At this week’s Graduate Student Council (GSC) meeting, voting members reviewed administrative changes made in the past year and discussed winter quarter programming.

Stephanie Garrett ’12, chair of the Nominations Commission, updated the council on the progress the group has made in the past year. She encouraged councilmembers to spread the word about the commission among their friends and colleagues in the hopes that this election year would attract more graduate students seeking to fill the paid positions. Garrett elaborated on the commission’s responsibility to nominate students to University committee.

“People say it might be the most powerful student group on campus,” Garrett said.

“Without a doubt,” said Justin Brown, co-chair of the council.

Stanford Student Enterprises CEO Raj Bhandari M.S. ’10 encouraged councilmembers to spread the word about his job, which will become vacant when he steps down in June. He took over as CEO in July 2010.

“We are looking for excellent, high-potential candidates,” Bhandari said. He also discussed SSE’s efforts to get the relocated Stanford Store opened next month.

The council brainstormed ideas for winter quarter social programming, spearheaded by Joanna Lankester, a graduate student in engineering. Lankester asked for ideas for new, creative ways to bring the graduate community together in the winter months.

The council approved funding for events designed by the Grad Student Programming Board (GSPB), events that have been annual or quarterly in the past and that the GSPB hopes to continue planning in the future. Among the events were lottery dinners bringing together graduate students from diverse fields to share a meal, a trivia night in the Graduate Community Center’s Havana Room, relationship workshops and a band event.