The Oceanographic Center Student Government Association (OCSGA) is a chapter of the PANSGA at NSU. With five graduate students making up the OCSGA executive board, the group of graduate students at the Oceanographic Campus strives to provide academic and social opportunities to students.
“We work with the students to plan social events, and then also provide networking events so the students can interact with the faculty and staff here on the campus as well,” said Eileen Whitemiller, a student in the marine science graduate program at the Oceanographic Center (OC) and president of the OCSGA.She added, “Along with that we also try to help students when they are applying for specific professional programs.”
Through the organization, they collaborate with both students and faculty on the OC Campus in order to plan and host events that people will want to attend.
“It is kind of a collaboration between listening to the students and setting up specific forums for students to send in their suggestions,” said Whitemiller.
They have a suggestion inbox where students can send in requests, questions and comments so their opinions can be heard.
The OC SGA has several upcoming events open to students at the Oceanographic Center, including a blood drive in partnership with Warm Blood. Undergraduate marine science students are welcome to attend as well as the graduate students at the OC.
An upcoming social event, a shark tagging trip for graduate students, allows students to have the opportunity to go out with our researchers at the OC and see what it would be like if they were working on a shark tagging ship.
“[The trip] entails going out and collecting data on the sharks that are around the Fort Lauderdale, FL, outside the ports and along the coasts,” said Whitemiller. “It’s a great opportunity for students to see what that would be like. It’s a fun activity for the graduate students if they wanna see what other students are working on.”
“[Being a part of SGA] looks really good on a resume but also builds networking experiences. Being able to facilitate conversations between students, and faculty, and staff is always a good skill to have,” said Cassie Van Wynen, the Vice President of Internal Affairs for the organization and marine science graduate student at the Oceanographic Center said,
Whitemiller expressed the desire to make a positive impact on her campus.
“I want to leave a legacy. I think that whenever you go to a new place you should try to make an impact, and I felt that [SGA] was the best way to do that,” said Whitemiller.
