If you’ve ever attended the Representative Meet and Greet, the Everett I. Mendelsohn Excellence in Mentoring Awards, the Student Leadership Banquet, or many other events and programs at Harvard Griffin GSAS, then you’ve enjoyed the benefits of the work and financial support of the Harvard Griffin GSAS Student Council (GSC). As the School’s student government, the GSC’s mission is "to advocate for, support, and recognize all Harvard Griffin GSAS students on all matters pertaining to their status as students of Harvard Griffin GSAS.”
Established in the 1990s, the Council functions through elected officers, the executive committee, the advisory board of division and at-large representatives, and through program representatives. The GSC nominates commencement marshals for our School. They also manage a Slack channel for students. Yet most students know very little about the council and its work. Here then is a brief overview of some of the many ways the GSC makes life better at Harvard Griffin GSAS.
The GSC funds you.
What happens to that $35 student fee you pay each year? The GSC provides financial support for groups and individual students. These include student group and departmental group, conference, and research grants. Know a student in your department or program who makes life at Harvard Griffin GSAS a little better for those around them? Nominate them for a GSC Spotlight Grant!
The GSC is your voice at Harvard.
The council represents Harvard Griffin GSAS students not only locally but also at the wider University. Every month the GSC meets with deans and administrators to provide student feedback, share ideas, and strategize about improvements at our School. Have a concern you want the GSC to bring to Harvard Griffin GSAS leaders? Attend a monthly GSC open meeting (the next one will be on December 5 in the Longwood Medical Area) or email the council president.
The GSC also represents Harvard Griffin GSAS students on committees and at annual meetings throughout the University. These include a yearly meeting with Faculty of Arts and Sciences Dean Hopi Hoekstra to discuss issues at and beyond Harvard Griffin GSAS. Learn who sits on the committees and reach out if you have thoughts to share with them!
The GSC helps with your taxes.
For years, the council has facilitated workshops for our students who want to learn more about filing US taxes. In conjunction with the Harvard Griffin GSAS Office of Financial Aid, the GSC now offers several of these sessions each year, including two for international or US resident students in the early stages of graduate school. This spring, the GSC and the Office of Financial Aid will offer two more. Look out and register for these events on Engage.
The GSC enables you to teach the course of your dreams.
For two weeks during winter recess, January@HarvardGriffinGSAS offers a variety of programming from academic and professional development workshops to cultural, recreational, and community-building opportunities. Since the 2000s, the GSC has enabled students to teach what they love by organizing and funding January@HarvardGriffinGSAS mini-courses. Have a dream course you’d like to teach? Apply by Monday, November 18.
Serving on the GSC helps you connect and develop as a professional.
Serving on the GSC is your chance to give back and have a real impact on the everyday lives of your fellow students. Participating in student government also allows you to meet others outside your department, program, or academic home. Often, these relationships are some of the strongest relationships you will make during your time at Harvard Griffin GSAS.
Student leaders also get valuable experience for life after graduate school by running meetings, managing budgets, hosting events, presenting data and student testimonies, and more. The GSC hosts retreats for officers and the executive committee twice a year. Every fall, the council president and vice president travel and present at the Ivy+ Summit Conference, where they share and learn from other student leaders at peer institutions.
Want to join?
Now that you know more about student government, want to get involved? If you have ideas about how to make the Harvard Griffin GSAS experience better, reach out to an executive committee member, your division and at-large representative, or your program representative. Does your program or department still need representation? Sign up and contact GSC President Laura König.
To engage directly with the GSC, reach out to König or any member of the executive committee. They would love to hear from you and welcome you to the team. You can also connect with them through Engage, LinkedIn, Instagram, or X (Twitter). It’s a great way to #FindYourCenter!
