The Graduate and Professional Student Senate and the Graduate College welcomed new graduate students to orientation Sept. 4 at the ISU Alumni Center.  

The event provided graduate students new to Iowa State the opportunity to learn about the variety of programs and services available to them through the university.

Arko Provo Mukherjee, GPSS president, said the orientation was necessary because graduate students have different needs than undergraduates.

“Graduate students have very unique requirements compared to undergraduates,” Mukherjee said. “Some of them might have families. Some of them are older and most of them stay off campus. So things like knowing legal services will look over their lease for free are important.”

Representatives from GPSS, the Graduate College, Student Services, the Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching, Legal Services, Health Services and Parks Library were on hand to answer any questions for the students.

Mukherjee also sees Sept. 4’s orientation as great networking opportunities for graduate students, along with the GPSS sponsored fall social Sept. 5 at Brookside Park.

“The most important thing is to network with other students,” Mukherjee said. “It really helps in graduate education to know people who have other perspectives of your work.”

Administration representatives encouraged the students to become involved in the ISU community.

“Get excited about something,” said Tom Hill, senior vice president for student affairs. “We have a lot of services that are available to you. Use them.”

Jonathan Wickert, senior vice president and university provost, said being a graduate student in a new place can be a difficult and overwhelming time.

“I think this is a great program,” Wickert said. “In a very short period of time, [the event] shows new students all the different opportunities that are there for them.” 

According to Wickert, the graduate school at Iowa State has grown to nearly 5000 students, a 200-student increase from 2013.

Steven Mmade, student in agriculture and biological systems engineering, traveled more than 8,600 miles from Botswana to Ames. Mmade said he chose Iowa State because of the quality of the education.

“I did a lot of searching,” Mmade said. “I came across Iowa State and one thing that intrigued me is that the [agriculture and biological systems engineering] department is ranked No. 3 in the nation. I couldn’t pass that up.”

GPSS will have its next open meeting Sept. 29 in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

Mukherjee said it would renew discussion of new rules for grant allocations for graduate students and consider adding a seventh member to the executive branch of the GPSS next year.

According to Mukherjee, the seventh member is needed to lessen the load on executives. He said salaries would be adjusted, but no new funding would be required.

GPSS will be hosting its fall social from 5 to 8 p.m. Sept. 5 in Brookside Park. Graduate students and friends are encouraged to attend.