{"621062":{"#nid":"621062","#data":{"type":"news","title":"5 Things to Know About Path Forward Progress","body":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EHenderson Johnson wants to get graduate students more involved in campus life. That\u0026rsquo;s why he became involved with the campuswide initiative A Path Forward \u0026mdash; Together.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I love this university, and I can offer feedback as a grad student and undergraduate alum,\u0026rdquo; said Johnson, a third year Ph.D. student in Aerospace Engineering. Johnson is part of the Path Forward Advisory Group, which includes faculty, staff, and students. \u0026ldquo;When I worked with the Graduate Student Government Association, the goal was not to forget grad students when planning events. These new objectives are going further to integrate this group of students into the campus community.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EIn 2017, Path Forward was created by President G.P. \u0026quot;Bud\u0026quot; Peterson following the death of undergraduate student Scout Schultz. The goal of the initiative is to identify specific things that can be done to better meet campus needs in the areas of student and community life, academics, and health and well-being.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EHere\u0026rsquo;s what you need to know about how Path Forward\u0026rsquo;s work is impacting grad students.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EMore Is Being Done to Include You in the Campus Community\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EMaking grad students feel like they\u0026rsquo;re part of the Tech community is a priority that has stemmed from the initiative. And a variety of events and programs have been developed to address the need. \u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor example, in August, Georgia Tech hosted its first Graduate Student Welcome for all incoming grad students. Also, a one-credit-hour Grad Groups orientation course was created to help students settle into life at Tech. (The course covers topics including stress management strategies, advice on professional development, and working with advisors and mentors.)\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAnother new addition was \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/grad-student-appreciation\u0022\u003EGrad Student Appreciation Week,\u003C\/a\u003E which took place April 1-5. Over the course of the week, grad students were celebrated across campus at events including a brunch, picnic, and an alumni panel that focused on life after Tech.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003ENew LGBTQIA Resources Are Available\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EPath Forward has also resulted in revamped LGBTQIA resources. In August, the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/lgbtqia.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ELGBTQIA Resource Center\u003C\/a\u003E moved to a larger space in the Smithgall Student Services Building. Now, the center is able to offer more opportunities including monthly Queer Coffeehouses and Out at Work workshops on navigating the job market as an LGBTQIA student.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026nbsp;In addition, Camilla Brewer was hired as the coordinator of the center.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;The addition of the center and my position were monumental in showing support for LGBTQIA students, faculty, and staff,\u0026rdquo; Brewer said. \u0026ldquo;The ability to have a physical gathering space to go to and attend programs allows Tech LGBTQIA communities to feel as though they are seen, heard, and valued on campus.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EThere\u0026rsquo;s also been progress that extends beyond the center. Inclusive bathroom signs have been installed across campus, and you can now display your chosen name on the front of your BuzzCard.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EThere Is Increased Focus on Mental Health Resources\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EImproving the mental health supports available to students has also received a great deal of attention. The \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.counseling.gatech.edu\u0022\u003ECounseling Center\u003C\/a\u003E has hired a new director, Carla Bradley, and now offers after-hours counseling services by phone. Outside of counseling, students now have access to WellTrack, a self-help app that helps manage stress and regulate emotions. And a new Let\u0026rsquo;s Talk program provides informal, drop-in counseling in the Communication Center on Mondays from 10 a.m. to noon.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;I\u0026rsquo;m particularly excited about the planned start-up of GT CARE \u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;Georgia Tech\u0026rsquo;s Center for Assessment, Referral, and Education \u0026mdash; which will open this summer,\u0026rdquo; Bradley said. \u0026ldquo;GT CARE will serve as the primary access point to the many mental health and wellbeing opportunities offered here at Tech, and will be located in the Smithgall Student Services Building.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EYour Feedback Matters\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAn emphasis is also being placed on asking for more student feedback. Want to give more feedback regarding your professors and classes? The \u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.academiceffectiveness.gatech.edu\/resources\/cios\/\u0022\u003ECourse Instructor Opinion Survey\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;(CIOS) form now has a question on inclusivity in class and lets students give feedback directly to their professors.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EAlso, grad students have a chance to complete the \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/grad.gatech.edu\/gradsurvey2019\u0022\u003E2019 Grad Experience Survey,\u003C\/a\u003E which is open through mid May. The survey offers you an opportunity to share feedback on topics including advising, financial support, and stress \u0026mdash;\u0026nbsp;and the information will be used to improve grad student experience at Tech. \u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EPlanning for the Future\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EJust because Path Forward\u0026rsquo;s official work will come to a close in June, the improvements that have resulted from the initiative will not.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor example, to help grad students better deal with financial stress, Path Forward is reviewing stipend policies. Space is being reserved in the new Student Center for a bigger and better LGBTQIA Resource Center, and a new gender-inclusive housing plan is in the works for campus residence halls.\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003E\u0026ldquo;We\u0026rsquo;re making sure that these changes are permanent,\u0026rdquo; Johnson said. \u0026ldquo;We hope that when we\u0026rsquo;re improving campus in the future, we won\u0026rsquo;t have to solve the same problems again.\u0026rdquo;\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n\r\n\u003Cp\u003EFor more about Path Forward\u0026rsquo;s progress, visit \u003Ca href=\u0022http:\/\/www.president.gatech.edu\/path-forward-together\u0022\u003Epresident.gatech.edu\/path-forward-together\u003C\/a\u003E.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","summary":null,"format":"limited_html"}],"field_subtitle":"","field_summary":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003EFind out how Path Forward is improving campus life for grad students.\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"field_summary_sentence":[{"value":"Find out how Path Forward is improving campus life for grad students."}],"uid":"34838","created_gmt":"2019-04-29 19:12:50","changed_gmt":"2019-04-29 20:15:28","author":"asiebold3","boilerplate_text":"","field_publication":"","field_article_url":"","dateline":{"date":"2019-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","iso_date":"2019-04-29T00:00:00-04:00","tz":"America\/New_York"},"extras":[],"hg_media":{"597238":{"id":"597238","type":"image","title":"A Path Forward","body":null,"created":"1507745022","gmt_created":"2017-10-11 18:03:42","changed":"1507745022","gmt_changed":"2017-10-11 18:03:42","alt":"graphic","file":{"fid":"227633","name":"a_path_forward.jpg","image_path":"\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/a_path_forward.jpg","image_full_path":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/a_path_forward.jpg","mime":"image\/jpeg","size":51485,"path_740":"http:\/\/hg.gatech.edu\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/740xx_scale\/public\/images\/a_path_forward.jpg?itok=9NpTY6PH"}}},"media_ids":["597238"],"related_links":[{"url":"http:\/\/president.gatech.edu\/path-forward-together","title":"Path Forward "}],"groups":[{"id":"221981","name":"Graduate Studies"}],"categories":[{"id":"129","name":"Institute and Campus"}],"keywords":[{"id":"1808","name":"graduate students"}],"core_research_areas":[],"news_room_topics":[],"event_categories":[],"invited_audience":[],"affiliations":[],"classification":[],"areas_of_expertise":[],"news_and_recent_appearances":[],"phone":[],"contact":[{"value":"\u003Cp\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022mailto:autumnsiebold@gmail.com\u0022\u003EAutumn Siebold\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cbr \/\u003E\r\nOffice of the Vice Provost for Graduate Education and Faculty Development\u003C\/p\u003E\r\n","format":"limited_html"}],"email":[],"slides":[],"orientation":[],"userdata":""}}}