The Graduate and Professional Student Senate discussed improving their student experience with more readily available resources at their meeting Monday night.

The monthly meeting began with Dr. Martino Harmon talking about the services offered by the Iowa State University Division of Student Affairs.

He stressed the services available to graduate students as well as his commitment to graduate student success and to promoting positive values on campus. He also talked about the Student Affairs wellness initiative and emphasized his division’s dedication to graduate student health and well being.

Lisa Ludovico from the Iowa State Department of Residence (DOR) also talked about graduate student experiences and the housing situation on campus.

Ludovico said the DOR has not properly served the graduate student community in the past, but they are working on correcting that by creating graduate student housing communities. She also talked about how they are converting Wallace Hall, and in the future possibly Wilson Hall, into graduate student communities.

Schilletter Village was another area that could potentially be turned into a graduate student family housing community, Ludovico said.

Another graduate and professional student resource that can help those facing issues at Iowa State is peer coaching.

Deanna Clingan-Fischer and Linda Pei from the Iowa State University Ombuds Office gave a presentation about the graduate and professional student peer coaching and talked about all of its functions.

This service would offer graduate and professional students aid in working through any issues they may be facing while also being confidential. The service would include regular meetings between students and a peer coach.