The Daily Lobo chatted with GPSA presidential candidate Lissa Knudsen about her views on Athletics, research and job hunting after graduation. Knudsen is the president of GPSA this year.
Daily Lobo: What do you think your main focus would be as president?
Lissa Knudsen: I’m thinking of an analogy of a wheel, and the center with all the spokes that come out of it. I see myself as a person who knows different groups on campus and off campus. I could be that center piece — I could be the connector that brings these groups together. So, in the next year we could form collations that are even stronger between student groups, undergraduates, graduates, community members, neighborhood associations, faculty and staff. I think the foundation has been laid; I feel like I have a really good relationship with both the faculty and staff councils and senates.
DL: GPSA had a special election concerning athletics last semester. What do you see happening in the future with those types of issues?
LK: If I’m re-elected, we will absolutely continue to do the same things that we did this year, as far as going back to the constituents — asking them they want. And then when they tell us, acting with courage and without hesitation on what they say they want to have happen. I wouldn’t have it any other way. I wouldn’t want anyone who was elected be more concerned about their résumé or their political connections than be willing to do what the students want.
With regards to Athletics, I have no idea what the future holds. … It’s unfortunate that they increased their salary budget since last year of all things. If they’d increased scholarships, or if they’d increased something that was in line with helping student-athletes graduate, that would be one thing. But to have even greater salaries in hard economic times, that just seems ridiculous to me. I’m not optimistic that things are going to get better if we don’t do anything. I do think that if students come together and a coalition is formed, and they continue to voice their concerns, I think things will absolutely get better.
DL: What do you think are a few issues that are most important to graduate students?
LK: Most people would really like financial support for research. … We have a graduate research development grant that we worked really hard this year trying to preserve funding while everything was getting cut left and right, and we were luckily able to preserve $60,000 for graduate funding research. Right now, Career Services is not meeting the needs of graduate students. I’m not even sure it can because I think that each department is specific. … When you go on the Web site for say, biology, you should be able to go through professor by professor and find out how many of the graduate students they work with get fellowships afterwards or are immediately hired after graduation. … Many people are concerned that if they graduate they won’t be able to get a job.
DL: What do you think your biggest success was last year as president?
LK: There are a few I’m proud of, but I would have to say the Student Fee Review Board was just something I’m very proud to be a part of. The undergraduate students were especially open this year and the whole team was very diligent and intelligent, putting in more than 100 hours and decisions that they came to I think were really in the best interests of the students. We were able to fund PNMGC — Project New Mexico for Graduates of Color, all three ethnic centers and the Office of International Programs with graduate student money alone.
DL: What are some differences between you and the other candidate?
LK: I have experience. I think that I understand the different groups on campus and I have relationships with the key opinion leaders and decision makers within those groups, on and off campus. I think that that’s really critical in order to effectively represent graduate students. I think that only comes from time and I don’t think you have to be president in order to have that, but I do think you have to be involved. I’d like to think that we’ll have somebody in this position who has been at regents meetings, who has attended GPSA council meetings, who goes to city council meetings, who is just active and involved and knows the structure and the people who are necessary to enact change.
