Student input for the External review of the Biology Department Texas State University-San Marcos - Based on a survey of biology graduate students

Biology Graduate Students 3 out of 4 of all graduate students serve as IAs or GIAs –34% of all graduate students also work outside the dept. Of those 50% also serve as IA’s 50% support families 15% have no health insurance 52% primarily pay for tuition through loans

Positive Points… Great faculty Good facilities and research environment New Masters program in Population and conservation biology is a valuable asset New courses like population genetics, ecological modeling, landscape ecology, etc. are broadening our academic diversity Most GIAs and IAs feel that their teaching load is reasonable and are satisfied with their experience

Problem areas…. Lack of cohesiveness within the department –Wildlife vs General biology –Freeman Aquatic building vs SUPPLE building Two diverse groups of faculty Training government employees/ technicians Training academians

Diversity in faculty Faculty members training technicians –Not many publications –Many graduate students (AVERAGE 6 grad students/ faculty member) Faculty members training academians –Have many publications –Have fewer students (AVERAGE 2 grad students/ faculty member) This diversity creates problems with regard to –Faculty interactions during meetings –Hiring new faculty –Annual faculty achievements and promotions –Graduate student degree requirements

TUITION  All GIAs and IAs pay in-state tuition HOWEVER  Graduate student tuition increases every year  GIA/IA salary too low to meet the increasing tuition  34% of grad students teach AND work outside the department to meet their needs  50% of grad students support families

IA salary: $900/month GIA salary: $ 1375/month Instate tuition rates for graduate students per semester (full time minimum- 9hrs) –Tuition and fees: $1690 –Graduate increment: $450

Undergraduate Student enrollment Increase in undergraduate student enrollment –Do we increase the number of lab sections to accommodate more students? Thus increasing the demand for IAs/GIAs More funding will be required to recruit and retain new graduate students –Do we stop offering lab-intensive classes and instead have more lecture-only classes?

Aquatic resources Ph.D. program Students feel that faculty are still unsure about the degree requirements –Several discrepancies and contradictions about the Advancement to Candidacy. This is the 3 rd year of the program and no students have advanced. Some 3 rd year students don’t have a research project or a major advisor Low salary and lack of project funding is a main issue raised by students

Some suggestions from students…  More interaction and cohesiveness must be encouraged among faculty  Collaborations within and outside the department needs to be encouraged  Grant-writing workshops for students and faculty would be very useful  Ph.D. faculty should be more informed about the requirements and should guide their students in a timely manner

Some suggestions from Students Cont’d….. Graduate tuition reimbursement –Texas law requires students to pay tuition but reimbursement of tuition may solve students’ financial problems –Increased salary/tuition reimbursement would increase the students’ amount of time for research and reduce need for a 2 nd job –Competitive teaching positions would motivate current students to work better –Ultimately, attracting more quality students to the department