Fellow AU Graduate Students,

I hope this "News from the Chair" finds you doing well. What a busy, but exciting first month of classes it has been around here. As you know, we welcomed former President Bill Clinton to campus on Friday, January 27th and over 3,000 students, faculty, staff & alumni packed into Bender Arena to hear him speak!! I hope that many of you were among those who attended, but if you weren't, there are still some other great events that you'll have the chance to take advantage of this semester!

Founders Day Ball

• Tickets are now sold out for the annual Founders Day Ball, which will be taking place on Saturday, February 25th from 7:00 - 11:00PM

• This year's ball is particularly special, not only because it is the first time that graduate students will be attending, but also because it's being held in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress, which is arguably one of the most beautiful spaces in all of the United States

Apply to Graduate!

• If you are planning to graduate in May 2012 you need to apply for graduation. You can do this through the portal. Click on "Academics" and then "Apply to Graduate". You do not need to indicate your concentration.

• If you will have only one course left to take after the spring semester, you will be able to request permission to participate in the May commencement activities. You will need to apply for August 2012 graduation, and in the "Comments" section you should indicate that you have 3 credits remaining, and plan to "walk" in May.
• If you plan to graduate in December 2012, but "walk" in May you should wait until the December graduation application is available on the portal, which may be a few months from now. There will be a form available later this spring that you will complete to make your request to participate in the May commencement ceremony.

2012-2013 Executive-Chair & Executive-Vice Chair Applications

• Although it is only the start of February, the time has come to start thinking about next year's GLC

• On, or around February 15th, I will be sending another e-mail to you with the application for positions of Executive-Chair and Executive Vice-Chair
• Applications will be due no later than Friday, March 9th at 11:59PM EST with those selected being notified no later than April 1st, so that they will be able to have a full month of transition into their new roles.
• All of the details of the positions including responsibilities, expected time commitment and compensation will be included with the application, and of course, my Vice-Chair & I are happy to answer any questions that you might have.

I hope to see some of you at Founders Ball on the 25th. "Snacks with EBK" will continue to be on Thursday afternoons from 4:30 - 5:30PM, and will be in the lobby of the Ward building. As always, feel free to come visit me during my office hours, or contact me via e-mail with any questions, comments or concerns. Thank you very much

Regards,

Elliot "EBK" Bell-Krasner
Executive Chairman, Graduate Leadership Council

Fellow AU Graduate Students,

Happy New Year!! I hope this, “News from the Chair,” finds you enjoying the start to 2012, as well as the rest of winter break. I know that classes don’t start for over a week, but I wanted to e-mail you with some updates, and important information about upcoming opportunities that you should take advantage of!

Council Update

• Several of the individual councils hosted finals events ranging from coffee, tea and snacks in the Graduate Research Center (GRC), to massages in the SPA building

• The council also co-sponsored the “Final Perk,” which was held in the library on December 14th and was very well attended. It was really wonderful to see so many graduate students there who came to take advantage of the free coffee, soda, cookies and stress balls!
• The GLC/Library photo submission contest was a great success, as we received over 40 photos submitted by almost 25 students. The 14 photos that will hang in the GRC for the remainder of the semester and into the fall will be selected soon, and should be up by the start of classes. Thank you all those who submitted photos for consideration!

2012-2013 Student Trustee Applications

• The time has come to consider applications for the 2012-2013 Student Trustee, which will be reviewed by myself, along with my undergraduate and law school counterparts.

• The Student Trustee serves on the AU Board of Trustees as a non-voting member, and is our most direct representative to the Board, so the position is extremely important.
• The current trustee, Chaz Gates comes from the Washington College of Law, as did his predecessor, but it would be terrific if some graduate students applied for the position
• Attached to this e-mail, you will find a PDF that contains a description of the position, its responsibilities, and the application.
• Applications need to be completed no later than Friday January 13th. Apologies for the short notice about this but we need enough time to conduct interviews and submit final candidates for consideration by AU's Vice-President of Campus Life by mid-February
• If you have any questions about the position, please contact Andrew Toczydlowski at Andrew@american.edu who you will also have to submit your application to.

The AU Founders Ball

• On Saturday, February 25th, AU will host its annual Founders Ball, which commemorates the creation of American University by an Act of Congress in 1893.

• This year, the GLC is co-sponsoring the Founders Ball, which for the first time will make it a university wide event, and it will be attended by more than 700 students, professors, administrators and their guests
• We have a number of FREE tickets reserved for the graduate population
• More details about ticket reservation and the location of the Founders Ball will be announced later this month.

