SBU GSO NEWSLETTER #51
Happy Thursday, Seawolves! We hope that you are having a great week so far! Be sure to read our newsletters and follow us on Instagram at @stonybrook_gso to be updated on upcoming events.
Upcoming Events:
Dance Night
LACS Café
Panel on the Earthquake in Turkey
Donate a Dollar for Earthquake Victims in Turkey and Syria!
21st Annual Symposium in Neuroscience
Graduate Student Meet and Greet - hosted by the History Graduate Student Association
Galician Literature Day
Announcements:
Walter J. Hawrys Campus Recreation Center 1-Month Graduate Student Memberships
2023 GSO Executive Council Elections
LeetCode 1-Year Subscription Codes
Community Legal Help Project
Dance Night
Monday, April 24th
7:00 PM to 9:00 PM, SAC Ballroom A
Come join us for an unforgettable evening of rhythm and movement at our dance night event! Get ready to let loose and show off your best dance moves as we fill the room with high-energy music and an electric atmosphere.As usual, food and beverages will be provided!
LACS Café
Wednesday, April 26th
1:00 PM, LACS Gallery, N-320, SBS 3rd Floor
Panel on Earthquake in Turkey
Wednesday, April 26th
12:00 PM -2:00 PM, Frey Hall, Room 100 and Zoom
The earthquake that originated in Southern Turkey was one of the worst natural disasters of the region as a whole, leaving countless cities in ruin and resulting in more than 50 thousand people losing their lives. The rebuilding efforts in the region are still continuing, with many still homeless and without access to basic necessities. After the earthquake, many survivors were joined by volunteers in building solidarity centers and networks in order to survive and create a life where state aid could not reach in a timely manner. The consequences of the disaster, resulting from but not limited to the dynamics of the state's response and its insufficiencies are still developing. In this event, we will be joined by activists and scholars who have been active on the ground during the disaster, specialize in social movements, and continue to participate in the ongoing solidarity efforts to discuss experiences from the earthquake, the political consequences and roots of the devastation, the failure of institutions and autonomous solidarity.
Donate a Dollar for Earthquake Victims in Turkey and Syria!
Wednesday, April 26th - Friday, April 28th
12:00 PM - 5:00 PM, SAC Loop
The earthquake that originated in Southern Turkey was one of the worst natural disasters of the region as a whole, leaving countless cities in ruin and resulting in more than 50 thousand people losing their lives. The rebuilding efforts in the region are still continuing, with many still homeless and without access to basic necessities. After the earthquake, many survivors were joined by volunteers in building solidarity centers and networks in order to survive and create a life where state aid could not reach in a timely manner. The consequences of the disaster, resulting from but not limited to the dynamics of the state's response and its insufficiencies are still developing. In this event, we will be joined by activists and scholars who have been active on the ground during the disaster, specialize in social movements, and continue to participate in the ongoing solidarity efforts to discuss experiences from the earthquake, the political consequences and roots of the devastation, the failure of institutions and autonomous solidarity.
21st Annual Symposium in Neuroscience
Friday, April 28th
9:00 AM to 3:30 PM, SAC 169
The 21st annual Symposium in Neuroscience is an opportunity for the graduate students of the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior to fully plan, advertise, and execute an event - from start to finish. This year’s event will consist of a keynote lecture from this year’s guest speaker, Dr. Charles Zuker, from Columbia University, talks from some of our department’s senior graduate students, a graduate student poster session, and a diversity, inclusion, and equity panel. Dr. Charles Zuker is a professor of biochemistry, molecular biophysics and neuroscience at Columbia University, a professor at Columbia's Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, and an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Dr. Zuker was born in Arica, Chile. He earned his bachelor's degree from Universidad Catolica de Valparaiso in Chile and PhD degree with Dr. Harvey Lodish from MIT. He then joined Dr. Gerry Rubin's group at UC Berkeley as a postdoctoral fellow. Prior to joining Columbia University, Dr. Zuker was a distinguished professor at UC San Diego and a senior fellow at Janelia Research Campus. Dr. Zuker is recognized for his studies on how the brain represents our sensory experiences and how it transforms reception into perception. Over the past several years, his laboratory has identified the cells and receptors mediating all five basic taste qualities (sweet, sour, salty, bitter and umami), and helped uncover the logic of taste coding, both at the periphery and in the cortex. Dr. Zuker is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, and a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
Graduate Student Meet and Greet
Monday, May 1st
1:00 PM - 2:00 PM, SBS N320
Galician Literature Day
Wednesday, May 3rd
2:00 PM, Humanities Building
May 17 is the celebration of the Galician language, a celebration institutionalized in 1963 by the Royal Galician Academy (RAG) to honor an author for his or her work in defense and promotion of the Galician language and culture in Galicia. It began to be celebrated on 17 May 1963, coinciding with the centenary of the first edition of Cantares Gallegos, by Rosalía de Castro. On March 20, 1963, three members of the Royal Galician Academy (Manuel Gómez Román, Xesús Ferro Couselo and Francisco Fernández del Riego) presented in this institution the proposal to celebrate the 17th of May in order to collect the “material latex of the Galician intellectual activity”. This year, the Day of Galician Letters or Galician Literature Day (Día das Letras Galegas) is dedicated to one of them: Francisco Fernández del Riego. Without this decision and, therefore, without the participation of Fernández del Riego in making it, we would not have been able to celebrate 63 Galician authors and intellectuals to this day. It is worth mentioning that this number does not do justice to the number of writers who produce in this language (especially considering that only five women have been dedicated to this day), but it is a necessary recognition to demonstrate the quality of writing in Galician that persists and continues to resist the passage of time.
