The Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC) serves as a liaison group between English department graduate students and the department and university administrations. The Chair, Associate Chair, and the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) rely on GSAC to relate the concerns of the graduate students, and students use the committee to help address particular problems they might be having in the department, such as questions about teaching assignments, committee work, and exam requirements.

GSAC’s core committee is made up of seven officers elected by their fellow graduate students: the President, Communications Chair, Conference Chair, Professionalization Chair, Social Chair, Mentorship Chair, and Pedagogy Chair. In addition to the core committee, GSAC also includes several subcommittees and liaisons. These include the Research, Career and Funding, Social, and Pedagogy Committees, along with the MFA (the department’s Creative Writing Program), GPSG (the university-wide Graduate and Professional Student Government), Belonging & Community, and International Student Liaisons. By volunteering to serve on these committees, graduate students work with faculty members in making recommendations to the department about policies, procedures, and community relations.

GSAC organizes many events throughout the year, including monthly meetings open to all English graduate students, an annual departmental town hall, and a Graduate Studies Conference. We run a peer mentor program for incoming graduate students, and hold semesterly book sales. GSAC also holds several social events during the year, including a Halloween party and GradBash, to help people get to know one another and encourage collegiality in the department.

For more information, please contact Beverly Hankins (bhankins@iu.edu), who will help connect you with the current GSAC team.

View the GSAC Constitution