The Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC) serves as a liaison group between English Department graduate students and the department administration. The 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 also runs annual elections to departmental and interdepartmental committees. These include the Composition and Literacy, Undergraduate Outreach, Community Outreach, and Career and Funding Resource Committees, along with the university-wide Graduate and Professional Students Organization (GPSO). By volunteering to serve on these committees, graduate students work with faculty members in making recommendations to the department about policies, procedures, and undergraduate and community relations.
GSAC organizes many events throughout the year, including the Fall Forum and an All-Department Meeting. We publish a student telephone directory, sponsor a peer mentor program for incoming grad students, and hold an annual book sale. GSAC sponsors fall, spring, and Halloween parties, as well as other social events during the year, to help people get to know one another and encourage collegiality in the department.