SBU GSO NEWSLETTER #53
Happy Wednesday, Seawolves! On behalf of the Graduate Student Organization, we would like congratulate the Class of 2023 on your upcoming graduation!
Announcements:
Graduate Student Activity Fee Referendum
Spring 2023 Distinguished Travel Award - Accepting Applications
Walter J. Hawrys Campus Recreation Center 1-Month Graduate Student Memberships
LeetCode 1-Year Subscription CodesCommunity Legal Help Project
Graduate Student Activity Fee Referendum
Dear Graduate Seawolves,
Last month we held the Graduate Student Organization elections, which included a referendum to decide if the Graduate Student Activity Fee should remain mandatory. Due to a technical error in the voting system, we must hold this referendum again. The issue has now been resolved, so we request that you cast your vote on this important matter.
As a reminder, per SUNY policy, the graduate student body must vote in a referendum every two years to determine if the Student Activity Fee should remain 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.
Voting takes place on SOLAR. To cast your vote, follow these steps:
2. Click on Student Elections
3. Then click on “2023GSOREF” to cast your vote
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 Hawrys Campus Recreation Center at Stony Brook to 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 Friday May 19.
Please feel free to reach out to Secretary@sbgso.org or President@sbgso.org for any inquiries regarding the Student Activity Fee.
Sincerely,
Manjot Singh, President
David O’Donoghue, Chair of the Elections Committee
Graduate Student Organization
Spring 2023 Distinguished Travel Award - Accepting Applications
Dear Graduate Students,
The Graduate Student Organization (GSO) is still accepting applications for the Distinguished Travel Award (DTA) Spring 2023 cycle. The deadline for the Spring 2023 application cycle is Friday, June 2nd, 2023 at 11:59PM ET. All required application materials must be submitted by this date. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be considered.
The DTA is a special line of funding co-funded by the Stony Brook Graduate School and the Graduate Student Organization (GSO), designed to provide financial support for graduate students presenting their work at professional conferences, meetings, and exhibitions, or performing at concerts, festivals, and other venues that enhance the national and international reputation of their department and the University. Applications are reviewed by a committee of graduate students from multiple disciplines. Awards are determined based on the quality of the applicant’s submitted information and the described impact of their work, both within their field and academia.
Eligibility:
Applicants must be currently enrolled at Stony Brook University and be in good standing in a graduate program. A student may receive this award only once during their academic career at Stony Brook University. Award recipients will be reimbursed after their conference or performance. Award amounts will not exceed $1,750. Access to GSO funding is contingent upon having an active GSO Senator in your department and payment of the Graduate Student Activity Fee.
How to Apply:
The DTA application should be submitted one semester in advance of the event in which the applicant is planning to participate. This is to ensure that applicants are informed whether funding will be available to them for the event. The Spring 2023 DTA application cycle will provide funding for events occurring in the second half of the 2023 calendar year: July 1st to December 31st, 2023. You can find the application forms and submission links here.
If you have any questions, please feel free to direct them to speaker@sbgso.org.
LeetCode 1-Year Subscription Codes
The GSO still has annual subscriptions to LeetCode remaining! 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
Community Legal Help Project
We are pleased to announce the Community Legal Help Project, a free service offered in collaboration with the GSO and the FSA. Please see the attached flier for information on the provided services, and how to get started. Students with legal issues outside of the scope of the Community Legal Help Project can continue to contact Rob at speaker@sbgso.org for our ongoing legal services for this semester.
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!