Walter J. Hawrys Campus Recreation Center 1-Month Graduate Student Memberships
The GSO is pleased to offer 1-month gym memberships to the Walter J. Hawrys Campus Recreation Center for graduate students at Stony Brook University! Please fill out this form with your information, and it will be reviewed and processed within a few business days.
To be eligible, you must:
- Be a matriculated GSO member (pay the $45 graduate student activity fee and have an active GSO senator)
- Have not already requested the max amount of fitness reimbursements from the GSO
- Utilize your gym membership at least 6 times within the subscribed month
To renew your monthly membership, you must have utilized your previous membership at least 6 times within the month. Visits will be verified via access records.
The deadline for filling out this membership form will be May 15th.
Please note: The GSO will not be reimbursing prior purchased memberships after March 27th.
2023 GSO Executive Council Elections
Dear Graduate Students,
As we approach the final stretch of the semester, it’s now time to cast your ballots for the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) Executive Council Election at Stony Brook University! Be the change you wish to see by getting involved and playing an important role in these critical decisions.
The Graduate Student Organization (GSO) Executive Council election is being held via SOLAR starting today, April 19 through Wednesday, April 26. In this election, you will vote for the GSO Executive Council and for the Student Activities Fee.
You can learn more about the candidates for the GSO Executive Council by visiting our website: https://www.stonybrookgso.org/election-candidates
Voting takes place on SOLAR, and you can only vote for one candidate per position (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer). To castyour vote, follow these steps:
1. Log into SOLAR
2. Click on Student Elections
3. Then click on “GSOELEC2023” to cast your vote
Voting is always important, but this year’s elections are especially important because, per SUNY policy, every 2 years, we must hold a referendum on whether or not the Student Activity Fee should be mandatory. Over the last 15+ years, students have voted to keep the Student Activity Fee mandatory, and the fee has remained at a constant $45 per semester.
The Student Activity Fee plays a vital role in student life on campus, funding student-led activities and initiatives, including but not limited to:
Grants and Reimbursements:
GSO funds over 8 different types of grants and reimbursement opportunities for graduate students that involve research conferences, professional development opportunities and research travel. Such grants include the Distinguished Travel Award, Professional Development Fund, Graduate Research Travel Reimbursement, etc. These grants allow students to attend and present their research and findings in academic conferences, and are open to all graduate students. See the GSO website for more information!
Graduate Clubs and Academic Department Funding:
GSO funds multiple graduate clubs and organizations, allowing students to participate in a variety of clubs including cultural, religious, academic, sports, leisure and performance. In addition, GSO provides funding to academic departments for graduate students to enhance the sense of community. These funds can be used for Department-wide trips, events, speaker series, academic lounge additions, or whatever can foster a graduate student community. In addition, graduate students have access to funds to host cultural/social events for the graduate community. Thanks to the Student Activity Fee, graduate students have access to funding, which allows them to participate in and host events that improve campus life.
Legal and Tax Resources:
GSO sponsors the Community Legal Help Project, which provides free limited legal advice and assistance with various legal matters which includes but not limited to immigration, child support, divorce, housing, bankruptcy, public benefits, health insurance education services and criminal records. In addition, through Sprintax, GSO provides free tax preparation services to international graduate students to help file their annual taxes. In addition, GSO funds tax clinics to help students answer any questions or concerns they have with the process.
Recreation, Social and Professional Development :
GSO has partnered with the Walter J Hawrys Campus Recreation Center at Stony Brook to directly provide graduate students with 1-month gym memberships, and you can apply through this form! In addition, GSO provides reimbursements to students with certain recreation and social costs such as gym memberships, cultural events, etc. to promote student life on and off campus. Professional development services such as certain coding programs and subscriptions to academic services, are reimbursable through GSO as well. As of now, GSO directly offers a 1-year LeetCode subscription to graduate students.
The Student Activity Fee is funded and managed by the students, for the students. This year, it’s in our hands, so make sure you cast your vote on SOLAR by Wednesday April 26!
Please feel free to reach out at haley.briggles@stonybrook.edu for any inquiries relating to the GSO Executive Council Election, and to President@sbgso.org regarding the Student Activity Fee.
Sincerely,
Manjot Singh, President
Haley Briggles, Chair of the Elections Committee
Graduate Student Organization
LeetCode 1-Year Subscription Codes
The GSO still has annual subscriptions to LeetCode! Leetcode is an online platform to practice your programming skills, expand your knowledge, and prepare for technical interviews. It has over 2,600 practice questions, support for over 14 programming languages, and an active community to help you with solutions. If you're interested, apply soon as codes are limited!
If you pay the $45 graduate student activity fee, have a GSO senator in your department, and are interested in access to a 1-year Leetcode subscription, please fill out this form. Please note that if you apply for this code, $100 will be deducted from your GSO Professional Development Fund max amount ($600). If you have already applied for a code in the Fall 2022 semester, you are currently not eligible for another code.
Please give our office time to verify your information and send you a code. Once you receive your code, please follow these instructions in order to redeem your subscription.
If you have any technical issues redeeming the code, please contact support@leetcode.com
If you have any additional questions, please contact your GSO senator or Monique at office@sbgso.org
Departments that have GSO representation are eligible for conference and recreation funding opportunities! If you don’t know if you are currently represented, please check our website: https://www.stonybrookgso.org/senators
If you are interested in getting involved with the GSO, we would love to have you! Please reach out to Monique at office@sbgso.org if you would like to become a GSO senator/representative in your department or if you have any questions or ideas for events. Follow us on our Instagram!
