The Office of Minority Affairs at Eastern will be losing five graduate assistants on May 8. They have worked with either the TRiO Student Support Services program or the Gateway program.

The TRiO program currently has two graduate assistants, LeeAntwann McCline and Leah Reeves. In addition the Gateway program has three graduate assistants including; Karen Armour, Rhonda Bowdry and Sarah Carpenter.

The five will be graduating from their degree programs in May and five others will be filling their positions.

Mona Davenport, director of Minority Affairs views the student-filled positions to be very important.

“Having graduate assistants serves as a two-fold,” Davenport said. “They get experience that may help them to get a job and we get to train them to work and do some things that, normally, full-time professionals would do.”

Armour said she enjoyed the time she worked for the Gateway office.

“I enjoyed the close connections that I had with not only the staff, but with my students and faculty,” she said. “It was always a pleasure to take part in different things.”

Armour also said the time spent working for Gateway helped her develop a newfound sense of dedication and perseverance.

The assistantship helped her to realize that the work hours don’t always end like a traditional job but that you do have to do your part, she said.

Yolanda Williams, an advisor of the Gateway program, said graduate assistants in the Gateway program are responsible for advising students and are treated as though they are professional advisors.

“They have a caseload of about 20 students and they do intrusive advising all week,” she said.

Williams said the assistants also participate in many events that are sponsored by the Office of Minority Affairs, these task include; parts of the planning process and, helping during the actual event.

“They are a very intricate part of our program as well as our department,” she said.

Because of the nature of the graduate assistantship program, there is a relationship that is formed between the full-time faculty and the graduate students who are serving.

Williams said the transition from one group of students to another is difficult.

“It’s a two-year relationship and then they’re gone and they are starting a new part of their lives,” she said.

William said each new group of students bring in a new dynamic and changes the vibe of the office.

Spenser Nobles can be reached at 581-7942 or at swnobles@eiu.edu.