Graduate Student Organization (GSO)

The Graduate Student Organization is a student-run organization serving graduate students in the department. It organizes social events to bring graduate students in Sociology together, provides programming to meet graduate student needs, and serves as a bridge between the graduate student body and the administration. GSO meetings are held periodically throughout the year.

GSO Executive Committee

The GSO Executive Committee is made up of those individuals serving in the other elected GSO positions including the Representatives on the Committee on Higher Degrees (2), the Graduate Admissions Committee (2), the Tenure-Track Faculty Search Committee (2 in years with a Tenure-Track Faculty search), and the Graduate Student Council (2). The Executive Committee is headed by the GSO President or Co-Presidents. In addition to their specific Department committee duties, these individuals are expected to attend GSO meetings throughout the year, adding their voices to discussions about GSO policy issues, and casting votes in GSO Executive Committee decision-making. In addition to representing the particular interests of the Department committees they represent (e.g., Prospective Student interests, etc.), the Executive Committee members are also the voices of the GSO ad-hoc subcommittees they oversee and the democratically chosen representatives of the current graduate student body and its interests. As the representatives of graduate student interests in GSO governance, GSO Executive Committee members are all selected through direct election by the GSO membership.

2024-2025 GSO Officers & Representatives

Co-Presidents: Hannah Castner, Nayun Eom
Social Chair: Amber Smith 
Colloquium Committee: Melissa Hernández Jasso, Yinan Wang
Committee on Higher Degrees (CHD): Melissa Hernández Jasso, Jessica Urzúa
Committee on Undergraduate Studies (by appointment): Yinan Wang
Graduate Admissions Committee: Hannah Castner, Nayun Eom
Senior Faculty Search: Clem Aeppli, Yinan Wang
Tenure-Track Faculty Search: Catharina O’Donnell, Aleksei Opacic
Committee for Inclusion and Professionalism: Hannah Craig, Clayton Covington
Graduate Student Council (GSC) Representatives: Aaron Brennen Benavidez (Sociology); Jessica Urzúa (Sociology & Social Policy), and tbd (Organizational Behavior)
Committee for Engaged Sociology: Aaron Benavidez (Co-Chair), D. A. Evrard (Co-Chair), Hana Kim (Co-Chair), Johnny Smith (Co-Chair), and Elena G. van Stee (Co-Chair)
Professional Development: Bok Pedagogy Fellow (by appointment): N/A for 2024-25
Bok/Departmental Writing Fellow (by appointment): Jane Choi (Fall 2024 only); Siobhan Greatorex-Voith (Spring 2025 only)
Coffee Tsars: Rui Chen and Johnny Smith

The GSO has voted to endorse the Harvard Teaching Campaign's petition calling for a cap of 12 students per section. This proposed cap on section size bears significantly on teaching workload and teaching availability for graduate students. More information on the Harvard Teaching Campaign can be found here.