The Graduate and Professional Student Assembly has a new agenda and set of priorities for the semester, said Alina Badus, vice chair for communications for GAPSA.
One of the biggest policy priorities for the semester is the issue of increasing graduate student stipends at Penn
The stipend has been the central issue within the GAPSA Research Council for the last six months, SASgov GAPSA representative Lucas Champollion wrote in an e-mail.
Currently Penn's minimum stipend for research students - $18,300 per year - is among the lowest in the Ivy League.
"GAPSA is working with the Provost's office and with the dean's office of each graduate school to increase the amount of stipends. It needs to be competitive with our peer institutions," GAPSA chairman Dan Grabell said.
GradFest '08, an all-day event with activities tailored specifically to Penn graduate and professional students, will also be a central feature of the GAPSA calendar for the semester. It is currently scheduled for May 3.
"GradFest is our annual celebration of graduate students at Penn," Grabell said. The festival "allows graduate students to intermingle and celebrate one last time before the school year ends."
GAPSA is also working on the GAPSA-Provost's Award for Interdisciplinary Innovation, which partners with the Office of the Provost to award six summer fellowships to graduate and professional students aiming to integrate knowledge across disciplines.
"Each winner will receive $2,000 per summer month, so making around $6,000 per summer", Badus said.
As part of the PennConnects plan, GAPSA also hopes to develop affordable graduate student housing near campus, Grabell added.
