Working for grad students
Graduate students don’t always get the recognition they deserve, but making sure they have the funding and tools they need to be successful was A.J. Rounds’ top priority this year.
“There’s nothing worse than telling a student we are out of funding for their research,” Rounds said. “That kills me every time.”
Rounds, the Associated Students of Utah State University graduate studies vice president and Graduate Student Senate president, has been selected as the 2005 Utah Statesman student leader of the year. A key player in the restructuring of both the GSS and the ASUSU Executive Council, Rounds has initiated long-term change for USU students.
“This is the beginning of real progress for our graduate students at Utah State University,” said Tiffany Evans, student leadership and involvement center adviser. “His diligence, his commitment, hard work and his thoughtfulness really make him an extraordinary leader.”
Tackling difficult issues such as health insurance, travel funds and stipends, Rounds has helped reenergize the GSS, Evans said.
“A.J. is one of the most natural leaders I’ve ever known,” said School of Graduate Studies Interim Dean Larry Smith. “He has put forward a very large number of ideas and initiatives to improve the quality of graduate student life.”
Twice as many graduate students participated in the school’s symposium this year. Legislation has been passed that will eventually allow graduate students to separate themselves and form their own student council.
Rounds said attendance at GSS meetings by senators is up from 25 percent last year to 90 percent this year, allowing the group to effectively pass legislation with representation from each college.
Next year, changes will continue as each college will have its own graduate student council, an important move because the graduate student experience varies so greatly from college to college, he said.
“It will make us more close-knit; help us collaborate research across the university,” he said. “The future looks very bright.”
ASUSUEC recently allocated $15,000 to the GSS for travel funds, thanks to a bill Rounds sponsored.
The funds are essential to the success of graduate students as many of them are required to travel, sometimes to other parts of the world, he said.
Rounds also helped to create a separate fund that will provide money for graduate students wanting to further their research, not just to present it.
“That kind of opportunity did not exist before this year,” Smith said. “He’s very creative.”
Rounds said obtaining support for academic needs from student government can be difficult.
“Student government is seen as effective when students are having fun,” he said, so a lot of emphasis is put on programming. “But graduate students are an integral part of growing revenues.”
And the needs of graduate students are different than those of undergraduates.
With international students making up the majority of graduate students, and with many graduate students supporting families, health insurance is a top priority, and key in recruiting students.
“At the current time, we don’t have a health plan specific to graduate students,” Rounds said. “This kind of change won’t happen over night.”
Smith said Rounds’ work on the issue has been critical.
“A.J. honestly struck me as indomitable; he was just never hesitant to propose an idea,” he said.
The work Rounds has done extends beyond his duties with GSS. Evans said Rounds has been a “calming influence” on ASUSUEC.
“Every proposal that he has had come before the table is very well thought out. He has done an excellent job at evaluating every side of a situation before commenting,” she said. “He is excellent at accepting constructive criticism and feedback to improve a proposal.”
Rounds said he feels the restructure of ASUSUEC was done in the best interest of students and will provide more opportunities for USU students to become involved in student government.
“I feel the restructuring went very, very well,” he said. “We looked at every possible aspect.”
Rounds will graduate this semester with a master’s degree in business. Outside of school, Rounds said loves to travel with his wife, Emily, go hiking and camping and play the guitar.
But hobbies have taken a back seat as school and his leadership positions have taken up most of his time, even preventing him from holding an outside job.
“I love it. I would fight for graduate students to the death,” he said. “They might not be very visible, but they are very crucial. They take the university to all nations and all parts of the country.”
Smith said Rounds hard work has not gone unnoticed.
“He’s just an absolute joy to work with – always thinking. He can see the big picture as well as paying attention to detail,” he said. “He’s just a very, very perceptive, compassionate leader who has cared very deeply about graduate students.”
-bnelson@cc.usu.edu