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Friday, January 31, 1997

Many grad students hardly have time to think, let alone run a student government. But, somehow, GSA President Chris Tymchuk finds the time.By A.J. Harwin

Daily Bruin Contributor

hile most South Campus graduate students can barely make the time to get out of the lab for a soda, Chris Tymchuk spends between 60 and 80 hours a week juggling his class and research schedule ­ and manages to also deal with his duties as the president of the Graduate Students Association (GSA).

Unlike the more active undergraduate government, GSA has struggled to get participation by graduate students. Tymchuk, a third-year physiological science student, has made the effort since beginning his term last June to try to solve the problem of getting more graduates involved in student government, and meanwhile find an area in which graduate students have some common ground and concern.

"There are political issues such as affirmative action and fees that people rally around, but sometimes graduate students just don't care," Tymchuk said. "They're busy with their research, teaching and jobs to support themselves. So I was thinking that if we were to bring (student government) to them, they would respond. And that hasn't panned out as well as I would of hoped."

Tymchuk originally got involved in student government in order to have an organization in the physiological sciences department that represented the graduate students.

After getting the department organized and registered, Tymchuk became president of his graduate student department during the 1994-95 year. From there, he ran for GSA president.

"There was need for leadership in GSA at the presidential level and the vice presidential level," Tymchuk said. "I saw an opportunity to step into that."

One of Tymchuk's goals has been to encourage graduate students to get involved with volunteer programs in addition to getting graduate students involved in their government.

But Tymchuk's main obstacles have been getting not only graduate students to come to GSA-sponsored events, but also getting department representatives to come to GSA forums.

"One of the problems is that there has not been a high rate of turnout in the past," Tymchuk said. "People don't understand what GSA does, why it's there, what resources it offers to graduate students."

Among the things that GSA has done for students was to invite businesses from off-campus last fall to an orientation to offer students networking opportunities with the business leaders.

GSA also held a meeting to hear graduate students' concerns in the search for a new chancellor.

"Chris has been a diligent president whose primary focus has been the ability of the GSA to demonstrate to its constituents the importance of GSA to them," said Jerry Mann, student union and student support services director.

Recently, Tymchuk met with the graduate student body president at USC to come up with ideas of how UCLA graduate students could work on research programs with students at USC.

"One of things we talked about was a combined UCLA/USC research conference," Tymchuk said. "I think this is a great idea, considering the fact that there are two major research universities in Los Angeles that have very little interaction; it would be really useful, especially at the graduate and professional level to share work and ideas."

In regards to his leadership during the Student Association of Graduate Employees (SAGE) strike, he earned high regards from SAGE lead organizer Mike Miller.

"Chris has done a great job as GSA president fighting for the rights as students and a great job being supportive to SAGE to the extent it was appropriate to his position," Miller said. "He was exemplary in his ability to separate student and employee issues. I hope he runs again."

But Tymchuk has been focusing more on the present than making future plans to run for GSA president again. While he has been able to get seats on the Academic Senate and other councils filled, GSA has been focusing more on internal problems regarding getting a sufficient number of council members to show up to meetings in order to make decisions.

"The main problem right know is with forum, and having the organ at the council level to come to forum," Tymchuk said. "There are certain goals that we haven't reached, like the outreach volunteer efforts, because of having to deal with forum."

Tymchuk noted that graduate students may not understand the full importance of the need for a smoothly run forum.

While Tymchuk's term ends in May, during the next two quarters he plans to re-establish his goals.

"The major concern right now is elections," Tymchuk said. "We need to make sure that we inform graduate students to get out and vote, and possibly become involved with GSA."

When not dealing with GSA issues, Tymchuk spends the rest of the time focusing on his research on and teaching of prostate cancer, while putting off his passion for scuba diving.

"Breast cancer and prostate cancer kill the same number of people in the U.S. each year," Tymchuk said. "And there is five times as much funding for breast cancer as prostate cancer."

Aside from GSA, Tymchuck's main priorities in life are to make the best of himself and take advantage of opportunities that present themselves.

"I really feel that I am setting myself up now to have a strong family, that I can provide for my children, and that my children can look up to me as a role model.

"I think it's really important that we focus on informing graduate students about GSA, what GSA has to offer to them, and how they can become involved in graduate student government," Tymchuk said.

PATRICK LAM/Daily Bruin

Chris Tymchuk, GSA president.