
I assisted the ISS staff with setting up
and disassembling computers and
projectors (yes, I am a computer engi-
neer!). The person at the registration
desk was thankful- I figured out most
Indian names in one go! (I know how it
feels to have your name repeated over and over – take my name!) Another
interesting task I got to do
was being the presentation time keeper. I had to hold
up placards which indi-
cated speakers when to
stop. Students who sat
through the orientation
were probably wishing
they had the placards in-
stead! I was prepared to sit through
lectures on taxes, GLACIER, bicycle safety and counseling services, with
my iPod and had fun watching the
students in the hall trying to keep
their heads upright despite the
strong tendency to rest on the
neighbor’s shoulders.
After the bombarding loads of infor-
mation, the students were excited to
watch the ISMA video. The highlight
of the video, making everyone
laugh, was when an ISMA mentor
popped out of a tree right in front of
a lost student, to help her out. By the way, that act was just for the video,
ISMA mentors don’t just jump off of
trees– at least not all the time!
Finally, the students got to interact
with ISMA mentors and we had to
give them check-in appointment cards. I gave them their cards while
I was re-iterating the talk I had pre-
pared for the nth time. I turned
around to
make a count
of the rest of
the cards, and t u r n e d
around say-
ing “Howdy!”
Abracadabra!
E ve r yone ’ s
gone!
I believe, the
NISO was ex-
tremely inter-
esting, fun and infor-
mative this year for
everyone (especially
for me and other
mentors, since I was
on the other side).
Looking forward to
next year… :)
Being on the other side…Being on the other side…Being on the other side…
New International Student OrientationNew International Student Orientation
Page 5
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2
Page 6
SEPTEMBER 2009
Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
1
•General As-
sembly
5:30 pm @
Koldus 144
•Silver Taps
2
Social: Grad
Mentor
3 4
•First Midnight
Yell Practice With J Dunham @ Kyle Field
•Aggie Nights*
every friday 8pm
5
6
MSC Fall Open House 1pm-5pm @ Rec Sorts Center
7
8
Town Hall
Meeting with
Grads
10:30 am @
Rudder Theatre
9
Mentor Social
10
11
12
Conference: Eco-nomic Issues Affecting His-panic American Communities
13
Conference: Economic Issues Affecting His-panic American Communities
14 15
General Assem-
bly
5:30 pm @
Koldus 144
16 17
12th Annual Sci-ences Career Fair 2009 10:00 am-3:00 pm @ 1st Floor,
Rudder Tower
18
•Midnight Yell
Practice @ Kyle Field
•Aggie Ring Day
3 pm @ Clayton W. Williams, Jr. Alumni Center
19
20
Kyle Field Recy-cling
21 22 23 24
Hierth Lecture "Explaining the Humanities"
3:00 pm @ Rudder 301
25
Midnight Yell Practice @ Kyle Field
26
New Family Mem-ber Fall Program
27 28 29
The Ahn Trio - OPAS
7:30 pm - 9:30 pm @ Rudder Auditorium
30
EVENTSEVENTS
Advisor
Stefanie Stefancic
Mathematical Methods
1. The Hilbert (axiomatic) method We place a locked cage onto a given point in the desert. After that we introduce the following logical sys-
tem:
Axiom 1: The set of lions in the Sahara is not empty.
Axiom 2: If there exists a lion in the Sahara, then there exists a lion in the cage.
Procedure: If P is a theorem, and if the following is holds: "P implies Q", then Q is a theorem. Theorem 1: There exists a lion in the cage.
2. The geometrical inversion method We place a spherical cage in the desert, enter it and lock it from inside. We then performe an inversion
with respect to the cage. Then the lion is inside the cage, and we are outside.
3. The projective geometry method Without loss of generality, we can view the desert as a plane surface. We project the surface onto a line
and afterwards the line onto an interiour point of the cage. Thereby the lion is mapped onto that same
point.
4. The Bolzano-Weierstraß method Divide the desert by a line running from north to south. The lion is then either in the eastern or in the
western part. Let's assume it is in the eastern part. Divide this part by a line running from east to west. The lion is either in the northern or in the southern part. Let's assume it is in the northern part. We can con-
tinue this process arbitrarily and thereby constructing with each step an increasingly narrow fence
around the selected area. The diameter of the chosen partitions converges to zero so that the lion is
caged into a fence of arbitrarily small diameter.
5. The set theoretical method We observe that the desert is a separable space. It therefore contains an enumerable dense set of points which constitutes a sequence with the lion as its limit. We silently approach the lion in this sequence, car-
rying the proper equipment with us.
….to be contd. *http://www.gksoft.com/a/fun/catch-lion.html
How to Catch a LionHow to Catch a Lion Problem: To Catch a Lion in the Sahara Desert.
STUDY BREAKSTUDY BREAK
*www.phdcomics.com*www.phdcomics.com*www.phdcomics.com*www.phdcomics.com
HOUSINGHOUSING–– CONSPIRACY CONSPIRACY
Page 7
Nth degree is a monthly publication of the Graduate Student Council (GSC). Special editions are published
in the Winter and Spring. It contains news related to Graduate Students at Texas A&M Students and shares
graduate student achievements with the University Community.
Articles for the Nth Degree are welcome from gradu-
ate students. Articles must include name, bio and a picture of the author to be included in the publication.
GSC reserves the right to select and edit articles for clarity and length. All correspondence with regards
to the Nth Degree should be directed to:
Surya Chaturvedla: [email protected]
WE ARE WE ARE ONON THE THE
WEBWEB!!!!
GSC….
...has a website
http://gsc.tamu.edu/
...is on Facebook
Graduate Student Council
…is on Twitter
h t t p : / / tw i t t e r . c om/
GSC_TAMU
133 John J. Koldus Building 1236 TAMU
College Station TX 77843-1236
Phone: 979-422-0684
President:
[email protected] Executive Committee:
Internal Committee Chairs: [email protected]
GRADUATE STUDENT COUNCILGRADUATE STUDENT COUNCIL
TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY
Date: 09/08/2009, Tuesday
Time: 10:30 am
@ Rudder Theatre
President’s
Town Hall MeetingTown Hall Meeting
With Grad StudentsGrad Students