  My office hours will remain the same as last semester, and this month’s “Snacks with EBK,” will be taking place in the lobby of the Ward Building on Thursdays from 3:00 – 5:00PM starting January 19th. I hope you all have a wonderful start to your semester, and be sure to keep checking the GLC’s website, www.auglc.com for more updates about news and events. As always, if you ever have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Thank you very much

  Regards,

  Elliot “EBK” Bell-Krasner
  Executive Chairman, Graduate Leadership Council

Fellow AU Graduate Students,

I hope this "News from the Chair" finds you doing well and enjoying the end of the semester. I am pleased to report that the GLC, and the individual councils in particular had some terrific events this past month, and we continue to have a strong partnership with the AU Administration and the AUSG continues, something that is beneficial for the campus as a whole.

GLC Update

• At the start of the month the GLC in cooperation with Student Health Services brought a Flu Clinic right to the Graduate Research Center (GRC). We know that some of you took advantage of it and hope you are able to stay healthy this winter.

• On November 15th, the council held the Fall Semester Graduate Town Hall, which featured a fantastic panel comprised of several AU Administrators including our Vice-Provost for Graduate Studies and Research, Dr. Jonathan Tubman.
• Several very important issues were raised including with regards to internships, PhD resources, shuttle service and housing. Thank you to those of you who were able to make it out. We’re planning on having another town hall in the spring, which will hopefully feature a very special guest!
• The SPA-GSC in partnership with the GLC and the CAS-GSC sponsored "Grad Student Night." A group of students from three different schools enjoyed an evening laser tag and pizza at Ultra Zone in Falls Church, Virginia.
• The AU Winter Board of Trustees meeting took place on November 18th, and AU Administrators had the opportunity to hear about some of the wonderful things that the council has been involved in this semester, and some of our future plans.

Smoking Ban Survey

• Many of you are aware that for the past few weeks, we have been conducting a survey at to get your opinion on AU’s smoking policy, which the University is considering changing
• The response rate has been great so far, but the survey will run until the last day of classes on Friday, December 9th
• It is only 4 questions long, and we would strongly encourage you to take it here and get your opinion in before the results are reported to the AU Administration

Upcoming Events & Opportunities

• The "Final Perk," which is being hosted by the library and co-sponsored by the GLC will be taking place on Wednesday, December 14th from 7-9PM in the Mud Box, which is on the lower level of the library. Take a break from your studying and enjoy some free food and giveaways!
• The Center for Community Engagement and Service is seeking a graduate student to fill a position with DC Reads. For more information, please contact dcreads@american.edu
• As part of an ongoing effort to brighten up the GRC, the GLC in partnership with the AU Library has purchased frames for the purpose of displaying YOUR pictures. The frames are fitted with 11x14 mats, so photos must be a minimum of 990 x 1260 pixels to ensure a high quality print. If you have a photo that you would like to submit for consideration, please e-mail myauglc@gmail.com by Monday, November 19th

I want to wish you all the best with your final papers and exams. While I won’t be having "Snacks with EBK" this month, be sure to stop by the GRC from now until December 17th if you’d like to talk to me in person during my office hours. As always, if you ever have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me On behalf of the GLC, have a very happy holiday season. See you in 2012!!

Warm Regards,

Elliot "EBK" Bell-Krasner
Executive Chairman, Graduate Leadership Council

Fellow AU Graduate Students,

I hope this e-mail finds you doing well, and that you have had an enjoyable and productive semester thus far. I'm sure that many of you have been doing a lot of paper writing like I have, but as a close friend of mine often reminds me "That's grad school for you!" The GLC has had had another very busy month, and I wanted to take a break from my paper writing and tell you a little about what we've been up to, and about what we have coming up.

Council Update

• On October 7th, the council took part in the 7th Annual "Breastival" sponsored by the AU Women's Initiative as we gave out more than 250 Susan G. Komen for the Cure, mini-cupcakes. The event was well attended, and the cupcakes were enjoyed everyone who came by our table

• Those of you who have visited the Graduate Resource Center (GRC) in the last two weeks, have probably noticed that there is now some artwork up on the walls, which is part of an ongoing effort by the council and the library to make you feel a bit more at home. In the coming weeks, more artwork, from the AU Museum's purchase collection will go up too, along with photographs, some of which have been taken by AU graduate students.
• At one of our more recent meetings, the council unanimously confirmed Nick Connor to be our new Executive Vice-Chair. Nick has jumped right into his new role with a lot of enthusiasm, and we're greatly looking forward to hearing his ideas.
• On October 20th, the SIS-GSC in partnership with the council and the SIS Deans Office, hosted two founding members of Egypt's Youth Movement, which helped to launch the revolution that took place there earlier in the year. The SIS Founders Room was packed with AU graduate students, and faculty members who had the chance to listen to what was a very engaging discussion

John Legend @ AU!!

