The purpose of the Graduate Student Organization (GSO) is to represent the interests and concerns of the graduate students of the Duke University Department of Physics; to facilitate the integration of new graduate students; and to promote social and academic interaction among fellow graduate students. The GSO meets several times throughout the Fall and Spring semesters.
The GSO consists of an executive committee that is elected every fall, and sub-committees appointed by the executive committee to handle specific issues. The executive committee includes at least six representatives, one each from every entering class of graduate students that has three or more members still in the department, and at-large representatives to make up the rest. The GSO has an elected President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer as well as an appointed Ombudsperson.
The GSO Ombudsperson receives complaints from graduate students concerning the department or the University. The Ombudsperson acts as a liaison between complainants and the relevant department or University representatives. The identity of the complainant is treated in a confidential manner unless the Ombudsman is granted specific permission by the complainant to act otherwise.
The sub-committees are a mix of students already on the executive committee and other interested graduate students. Though new sub-committees may be created as the need arises, the current sub-committees are: Faculty Relations, Social, Recruitment and Integration and Web/Technical. Any graduate student interested in joining a sub-committee should contact the current GSO president, whose e-mail can be found on the contacts page.