Student Forum with Mark Weist

Students in the Clinical-Community program met with Program Director, Dr. Mark Weist on October 16 during a student forum. It was a well-attended event, filled with great dialouge between Mark and the present students. Mark left the forum open to any updates, recommendations or questions from the students. He also presented several updates from the faculty side. Here are a few highlights:

• A team of faculty and clinical leaders ared focusing on enhancing the Psychological Services Center. This includes hiring a new PSC director and restructuring the PSC to include more outreach opportunities. Hiring of the PSC director should be announced within coming weeks.
• Both Mark and present students discussed strategies for navigating what was referred to as "the fork in the road", or times when students need to make decisions about how to structure their education with their career goals in mind. Some recommendations included earlier guidance on how to structure classes depending on whether the student is more clinical or community oriented as well as whether the student is more research or practice focused.
• It was noted that faculty were tremendously responsive to requests for class scheduling changes. Mark stated that this will continue to happen in future semesters, and that the faculty are working on ways to enhance the structure of course scheduling.
• It is possible that developmental psych. could be extended from a 2 credit module to a 3 credit course.
• There was a recommendation for enhanced clarity around course waivers (e.g., waivers for students who came into school with graduate training).

Questions? Comments? Feel free to post on the blog or contact your PGSA reps!

Student Athletes

On a beautiful Autumn afternoon in South Carolina, a group of psychology graduate students decided to take a break from the reading, writing, and grading that is graduate school to play some wiffle ball!!

Sandra crushes the ball to center field. 

On October 13th psychology grad students Alycia Roberts, Bryn Schiele, and Matthew Facciani ran the Ray Tanner 12K Home Run race :) Cory Tonnsen, the husband of school psychology student, Bridgette Tonnsen, also ran! Bryn and Matthew placed 2nd and 3rd respectively for their age groups!

Bryn, Matt, and Alycia sport their racing medals.