After 9 years at U., Goldstein tapped to to head GAPSA

The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly unanimously elected Wharton graduate student and current GAPSA Vice-Chairperson for Nominations Michael Goldstein as its next chairperson last week. Unlike GAPSA elections in past years, this year more than one candidate ran for the GAPSA chairperson-elect position. However, GAPSA School of Social Work representative Celeste Yeager officially withdrew her candidacy at the start of Thursday's meeting, saying that last night that her plans for next year, personal and academic, were "up in the air." According to current GAPSA Chairperson Susan Garfinkel, the tremendous amount of time required to be chairperson accounts for its unpopularity among graduate students, many of whom are already overburdened with work. "I feel my personal studies have suffered this year," Garfinkel said. "The chair needs to be in a position to have the flexibility to spend the time with GAPSA and to also want to do it." Garfinkel added that one of the issues for the upcoming year will be to decrease the time commitment the chairperson must make and to get the administration to take on more responsibility for graduate student programming. According to Yeager, her candidacy, along with the open forum held before the election, helped Goldstein and GAPSA members focus on both candidates' expectations. "I think the process of having someone run against him has made him more clear in his focus and more accountable to his constituents, has made GAPSA more clear about next year, and has made members more clear about leadership," Yeager said. Goldstein, who first came to the University as an undergraduate in 1982, has served on the University Council, the Trustee Committee for Student Life, and the Safety and Security Committee since coming to the University as a graduate student in 1988. He also served as GAPSA vice-chairperson for special projects last year. Goldstein said his largest concern for next year is to continue the interaction between graduate schools. He said GAPSA should also work on lowering health insurance premiums, on getting Escort Service to go down to Center City because of the large number of graduate students living there, and on getting graduate student opinion into the racial harassment policy. Goldstein said he was pleased to have been elected, saying it is a product of his long ties to the University. "You can't be here this long and not be attached," Goldstein said. "I am pleased and honored that the graduate students of what I think is the finest University in the nation gave me this opportunity. It's a little bit scary, but I'm looking forward to it." According to Garfinkel, because of GAPSA bylaws, the chairperson must be elected at the meeting prior to the election of other executive board members. The elections for the remaining seven positions will be held at the GAPSA meeting at the end of the month and installed in early May.

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.