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Last Issue:
Tuesday,
December
18
2007
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Addressing the Social Needs of Graduate Students
By Jason Pontius, coordinator of graduate students involvement, Office of Campus Programs
Published on 15-Dec-04
Henry Rosovsky, former dean of Harvard College, urged readers in his book The University to "fight isolation" because he believed it to be "the greatest enemy of graduate students." Rosovsky's solution to this danger was for graduate students to form small social networks.
Socializing in graduate school may sound frivolous, but social interaction facilitates the formation of support networks that help students manage stress as well as share advice about navigating graduate school.
Despite this social need, it's difficult for graduate students to find the time because they spend long hours conducting experiments, teaching classes, grading papers, running administrative offices, taking care of families, or working full-time. A 2002 University of Maryland survey of the needs of graduate students found that 83 percent of graduate students are interested in socializing with their peers, but despite that interest, 55 percent hadn't interacted with other graduate students outside their field of study.
Many receive this help from their departments. A 2003 UMD survey of graduate department services found that 74 percent of graduate students indicated that their department sponsored some kind of social events. Despite this relatively high percentage, many graduate students in the survey mentioned needing more social opportunities because they felt "isolated" or on "an island" in their department.
On the other hand, many graduate students want to get away from the pressures and politics of their department and meet new people. This desire is supported by the 2002 University of Maryland study that found graduate students preferred campus-wide social programs to those in their department by a 2 to 1 ratio.
One example of an existing campus-wide event for graduate students is the Graduate Pub managed by the Graduate Student Government. In existence for three years, this weekly event regularly attracts between150 and 200 graduate students that represent 30 to 40 campus departments. An illustrative comment by a graduate student at one Grad Pub was, "I've met more graduate students in the last 3 hours than in my last three years."
The need for campus-wide events has also been addressed at the administrative level. Over the last three years, the Graduate Student Involvement unit in the Office of Campus Programs has sought to better understand the needs of graduate students and program accordingly.
An example is the office found that while most graduate students prefer "seminars on presentation skills" (54 percent) and "distinguished lecture series events" (46 percent) the third favorite choice was "outdoor recreation events" (37 percent). It was slightly preferred over the already popular "happy hour socials" (36 percent). To address this interest, a partnership with Outdoor Recreation Services was formed to sponsor what have been very successful graduate outdoor trips in kayaking, hiking and caving.
The outdoor trips were part of the Monthly Graduate Social Series was designed to provide an outlet for graduate students to interact across disciplines. Over the last two years the series has sponsored more than 25 graduate-only trips for students representing almost 50 different campus departments.
Graduate students are here first and foremost to earn their degrees and be immersed in a field of study, but they have needs beyond the intellectual. Through both formal and informal systems of socialization, graduate students can receive a broader range of experiences, gain much needed peer support and participate more fully in the free exchange of ideas that exemplify the university setting.
For more information, visit www.gsi.umd.edu.
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