Haiti RPCV Jason Pontius was hired as the university's first coordinator of graduate student involvement, head and entire staff of the office of graduate student involvement
New position helps bring graduate students together
By Brooke Howell
For the Diamondback
Every Friday between 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. graduate students gather at RJ Bentley's to socialize over free snacks and discounted drinks.
It's called the Grad Pub and it exists largely because of Jason Pontius who, in 2001, was hired as the university's first coordinator of graduate student involvement, head and entire staff of the office of graduate student involvement.
Early in his tenure, Pontius saw the Graduate Student Government host some similar events and thought a regular grad pub would be a great way for graduate students to meet each other, relax and socialize.
It seems he was right. Pontius recalls a student saying that he met more fellow grads in one night at the pub than he had met in three years in graduate school, it often has more than 100 attendees a week.
Pontius handed responsibility for the pub and its funding over to the Graduate Student Government at the end of 2002, but remained an advisor on the project. In this role he helped usher the pub through seven different venues before arriving at Bentley's. The numerous venue changes were the result of difficulties in finding a place that was accessible, close to campus, large enough, open in all weather and willing to provide food on a budget and drinks at a discount.
Planning an opportunity for students to drink and socialize may not seem like a job for a university administrator, but it actually fits Pontius's job description perfectly.
Both his position and office were created by the university with the goals of creating a community of graduate students and addressing the issues graduate students face outside of their academic departments.
Thinking about graduate students' needs outside of the academic realm marked a major change. Traditionally, universities left it to individual departments to help their own graduate students. Much of the assistance was career focused and graduate students were left to handle everything else on their own, including finding important university services, connecting with peers, and discovering affordable recreation.
Before, we weren't serving graduate students outside of their departments, said Marsha-Guenzler-Stevens, director of activities in the Office of Campus Programs.
In less than four years, Pontius has taken a number of steps to change the situation.
On the practical side, he has helped graduates to get better parking on campus, lobbied to get graduate student employees Metrocheck benefits, and worked to improve other services for graduate students. He also established a weekly e-mail newsletter to keep graduate students informed about these services and upcoming grad events.
"Many of the events are great for professional development, as well as socializing, and it's that blend that grads need," says Rachel Jablon a graduate student studying comparative literature.
Pontius's position was not only new to the university, but it was one of the first of its kind anywhere in the United States.
The position required a new way of thinking and Pontius decided that the first step was to gain a better understanding of graduate students and how their needs differ from those of undergraduates.
He knew a little about the subject because he earned his master's degree from Indiana University less than two years before. Still, his personal experience didn't give him the full picture and there was no research to help him so Pontius did the "Graduate Student Needs Assessment Survey" in early 2002.
The survey results provided a great deal of insight that helped to direct Pontius as he shaped his new job.
One thing he learned is that there is no typical graduate student. Graduates span a wide age range and have varying life situations and needs outside of school. They may be single, divorced or married; they may also have children or a full-time job, possibly both.
This led Pontius to create a variety of services and activities that would help as many graduates as possible. He also took the survey results to conferences and shared them with administrators at other universities.
Pontius has spent most of his life involved with universities in one way or another. His father was a professor at Radford University in Virginia. Pontius earned a bachelor's degree in psychology from the University of Virginia where he was the president of the union board.
After college he spent two years in Belgium interning at an advertising company that specialized in American colleges.
Next he went to Haiti with the Peace Corps. Pontius volunteered because he wanted an unfamiliar challenge and was inspired by his father's service 30 years earlier. Unfortunately, he got sick after just two months and had to come home.
This was when he applied to and started the master's program that prepared him for a career in university administration and indirectly helped him to find a wife (they met at orientation).
Before arriving at Maryland, Pontius was the director of student activities at Wesleyan College, a 700 student women's college in Macon, Ga.
Pontius joined the University of Maryland staff in a contract role, meaning his job would be evaluated and could be eliminated each year.
To prepare for this possibility, Pontius created two Web sites that could continue to help grad students connect with services: The Office of Graduate Student Involvement homepage (www.union.umd.edu/GSI) and The Graduate Student Handbook (www.union.umd.edu/GH).
Some students who understand what Pontius has done would be very disappointed to see him go.
"If he weren't at this university I shudder to think what would happen to grad students," says E.L. Doc Hunter, president of the graduate student government.
