As one of the most active graduate associations on the UCR campus since the 1980s, the Graduate Students in English Association (GSEA) is run by and for all English graduate students. The GSEA co-sponsors an annual Graduate Student Conference. Over 100 attendees from various countries attended this year’s conference, (dis)junctions, held April 9 and April 10, 2004.

Specific highlights from the event included two keynote speakers and the film festival (Cin(e)tax) which has doubled in size in its two years. The (dis)junction co-chairs were Merry Mariano and Zina Rodriguez and the Cin(e)tax Committee were Julian Felix, Michael LeBlanc, Ryan Randall, and Nick Valdez.

In addition to the conference, the GSEA runs a number of activities during the course of the academic year and provides its members with a scope of academic, professional, and social opportunities. The association features talks and films, produces a creative writing journal, allows members to participate in professor job search involvement, and advocacy. The GSEA also organizes an annual directory of faculty and graduate students and funds mini-grants to partially defray conference travel expenses. Among the other events, parties, outings, and quarterly coffees are integral to the association’s activities.

The GSEA also sponsors a mentoring program for incoming graduate students, helps with orientation, and organizes graduate students' roles in recruiting applicants and admits to the program.

The GSEA officers and representatives serve for one academic year. This year’s officers served from July 1, 2003 through June 30, 2004. Listed below are its current officers and representatives:
Beth Ptalis, President
Tony Luu, Vice-President
Michael Moreno, Secretary
Lauren Hollingsworth, Treasurer
Representatives: Ericka Allen, Merry Mariano, and Joe Noterangelo

The association will welcome the 2004-2005 officers and representatives:
Joanna Scott, President
Jenni Keys, Vice-President
Julian Felix, Secretary
Nick Valdez, Treasurer
Representatives: Chrissy Crockett, Rachel Gardner, and Ryan Randall

Current President Beth Ptalis added that GSEA members tend to be involved with other organizations on campus. Three GSEA members will also be Graduate Student Association (GSA) officers for the 2004-2005 academic year.

If you would like more information on the Graduate Students in English Association (GSEA) or the Department of English, please visit the department’s respective web-site at http://www.english.ucr.edu/gsea/