The Graduate and Professional Student Senate discussed Monday night the best course of action to take regarding the concerns of students following the events at the Cy-Hawk football game Sept. 12.

Sen. Juan Duchimaza Heredia discussed an incident when an individual ripped a protester’s sign. Heredia said that individuals will be meeting with President Steven Leath on Tuesday morning to organize an open forum that will take place at a later date.

A Senate resolution passed at 93 percent in support of safety education and empowerment of all ISU community members. This resolution comes in response to the protest. GPSS recognizes the need for continued efforts to create and maintain a climate of inclusion. Senators are encouraged to bring action items and concerns to all diversity and inclusion discussions. The resolution will be sent on the senators’ behalf to Leath, Tom Hill, David Holger, Martino Harmon, Robert Wallace, the Board of Regents, The Ames Tribune, The Des Moines Register and The Iowa State Daily.

“Our goal is to improve life on campus and inclusivity for all students,” Duchimaza Heredia said. “Our first step is to meet with President Leath and go from there. You all have responsibilities as Cyclones to make this place a place you want to be.”

He encouraged students and senators to join the meeting with Leath once it has been planned.

At the request of senators, Karin Lawton-Dunn, career services coordinator for the graduate college, spoke about building a brand focused on how to connect, discover and grow as a graduate student. She said the most important thing for graduate students to do while they are in school is to build their network.

“Academia and non-academia all need to have LinkedIn,” Lawton-Dunn said. “As employers look for potential employees with Ph.D.s or post-doctoral degrees, the positions they look for become very targeted.”

Networking and social media presence aside, Lawton-Dunn encouraged graduate students to take advantage of the Cyclone Career Strategy, a 10-hour, self-directed plan designed to help graduate students start to look at their prospective career options.

Lawton-Dunn said there is “never an end for the opportunity to learn,” which is why workshops, presentations and information interview services will be offered for graduate students as a way to fine tune their skills. She also said that although Career Fairs are generally focused on undergraduate students, it’s a great way for graduate students to make connections.

Iowa State’s Career Fair will feature a free photo booth specifically for LinkedIn headshots, which Lawton-Dunn said is incredibly vital to a profile.

“You should be dressed up anyway, so it’s a great way to get a headshot for free,” she said.

The ongoing issue of equal representation in the Senate was also reopened Monday night. The Senate currently appoints senators by department, rather than major. However, some majors do not belong to one specific department, or belong to more than one.

Next year, no interdepartmental majors will be included in the senate, making representation in the senate equal between each department, but not between every major. Graduate students are strongly encouraged to contact their senators regarding this issue and how they would like it solved.

GPSS will have its next meeting at 6 p.m. Oct. 26 in the South Ballroom of the Memorial Union.