About Us
The AOE Graduate Student Assembly is a student organization catering to the graduate students of the Aerospace and Ocean Engineering Department at Virginia Tech. It serves the graduate community within the department by providing access and information about resources and opportunities available to graduate students, alongside promoting an inclusive and close-knit community through socials and semi-formal socio-academic opportunities for professional development.
Below are descriptions of different roles in the GSA. If you're interested in joining or helping out, feel free to contact us!
Board Member Roles
The main representative for the GSA, the president is the point-of-contact between the department and the GSA. They define the direction and priorities of the GSA with the help of the board members, run internal meetings, decide next actions, and liaison with AOE faculty for events and other duties. The president also serves as an elected senator for the AOE department in the GPSS, alongside another GSA member of the president's choosing.
The Vice President is responsible for double-checking that all aspects of a plan have been thought through and verifying that all actionable items have been completed by those responsible. They also represent the GSA with the President and are responsible for communicating GSA information to grad students.
The treasurer manages the GSA bank account and funds. They provide a brief financial report at each meeting, raise concerns if funds are running lower than expected for an event, and create the semesterly budget and spending reports.
The Secretary takes meeting minutes for board members to refer back to and for those unable to attend a meeting. They maintain all forms of documentation regarding the GSA.
The Social Media and Website Manager is responsible for the GSA's social media accounts on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X), including promoting and posting about events and keeping followers up-to-date with GSA happenings. They are also in charge of managing and updating the GSA website to ensure relevant and up-to-date information is available to grad students here.
The Newsletter Editor maintains and runs the monthly newsletter. Depending on the topics they want the newsletter to cover, this could include interviewing faculty and students.
While the Treasurer manages GSA funds, the Fundraising Lead is in charge of planning swag sales and fundraising events to expand what the GSA can do for students. Other Board Members and Volunteers help with the execution of these sales and events.
Additional Roles
The Event Coordinator plans events and manages their execution. This role can be rotated among both Board Members and Volunteers.
The GPSS Senators attend the GPSS Assembly meetings of the university under the vision of the President to represent graduate students in the AOE department, in addition to their usual GSA duties. The President serves as one senator, and the other is chosen from the board members by the President.
Volunteers help with events and other GSA matters as needed. They are encouraged and welcome to join the regular GSA meetings, though not required.