Service and Participation Opportunities
Taking on a service position, representing graduate student interests, and participating in departmental student organizations are great ways to get to know the department, faculty, and other students better and to contribute to the departmental community. The department currently has three service positions for graduate students and three student organizations.
Graduate Student Departmental Representative
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Graduate Student Senate Representative
Early in fall semester, geography graduate students elect their representative to the Graduate Student Senate (GSS). The election process is overseen by the graduate chair who solicits nominations for the position, including self-nominations. If only one graduate student expresses interest in the position they are considered elected by consensus. The GSS representative participates in GSS meetings, communicates information, opportunities, and concerns of the GSS to the geography graduate students, and those of the geography graduate students to GSS.
Graduate Student Member of the Colloquium Committee
The colloquium committee arranges for guest speakers to come to the department and present a geographically relevant aspect of their research. The committee helps host the speakers, advertises the colloquia to other interested departments, and considers possible speakers for the future. A volunteer for this position is sought early in the fall semester, with preference to a first-year student.
Social Media Coordinator
This individual makes suggestions to the department’s media and communications committee for the graduate content of the department’s webpage, helps keep the department’s Facebook page and social media presence up-to-date, and helps generate ideas, photos, and text regarding current graduate students for ou r annual departmental newsletter, the Geogram, which typically appears in winter. Volunteers for this position are sought early in fall semester, although suggestions by any of our students are always appreciated.
Geography-Sponsored Student Associations
The department currently has three active student associations, the Geography Club, the OU Chapter of the American Meteorology Society (OUCAMS), and the OU Chapter of Gamma Theta Upsilon (GTU), which is an international geography honor society. Participation in the Geography Club is open to anyone at OU who is interested in geography. Membership in OUCAMS is open to undergraduate and graduate students who are interested in meteorology or climatology. As an honor society, GTU has specific academic requiremen ts for membership, with new members inducted each spring. The Geography Club and GTU meet together because they share the same service and activity goals. The Geography Club/GTU and OUCAMS each have regularly scheduled weekly meetings during the fall and spring semesters, and occasionally have joint meetings or activities. Graduate students are welcome and encouraged to participate in these associations.