We will be electing four student representatives for three different positions at our first monthly meeting on September 1. You can still express interest and join the race for any of these positions by emailing gsapres@unmc.edu.
Here’s your chance to get to know the candidates! You can find statements from each candidate below. Make sure you attend the monthly meeting on September 1 to vote!
IGPBS Student Representative:
This representative advocates for students’ interests in matters related to the newly approved Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Biomedical Sciences.
- Tayla Heavican: I am a second year PhD student in the Pathology and Microbiology department. I currently serve as a social chair in Graduate Student Association (GSA) and am running for the IGPBS student representative position. I feel as though my involvement in GSA allows me to gather the opinions of a broader range of students that I could then convey to the involved faculty.
- Lizzi DelMain: I’m running for the IGPBS representative position because I feel it is important that the representative be a student who is a part of the IGPBS program — someone who is experiencing the transitions being made from the BRTP program first-hand. In the past I held officer/leadership positions (president, treasurer, and representative) in student organizations at the University of St. Thomas (MN), as well as in organizations outside UST, and now hope to represent IGPBS.
- Beth Clymer: I am a fifth year MD/PhD student in the Cancer Research Program. The IGPBS program has brought numerous positive changes to the UNMC graduate programs; however, there is still substantial work to ensure a smooth transition and guarantee students the best possible educational experience. I have worked with several of the IGPBS committee faculty in the past, and am confident I would provide a persuasive student voice on the committee if elected to represent you.
- Fany Iseka: I’m Fany Iseka, a 5th year graduate student from GCBA. I wanted to be part of our student body, develop more leadership skills and create more connections with other students. I’m a senior student and I have taken the BRTP courses (and did well), so I have an idea on what materials were helpful or not for my thesis work. I think I will be good at representing you and voicing your concerns about those courses.
GSA Secretary:
This GSA officer is responsible for circulating sign in sheets, recording and filing meeting minutes, handling some email correspondence, sending out weekly emails, and working with the rest of the GSA team to accomplish our goals.
- Scott Mulder: I feel compelled to run for the GSA secretary position because I want to become more integrated with the student body as well as ensure that everyone receives quality and timely information about all that GSA offers. I believe the experience I have garnered from leadership positions of organizations during my undergraduate (president, treasurer, secretary) has equipped me to serve the student body.
- Richard Sleightholm: I am in the G3 year of my MD/PhD, and I am working on a novel nanoformulation for drug delivery in pancreatic cancer. Helping out and getting involved on campus is something I want to do more of, and I think working with the GSA to help foster a more activity student body through activities and social gatherings would be a fun way to do so. I am a pretty easy going guy and would like to help out in any manner that I can. That is why I would like to help out with GSA and run for a committee position.
Grievance Committee:
We will be electing TWO people for this committee! We need one male and one female student from departments other than GCBA and PM (these departments already have representatives serving on the committee). Members of this committee may serve on a decision making panel if a student files a formal grievance.
- Margaret Taylor: I’m a third year graduate student who previously held a position in GSA as Social Chair. I’m interested in the grievance position because I have had exposure to student issues and I want to help students as best as possible.