• On October 22nd, R&B singer and social activist John Legend came to AU, to talk about the importance of education, and his belief that we should do all we can to support our schools, teachers, and parents. Of course, Mr. Legend wasn't just there to give a speech, but to sing too! And sing he did, in front of a crowd of more than 3,000 students in Bender Arena

• The council was a proud co-sponsor of the event, and I was very pleased to see so many graduate students in the audience, a trend that my colleagues and I would like to see continue throughout the rest of the year

GLC Town Hall

• On Tuesday, November 15th the council will be hosting it's first town hall of the year, from 8:00 - 10:00PM in Ward Circle Building - 2, which is on the lower level of the building. For those of you who have never been there, just go into the building and take the stairs one level down.

• The town hall will feature a panel of several AU administrators, who will talk briefly about some of the things that pertain to you, such as academics and graduate life, and you will then have the opportunity to ask them questions, about issues that concern you.
• After the panel, we'll have breakout sessions where you can talk to members of the council, as well as other graduate students from your schools
• More details about the town hall will be coming soon, but we strongly encourage you to attend, as this is a great opportunity to engage both the council and the AU Administration

This month, "Snacks with EBK" will be on Mondays, from 3:00 - 5:00PM in the lobby of the SIS building. As always, if you ever have any questions, comments or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the council, or me. I hope you all have a wonderful month, and for those who are celebrating a Happy Thanksgiving!!

Regards,

Elliot Bell-Krasner
Executive-Chairman, Graduate Leadership Council

Fellow AU Graduate Students,

I hope this e-mail finds you doing well and that you have enjoyed the first month of classes. For those of you who are new to AU, I also hope that you have been settling into your studies here. Keep in mind that services like the academic support center, writing center and counseling center, as well as centers like the GLBTA and Multicultural Affairs are open to everyone. and I strongly encourage you to take advantage of everything this university has to offer, and visit the brand new graduate studies website, which has some fantastic information and hyperlinks to a variety of resources.

Council Update

• The GLC has had a busy, but productive September, which saw our first joint event, a Nationals Game, that was attended by over 300 graduate students, and the unanimous adoption of our 2011-2012 shared vision

• We also took part in the 9/11 Day of Service by sponsoring a very successful clothing drive, which was a great addition to an already terrific event.
  
• On October 3rd, we'll be handing out FREE Susan G. Komen for the cure cupcakes from the famous Georgetown Cupcake as part of the 7th Annual "Breastival", from 12:00-4:00PM on AU's main quad. Be sure to stop by and get one, and some information about the ongoing battle against Breast Cancer.

Executive-Chair Update

• In addition to my work with the council, I've had some terrific meetings with my undergraduate counterpart, AUSG President Tim McBride, and AU's administrators.

• Everyone is very pleased at the level of collaboration between the GLC and some of the organizations that we have worked with thus far.
  
• The 9/11 service day for example involved working with the Community Service Coalition, and we're partnering with the AU Women's Initiative for the Breastival. These partnerships will continue throughout the year, and through them, we hope to create an even stronger campus community.

Upcoming Events

• Mind-Body Week DC, which will feature a keynote speech by Dr. Herbert Benson that is being co-sponsored by the CAS Graduate Student Council. The opening lectures will take place on October 13th from 12:00 - 4:00PM -in the Kay Spiritual Union. For more information about the lectures and other Mind-Body Week events visit http://mindbodyweek.com/.
  
• On October 16th you can join students for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk from 3:30 - 7:30PM, which is being sponsored by several Kogod clubs. To sign up, contact the K-LAB at klab@american.edu.
  
• Be sure to check our website and facebook group for information about other events throughout the month!

I wish you the best of luck as we enter midterm season, and remember I am always happy to hear from you with questions, comments, or suggestions. I'm planning on having "Snacks with EBK" on Tuesdays this month from 3:00 - 4:45PM in the lobby of the Ward Building, so be sure to stop by, grab a snack and talk with me about what you'd like to see from your GLC! Thank you very much,

Regards,

Elliot Bell-Krasner