New GAPSA chair Corbett Brown plans to continue past projects | Audio

Listen to Corbett Brown discuss his plans for the year.

Last week, the Graduate and Professional Students Assembly elected its new executive board, which will take effect May 1.

Nursing Ph.D. student Corbett Brown, the new chairman, has been an assembly member since last September. He sat down with The Daily Pennsylvanian to discuss his goals for next year.

The Daily Pennsylvanian: Why did you run for GAPSA chairman?

Corbett Brown: I want to help better the environment the students have to live in and help them with their needs.

DP: Why are you qualified to represent Penn's graduate and professional students?

CB: Even though I am a research student, I am also a family nurse practitioner, [which] lends to me understanding of some of the ins and outs of both a professional student's career as well as a research student's career.

DP: What are your goals for next year?

CB: The main goal is to continue with the great work that [the] GAPSA exec board and assembly has accomplished this year. We are going to carry on with the initiative to work with graduate students who have families [and] international students ... not only their funding but of course, job placements and how the Troubled Assets Relief Program funds have affected that.

DP: What projects are currently in progress?

CB: Lee Solomon, the new vice chair of the exec board ... formed the campus climate survey that we are going to use to gauge the needs of the graduate and professional students ... on a more objective scale.

DP: What new projects are being planned?

CB: One of the main things we would like to do is continue the evolution of GradFest. The component that we are looking to add for this next year, if possible, is a service component that allows the graduate and professional students to show their involvement within the community.

DP: How would you describe GAPSA's presence on campus?

CB: I would describe GAPSA's presence on campus as increasing. ... The past exec board has done a great job in helping to expand the knowledge of GAPSA on campus. ... We want to continue that trend.

DP: What major obstacles does GAPSA face?

CB: The biggest hindrance to our progress is still the communication. ... There is such an inundation of different e-mails and advertisements ... [GAPSA's are] just one of the quick deletes. But I would recommend that people take the time to look over the GAPSA e-mails and find the things that we have planned for their needs and ... for increasing the social aspect of their time.

DP: Is there anything else you would like to say to students?

CB: [I would like to] invite students from different ... programs throughout the University to be an active part of GAPSA ... so that we can have people who can express the needs of their colleagues to us because that is what we are here for - we are here to listen and learn and help.

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