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10/9/2009

A grand day for GSA
Graduate Student Association celebrates 40 years at Rice

BY MIKE WILLIAMS
Rice News staff

If one can measure success by the number of friends he has made, Tom Nichols is an extraordinarily successful man. The Houston dermatologist and Rice alumnus was pleased to be in the company of many friends when the university hosted the 40th anniversary celebration of the Graduate Student Association (GSA) Oct. 8.

	JEFF FITLOW
	The Graduate Student Association gave the first copies of its newly published history to friends of the organization at its 40th anniversary celebration at Rice Memorial Center. From left, Tom Nichols, the GSA's founding president; President David Leebron; Julia Smith Wellner '01, chairwoman of the Graduate Alumni Committee; Paula Sanders, dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies; and Michael Contreras, last year's GSA president, who served as master of ceremonies.

Nichols' hard work and foresight were driving forces behind the GSA's formation at the close of the turbulent '60s. Rice was not immune to societal changes in America, but one change to the great benefit of the university was the doubling of the number of graduate students, from 400 to 800, at the behest of then-president Kenneth Pitzer.

Since then, doctoral and master's candidates who've passed through Rice have had Nichols and his associates to thank not only for the GSA, which has historically stood up for students on the issues that matter to them, but also for Valhalla, the graduate student lounge that Nichols also founded.

By that measure, Nichols' friends number in the many thousands.

"It reminds me of the tremendous effort many, many people made back in the '60s to have the GSA and Valhalla come together and form a better way of communication between graduate students, between the students and faculty, between the students and administration and ultimately between the students and trustees," said Nichols at the event at Rice Memorial Center's Grand Hall.

"That, I think, has endured, much to my shock, and I think it's done a lot of good," he said.

More than 120 students and alumni gathered to celebrate the GSA's rich history and continuing efforts to help Rice's 2,300 graduate students thrive by offering cultural and social activities as well as holding the university accountable for their well-being.

Rice President David Leebron told the assembly he's proud of the university's work on behalf of graduate students in recent years, including construction of the Rice Village Apartments, a reduction in the cost of medical care, new graduate programs in sociology and art history and increased stipends. "There is always work to be done, but I think that's a very good start," he said.

Paula Sanders, dean of graduate and postdoctoral studies, noted the first graduate student at Rice earned a doctorate in mathematics in 1918 -- and stayed to teach. "You are now, as you have always been, a fundamental part of this university and an essential part of this intellectual community," she said.

Julia Smith Wellner '01, former GSA president, current chair of the Graduate Alumni Committee and an assistant professor at the University of Houston, said the 30th anniversary celebration wasn't nearly as swanky as the 40th. "I'm afraid that was just a pizza party outside Valhalla," she quipped. "We made T-shirts, but that was just about it."

JEFF FITLOW
Environmental science and engineering graduate student Alison Contreras, left, who organized the 40th anniversary celebration, listens to speakers with other friends of Rice's Graduate Student Association at the Oct. 8 event.

Wellner told current graduate students it's important to maintain a connection to Rice. "Please stay involved with us, whether that means joining the Friends of Fondren, the 'R' Society or the Graduate Alumni Committee. Join Rice in whatever way is appropriate for you -- but don't disappear."

Last year's GSA president, Michael Contreras, raised a toast to Bob Patten, the L.S. Autrey Professor in Humanities, who has worked diligently on GSA's behalf since he was appointed to a three-year term as Graduate House master in 1993. Ever since, Patten has worked to maintain a sense of community among graduate students in ways that go above and beyond the call. Patten, on sabbatical, was unable to attend the celebration.

The GSA also introduced a history of the association by graduate student Laura Renée Chandler that will be available at http://gsa.rice.edu/. The book covers the GSA through its formation in the wake of Pitzer's resignation, when graduate students demanded a voice in the appointment of his successor, through recent efforts to increase the amount of family-friendly housing for students and acquire more space for meetings and events in Rice Memorial Center.

Current GSA President Kristjan Stone, a graduate student in physics and astronomy who rose through the organization's ranks, said the GSA has worked hard in recent years to bring international students into the fold by creating clubs and networking events to bring them out of their labs and into the larger community. "Among the events we have, there's something that almost everybody comes to," said Stone.

Alison Contreras, who coordinated the anniversary event and has served as the GSA's secretary and historian, said the organization has helped her most in navigating the complexity of earning a Rice degree. "It's helped me understand the inner workings of the administration at the university, the bureaucracy and the need to interact with people higher up," said the environmental engineering student. "You have to be able to work with not just the research side but also the administration. Along with the social aspects, that's what I've gotten the most out of GSA."