This first quarter of being a member of the GSC has been filled with many challenges and learning opportunities.  There have been many instances where things did not work as planned, but eventually the objectives were completed.  Anytime you are managing public funds, there is going to be disagreement, whether you are in government at federal, state, or local level such as the GSC.  An instance of this was the revamping of our fund request packet.  It was hard to get agreement from every member of the GSC, but eventually we all worked to a compromise.  The objectives were clear for the revamping, to make the packet more inviting and to give further guidance on what projects or events grad students can apply for funding for.  This year the GSC has $11,333 to give out to grad students, and I intend to make every dollar count.  The next major project for the Finance and Strategic Planning Committee is to revamp the GSC Constitution.  Stay tuned as it should be ready by the end of the year.

Henry Lee, Masters of Public Administration Candidate 2012      

Happy New Year! With the arrival of 2011 comes the opportunity for new
beginnings and change. Year after year I find myself making New Year’s resolutions
with hopes of reforming certain habits and achieving new goals. USA.gov lists
common resolutions including: * Drink Less Alcohol,* Get a Better Education, * Get a
Better Job, * Get Fit, * Lose Weight, * Manage Debt, * Manage Stress, * Quit Smoking
Now, * Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle, * Save Money, * Take a Trip, and * Volunteer to
Help Others.

I find myself breaking these resolutions a few short weeks into January. This year
I did some research into how to be successful and make my resolutions last. An
article in USA Today (Dec 28, 2010) suggests beginning by setting realistic and
attainable goals with a specific action plan. It also suggests you go public with
your resolution, tell people about it and get social support. Monitor and track your
progress and reward your successes. Don’t expect changes to happen overnight, it
takes a few months for changes to become routine. A well thought out and planned
resolution can be achieved with a little work and commitment. Utilize the fresh
start of the New Year to make that change you’ve been wanting to make! 

Back in October, a delegation of SU students visited New Orleans to investigate the ongoing
effects of the BP Oil Spill that began in April. Throughout this weeklong expedition we were
exposed to a variety of different perspectives on the oil spill, and in the end we came away with
a more thorough understanding of one of the biggest environmental disasters in U.S. history and
some ideas for preventing such disasters in the future.

In meeting with representatives of various government agencies and public interest groups,
talking to affected communities, and seeing some of the environmental damage firsthand, one
thing became clear. At the root of the BP spill is Louisiana’s reliance on – and America’s
addiction to – oil as the primary source of energy. In Louisiana, the oil industry is a primary
economic driver, employing a substantial portion of the state’s population and contributing
heavily to state tax revenues. Any attempt to reign in oil companies by enacting tougher
environmental and safety regulations is met with hostility from the citizenry, the government,
and the industry itself. In the absence of meaningful regulation of the oil industry, disasters like
the BP spill will continue to occur.

The bleak outlook of internal, state, or federal intervention in Louisiana is somewhat
disheartening, but it is not the end of the story. The message we heard from a number of
different environmental groups and policy-makers was that alternative energy sources are the key
to solving the problems associated with the oil industry. In the case of Louisiana, state policies
create strong incentives for industries like oil to take root in the state. But these same policies
are equally friendly to other industries, as exemplified by the recent launch of a wind turbine
manufacturing plant. As one environmental activist pointed out, the gradual phasing out of the
oil industry does not have to be an economically crippling ordeal if other more sustainable and
productive industries are allowed to take hold. If growth in the wind, solar, and geothermal
sectors can help offset a decrease in oil production, the economic stranglehold that oil has on the
state will be weakened.

The trip was a fantastic and eye-opening experience for all the students who went. The gulf
coast is the poster-child for energy policy reform, and we in the Pacific Northwest and around
the nation can learn a great deal from the plight of New Orleans. The grad students who went on
the trip (two nursing students and two law students) each brought back a wealth of information
regarding the environmental effects of the spill, and we all have a new perspective on the future
of the oil industry in America.

Alec Osenbach, SU Law 

Contrary to popular thought, the best part about Grads @ The Garage was neither the Mac & Jacks nor the free appetizers (although both were fab). The Echo Room was filled with a mixture of students and the best part, in my humble opinion, was guessing what groups of people were from what school. In reflecting about this social event, I realized that something is missing from our graduate studies at SU.  

This placing game was wildly entertaining and served as a great icebreaker when mingling around. Funnily enough, I had the pleasure of meeting some students who were playing the very same game. We joined our forces and debated over what we saw. While more of our guesses were wrong than right, it was a fun way to laugh about all of our programs’ stereotypes, take a sociological look at how people interact, and bond over how much we really were more the same rather than different. While comparing notes about our respective studies, I also got a glimpse of my fellow peers before seeing them in the ‘real world,’ where I believe our paths will likely cross more frequently than not. I was humbled in learning about other’s experiences in their externships, internships, specializations, and seeing the all-around zeal people had for their chosen path of study.

And this is where my experience in the Echo Room hinted at something I believe should be a part of our graduate studies at SU, which is missing—cross-collaboration between disciplines. So many of society’s ills could be aided through cross-collaboration rather than competition between these various industries we are striving to be an integral part of.

I was encouraged and challenged—if we could get together and learn so much from each other within a few hours in a mere social setting, what could we do if we had the challenge to collaborate across disciplines, using the ‘real world’ as our play pen? One needs to not look further than the Seattle University Youth Initiative (http://www.seattleu.edu/suyi) for a way to make this kind of learning to become reality. Moreover, it would be a win-win for the community and our educational endeavors.

While we need to be the very best at our specialty we have chosen, why not also be the very best at contributing to society by embracing the countless opportunities cross-collaboration between disciplines holds for us, right here, right now??

The Graduate Student Council welcomes all new and returning graduate students to winter quarter with complimentary coffee and pastries at the SU Starbucks on 12th from 4 PM to 6 PM on Wednesday, January 12. Grab some well-deserved (free!) caffeine and sugar before classes and don't forget to bring a classmate or two--members of the GSC will be there to mingle and serve you these delicious treats!