The gavel bang ending Tuesday night's Graduate Student Union meeting symbolized more than just the conclusion of a meeting. Outgoing president Mark Buckles handed over command of the GSU to newly elected president Gabriela Burgos and her vice president Kishori Deshpande.

"I officially hand the committee over to our new president and vice president," Buckles said at 8:30 p.m.

"It was a great pleasure working with you all," said Alexander Samuel, outgoing vice president and Burgos's opponent in the election. "I want to personally thank each and everyone of you — you were willing to sacrifice a little bit of your time to help the GSU."

"We wish we could have done better. We made some ground on computer clusters, healthcare and social life," Samuel said, challenging the new administration to continue the work Buckles and he started.

Burgos and Deshpande plan to follow up on many of these policies, including options for healthcare and a graduate student center.

"We are really enthusiastic. We don't want to let go of what you did," Burgos told the committee. "Mark has already agreed to help us on the [healthcare] issue."

The two quickly jumped full force into their term by announcing the three main points of their platform: improving new student orientation, fostering a better rapport between students and faculty and focusing on job placement for graduate students.

Burgos and Deshpande plan to establish programs meant to ease the transition that students face entering graduate school. They also hope to make this change easier on students' spouses and their children.

"For married students we came up with something like a dentist day where kids can go and get a free checkup or sports activities," Deshpande said. "It will give us a better life for students and their families."

She told The Observer her administration intends to implement mentoring programs, greater communication between incoming students and their more seasoned counterparts, and talks by professionals about issues like stress management.

In an attempt to cement stronger student-faculty relations, Deshpande proposed getting the two groups together via formal dinners and athletic events.

The administration also expressed concern over graduate students finding work after completing their studies. They plan to network with previous grad students who are now employed, offer workshops emphasizing corporate etiquette and work with the Career Center to establish programs geared specifically toward graduate students.

"I felt like some of the issues needed to be addressed," said Deshpande, explaining her decision to run for vice president. "Instead of being on the outside, I wanted to be a part of the team."

"It is my desire to serve the graduate student community," said Burgos. "This is an excellent opportunity to form a channel of communication between faculty and students."

While Burgos and Deshpande outlined their agenda, they also expressed a desire to receive advice from their fellow students and the University departments.

"We would really like to know how the committee members and students feel," Deshpande said. "We would like to get feedback from the students."

"We're really thrilled to be here," Burgos said. "We are new here and willing to learn."

GSU president Burgos is a native of Mexico City and attended the University of LaSalle. This is her third year at Notre Dame working toward a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

Deshpande, the vice president, is from India and graduated from UDCT in Bombay. She has been at Notre Dame for a year and a half and is also working on a Ph.D. in chemical engineering.

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